Have you guys tried Auto Europe for renting a car in Croatia? I was satisfied with them (used Sixt) last fall...

Andrew, I tried Auto Europe and they turned out to be the most expensive among the 4 rental car companies I tried, for the dates that we will be there. When I called them, they were more expensive than Sixt.com for the same car and time frame (hard to believe, isn't it??).

Sher, I ended up renting from Uni-rent. I'll try to report back our experience.... (hope I don't forget) as we will be in the area for approximately 4 weeks this summer.

JoyC. So glad you have that taken care of. By the way I did check today and ECC is still saying it does not have availibility for October.
I was surprised that UniRent is throwing in a free GPS because it is in October. They don't do it in the Summer months. That will be one less thing I have to take.
And I would appreciate if you report back. They are not a broker so the car actually comes from them sort of like you get a Hertz car from Hertz.
Again, good luck and have a wonderful trip.

I still don't have a problem in getting a car for October from Economy. Same goes for Autoeurope.

Then you are lucky because I just checked my dates again and all they have are intermediate cars for one week from Zagreb for $500+

Has anyone used Dollar/Thrifty?

I just got back from Split. Although I'd booked with Economy Car Rentals and had been put with Sixt, when I got to the Sixt office I was sent outside to Last Minute RentaCar.

They were very efficient, and I had no problems with them, apart from a short wait when I returned for the man to turn up.

I picked up a flyer at their offices with prices, and they look pretty reasonable. Two other travellers were waiting with me, and they were happy enough with their cars and service.

www.rentacarlastminute.hr

tel +385 91 139 5260

[email protected]

In fact the prices on the flyer look better than those on the website, so it might be worth contacting them direct.

Prices include tax, unlimited mileage, 2nd driver and CDW.

Hi Julia_t. Thanks for the input about the car rental company.
I am not booked with Uni-rent for a small automatic for one week picking up in Zagreb.
The price is E288 for the week with the same included points you mentioned. Plus they are giving me a GPS to use gratis.
The price for the same week with Last Minute is E392. But I am still going to contact them with the email address to see if they come in with a better price.
I may be getting a smaller car then they would provide.
Thanks.

Hey JoyC!

Did you visit Croatia already? We are going to Dubrovnik in July and I will propably choose uni-rent for car rental.
If you've already been there, how was it?

Thanks!

Reporting back....

We were very satisfied with Uni-rent and will mostly likely rent with them again when we return to Croatia. We rented for almost 4 weeks and had no problems with the car or with their customer service (they were excellent). We started in Slovenia and covered most of the western part, then into inland Croatia, including Plitvika Jezero, then the Dalamatian Coast, into Bosnia-in-Herzegovina, to the islands of Hvar and Korcula, then to Dubrovnik and Montenegro. And lucky for us, they made us return the car at the Hilton, which was next door to where we were staying, instead of the airport!!

A very late feedback, considering I promised to report late June. Glad to hear that JoyC had a good experience with Unirent, a Croatian company that I have used on three occasions (different locations) and will certainly use again.

HM- rentacar company did not even have a desk inside the Split Airport. It was just a guy, who arrived with the car. He asked if we minded paying in cash, and we did, simply because an outdoor cash transaction without a proper receipt did not sound safe to us. He grudgingly agreed to credit card payment. The car was quite battered and not all parts were in good condition. We had a small accident (a screw got stuck into a tyre so we had to change to the spare tyre). We reported the accident and were asked to fix the tyre at a place near the airport. This however went quickly and cost us just 50 KN. To sum up, HM rentacar was a cheap deal and it went fine, but we were not in any way impressed.

Later in the year I rented on my own, a car with automatic gear, for 4 weeks, from Zagreb Airport. I chose Unirent, for excellent rates and good service. (Unirent's slogan is "Yes, we can!") I only chose the smallest economy car with an automatic transmission, but was treated to an upgrade (nice touch). When I phoned to extend the rent for another 4 days, I was promptly called back from the headquarters and told that all my conditions are met, no problems whatsoever. Excellent service at the airport as well, friendly and helpful (even with luggage). Great to support such a local business, when friendly and professional.

SonjaJ. We also rented from Unirent at Zagreb. IT also was a small automatic. I can say the service was very good. The car was very nice and got great gas mileage.

Is not aware that car rental in Croatia is exorbitant. Auto Europe quoted for two days (pick up Rovinj; drop off Split end of Sept.) for standard automatic,$300+. Uni Rental never replied and Last Minute about $220. Is there any alternative to this? Thanks.

We've just returned from a trip to Croatia. We would not recommend renting a vehicle from Uni-Rent. Our car was two years old with over 65 000 km, had extensive damage to the interior and exterior and was provided to us with dangerous tires that were bald and peeling on the surface. After complaining, we had to wait several hours to get the tires replaced. (We were offered to take another vehicle instead of waiting. The tires on that car were even worse!) Later in the trip, the check engine light came on warning of a problem with the fuel injection. Several more hours wasted at the mechanic. It seems that rather than repairing the problem, Uni-Rent would clear the check engine light between customers and send the car on its way. Uni-Rent may offer lower prices over the competition but definitely not worth the hassle and certainly not worth risking your life driving a vehicle that is not road-worthy.