I am stunned by the price of an automatic shift for 1 week as opposed to a manual. Is this true? Auto Europe Car was my source. Any thoughts on the best rental company to use? I am from the US and am pricing the car for 1 week in Provence.

Try economycarrentals.com or nova as well. It's going to be something but that's a lot. If you have time find a stickshift and start practicing. It ain't rocket science- if you can walk and chew gum at the same time.....

are they the same sized cars? Because maybe that location only offers automatics w/ larger models. If that's the case - that could definitely be the price difference.

I agree that you need to confirm that the two quotes you have are for the same class of car. Few if any of the economy class cars have automatic transmissions available. You may be required to book the <b>D</b> class to find a car with auto transmission.

Additionally, France has an environmental tax of 5€/day for the first 6 days of any rental of a car with automatic transmission. This too will increase the comparison costs.

The automatic was a mini Cooper and the manual a Citroen. Still a pretty big difference. Fortunately, I do drive a manual shift, but was thinking in hilly areas, an automatic would be nice. Forget that! $350 is not bad. Thanks.

<<Auto Europe Car was my source...>>

Was it Auto Europe or Europcar? If the latter, call Auto Europe.

its usually a little less than double the price for an automatic from hertz.

also - be aware that sometimes automatics are not available in the smaller car classes so the cost differential may not really show up correctly.

I booked a car from Europcar for $519.06 for 14 days, with delivery at Calais and drop-off at Gare De Leon, Paris. After checking out several rentals, Europecar gave me the best rates, best pick-up and delivery times, and the car I wanted (a Renault Kangoo).
The 800 number is: 1-877-820-0668

Good luck,
Larry

Try another company. I also have noticed that car rentals seem to have increased quite a bit this year.

Forget sports cars---ski high.
The difference is usually about 30% more.
Look at Kemwel--I have had good luck recently with them.

It is for that reason I've always rented a car with a stick shift, even in England! Actually, I prefer a stick shift, and being left handed, had absolutely no trouble in England.

Larry,

The 800 number you have provided for Europcar is actually the number for Kemwel. Could you have made your arrangements for the Europcar rental through Kemwel?

I can't imagine that's for the same size/class of car. Often automatics aren't available except in the mid size cars - which are naturally more luxe (AC et al) as well as substantially larger/more comfortable than the most basic flying sneaker super compact car.

I just priced a car with Auto Europe for one week in August. It is an automatic and the prices start at $417 for pick up at the Nice Airport. The price goes up from there.
Where are you trying to rent a car in France. Do you have to have a Mini Cooper which costs what you said.

P.S. Make sure what you rent is not considered "exotic". Many insurances (credit card) do not cover that type.

cmeyer54,

Yes, the Europecar number is really Kemwell's number. They are ever so much easier to locate and much more able to figure out just what I want to do than the folks I talked to at Europcar. Also, their rates were lower than Europcar, even though it is, in reality, a Europcar I will be driving.
Because I am in both the UK and France this trip, it was just simply easier to book both vehicles at one place.

A Mini Cooper is not a regular rental... it's what AutoEurope refers to as a 'Specialty Vehicle' and you'll pay a premium automatic or not.

You need to compare the same cars or at least cars in the same class to see what extra you're paying for automatic.

Rob

I just selected the cheapest level, checked automatic, and the mini Cooper was the only one that came up at Auto Europe. It was about $1350 a week. When I then clicked on "manual", the price was $350. Pick up and delivery would be Avignon.

Thanks to all for some good information. Manual it is!

I rented automatics in Provence using Autoeurope twice and the cost for an automatic wasn't that much more than a manual. So your figures just seem very bizarre to me, but it's hard to say without knowing what kind of car you are trying to rent, it sounds like two different types of cars. I just rented the cheapest automatic available, a compact. Maybe it is some peculiar supply and demand issue based on your particular locations and dates, who knows. I also rented in Avignon, it's not that.

For example, I just checked Avignon in mid-September, and the manuals were around $400 a week but the cheapest automatic, a Citroen C4 midsize was $652 and the next one was around $700 (for a Mercedes A180). So that is around $300 a week or $40 a day difference. I think that is more than when I rented a few years ago, but it's nothing like $1350 a week. Maybe it's your dates or location, I think you pay more at the airport, not sure. I used the gare SNCF, I think they have the best selection.