Hi,

Am travelling to Prague and will be renting a car (not decided on the rental company). But will rent the car online before travelling
Am passing through Austia, Hungary, Slovakia, then will return the car to Prague and head back home.

Which company would allow to pass those countries with the car, and is there extra charges I have pay?

Thanks,

That is something you have to investigate by checking with each car rental company's website and read about their driving restrictions or calling a broker such as Autoeurope and ask them.It would also be prudent to check driving rules of each country you intend to travel to eg do you need a vignette in Austria or any other countries or are there congestion charges or other special rules you need to be aware of.

So we did a trip to Czech Republic and Austria. I rented the car through AutoEurope, which is, as mentioned a broker. So I believe I received my car from Budget Rental Car at the airport.

Autoeurope assured me there would be no extra cost to take the car into Austria but when I arrived at the car-rental office, there was. I want to say it was $30 or $40 USD. I wasn't thrilled but obviously just had to pay it. The car rental employee commented that Autoeurope is often wrong about those details.

The other thing Autoeurope was wrong about also cost me money and time. I told them I wanted to rent the car but my brother would be the driver. He would get an international license. They assured me I would need an international license as well, so I went and bought one, it was not expensive but more the inconvenience. The Budget Rental people told me they didn't want to see it if he was the only registered driver.

My conclusion is, go ahead and rent from Autoeurope if you get great rates, but also check the company that you are actually renting with.

I interpret this comment as a car rental booking made in your name when you had no intention of being the driver. If you book it in your name, you are the renter i.e the driver and your brother the secondary driver so you would both need an international licence. The car rental should have been booked in your brother's name only if you had no intention of driving.

Yes to what Odin says. And you DO need an IDP. if you rent the car, even if you're not going to be the driver - duh! Before I moved to Europe I rented from AutoEurope 3-4 times a year for 30+ years, and had nothing but stellar experiences with that company.

And it's not a license, it's an IDP, a permit, nothing more than an official translation of your license.

All four countries charge for driving on motorways.

Czech and Austria have toll stickers that you can buy in advance and physically attach to the windshield.
When you rent from Prague, the rental car will have one for Czech motorways (but it does not hurt to ask/check)
The sticker for Austria can be purchased from gas stations near the border (or right at the rental car pick up location, also ask/check).

Slovakia and Hungary charge motorway tolls via "e-Vignettes", i.e. you don't get a physical sticker but you register preferably on the web.
Obviously, you need the car's number plate to register - so you cannot do that until you picked up the rental car in Prague.
I'm not sure if there are other ways to register than by internet (which means that you can do it only after you picked up the car in Prague, and go online afterwards) - might also be worth checking out.
You should always have (either physically or electronically) paid for using the motorways before you enter each country on motorways!

On-street parking is often regulated or limited. In Vienna, for example, only short-term on-street parking is allowed in the central districts - and you need to buy parking tickets in advance. IMO, the safest bet to not collect any parking-related fines is to use either parking offered by the hotel or a public parking garage (if you must park in the city centers), or check with your hotel reception that the place you picked to park the car is okay (though no hotel receptionist will re-imburse your parking fines if his/her advice had been wrong).

In addition, traffic rules regarding minimum (mostly emergency-related) equipment of cars are not the same across Europe.
The UK auto club has all the do's and don'ts listed on its website:
https://www.theaa.com/european-break...ving-in-europe

Hi,
You can buy ALL the stickers (electronic or physical) at any given countries bordering gas station, so no need to waste time with all that electronic registration and stuff.
Since January 1 (AGAIN) you can buy the Hungarian sticker within ONE HOUR from entering the a toll road/highway.
They are all marked by a sign of a sticker and the word VIGNETTE.
No fine can be imposed during the 60 minutes preceding the purchase of the e-vignette.
National Toll Payment Services PLC
The MOST IMPORTANT rule of a thumb!!!!
All the major rent a car companies mostly don't present here in physical meaning. They have their LOCAL franchises.
So for instance a "Budget" in the US can be a most reliable and spotless company in the world (This is just an example and by NO means a promotion of that company ) at the same time it can be a piece of junk (both in terms of service/credibility and cost-wise) or even worth. During my almost 25 years of guiding I have met tons people having had problems with rent a car companies around Eastern Europe. Yeah, among us locals we still call ourselves vadkelet (wild east)
All in all, be extra careful when signing anything, CAREFULLY read through the smallest print. Also DON"T forget to take 100 + pictures of your rental, PREFERABLY in the presence of the agencies personnel.
MANY people had hundreds of Euros charged to their credit cards even for tiniest scratched!!!
They have to be warned that you are armed and dangerous!
Had no intentions to frighten you, but better be ready and prepared.

I am now remembering why I left Fodors.

Odin, when I contacted AutoEurope, I asked for it to be in his name but I would pay because he's a priest. He has one very low-balance credit card and that's it. So I needed to pay. AutoEurope agreed to this. In fact, I just looked up all of my emails. In the emails, AutoEurope addressed them all to my brother, not me. I did a live chat or call with them and in passing they said "Actually you need an IDP too." I said "I haven't driven a manual transmission in forever and won't be driving this car." They said "yeah but the Czech agency won't let you take the car without it."

When we arrived at the counter, the Czech car rental place did NOT take a copy of my IDP or write down the number. They simply didn't want it. They didn't look at it. They laughed when I told them AutoEurope said I needed one. So, St. Circ, you weren't there and this is really what happened. I normally like your travel advice, but I find the "duh" and general tone to be pretty demeaning. Also, given that I went and bought one, I do know what an IDP is. Nor is it wrong to refer to it as a license, because it is part of what gives you license (aka permission) to drive in that country.

