Car rental companies are being urged by the European Commission (EC) to end discriminatory practices for drivers making reservations online.

The EC has written to six firms asking them to end pricing methods based on consumers' country of residence, which can lead to people being charged different prices even if they rent the same vehicle, from the same hire firm in the same location.

Automatic rerouting is used by these companies following the identification of the consumer's Internet Protocol (IP) address and can prevent bookings from being made.

Alternatively, customers may be quoted vastly different prices after entering their country of residence on the website. 

Of the six companies contacted by the EC, satisfactory responses were received from Sixt, Enterprise and Goldcar. Hertz, Europcar and Avis did not respond satisfactorily, prompting the EC to make the letter public and request a full review of the firms' practices.

Michel Barnier, vice-president of the EC, said: "The single market should be a daily reality not only for major international companies but also for consumers in Europe."