I will be doing two or three car rentals in the UK in September (10 days in Scotland, 8 days in Wales and possibly 4 days in Yorkshire). I will put the rentals on my Chase Sapphire Reserve card to take advantage of the primary coverage.

It has been years since I rented a car outside North America, so I'm rather rusty. And of course, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card with its excellent benefits is relatively new.

So, two questions:

• has anyone had difficulties with rental agencies not accepting the CSR card for the primary coverage? I'll have the benefits booklet with me to show what is covered.
• What is the best way to search for and book a rental car in the UK? I want the flexibility of being able to change the dates, so I don't want to prepay and lock in.

I always check a couple of sources for rental cars, but invariably I end up with Auto Europe. It is a US based company (Portland, Maine), so easy to deal with for us when we get home. You WILL prepay BUT you can get a full refund with 48 hours notice. And, the refund shows up within a day or two. They promise to meet or beat any better offer, but our four rentals this fall in Europe all were dramatically lower going with Auto Europe, which is simply a broker. In the UK, I believe that Hertz is often the company that you will get for the best rates through them. Although I have credit cards that will take care of damage claims, it can be a long and frustrating process. So, we usually get full coverage. From our experience in Europe, one other advantage of Auto Europe is that their full coverage is often only a few dollars a day compared to buying direct from the big car rental agencies and pay up to $30 or more per day.

Thank you. I've plugged in a few dates and EuropCar is showing as significantly less expensive than Hertz and Avis. I've had no experience with EuropCar (nor heard of them before). Are they reasonable to deal with?

I agree -- check with autoeurope.com

They might hook you up with Europcar, or Hertz, or Avis, or Budget or whoever.

>>'ve plugged in a few dates and EuropCar is showing as significantly less expensive than Hertz and Avis. <<

There is no way to know -- rental rates are VERY date specific, location specific, class of car specific. For example, a compact picked up at say LHR might be cheaper with EuropeCar whereas a mid-sized might be cheaper those days with Hertz. That is one reason autoeurope is so useful. They will display every company, car class, etc for the dates/pick up/drop off location you enter. Then you can pick the one that fits your requirement better.

Europcar is based in France. Our son booked a car directly with a European company (not sure which one), had it break down a few miles from the office, and had to fight for more than a year an attempt by that company to assess a $5,000 charge for an engine repair. AutoEurope sometimes offers their cars since they are a broker. We are renting one or two Europcars this fall, but we booked them via AutoEurope. Since we are based in the US, it is much more important for us to deal with them as a highly regarded US-based company. Europcar has a lot of negative reviews online, but that may reflect that people might be more inclined to review a rental car company only when they have a problem. AutoEurope has 24/7 support, and they claim they will meet or beat Europcar's rates.

I'd go with autoeurope, they become the key negotiator when things go wrong, give them a call and tell them what you really want, all issues etc and then book. Do not buy on cheapest sticker price, car rental companies are pirates, you need a negotiator on your side.

When I saw Europcar mentioned, I seem to remember they were under investigation:
Europcar scandal: Have you been hit by a bumper repair bill? | The Week UK

Thanks you, everyone, for the helpful information. Having a US broker in my corner in case anything goes wrong is a BIG plus. I'll work through AutoEurope. And I will skip rentals they offer from EuropeCar; the extra $100-$150 to rent from Avis or Hertz or Budget or Enterprise/Keddy will be money well spent for peace of mind.

There’s nothing wrong with Europcar - no need to pay more for another rental company. I’ve used them 1000s of times over the years. You can find bad reviews about all rental companies.

Probably worth a conversation with AutoEurope -- see what sort of experience their customers have had if EuropCar makes a claim for damages.

I have visions of a rock wall on a single track road jumping out and attacking me.....

A agree - I've rented from all the majors in the UK and a few small local firms - maybe 5 times in total were EuropCar. No reason to avoid them if they are the best option for your dates/locations/class of car.

You can as easily have a bad (or good) experience with Hertz, or Joe Bloke Car Hire down at the local garage.

>>I have visions of a rock wall on a single track road jumping out and attacking me..... <<

I have had a portable road sign jump out at me and destroy the off side wing mirror (it literally exploded) and a gate post lean over and scratch the on side rear door . . . can happen

I used AutoEurope to rent cars on both my UK trips and they were by far the lowest price, for the car with the options I needed (unlimited mileage, auto transmission & A/C). For my trip last year, i rented through them and my car was from Hertz. Also, i have used my Chase Sapphire Reserve for all car rentals and had no problems at all; the first time, I brought my proof of coverage with me and wasn't asked for it. The second time, i forgot to bring it and wasn't asked for it (you should bring it along, just in case you get a clerk who does ask).