Is there a way to avoid a surcharge for returning a rental in a different country?

The short answer is NO. Unless you know or can find some rule to the contrary, or can figure out a way to work out a lease (not a rental) that will allow it, you are stuck with the dropoff charge. It's non-negotiable and non-removable, so don't even try. If you are making a pretty long circuit through several countries, try to rent in the country with the lowest daily/weekly rental costs, then end the trip where the dropoff charges are least. It's a challenge, but I've done it a few times and saved several hundred dollars. Good luck.

We rented from SIXT and the only way to aviod a drop off fee was to return it to the same country! (GERMANY) We rented in Amsterdam and returned it to Munich, drop fee was 178.50 Euro in Sept '04 hope this helps?

Some companies don;t have drop off charges for neighboring countries (ie Belgium to Germany) and not all companies have drop off charges for the same pairs of countries - or the same charges. Also, some companies will waive the charge if they happen to have a car they need returned to another country (we saved $150 when we rented a Spanish car in Lisbon and returned it to Madrid). but you won;t know that until you get there.

So - if the vacation really makes sense only with multi-country rentals - do a search of every company you can find to see what your options really are. Also, note - that charges can differ by different classes of vehicles - so factor that into your thinking.

Wheen I know I am going to rent in one country and drop in another I try to pick up the car at the biggest lot I cna find and ask if they have any cars that have taggs from the destination country. Even if you have to upgrade to another class of car to get the right tags it is usually cheaper than the drop fee. Who knows, you might get lucky if you ask.

Hi RSS,

If you tell us your itinerary we might be able to tell you what you really want to know - how to avoid the surcharge.

Also, I took the advice of the great people who post here at Fodors to reserve the lowest priced car they had for my needs on a chance that group would be sold out by the time I got there and it was! So we got a 3 class upgrade free with the same drop charge of the lower priced car! From a ford Ka
to a beautiful loaded VW bug.

RSSmith,
It really depends on the car rental company and which countries you plan to pick up and drop off. Check them all, some may not necessarily have a drop off charge, though that is unlikely, and some don't really charge all too much. Investigate all possibilities is your only answer.

Thanks to all for the input. The specific thing I'd like to do is pick up the rental in Barcelona and return in Toulouse.

Any additional thoughts?

RSSmith,
Start with Autoeurope at www.autoeurope.com but also check with rental companies with offices in Barcelona and Toulouse. Check them all...its hard to give you a clear cut answer here and even renting just last year policies change, rates change, etc. Your best bet again is to do a full sweep of inquiries to all possible rental companies to get your best deal and go with that. Best of luck and have a great trip!

An acquaintance reported two years ago a $150 drop off charge for a car rented in Spain and dropped off in Biarritz. He declined, dropped the car off in Irun and rented another car in Biarritz. Unfortunately, I don't think that you would have the same convenient connection on the Mediterranean side of the border.

Again policies and rates change frequently, something two years ago you still need to validate. I will say though typically it is more expensive or a wash to do two separate rentals as you spend more money on two rentals and factor in a drop off fee can turn out more expensive or generally a wash, but skipping that process you don't have the inconvenience. HOWEVER, again things change you could find some good deal where you could drop off and pick up and be cheaper, look at all possibilities.