Holidaymakers heading for an Easter break abroad gain in Spain the most for car hire in the sunshine.

A motor costs an average of £13.49 per day to hire on the Costas, one of the cheapest among major holiday destinations, according to analysis by the world's largest online car rental service, Rentalcars.com.

Spain is beaten on price only by Romania, where the average cost per day is £13.06p, while Malta is third cheapest at £13.60 per day.

Spain also offers better deals across all car categories, including popular ones such as compact, economy and mini, while British holidaymakers can pay more than double the price in some other countries - even for the same car.

The average daily price for an economy car, such as a VW Polo or Vauxhall Corsa, is £10.19 in Spain, compared with £24.34 in France, £22.70 in Germany and £17.60 in Italy.

And a compact or hatchback car costs £13.56 in Spain but £28.92 in France, £26.10 in Germany and £21.17 in Italy.

The most expensive countries across the world for car hire are Japan (£55.47 on average per day) followed by Iceland (£46.37) and Switzerland (£43.64).

The analysis included data from 46 different countries with the most expensive deals being on luxury cars in the United Arab Emirates, where the average cost is £160.64 per day.

Daniel Robb, from Rentalcars.com, said: "Spain is clearly a winner for holidaymakers who want a car hire bargain.

"Many holidaymakers factor in car hire costs when booking a break so the country offers great value for anyone who wants their own vehicle to get about more easily, go exploring or even get off the beaten track and see places not on the tourist map."

Tips for booking a cheap deal include; book well in advance, check the fuel usage policy, avoid car hire company injury insurance as you may be already covered under your travel policy and choose your pick-up location - hiring at the airport can be more expensive than outlets that are a shuttle-bus away.