Renting a car in Zurich
 

Do the rentals normally come with a paid vignette? ((b))

I just read that they do include the vignette (can't remember which book, though).

The cars I have rented in Interlaken and Lausanne from Hertz and Avis had the vignette. I presume the same would be true in Zürich.

I think there would be quite a few disgruntled customers if they did not.

I sure hope so as I will pick one up through Autoeurope Aug. 11 for a two week rental. That being said, there has been no mention of it in the contract/voucher. Paul

Well, Autoeurope has limited control over the vignette issue because the final contract is with a regular car renting company. AutoEurope per se has no cars to rent; it is a booking agency only, at least as far as I know.

My car rental contracts for the last 6 rentals have been negotiated through AutoEurope. Sometimes I get an Avis car, sometimes a Hertz car.

Last year and this, Hertz. Previous years, Avis.

Of course you are right Bob, and I did not have any control over who the actual rental agency would be in Zurich. In fact it is Europacar which always confuses me as the name is very close to Auto Europe. I'm still hoping that the vehicle will alrady have the vignette as I'm tired of buying another year's worth for such a short time. Oh well!

Hi Budman,

Of course any rental car picked up in Switzerland should have a vignette!

This year's version is red - here's an example:
http://www.automobileclub.org/site/s...vignette_s.php

If one isn't stuck to the windshield, go back to the counter and request one.

Hope this helps,
Andre

This thread got me thinking. Just what does one pay for when renting a car in Switzerland. I question my recall of just exactly what I paid for and what I did not pay for.

The EuropCar website says that road tax and license fees are included in the rental.

I presume that means the autobahn sticker is on there.

The Autoeurope web site says this:

RENTAL DOES NOT INCLUDE

* Insurance coverage for personal injuries to driver or passengers. Optional coverage may be offered locally for an additional fee
* Gasoline or Diesel. Client is advised to return the vehicle with a full fuel tank and to retain copies of gas receipts.
* Road Tax of approximately $4 USD per day. Mandatory Winter Tire fee of approximately $6 USD per day (maximum charge of approx. $60 USD) which applies to all rentals commencing November 1st thru April 30th.
* Local toll, highway fees or travel stickers which may be required by local authorities

The car had the sticker, but did I pay extra for my portion of the purchase price?

This year I will make it a point to check that cost. I had forgotten the road tax charge. That seems like a real stinker.

At $4.00 a day for road tax, I hope something would be included.

My last rental in Europe with autoeurope, pickup Munich, dropoff Zurich, had the statement "road tax not included."

I was told in Munich when I picked up the car what the charge would levied be when I dropped it off. When I turned in the in Zurich, I was then charged, and it came out to about $1.65 a day.

I spent most of the time in Switzerland and did not purchase a vignette -- I programmed my GPS to avoid toll roads, and it did.

I'm asking this time because I'm renting in Zurich, and driving to Lake Como and the Piedmont area, and will be spending little time in Switzerland. It's just the driving time to/from Italy without using the Swiss toll roads is almost double, so I would want the vignette -- just won't want to pay for a full year's worth of tolls for use on 2 days. ((b))

Too bad I will not have the answer from the source before you leave. I will not have a chance to ask at the Hertz office in Interlaken until early September.

I wonder if a local Hertz or Avis person could answer from a full deck of knowledge?

I wish now I had kept my copy of the receipt from last year. After 6 months and all charges paid, I pitched it.

Darn. It would have come in handy now.

Bob, I'm not going until next Spring (mid-May). I would be interested in finding out what you discover since I will probably be renting from autoeurope also.

I remember reading a post last year about someone entering Switzerland from either France or Germany and getting a hefty on-the-spot fine for being stopped without a vignette. ((b))

Road tax and the highway vignette are TWO different taxes. (Welcome to Switzerland). The road tax is a yearly tax to pay for the local roads, the highway tax is for the highway. Everyone who owns a car in Switzerland pays a road tax, although I must say it is not the equivalent of US$4 a day, so you renters are paying a disproportionate amount. It varies by canton, but mine was like US$600 a year. I also had to have a highway vignette as well.

The winter tire tax IS a rip-off because snow tires are not required under Swiss law anymore, and you are paying for snow tires which are not necessary. A long story I won't go into here. Many Swiss still put snow tires on their cars each year even though they are not stricly required by law.

I will make it a point to keep the receipt this year and inquire about the various fees. I can even try to scan a copy of the cocntract so I can email it as an attachment.

In Austria, when renting fron Avis, the vignette was included. I socked with so many taxes, add ons, and etcs that I don't remember now all I paid for. I remember Avis socked it to me for an extra driver fee.

Those charges soured me on Avis ever since. I know the vignette for the Austrian highways was on the car, but I paid no attention to the actual cost it added. I know I did not pay for the whole thing, but I paid enough else to have bought most of the car.

I doubt I will ever rent a car in Austria again. Just too darned expensive for the piece of junk I got.
It was some kind of an Opel diesel that started virbrating and protesting at 70 mph, about 115 kph.

On the autobahns driving it was dangerous because it lacked acceleration from 65 to 80. Pulling out to pass was hazardous without a clear lane behind me. It was my first experience driving in traffic where some drivers must have been moving at speeds in the range of 190 - 210 kph.

A dot in the rear view mirror materialized all too quickly into a BMW or Mercedes going like the wind with the driver flashing the lights.