car rental in Germany
 

We are flying into Frankfurt and traveling for 2 weeks. Is it a good idea to reserve a car in the US or wait until we arrive? Also, any thoughts on who to rent from ? Other tips and advice on rentals would also be much appreciated.

You must reserve in advance or you'll be shocked at the walkup price! Look at http://www.autoeurope.com and http://www.gemut.com

Both are brokers who use their buying power with the rental agencies to get you a lower price than you would on your own.
I have personal experience with AE and you'll find their phone agents knowledgeable... if you phone a big rental firm in the US and ask about Frankfurt they'll likely think it's Frankfort in KY. ;^(

I meant to also mention... you'll likely be unfamiliar with the models of cars available... you can see the makes and models including pictures of interiors and load spaces here: http://parkers.co.uk

We have used AutoEurope in Germany and always get great cars, often with included GPS.

Definitely book in the US. I have used Sixt and Argus Car Rentals, but also check the pricing with the majors like Hertz or Alamo.

Before departure talk to your insurance broker about the possibility of adding rental car insurance to your policy.

Upon pick up, if you are given a choice of cars in the same group, try to grab a diesel.

Unless you have not heard of the internet, you don't need a phone agent to book a rental in Europe.

Mark

Go either to autoeurope or kemwel. As I always recommend, familarize yourself with some basic rules of the road. You can get a brief overview from the autoeurope site.

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car rental in Germany
Posted by: judylc on Jan 30, 13 at 10:58am
Other tips and advice on rentals would also be much appreciated.
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For a good illustrated introduction to driving in Europe see http://tinyurl.com/3bc2ax.

I always rent from Gemut.com. Go to their site and read all the info about rentals in germany etc. If you decide to rent call and they will give you great info. They are located in oregon. I have a rental for may . have a great trip.

>>>Unless you have not heard of the internet, you don't need a phone agent to book a rental in Europe.<<<

I disagree. Speaking with one AutoEurope's telephone agents can fill in all kinds of info for a first time renter especially. They specialize in European rentals so know the business. If you call one of the big rental companies in the US you're unlikely to find someone with the same expertise.

judy - If you use an American Express card when booking your car rental, AE will automatically cover you for their Premium Car Rental Protection at the cost of $24.95, which is way cheaper than buying car insurance through the car rental agency. Here's a link to a thread I started a few years ago when renting a car in France.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-or-kemwel.cfm

We recently reserved a car for Germany from Sixt.com and contacted AE before doing so, to confirm that they still offer the Premium Car Rental Protection package (they do!)

Robyn :)>-

We have also used Gemut.com to rent cars in Spain and Italy. We are currently talking to them about a trip to Germany. They have been very helpful with hotel suggestions also. I do recommend them.

"Both are brokers who use their buying power with the rental agencies to get you a lower price than you would on your own."

If your credit card automatically register you for car rental insurance make sure the card recognize that the broker is a car rental and not just another charge. Almost left me with no Insurance once.

I can also highly recommend gemut.com. If nothing else go to their website and download the very informative paper about renting cars in Europe.

The Amex renter coverage artstuff noted is fantastic but you must enroll for the program, it's not automatic when using an Amex. It's free to sign up then $24.95 per rental period up to 42 days (that's total cost, not a daily cost) for $100K primary coverage.

https://www295.americanexpress.com/p...verage/home.do

I've used National (Europcar), Sixt and Avis. All ok.

Look; Go to www.carrentals.com and check their prices.

We have used them many times, most recently for Spain in August.

No up front cost, pay at the counter.

Cancel if necessary at no cost.

iris1745- I just tried 2 times and got no response from your URL- What's up?

Hi; If you 'right click' it should open.

I will be traveling from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf before driving 8 days on the Romantic Road ending in Munich. Would you rent the car in Amsterdam and return it in Munich or train to Dusseldorf, get car and return in Munich. Also, any advice on the Romantic Road - places to stay, eat or visit would also be helpful!

I am using Åutoeurope for my Germany rental this year. Unfortunately things are not always as clear as they seem. Autoeurope was offering a special that was tied to Hertz, which limited by drop-off options and, when reading the fine print, meant a one-way charge. By not using the special offer, I got a Europcar rental with more drop-off options and no one-way charge.

I've had no luck with Gemut in terms of pricing, and www.carrentals.com tends to have high fees on one way rentals.

gailscout,
As a rule of thumb, you should not rent in one country and drop off in another as this usually incurs a steep extra fee.
And gas is very expensive so unless you have any plans already what to see between Düsseldorf and Würzburg (which many use as the Northern gateway to the RR), it may even be less costly to take the train from Düsseldorf to Würzburg and pick up your rental car there.