jenn33

Hi: any suggestions on the least expensive way to rent a car in europe - or the least expensive european car rental co. I am traveling between Amsterdam and Germany for 8 days and was quoted a cost of over 900.00 bec. of the one way drop off fee. I received quotes from Car Europa, Kemwal, Hertz, Alamo, and National. Any suggestions, aside from taking the trains, would be much appreciated.

flanneruk

One-way drop offs aren't in themselves expensive: but dropping the car off in a different country from the one you hired in always is.

There is simply no way around this, and you need to organise yourself to avoid it - by a different itinerary, by an open jaw flight, or by taking a low-cost flight back to where you started.

Personally I always use Holiday Autos.

nytraveler

You don;t say what type/size car you are renting. If you rent a small standard transmission the drop offs (as well as the rental) is often much less than if you rent a large automatic. Luxury class cars esp have huge drop off charges.

Have you searched travelocity, expedia, orbitz etc to see what they show? Sometimes they can give you an idea of the best company for a specific itinerary - then you can look for cheaper prices.

nytraveler

Sorry - hit post too soon.

How many people are you? And have you looked into the cost of your train itinerary for that many? (bahn.de has info)

ira

Hi j,

As noted, dropping off in different countries entails a large fee.

Check with www.novarentacar.com and www.autoeurope.com.

Also consider training from Amsterdam to Germany and renting the car there.

Travelnut

I'll wager that the cost of a train to Germany will fall well within the rental fee decrease assumed by Ira's suggestion.

laverendrye

Have you tried AutoEurope? I recently rented a car (Volvo S40) for pickup in Amsterdam and drop off in Paris for 12 days, and it was less expensive than that on a per day basis. The drop-off fee was €100, which I considered worth the convenience.

jenn33

Hi: thanks for all the replies. I am renting a compact automatic, as i cannot drive a standard type car. the best rate so far was given to me by hertz with a AAA discount for 528 euros about 645 U.S. for the 8 days- this includes all taxes and a drop off fee of 145 euros in frankfurt. I will try the other companies but i think this is the best price i can expect to get. We are driving from Amsterdam through Belgium into the Alsace region of France and then on to Germany. Therefore, we would rather rent a car and go at our leisure then to worry about train schedules. Thanks for all the suggestions!!

Betsy

A couple of suggestions for you: If your trip is not in the immediate future, you may want to take a few lessons on a standard shift car. Your savings may be well worth it, and you'll learn a valuable new skill.

Contact Andrew at www.gemut.com. He's a broker who uses AutoEurope (which is also a brokerage). Many of us on the board (including me) have had repeated positive experiences with Andrew and AE. AE claims to beat any quote from another company. Andrew's quotes (due to volume) are usually a little less than AE. Make sure you're comparing "apples to apples" re insurance and any other fees. The term you want to use re insurance is "zero deductible." You didn't mention your insurance coverage with Hertz.

Tweak your itinerary to pick up/drop off in the same country.

Betsy

A quick review of your itinerary led me to comment that I think you could pick up in Strasbourg and drop off in Frankfurt without a drop off fee, since Strasbourg, in the Alsace region of France, is at the German border. It may also be possible to rent from Amsterdam and drop off in Belgium without a fee, since they're both Benelux countries. Then you could train to Strasbourg for the next leg of your journey. These are options that you may want to discuss with Andrew at www.gemut.com.

BTilke

Given your route, have you considered taking the train from Amsterdan to Brussels or wherever it is in Belgium you need to go, then on to Aachen (since you want to go through Belgium) and pick up your car there? Aachen is only about 1.5 hours from Brussels. Most agencies would allow you could pick up your car in Aachen and drop it off in Frankfurt. Train service between Amsterdam and Brussels is so frequent and not expensive (the regular trains are more flexible than Thalys, no reservations needed).
By the way, does the rate you were quoted include insurance? You said taxes were included but didn't mention insurance.

nytraveler

$645 inclusive for 8 days seems perfectly reasonable. I doubt that all the train fares would be much less - considering all the toing and froing you'll be doing. And obviously the car gives you much more freedom. Why not just go for it?

rex

There might be a lesson in this for others: incorporating the plan for <i><u>intra</u></i>-Europe transportation into your overall plan <i><u>before</u></i> making a commitment on your trans-atlantic air travel can be a very worthwhile (mental) exercise. Perhaps if this itinerary started with flying into Strasbourg, and then making an arc north, and back into Germany could have made the car rental more affordable without increasing the air travel cost.

I strongly agree that learning to drive a standard transmission automobile is something that can be mastered in 4 hours with an empathetic teacher, and if used all weekend long will make all future Europe travels much more affordable.

Finally, an <i><u>eight</u></i> day rental is missing the &quot;sweet spot&quot; of car rental value by adding that eighth day. Typically the sixth and seventh days are &quot;free&quot; (i.e., a 7-day rental costs no more than a 5-day rental), but the eighth day reverts to the single day rate for extending over into the second week.

Train for a day can indeed turn out to be economically a good idea when you need to spill over for the one extra day.

Best wishes,

Rex

DeeDee

Jenn,
You have been given some good itinerary ideas which may save you the one-way drop off charge. When you are comparing the train options, be sure to factor in the cost of petrol for the rental, not a minor consideration.

laverendrye

I realize now that one of the reasons that your rental would be expensive is that you require an automatic. That does add to the price significantly. If you do decide to rent, make sure you get a diesel, as diesel fuel is less expensive (sometimes by as much as &euro;0.20 per litre).

All things considered, I think that your quote of &euro;528 is reasonable, and a car will give you the flexibility you are looking for on that itinerary. But do check with AutoEurope for a quote.

Tinling

Try the car rentals through raileurope.com I checked out the price for your pick up and drop off and got $505 for a VW Golf automatic.