Car rental Spain to France
 

In October my partner and I wish to hire a car from Barcelona to travel to Perpignan in France (one way).
We believe it will cost extra because we are not returning the car to Barcelona. Does anyone have an idea of the extra cost for this? We don't want any nasty surprises.
We are seniors and this will be our first time driving in Europe. We hope to take a train from Perpignan to Paris, as the traffic in Paris looks chaotic.
Any advice about travelling in Spain & France by car or rail would be appreciated.

You can get that information by calling autoeurope.com

Take the train, you will save money.

You will need an IDP to drive in Spain if you are not European.
Hire a car in in each country and train across the border to save on repatriation fees.

There is really no need to ask people for "idea of the extra cost for this." You can easily do this on your own.

For example, at www.autoeurope.com, enter 10/11-10/17 Barcelona to Perpignan economy car, basic rate, and pronto, it comes back with the following message
<i>One Way Car Rental Information
For this rental the estimated one way fee is EUR 500.00, which will be paid locally (not included in rental rate below). </i>

While some folks make car/train decision in vacuum, more rational way is to consider where you are heading to and compare pros and cons of each means of transport with that itinerary.

Also consideration is if you are heavy packers, a small car may not be able to conceal your luggage when you park, and it would attract car prowlers. Heavy packers also complicates train travel as you need to manage your luggage at stations and into and out of the trains. However, if you have reduced the luggage size, it also helps you manage luggage elsewhere, e.g. hotels, planes, etc.

The only way to know the cost is to try several agencies for prices, being sure you have picked a car that is large enough to hold your luggage. (The smallest cars are minute.)

Also do realie that most cars are standard transmission. If you need an automatic you will be charged more, it may only be available in larger cars and your best chance of getting one is to rent at an airport or other very large location.

$500 sounds kind o a lot to me for a tiny car - but would expect at least that for a larger or automatic.

<i>$500 sounds kind o a lot to me for a tiny car</i>

The fee may be standard as it has to do with getting the car back to Spain and regardless of size of car, the cost is similar.

<i> We hope to take a train from Perpignan to Paris, as the traffic in Paris looks chaotic.
Any advice about travelling in Spain & France by car or rail would be appreciated. </i>

Paris traffic would not be a reason for not renting a car in France. The car can be dropped off in various locations close to Paris.

What is more important is why you would choose the car over the train. Do you plan to visit locations that are not conveniently accessible by train? Then a car is in order. If you just want to get from Perpignan to Paris, the train is the better option.

Tickets purchased three months in advance (non-exchangeable, non refundable) are considerably cheaper than tickets purchased at the last minute.