Renting a car in France
 

I am looking at renting a small car in France for the last week of April 2007. Last time we were there, we used trains but this time we thought we'd be a little more adventurous.

I can count on one hand how many times I've rented one at home so I'm unfamiliar with all the ins and outs on renting a vehicle. My sister and I are both way over 25 so we don't have to worry about a minimum age requirement.

Are there any tricks or tips to renting a car in Europe? Are there a lot of hidden costs? Do we just go with the insurance that’s offered with the package? Or should we purchase extra? We plan on sharing the driving. We will be using the car strictly to travel through Normandy – picking it up and dropping it off outside of Paris, probably Versailles. That's the plan so far...things can change and probably will!

E

One thing to check is if your credit card includes car insurance - if we opt for extra insureance at the rental, we actually negate the insurance that our card provides (which is quite good - better even than the optional).

Check out autoeurope.com, a big favorite with most posters here. We've used them for years and gotten good deals.

You may also find that standard transmission is the most common.
Good idea to get car/ drop off outside of Paris. Are you arriving at CDG and then leaving for Normandy? Could drop do pick-up from there.
I can also recommend the Michelin maps for finding you way around

The chief difference from the US - where all rental cars are automatic - is that in europe most cars are standard transmission and you will pay a significant premium for automatic. Also, the least expensive levels of car are VERY tiny (smaller than any you can rent in the US and IMHO not really suitable for highway driving).

So - when you pick a car consider if you're comfortable with standard and check carefully for amount of luggage that fits in the smaller cars.

As for insurance - check you credit card to see what they provide for free.

And look to see if they will let you pick up and drop off in different places without a fee (they should in the same country - but you never know til you ask.)

You've been given great advice. Something else to consider, often the smaller rental car agencies have limited hours that they are open and closed for picking up and returning the car. We, too, are renting a car the last week of April in France! We have had great luck, too, with Autoeurope. We always purchase the maximum insurance rather than utilize credit card insurance. Dorkforcedad is uncomfortable about renting overseas and he's more likely to go along with my plans with purchasing their insurance.

Watch the amount of luggage versus the size of car. On one trip, there were 5 of us traveling. We actually went to a car lot here at home to see the trunk space of the car we were renting (an Audi 80) in Germany to judge if our luggage choices would work. We were pretty extreme! Happy travels!

When you rent, a small detail to confirm is whether it is petrol or diesel. There a few stories around of people who filled up their tank with the wrong "juice", with sad results ensuing.

We don't pay extra for insurance with rental cars, as we always buy travel insurance that provides good coverage. You can check those out at

insuremytrip.com

Auto Europe will list two rates for each car, "basic" and "inclusive." If your credit card provides coverage for cars rented in Europe, then you can feel free to decline the Collision Damage Waiver coverage and go with the basic rate.

Most small cars are hatchbacks. Pack light so that everything you might need to leave in the car for even a short time will fit under the sliding hatchback cover. I recommend you travel with one carry-on bag and one daypack per person. That way the bags will fit under cover and you can take the daypacks with you.

Get an International Drivers Permit for each of you. It is not a license, but a translation of the important information on your license into eleven languages. The rental agency will need to see your drivers licenses and probably won't even ask if you have IDPs. However, if you're in an accident or are stopped by the police, things will go a lot smoother if you do. They cost $10 and require two passport photos. You can get them at any AAA office (membership not required).

if you want a good deal on a car check out www.economycarrentals.com. I have used them several times and they are both cheap and good.

Also check to see if there is an increase in the rate for more than one driver. There is usually an additional charge for a second driver.

Ask about extra charges to pick or drop off at an airport or train station. I asked about an airport and was told no, but didn't realize that could also apply to train stations. Sure enough on the bill back at home was an extra $25 charge.

You may also be charged for a daily road use surchage - that was also on our bill for about 1€ per day, but I did know about that up front.

I recommend getting a good map ahead of time if you end up using Europcar. The one they gave us at Orly was small and covered all of France. It would have been helpful to have a lot more detail. The map Avis gave us in Salzburg was excellent - every tiny road was on that map!

Hi elph,

Also check rates at www.novarentacar.com, http://www.tigercarrental.com/ and http://www.argusrentals.com/

AutoEurope usually beats other quoted rates if you tell them that you found a better deal.

Also, if you elect to use the insurance on your credit card, you must decline the CDW at the time you pick up the car.

((I))

Definitely AutoEurope. Since I live in Europe, I use them to reduce the local rates by up to 70%.

Many good advices were posted. I might just add a couple more:
1. If you are a licensed driver from the US, you do not need an international driving permit to drive in France, provided your stay is less than 90 days. I got this info from a web site (sorry don't remember the URL) for Americans living in France. Do a google search.
2. You may be asked by rental co to (using your credit card) deposit certain amount (in my recent June trip, $850 USD ) as security deposit. This sum is NOT charged to your credit card when you return the car in same condition as you rented it. But be sure to go over the condition of the car with the agent before you leave the scene.
3. I never need any additional insurance from rental co as my cc and own auto insurance coverage deemed sufficient. Please check with your cc and insurance co for details.

The only problem I have with the cdw offered by most credit cards is , it comes in as the secondary insurer..your home car insurance policy will be the primary insurer.. and most of them don't cover the excess cdw, so if you don't purchase that from the rental agency you are responsible. That is what the $850.00 deposit above was for.

I prefer to use AMEX, enroll in their Premium Car Rental Protection and you are billed $24.95 when the rental charge goes thru. They come in aas the Primary insurer, your home policy is not involved at all. They also cover the excess cdw.

If your home policy has to cover the loss, your premiums will probably go up more than purchasing the cdw!

Hi jody
>The only problem I have with the cdw offered by most credit cards is , it comes in as the secondary insurer..your home car insurance policy will be the primary insurer.. <

I would check with your insurance company.

To the best of my knowledge, NO North American insurers cover you for driving in Europe.

AMEX provides car rental protection for free. The Premium Plan is an additional Accident policy that covers the driver and passengers in the rented car.

All rental agencies provide third party insurance.

((I))

bookmarking- thanks for a lot of helpful advice

Sorry, Ira,
But there is a big difference from the coverage you get from your Amex card and the coverage you get with the Amex PCRP. And your CC company will try to collectr from your home car insurer.

Just for my own satisfaction I called Citbank...t depends one your personal insurance coverage, what your credit card will cover.

If your personal ins policy covers International rentals then your cc will cover the dedectible..so your CC is secondary.
If your home car policy does not cover int. rentals then the cc coverage is primary..

so don't just check with the CC company, check with your personal car insurance co,