vivace98

I plan to rent a car in Paris for a trip to Normandy. Since I've heard that cars with automatic shift are hard to come by, I decided to call both Europcar and Sixt about the availability.

Sixt - I was told that compact cars with auto shift are very rare and should call a few days before pick up day to confirm. It can never be guranteed. However, cars in the luxury category (BMW, Mercedes) with auto shift are more abundant but pricy (double the cost)

Europcar - I could not get a hold of anyone calling 3 different locations.. no English prompt either.

Unfortunately, driving a manual shift is not feasible as we are not mechanically inclined.

Any tips?? Thanks for your help!

StCirq

No tips. If you can't drive a manual, you're just stuck, sorry. You either pay the big premium or learn to drive a manual. And it's true, no one can guarantee you an automatic. Europeans just don't drive them for the most part, so there are few to be had.

Sarastro

If you must have an automatic transmissions you will simply pay a great deal more because:

1. Comparable sized rentals will cost more if they a automatic equipped.

2. As you have found, you will most likely be required to rent a larger car than you may want.

3. You will also pay the environment fee, charged at drop off which can add up to 30€ to your total costs.

Even paying more and reserving such a car, unless you reserve where there is a big demand, such as at the airports, one may not be available at pickup.

michelhuebeli

Re-assess what it is you want to see in Normandy, and you'll probably manage with a combination of trains, buses, scheduled tourist coaches, and such. If it's the American Cemetery and the Normandy Invasion scenarios for example, they are well served by all manner of tours and transportation options. If it's the tapestries in Bayeux, ditto - take the train. If you want to go see how Calvados is made in the country-side, then that might involve some compromises.

Normandy is pretty flat, lots of people rent bikes and have a great time seeing it that way. Look for the words "location vélos" or "location bicyclettes" (location in French meant rental, not "place") in any towns that appeal to you and that are on train lines

Elizabeth_S

We had to rent an automatic a couple of years ago as my husband had had surgery on his left ankle and couldn't use the clutch comfortably. I booked a compact automatic via Autoeurope. It was a Hertz rental. We were upgraded to a Mercedes at the time of pick up. We had two other rentals that trip with the same specs -- another Mercedes upgrade and a VW Golf (the class we rented). So in my experience you can rent automatic compacts. Try Autoeurope.

alohatoall

Also try Kemwel, Autoeurope's sister company -- its prices are better than Autoeurope's (at the moment, anyway).

StCirq

I have used AutoEurope (sometimes Kemwel) for 30+ years. They don't have any better a record at securing automatics than anyone else, as they are a broker and simply hook you up with a rental company. You may have a slightly better chance with them, as they have access to all the rental companies, but the bottom line is an automatic can almost never be assured.

Dukey1

Sorry, but I have never ever had a problem geting an automatic car rental in the UK, in Germany, in Italy, and in France. In the UK I used Hertz; in the others I used Auroeurope and I always prepaid for an automatic and i have always gotten one.

Obviously, some people's experience has been different. It may very well depend on the location of your pick-up. Makor airports are usually always going to have automatics.

Robert2533

Check Auto Europe's website. There are a number of automatics available at nearly every location in Paris.

CJT0427

I've rented cars through AutoEurope 3 times from 1994 through 2005 and had no trouble getting an automatic - prepaid. The first time was a Peugeau and the other times were Mercedes A class. All three times the rental company was EuropeCar. The Mercedes were both diesels.

doug_stallings

Automatic transmission cars are widely available for rentals in Europe, but it's virtually impossible to get an automatic compact. I've never seen one in Europe, but perhaps they are adding them nowadays, especially for Americans. I've only seen luxury automatics.

The only thing I'd add is that particularly in the summer, companies run out of automatics, so if you are absolutely counting on one, calling a few days ahead is best. But you must reserve one farther in advance than a few days, or it's just not going to happen.

chartley

"Compact" is not a term used in Britain to describe cars, so I am not sure exactly what Doug is referring to. What I do know is that the majority of European cars, of whatever size, are available with automatic gearboxes. We have an automatic Citroen Picasso, and its rivals such as the Renauilt Scenic and VW Touran are also available with automatic gearboxes. Most larger cars are available in that form, and many smaller models as well. You can buy an automatic Mini, for example. Automatics appear to be taking a growing share of the market generally.

However, it seems to be the case that the car hire companies do not stock them in the numbers required. This may be because automatics generally cost more to buy, and they would therefore cost more to rent. Perhaps customers are not inclined to pay the extra.

One problem used to be that automatics had worse fuel consumption. However, the latest automatic cars with electronic multi-speed gearboxes now have lower fuel consumption than their manual gearbox equivalents.

Underhill

Your best bet would be to rent a car at the Charles de Gaulle airport, where the supply of automatics is usually the best. But it's true that trying to get a smaller-sized car with automatic shift could be very difficult; those transmissions usually are found on more expensive cars. That sometimes means you get a real trunk, too, rather than a hatchback.

vivace98

Thanks everyone who's commented!

I did call Autoeurope and inquired about car with automatic shift. The customer service rep assured me that it's guranteed upon prepayment and confirmation.


I'd like to hear about your experiences with Autoeurope with reserving a car with automatic shift. I hope the experiences have been positive.

Elizabeth_S

As mentioned above I was 3 for 3 reservations with Autoeurope using Hertz (Paris, Venice, Rovinj Croatia) booking VW Golf class. 2 upgrades to Mercedes.

janisj

>>I'd like to hear about your experiences with Autoeurope with reserving a car with automatic shift. I hope the experiences have been positive.<<

You can always reserve an automatic and autoeurope is VERY good/reliable. The issue is no one can <u>guarantee</u> you will get an automatic. The odds are you will, but they simply can't guarantee it unless the only cars in a fleet are automatics.

What if the only automatic at a location (and duly reserved for you) is not returned on time by the prior customer? Or, it was damaged and taken out of service? They might have to scramble to find another one.

So what you should do is arrange for collection at a LARGE location like at CDG where there are more cars available. Not at a small or central city site.

If no automatic is available they definitely will get one to you eventually - but that might be hours or a day later which would blow a hole in your plans. So arrange for pick up at the largest location possible to increase your odds.

nytraveler

We always do Hertz or Avis - since we get corporate discount - and never have a problem getting an automatic. But we generally get a mid size/sporty car - depending on what they offer - never a midget or economy.

I'm 5'9" with long legs and DH is 6'3" - and neither of us is comfortable driving a tiny car - not enough leg room - nor will we drive something that doesn't have substantial pick up for the highway. Yes, they cost more - but I refuse to have my legs squashed or be standing up on the gas to try to reach merging speed.

StCirq

<<Automatic transmission cars are widely available for rentals in Europe>>

Simply not true. They are not widely available because there is only a tiny percentage of cars of any kind, never mind rental ones, that are automatic in Europe.

If you've gotten one, you're lucky. Or, like nytravler, book luxury vehicles.

Elizabeth_S

"I did call Autoeurope and inquired about car with automatic shift. The customer service rep assured me that it's guranteed upon prepayment and confirmation"

For the posters saying automatic can't be guaranteed - do you doubt this exchange? (sincere question - not meant to sound p*ssy)

I did a search on expedia for automatic rentals with a pick up at CDG - 6 major rental car companies had "compact" class automatics (plus automatics in other classes). Interesting the rental rate for a compact automatic is about double that of a manual - good thing to know how to drive a standard!

KTtravel

I have rented several automatics through Autoeurope and have not had a problem. Only once, in Irealand, did we opt for the manual as we would have had to wait an hour of so longer at the renal counter for an automatic.