So you have arrived in Jersey and want to hire a car, or are planning to arrange the hire in advance. The question is where to go? Luckily for the potential traveller, there are a number of options and this healthy degree of competition keeps the price quite low. A warning for potential hirers before we continue; especially during the peak summer season, the island can get rather gridlocked with parking becoming quite a problem, especially around the more popular tourist destinations.

The major suppliers are the same in Jersey as they are in many parts of the world; Avis, Europcar, Holiday Autos, Hertz, Argus Car Hire, Easycar. There are also some local suppliers, such as Zebra Hire or Logan Airport Car Hire Experts, but these tend to be a little more expensive than the multi-national chains. They all have desks at the harbour and the airport, or can arrange to pick you up from there. The majority of them will offer you cheaper prices if you book in advance and even cheaper prices if you pay up front.

The prices range from £21 pounds per day (a Ford Ka hired from Holiday Autos), to £75 per day (a twelve seat minibus from Hertz), right up to £100 per day (for a Mercedes E Class from Europcar, or a sporty Alfa Romeo Spider Convertible from Avis), though this upper price could be knocked down if you pre-book or pre-buy - to £68 per day in the case of the Spider, for example. Though considering the low maximum speed limit mentioned later, you may want to think twice before hiring a sports car.

Whichever company or car you choose, it is always wise to think about the extras. Most companies offer basic insurance packages, but these usually have a codicil which states that the customer has to pay a portion of any claim and this portion can sometimes be up to £1000. Car hire companies do always offer an excess insurance, costing about £5 per day and will cover you for the whole amount. In the case of car hire, it really is to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

There are also additional charges for baby, booster, child seats and extra drivers - the last of these is especially important. If someone else is driving, who has not been added, you will have to pay the full cost of the damages. The cost of seats varies between £1 and £5 per seat, depending on which company you go with, while the cost of additional drivers is between £5 and £10 per person.

Lastly, if hiring or driving a car in Jersey, there are a couple of things to remember. Firstly, traffic lights have no amber colour, going straight from red to green. Secondly, the maximum speed limit is 40mph (even outside inhabited areas) and goes down to 15mph in so-called green lanes (on which pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders have priority and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary by motorists).