296vancouver

I'm looking to pick up a car in Nice and drop it off in Avignon or Montpellier. Does anyone know who has the best fees for different drop-off cities? BTW I already looked at autoeurope, and unless I am blind it looks like I have to pay first and find out later what the fees are. While they say that they will refund the deposit in the event I decline (after finding out what the fee is), I rather see it all up front.

nytraveler

Typically there is no fee to drop off at another city within the same country.

Not a guarantee - but I would shop until you find this.

janisj

I've never paid a one-way drop off fee w/i the same European country.

StCirq

There is no fee for dropping off a car anywhere in France if you pick up in France. As for AutoEurope, I think you are blind indeed. I don't know what you're referring to when you say you don't know what the fees are up front. I've rented more than 100 cars from AutoEurope and have always known precisely what the fees are upfront and never paid a dime more.

296vancouver

Thanks nytraveler and janisj -- which rental company do you generally use there? I looked at Hertz and Avis and they both charge drop-off fees of 50-75 euros as well as some other "location fee" of about 20E -- vague explanation about what that is. StCirq, go look for yourself if you don't believe me or re-read my post and see what I am actually asking

Michael

There are no drop-off fees if you pick up the car at the train station or the airport, for which you pay a fee, but less than a one way fee. The reason for this is that RR station and airport pickups usually deal with Europcar which does not charge a one way fee, whereas a city pick-up often deals with Hertz or Avis who do charge a one way fee. But the best thing is to call AutoEurope or Kemwel and talk to one of their representatives about it.

296vancouver

Aha, I see ... I'll try that. Thanks very much!

janisj

"<i>which rental company do you generally use there?</i>"

Most of the time I leave it to autoeurope to find me the best deal. Once in a while -booking directly w/ x, y or z rental company is cheaper. But I almost always start by getting a quote from autoeurope or kemwel first.

Sarastro

Call Autoeurope or Kemwel last. They will always meet or beat anyone else´s price.

Michael

I would check with Autoeurope or Kemwel first to get an idea of the base price from a major broker. It does not involve any commitment. Then see what others offer. I have yet to see an offer where the CDW is carried by the renter's credit card that is lower than either of these brokers. On another thread someone mentioned getting a better price with Sixt, but when I plugged in my dates, the price with a pick-up and return at the same location is considerably higher than what Kemwel is offering.

kerouac

I have never paid a one way drop off fee within France with Europcar, National or Hertz -- but this can depend on the category of the car. I always get small cars, which are easy to rent in every region. Some of the larger models are only popular for renting in major urban areas.

jamikins

When booking with autoeurope they will charge the amount shown if there are no additional fees. If there is a drop off or additional fee they will send you a provisional booking with the additional information and ask you to confirm before charging you. So you dont pay up front if there are any additional fees on top of what you see on their website. You have the choice to decline if you dont agree with the additional fees in the provisional booking.

Hope this makes sense.

kerouac

True -- I never get automatic confirmation when I reserve through AutoEurope and want to leave the car elsewhere. I get temporary confirmation and a message "we are contacting the company to see if there are any additional charges" -- but the second message confirming that there is no drop off fee usually arrives in less than 15 minutes.

Nikki

Within countries, there may be different fees depending whether you pick up and drop off at a city location or at an airport or train station, if I recall correctly.

And Autoeurope does reserve the right to tell you the fees after you submit your booking request.

I have had the experience of renting from Autoeurope when they contacted me with the drop-off fees after I submitted my booking and the fees for dropping off in a different country than the one where I picked up the car were very substantial. I then called them and tried to work out a better route. They were very helpful and we ended up cancelling that booking.

Christina

I use Autoeurope or Kemwell in France and hve never paid a drop-off charge for another city.

plastic_paddy

Auto europe will mention if there are any local fees, including one way, on the information page (after you click on the price from the quote page). Near the bottom they have a what's included/what's not included. You'll see companies like holidayautos.com working the same way (who also have no one way rental fees in France with their suppliers)

jamikins

Well I stand corrected! I just booked a car from Lille rail station, dropping off at Limoges rail station and autoeurope says there is a €70 one way drop off fee. It doesnt say what company the rental is through, I guess they give those details once you confirm you are happy to pay the additional fee. Not too happy with this turn of events!

Sarastro

Call Autoeurope and ask about the drop off fee. The last time I was quoted a one way drop off fee the rental was through Hertz so I changed my arrangements sufficiently to avoid them. If you call, they may offer some solutions.

1-888-223-5555 North America number

sap

Hmmm, interesting jamikins. I have a confirmation voucher (provisional booking) for an AutoEurope one-way drop off between Avignon train station in June and Toulouse train station in July. It clearly indicates that there will be no drop-off fee.

jamikins

sap - what car rental company are you using? Maybe just certain ones are now charging? We have always ended up with Europcar, but will call and ask for another if there is one that doesnt charge!