WITH a homepage bordered on each side by grey panels, first-time visitors to this site may question its design. It looks like a Microsoft Word document with an image pasted onto it.

The colourful centre splash and odd-looking panels make the homepage most un-weblike.

Aside from this, the entry page displays a top menu and a colourful splash featuring the latest u-drive.co.uk vehicle hire deals.

Click on the vehicle rental link on the top menu and you will be asked to choose between cars, MPVs, minibuses, 4x4s, LCVs and HGVs. Once decided, a list of vehicles will appear, with pictures and rental information. Then you decide what length of time to rent the vehicle. Each has a daily mileage allowance, which if exceeded, induces additional charges. After choosing a vehicle, a screen displays the pick-up and return date.

Fleet managers can input a date to suit them and must choose a pick-up centre from the dropdown menu that is nearest to them.

Before confirming an order an account must be created with u-drive.co.uk. This is simple to do and only takes a few minutes.

The ordering process is easy to navigate around, as is the rest of the site.

The pages of the website use colour and graphics to good use and help generate a consumer feel.

If users want to read up on the rules of insurance on a hired vehicle, they can head to the insurance info section.

Information can be viewed on age restrictions and the collision damage waiver, for example.

A small niggle with the site is the ‘locations’ section. While there are opening times for each of the U-drive centres, the location maps leave a little to be desired and you would be ill-advised to take to the road on your search without a road atlas too.

The lowdown:

The site: www.u-drive.co.uk

We like: Bold site with clear navigation

We don’t like: Those grey bits on the sides