I'm another gemut fan. Great service, prices that match or are lower than AutoEurope.

<<do use autoeurope for your car hire, don't use "insert here name of famous brand" because 1) they may well not be the same company or 2) they will be a franchise operator in both cases operating under French law, which you do not understand. So do the deal with a prime negotiator in a language you do understand.>>

No need to worry about using the "insert here name of famous brand" box because it does not exist on the AE website. You get a list of car rental companies to choose from once you have your search results Click on the car rental company on the results page and the results will be expanded with available car types for that rental company.

Car rental stations are often franchises but that does not stop anyone from renting from that station, the rental contract is provided in local language and English. The rental contract is not with AE, the booking contract is. The rental contract is with the car rental company that provides the car, the rental contract will include items that were in the booking made by AE, eg unlimited mileage etc.

<<yes Diesel is easy to come by, as is petrol without lead, though it is unlikely that you can insist on your car having the fuel of your choice. Note automatics are not generaly available so if you need one get onto autoeurope. >>

Diesel is easy to come by, but rental cars with diesel not so easy anymore, IME of renting several cars a year, including from MRS just last month. The way car rental bookings work, is you book the group you want. If you want an automatic, you book a car group with automatic transmission cars. Yes automatics are generally available, but you do have to book one.

I know that my experience is not cause for generalizing to everywhere, but we rented a car for pickup at the Avignon TGV station last year...did it on the regular Enterprise website many weeks before we left the US. The experience was nearly identical to what we have experienced in the US. The agent spoke English. We walked out to the car, checked for damages, etc. The paperwork seem to be just like in the US with the usual waivers. Return was just as easy. Dropped it off. Agent looked at it for about two minutes. He gave us the receipt.

As I, said, things might be different at a different location, but this was our experience. I feel more comfortable renting from a familiar company -- we use Enterprise as our go-to rental company in the US -- than with someone I do not know, such as AutoEurope.

(We have also rented a car on the Enterprise website for for pickup in the city in Dublin -- with a similar problem-free experience. I have found Enterprises' rates to be very good...not always cheaper than some of the really-low-end vendors...but cheaper than most of the majors.)

ssander

No matter what company you use, Avignon-TGV is one of the best places to pick up a car. Multilingual agents, huge selection of cars (usually) and easy to drive away from... And the agencies are also open 7 days a week, which is rare in most non-airport locations in the south of France.

You can get a good prep by going to Manchester and trying to rent a car there. One of the thickest accent I've ever encountered. Nice people, but quie difficult to understand.
In la France profonde, I recommend to try to talk to the youngest - at any rate forget anybody above 50 ;-) or try with gestures.

(Now, nobody ever said you had to be multilingual in your own country to accomodate tourists if you don't live off tourism !)

Manchester is easy, try Newcastle ;-)

I agree that Avignon TGV station is a good place to rent/return car also, as it is easy to drive to/from not being in the main city. Aix TGV is outside the city, also. I just thought they wanted something closer to Cassis, but Avignon would be good.

Most people in smaller rural areas I've encountered in France don't speak English that well, and why should they. I think in big cities, those who work with tourism do, sure, but I personally would not be comfortable renting a car in any country where I couldn't speak the language, at least if I were alone or alone with kids. I'm by nature a cautious person, though, and don't like risk. I just know a couple times I had to speak to either a mechanic in a garage in small town in France or even a guy working in an information booth on an autoroute and it was sure good that I spoke French, and they were both fairly young. It's just less anxiety-producing when driving in a foreign country to know you can communicate in case of problems.

Have a smart phone that can translate written things?

we rented in Greece and in some of the rural areas nobody spoke English but we did have a smartphone to translate....and I am working on some phrases in French so I am not the dolt walking in speaking English. Thank you.

Just make sure you mind your 'vous' and 'tu' s!

I can't think of a tourist to France who would ever have to deal with tutoyer'ing anyone. It would be insulting, except if talking to a child.

Regarding St.Cirq's post, advice from someone who knows the language.

The OP doesn't seem to be going anywhere where lack of French, except perhaps for the medical issues, will be a problem. And there will definitely be no vous-tu issues. That just muddies the waters unnecessarily except for those of us who live here in very rural areas and have to evaluate who's who on the scales of friendship, and even then it's not hard. Any French at all will be appreciated, but obviously the finer points are totally unnecessary. You won't need the plus que parfait or the subjonctive.

We do find it very much harder to understand our neighbor from Manchester than the old, local denizens whose first language is Occitan. I haven't tried Newcastle.