THRIFTY Car Rental UK has signed a deal with Renault for hundreds of cars and vans worth more than £13 million during 2003.

The rental company, which has 71 mostly franchised branches, is to take delivery of about 250 cars and 300 vans during the year.

Vehicles to be added to the fleet include the new Megane and Espace as well as Kangoo, Kangoo van, Trafic, Master, and Master minibuses.

John Darke, national rental manager at Renault, said: 'Thrifty Car Rental's customers demand good quality, dependable cars so its choice of a whole range of Renault cars and vans reflects their confidence in our product.'

John Ryan, fleet director, Thrifty Car Rental UK, added: 'Renault is synonymous with quality and dependability and these vehicles continue to be extremely popular with Thrifty customers.

'This is one of the main reasons that we continue to take vehicles from suppliers such as Renault year-on-year and is an important factor in making sure that we maintain our position as a supplier of high quality, reliable and popular vehicles.'