We're planning to drive around Germany (Alsace, Rhineland), Switzerland and maybe France (Geneve & West) next summer. For a one week rental in the same type vehicle, are rates better in Switzerland, Germany or France. Because of our touring route we can rent a car and drop it off in any of these countries.
Car rental rates: do they differ in Germany & Switzerland
Recent Activity
View all Europe activity »
- 1 London Itinerary Advice 6-10 September
- 2 Motor Home North Italy Route Suggestions
- 3 Florence Day Trip to Sienna: should we stop along the way? Where?
- 4 Eiffel tower tickets- June8-15 will I need to queue?
- 5 First night after arriving in Milan
- 6 Which tour company would be best?
- 7 France by rail or car?
- 8 Comfortable shoes to wear in Italy this summer and not look like a tourist
- 9 Help with Itinerary for Marseille/Provence trip in September
- 10 Planning my days in Paris
- 11 Suggestions for Istanbul Stayover
- 12 Cinque Terre or Lake Como August - 3 nights
- 13 Otherchelebi and others in Istanbul
- 14 New & Improved 2 Week Honeymoon Itinerary Italy
- 15 Rome weather forecast right now-is anyone there?
- 16 Rome, Florence, Sorrento in 1 week
- 17 ? re hotels in 5 terre
- 18
Sketches from Italy: Rome, Ischia and Frascati
- 19 London at Xmas
- 20 best place to get euros for Ireland trip
- 21
Solo in Sicily - April 2013
- 22 Itinerary suggestions please: Munich, Ortisei and ???
- 23 Alsace question. Itterswiller or Riquewihr, where to stay?
- 24 2 days in Venice- where to stay –What to do- Help please!
- 25 French Riviera and Italy 3 weeks - need itinerary help and suggestions
Renting in Germany is usually cheaper - but if you drop it in a different country - there is usually a drop-off charge - which may be significant. (Shop around before you organize your rental).
Also - Alsace is in France and Geneva is in Switzerland.
As nytraveler says, Germany is usually the cheapest option. Very easy to get non binding quotes for your trip. Be sure to compare quotes using the exact same car class, options, etc. In other words, be sure your comparing apples to apples, not apples to oranges. I'd suggest getting a quote from www.gemut.com and other consoldators along with rental co.'s themselves.
I did not have any luck with www.gemut.com when looking into a rental for Poland. I would try www.autoeurope.com and see if the prices are the same for the same type of car and same period in each of the countries in consideration. Keep in mind that a vignette is required in Switzerland to drive on its autobahns.
While Michael didn't have any luck with www.gemut.com for a rental car in Poland, we've rented through them for our last three trips to Germany.
Also, you may want to look into getting CDW through the AmEx "Premium Car Rental Protection Plan".
www295.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do?intlink=premiumprotecthub_browsepromos_pcrpmonitoring&intlink=us-CCSG-NAC-CarRental-LearnMore
Info on "Vignette", which is a toll sticker for use of highways in Switzeralnd and Austria:
www.german-way.com/autobahn2.html
Paul
Dropping your car in a country other than the one where you picked it up can cost into the hundreds of euros. Go and do some test bookings at http://www.autoeurope.com and you can decide for yourself where to get the best deal. Then phone and ask about one way fees...
Yes, I know about the crazy drop off charges and plan to drop it in the country we rent it in. Because of our tentative travel plans we'll be in and out of France, Germany and Switzerland. I'm leaning toward picking it up in Strassburg (we arrive in Frankfurt) and dropping it just west of Geneva in France or further southwest in Lyon. I think I was being silly to let the differential in car rental rates influence the flow of our travels.
Last month we traveled through Corsica and Budget served us well. I'd originally booked with Kemwel but they use AutoEurope and require the CDW, apparently American companies do not. We wanted the liability carried by our credit card (British Air Visa).
I will check out Gemut and thank you all for your clarifications.
Interestingly, Strasbourg is offered as a rental location for both France and Germany, and with some companies you can drop off/pick up a French-registered or German-registered car without the usual fees. Also for Geneva, the airport has both French and Swiss terminals with dedicated rental station each, so it's easy to do something similar. So you want to factor this is for your planning. Another aitport with similar set-up is Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg.