For the third year in a row, Palma de Majorca, Spain has held onto its number one position with most Brits taking car hire holidays in the capital during the winter months. Proving even further that the land of sun, sangria and salsa really is good enough for us Brits, the popular destinations of Malaga and Alicante managed to keep Spain in second and third place too when it came to the most visited resorts.

With the USA coming in as the second most visited country, it looks like we really were keen to get as far away from the snow and ice as possible! Long haul fly-drive destination Orlando in Florida made the top ten, showing that many of us seek out a Disney fix and some movie studio action to help beat the winter blues.

The birthplace of Aphrodite, Paphos in Cyprus, was bumped up to fourth position in the rankings proving its growing popularity with sun seekers, while Portuguese resorts remained near the bottom of the scale with Porto in ninth place.

Despite its romantic nature, one of the main losers in the winter holiday league is Casablanca in Morocco. The African city fell completely out of the top ten this year. But there was good news for the beautiful Caribbean island of Martinique, as it arrived into the rankings for the first time at number ten. Offering picture perfect beaches and coral reef barriers, a grey and damp UK was left miles away by many Brits.

“As the Met Office warned late last year that December was almost certainly the coldest since records began, many Brits took to the skies and flew off to sunnier climes” commented Anel Bruns, Product Manager at leading car rental comparison site carhiremarket.com. “As people will now be thinking about jetting off again for a summer getaway, booking your car hire early helps prevent disappointment. If you are a family or just a couple and you need a car that will transport you comfortably around, booking in good time will ensure a hassle free trip to your destination.”

Carhiremarket.com Dec 2010 / Jan 2011 Holiday Car Rental League Table

1. Palma de Majorca
2. Malaga
3. Alicante
4. Paphos
5. Orlando
6. Granadilla
7. Las Palmas
8. Sanford
9. Porto
10. Lamentin.