car rental advice in Portugal
 

Reading Dedlaw's excellent trip report (thank you), and got nervous about finding a car with automatic transmission so began looking around and found Portugal auto rentals. so a couple of questions.

recommendations for best auto rental site?

PAR is indicating that several cars are in short supply (I'm looking at June) - they are the higher priced ones - is this a ploy or should I be reserving now.

what are: an SRC, an ONEWA and a Super CDW?

I am thinking of spending the first night in Sintra to shake off the jet lag before hitting the road, but Sintra doesn't seem to have car rental companies. Is the airport our best bet for car pickup.

Thanks all

The first thing you want to do is to check with Auto Europe and Kemwel (sister companies), both of which are located in Portland, Maine and have been at it for nearly 50 years.

www.autoeurope.com
www.kemwel.com

They are brokers and offer the best prices. Finding an automatic can be a problem, but they will assist you in finding the best location in which to pick one up. Automatics have to be prearranged.

Typically, if you're an American or Canadian, you credit card (MC & Visa) covers the insurance issue. Amex covers you 100%.

CDW is covered by the credit card for U.S. card holders. I am not sure about Canadians, but I believe that Australians have the same option.

We rented a car through Autoeurope which offered the cheapest rate for a one way rental. Autoeurope and Kemwel usually offer two rates on the web site, with a no deductible possibility (super CDW) hidden in further options; the basic rate assumes that the CDW will be carried by your credit card. We had the CDW (essentially damage to your car) covered by our credit card with <b>no</b> deductible. I did some damage to the car while driving on a narrow street, the rental agency charged my credit card for the repairs and I was eventually reimbursed by my credit card company. If you are uncomfortable with the scenario I described in case of damage to the car, do not take the basic rate and have the car covered by MC or Visa. Amex is apparently different.

As noted in my trip report, we rented from Hertz, which turned out to be less expensive than Kemwell or Autoeurope because we had a AAA discount. You absolutely need to reserve an automatic in advance if you want one, because they have so few (if you have ever driven a stick it's like riding a bike, it comes back in an instant). Not sure what kinds of cars you are looking at, but you want the smallest car you can find that is large enough for the passenger and suitcases. That's because the fuel is expensive AND because streets are narrow and parking spaces can be tight. Even a Toyota Corolla would be bigger than most cars you'll find there.

If you are going to rely on CDW through a credit card, note that you must make the reservation using the card AND present it at the counter -- one but not both with void that coverage. You also have to decline the rental agency coverage. AND, you should carefully read the fine print on your credit card benefits page to make sure it covers everything.

ok, great advice, I take it CDW refers to insurance (: does anyone know what ONEWA and SRC stand for? thannks

I think that it is early for making a rental agreement. Unless you know that you are getting a special price, do it in February when Autoeurope and Kemwel (and others) usually offer their "special rates" for the following tourist season. The advantage of dealing with them is that you can call them to ask what the different terms mean. I gather that you are dealing with a rental agency in Portugal itself. Could ONEWA be "One Way"?

one way ! who woulda thought, that's brilliant!

We've been regularly renting cars at Lisbon airport for many years and
for the past three rentals we've used Amoita Car Rental. It's a Portuguese
agency based mainly in Lisbon and the Algarve and I can't speak highly
enough about the service. English is spoken as well as other languages
and the cars were all excellent. Price was straight forward, no hidden
costs, and very competitive.

I found them by googling a forum that caters to users of all rental agencies
in most countries. Last time I checked they had few if any negative comments
and almost all very positive.

Just checked our records from the last rentals and although Amoita was the agency used we actually did the bookings through Economycarhire.com which is UK based. In turn the best quotes, and service as it turned out, were all through the Portuguese company, Amoita.

Such a confusing nightmare booking car hire, some great prices on the Kemwel and AutoEurope sites mentioned - but all the named providers are hammered on tripadvisor boards.

Anyway, if it helps anyone travelling to Faro i've used Drive4Fun about 7/8 times and can't fault them. My problem on this years trip is we're also travelling to Lison and Drive4Fun don't have a drop-off there ;-)

Booking through Auto Europe and Kemwel will depend on where you are from. If you are not from the States or Canada, you have to pay the basic CDW as part of the booking rate as your credit card cannot be used as the first insurer, and that includes American Express.

Typically, AE and Kemwel have rates 40 to 50% less than booking through the major rental car companies. I have a EuropCar agents account, but it's far less expensive for me to book through AE or Kemwel.

Thanks Robert, I think we are set with Auto Europe

We just returned from Portugal in March and rented an economy car through AutoEurope, which turned out to be an Avis car. Our basic rate (without insurance) was really cheap but the taxes, fees, extras we had to pay in country were a little more than our basic rental. We drove from Lisbon to Porto/return and tolls added about another $50.

Just a heads up as we were surprised at the total cost.

Sandy (in Denton)

<i> Our basic rate (without insurance) was really cheap but the taxes, fees, extras we had to pay in country were a little more than our basic rental.</i>

Normally the Autoeurope contract gives a warning by stating is not included.

Thanks Sandy and Michael, since we need to have a car, I guess the cost will be what it will be. hopefully all this shopping around will pay off in the end. hope you had a great trip Sandy

Just remember, AutoEurope and Kemwel (sister companies) will meet or beat any regular rental companies pricing. Just give them a call. We've been using them since the 80s and have never had a problem. If something does happen, they have always taken care of it, including making a total refund in one case and issuing a credit in another (last year in Spain).

My question is in regard to transportation from the airport to the statue park. Is it at all possible to get from the airport of Lisbon to the park without hire a car.
www.papacar.eu was recommended though and I should try to get a hybrid-engine if possible, this will decrease your fuel expenses

I recommend autocunha rent-a-car. They are flexible in prices dont "scam" you with gas taxes and other, and offer you the seats for children.

www.autocunha.net