TerrelD

I am looking for current car rental information so we can rent a car, 3 adult women, one week, from the Avignon TVG station. We are in St. Remy for one week, starting May 18. Would love recommendations for car rental and anything we need to know about hidden fees, etc. I think most everything I was reading was several years old. I am new to this site so maybe I was looking in wrong place.
Thank you!

StCirq

I don't understand why "recent...from Avignon" is relevant. Just contact car rental agencies or brokers (I always use AutoEurope) and ask them exactly what fees are involved. Compare prices, be sure to read the contract's fine print, and you're good to go. The actual station doesn't have much if anything to do with it (though with some companies there's a fee for picking up at a station). It should all be handled well in advance of your arrival.

kerouac

I rent cars in Avignon once or twice a year and have used most of the companies located at Avignon-TGV since you never know which company AutoEurope will assign you to.

Frankly, I am happiest when the car comes from EuropCar, but I have no complaints about Hertz, Avis or National there either.

Sarastro

anything we need to know about hidden fees, etc.

There are no hidden fees, only people who refuse to read their contracts or pickup vouchers.

Like most others, I always use Autoeurope.

Langcraft

I have rented cars Citer, which is the European affiliate of National Rent a Car, and picked it up at the Avignon TGV station. I arrived in Avignon at 5:00 pm after taking the 2:20 train from Gare de Lyon. I rent a Citroen C3 Diesel with a manual shift and it worked out perfectly; no problems at all.

Langcraft

oops...I meant to say "rented a car through Citer"

jamikins

Recently when I have used autoeurope they have displayed the rental company prior to finishing the transaction...maybe that's just new on the UK site....?

StCirq

I always call AE, and they tell me which affiliate I'll be using. And of course it's on the voucher.

kerouac

If you call them, they always tell you, but it is also true that on internet bookings they now usually show the rental company. Before then it was very easy to guess in France if you had a little experience. If the first car proposed was Renault, it was Europcar. If it was Ford, it was Hertz. If it was Citroën, it was National. Naturally, this varies from season to season.

Christina

I use Autoeurope or Kemwel, also, just book online. There are no big hidden fees, I think that would be illegal. Okay, I think there is a small local tax or environmental fee in France on car rentals of some kind that may not be in the contract, but I forget what it is. It isn't anything to worry about. I remember one small fee I had to pay Europcar when renting from them (through Autoeurope) that wasn't included in the main fee I paid Autoeurope, but I forget why.

You can usually guess which company by the address, it is usually specific to the company.

StCirq

There's also an extra fee (25 euro last time we paid it) for each extra driver. And higher fees for younger drivers.

Sarastro

Also location surcharges, up to 40€, for pickup at either a train station or airport, environmental fees on rentals with automatic transmissions, and fees for forwarding your personal information along to the police if you are caught speeding.

StCirq

But the car rental outfit should explain all this to you.None of it should be "hidden."

Sarastro

None of this is hidden. It´s clearly explained, in plain English, in the contract. Be sure to read it.