Rental cars in France
 

Can anyone comment on rental cars in France? I need to rent from Paris and will be traveling to Normandy, the Dordogne and Provence for about 4 weeks in July and returning to CDG. I have AAA but want to hear about other companies that rent in France. Thanks.

www.autoeurope.com Figure out what you want on their web site, then call the long-term desk and ask about AAA discounts. Then say you want the Kemwel rate (after checking Kemwel's site - Kemwell & AutoEurope are the same company). Your Visa/MC/AE gold or better will cover CDG - so you don't need insurance. Check with your card issuer, however, some offer a max 31 day coverage, and some only 14. Pay in advance in dollars to avoid a currency converson fee.

AutoEurope/Kemwel are US brokers that will reserve an Avis/Hertz/EuropCar for you. Do a search on AutoEurope hewre to see other posts - you'll see lots & lots.

Stu Dudley

What Stu said....

Oh, and also look into Peugot and Renault lease programs (sometimes less expensive for rentals longer than 17 days). Ask AutoEurope about them, too.

Good advice above

If you want to complicate your life, you can also check prices on the AutoEurope sites for France and for other countries outside the US.



The cars available, and the prices, vary a great deal.

Make sure to ask for the AAA discount.

See the recent thread that I began about a US resident using a foreign AutoEurope site to book a rental.

<b>Jobo</b> Please take a few minutes and list in your profile what country your are from. There are many good responses listed above which may not apply to you at all.

For example, leases may not be available to UK residents. Australian residents have excellent lease options. I am not positive that CDW coverage is covered by credit cards issued in all countries and by the way I have never seen a US credit card which will cover it for more than 28 consecutive days (perhaps there has been a change to 31?)

Generally, declining the CDW coverage offered by a rental company will often give renting a competitive edge over leasing. Additionally, rental companies do not charge extra for diesel cars (which is what you want) while some leases do. For periods of 4 weeks or less, autoeurope is whom I contact. For longer periods, a lease may be worth looking into:

http://www.renault-eurodrive.com/

http://www.peugeot.com/services/openeurope/en/

http://www.autofrance.net/

The OP indicated that he/she was considering renting from AAA. Does AAA exist outside of the US???

Stu Dudley

Hi Stu; AAA does rent cars in Europe, using your local AAA office. Not sure if they are competative. iris1745/dick

AAA uses Hertz, according to their website.

We recently used Sixt (a major European car-rental firm) and were very happy with the price and service.

In my post, I assumed that the OP lived in the US because he/she was an AAA member. That's why I suggested the CDW and other rental options that are available to most US residents, but may not be availble to residents of other countries (per Sarastro's reply). That's the reason I asked if AAA existed in other countries - I was not 100% sure (I know the first A stands for 'American", but it could stand for something else in another country).

Stu Dudley

I don't think AAA exists in other countries, at least not by that name. In UK, it is the AA and in Canada the CAA, at least the same type of thing, although I doubt if they are the same company.

I also recommend Autoeurope, they've been great for me.

We've used AutoEurope in the past for a rental and Peugot leases. For a trip of more than 17 days, I think lease is the only way to go. Pick-up and drop-off may not be quite as convenient (some locations are not actually at the airport) and initial cost may seem slightly higher. But, the lease includes total and complete insurance coverage in the price. No worry about CDW or how long your insurance covers. No worry about "loss of use charges" from the rental company if the car is damaged. Our last lease we had a fender bender in Italy (bumped a stone wall.) The man at return saw the damage and didn't even mention it as he signed the paperwork. Try that at any "rental" companies and you can be in for a real hassle. You also get a brand new car that won't smell of the previous users cigarette smoke and won't have any mysterious stains on the seats. Also includes unlimited mileage, 24-hour road service and on many models they'll toss in GPS. No I'm not a shill for a lease company. I just think most people look at just the price of the rental and don't see the possible cost of the whole transaction.

I just received Peugeot's rates for this year. The lowest price for a standard shift diesel is $965 for 17 days and $22 per day thereafter. Autoeurope offers an economy rental for about $550 (CDW carried on the Visa card) for 17 days. However, I understand that the price differential disappears on larger cars, especially if they are automatics.

In June I'll have a Kemwel/Autoeurope rental for a standard shift Renault Megane Diesel. It's for 29 days & is $886. CDW is on my MC. I always rent for around 25 days or longer, and have received almost new or totally new cars for the last several years.

Stu Dudley

I've just checked the following sites on line for 18 day hire this June in France and found Hertz to be the cheapest. Interested in others experience: all prices in euros
eurocar 632 for Peugot 207
budget 546 for renault clio
hertz 507 for peugot 207
avis 691 for renault clio
autoeurop 590 for renault clio
easyterra 547 for renault clio
france car hire 646 for renault clio

I will bet you that if you have a problem the CDW will NOT be covered by your credit card. Try it!

>>I will bet you that if you have a problem the CDW will NOT be covered by your credit card. Try it!<<

Jeeze - what do you base that on ???

There have been several posts over the last 5 years from people who went through this expreience - and their CC came through for them.

Tomorrow I'll post NeoPatick's story.

Stu Dudley

<i>I will bet you that if you have a problem the CDW will NOT be covered by your credit card. Try it</i>

It worked for me. Did you have a different experience?