Car hire brokers Holiday Autos has announced that it will be increasing the size of its fleet of rental vehicles by 20 per cent in South Africa ahead of the World Cup. The company said the move was necessary if it was to keep up with the high demand for cars from foreign and domestic visitors.

Larger vehicles such as minivans, SUVs and mini buses are already in short supply, and visitors who have not yet finalised their rental requirements, may end up being disappointed. Some smaller vehicles, like the Renault Clio or Ford Focus, are still available, and prices are currently starting at around £140 for a seven-day hire.

Holiday Autos managing director, Stuart Nassos, said that a shortage of available hire vehicles in key holiday destinations was going to make hiring a car at the last minute more difficult, and possibly more expensive, than usual.

Nassos added that at peak holiday times and during events like the World Cup, a shortage of vehicles always became an issue. He went on to say that since the economic downturn, rental firms have not been able to obtain the funding needed to increase their depleted fleets, and so the issue has become worse.

This means that instead of treating car hire as an afterthought, it should be dealt with early on in the holiday booking process to avoid disappointment. Holiday Autos said that they are currently working with their partners to ensure that football fans manage to get hold of an appropriate vehicle at a reasonable price.