As to going into Austria, good point, Cowboy1968, you also need to pay for the toll roads. As Okszi recommended, yes, we bought the permit at a gas station near the border.

But, Cowboy1968, that is not the additional fee I'm talking about. No, the car rental agency also charged me a fee for taking the car out of the Czech Republic. I wouldn't have been surprised, except that AutoEurope had told me there would be no fee to go to Austria. Only if we went to Poland.

My main point to the OP still stands: If you rent from AutoEurope, be aware that you may not get all the information you need immediately, and maybe not until you get to the counter. Do follow up with them. And yes, to leave the country with the car we paid both a fee to the rental agency and bought a toll road sticker. The price was very competitive even with the extra fee, and we liked the car so I would still rent from them.

5alive - that's correct, I also had rented via a broker (AutoEurope does not own or rent any cars) and had to pay a fee for taking the car abroad.
But I was able to read that in the fineprint of the actual rental car company before I confirmed my reservation. So I knew what to expect.

Hi, just to add,
I never ever had this IDP while renting cars in various countries of the world, America, Asia, Africa etc. Also can't recall any of my clients I helped to rent a car here in Hungary needed one. EVER.

Well, sure, you don't NEED it until you're stopped by the police or get into an accident. And no rental car agency is even obligated to ask you for it. It's up to you to know which countries require it, and to have it if they do. My guess is Hungary doesn't require it, but go on the official consulate sites for, e.g., Italy, and it is clear that it is mandated by law.

If it is mandated by law and I believe St-Cirq is right about Italy as she is usually spot on about these things every car rental company should be IMO required to inform folks of that and tell them where to get one in Italy if they show up without it (Auto Club usually like our AAA or Britaian's AA). Most folks have never even heard to the IDP which is not really a driver's license as it is not valid without your home license but is simply an accepted translation of info on your real license for foreign cops to make easier to read. Thus suggested for any country.

You cannot get an IDP once you are in Italy, or any other European country that requires it. And you can't get one online, either.

Well then changed from days when I bought them in London and Amsterdam at Auto Clubs there but there are several sources to get one online:

https://www.idltravel.com/application/idl-application/

Pal, why not quit while you're ahead? That is not an official IDP, it's an internet scam to take money from unsuspecting folks like you who think they are getting a "license," which they can't. The ONLY places you can get an IDP as an American are from the AAA and the AATA, and you cannot do it online for either.

Everything has changed since the last time you were anywhere in Europe.

AATA | American Automobile Touring Alliance

this tells all about IDP.

And this explains the rules, direct from the Consulate:

https://it.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen...ation-driving/

Wonder if anyone has ever been fined or denied the right to drive in any European country requiring IDP for not having the IDP - which many folks renting cars do not even know about often. Get one for sure just $20 but just curious as to the above?

Hi,
Extremely hate wasting my time for useless arguments, but those "embassy quotes and alike mean" zero or just a simple bureaucratic nuisance!
I NEVER EVER discuss a country or the rules of behavior per se, just based on very few visits.
You have to visit a country for at least 5 times, staying more than a week (better a month or so), just to even have the slightest impression of what's happening/going on there.
I've been to Italy dozens of times, ALWAYS driving all along from Budapest.
Sometimes in my own car, sometimes a rental, sometimes Slovakian, Russian, Czech, Austrian license plates etc., etc.
I was stopped by Italian Police and Carabinieri at least FIVE times.
I always had ONLY my Hungarian license, and NEVER EVER had problems!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They never ever bothered even check to it through, just dropped a nano-second glance and that was it. They were only interested in the registration and insurance! Obtaining an IDP never even came to my mind. NEVER.
Called a Russian friend today, who lives there for at least 6 months a year and who drives an Italian registered Porsche with his RUSSIAN driver's license. Never ever had questions on his license.
His wife drives a Russian registered Camarro using her Hungarian (!!!) license. NEVER ever had problems, and oh boy, they do tons of speeding (that's the reason they have foreign licenses, otherwise they would be banned from driving in Italy forever).
Due to their business they have dozens of visitors from Russia and China who visit them frequently. They have 2 huge houses near Florence and usually accommodate their guests/partners. Naturally people DO like to visit them regularly
Why not, if you only have to pay for your rent a car and airfare and then can stay in Italy for free for a couple of weeks.
99% of their guests land in Milano and from there drive a rental to their house.
In the last 15 years and couple of hundred of visitors NONE has ever had an IDP.
USUALLY this is a rule of thumb all over Europe:
When a policeman stops a rent a car (in most cases when the car is clearly marked as a rental, they don't even bother to stop it) he checks the registration and the driver's ID, maybe the insurance, but almost never the driver's license.
My humble observation based on hundreds of visits to various European countries, during my personal guiding since 1994.
Same thing in the USA, I was stopped a few times and the moment the Policeman realized I am a visitor, he just waved me goodby.
Only once I was fined for speeding and it was rather funny, how I had to translate my very old type cardboard Hungarian license to a state trooper in Virginia. Most exciting was him marking Budapest for street and asking me for the town or city of my dwelling But he was kind and very polite still.
I am not trying to tell you that you don't need that IDP, but if it takes time and energy (due to location, etc., ) to get one, then you can simply forget it for your European travels (and not only). That's it.

Oksi-- A fascinating post. In the end, you also just have anecdotal proofs, but a larger sampling. By your own admission, your sampling is skewed toward certain nationalities. Also, your hosts have luxury vehicles. Studies show that police are lenient toward different ages/races/genders/types of cars. Without a scientific sampling of all traffic stops of foreigners--we can prove nothing.

One more data point to consider: Would police treat the driver's lack of IDP differently if it were a serious car accident and not a moving violation or speeding? I hope none of us will ever find out!

I am sorry to take this on a wild goose chase.