Car Rental in Paris
 

I would like to rent a car for a couple weeks starting in Paris. What company is recommended and which ones should one avoid? Also, are there drop-off fees if car is not returned to original rental location?

If you are from the USA, then you need to check with Auto Europe or Kemwel, which deal with Avis and Hertz. There is also Europcar.

There usually isn't a drop off charge - or just a small one - if you drop the car in the same country. If you drop it in a different country - drop off charges are normally HUGE.

Autoeurope and Kemwel are brokers and sister companies that deal w/ several major rental agencies. Be sure to check both - they sometimes get different rates depending on your specific requirements.

Rent from Auto Europe which usually gives a good rate. Pay attention to the pick up location in Paris.
This is what I do , I ask Auto Europe which company they are suggesting, let us say it is Avis.
Then I go to the web site of AVis and check all the pick up offices. I check my hotel address in www.mappy.com and look for the most convenient Avis pick up office. In mappy I can even ask for the distance in between. I also take into consideration where I shall be driving from Paris. I evaluated these considerations, 1) distance from the Hotel, 2) Convenience of the pick up station in reference to the way I shall be driving out from Paris.
Once I choose one. I also check the hours and days that the chosen pick up station is OPEN. This is important because in someplaces they have limited hours.
Ok, once I have chosen one I call Auto Europe and have them change the pick up station which they can do in a second provinding I am calling ahead.

Another thing I take into account is the following, since the car should be returned at the same time it was picked up. I am carefully to pick it up at a time that will be convenient for me to return it in the next destination. (btw usually there are no extra charges if it is in the same country, you have to check this).

We have had good experience with Auto Europe. I would recommend renting at the airport to avoid trying to navigate the streets of Paris

I've found it best to rent from Hertz or Avis directly. Hertz seemed best in France. If you will be ending in another country, consider dropping the car near a train station close to the border. We did that from Barcelona to Paris, taking a train first to Perpignan where we picked up a car. Even after buying train tickets we saved $200+.

Thank you all for that great information. It will be very useful.

I've had good experiences with Avis, including their handling of an accident (someone backed into me). They offered good discounts for AAA and AARP (AARP discount was better.
Avis seemed to offer Renault cars, and sometimes you can get diesel models which get much better mileage. Do remember that most rental cars are standard transmission, not many automatics available.

ALL car rental companies in Europe offer diesel cars, ALL of them handle accidents well if you get the right coverage, ALL of them offer discounts, and ALL car rental companies in France offer Renaults. There's nothing special about Avis in that regard. I always use AutoEurope, and if you rent from their European websites you can often save even more. They are indispensable if something goes wrong.

I definitely recommend AutoEurope, which has always provided cars with no drop-off fees for other locations in France.