Traveler2

Would really appreciate hearing of your experiences with different car rental agencies. I used Auto France last trip, (recommended by Fodorites) and was very pleased, however this trip I will need a car for only 12 to 13 days. Loved the full coverage insurance given by Auto France as we used it! Would appreciate also hearing about if you bought the rental companies full coverage insurance or not; And if you used it?
Does it warrant spending the extra for the full coverage?

Thank you.

Dukey

I always get full coverage and in Europe that includes the extra to bring the deductible down to zero (btw was THAT covered by Auto France or not?).

I've used it once and yes it was "worth it" in that particular case. I appreciate having the peace of mind, being able to easily afford the peace of mind even though it is a rip-off!

ira

Hi T,

Check www.novacarhire.com and www.autoeurope.com.

I think that they both offer Super CDW.

For France, I let my credit card cover the insurance and decline the CDW.

nina

We used AutoEurope and they were great! My husband left a flight bag with our airline tickets and expensive camera in their office after we picked up our car. When we realized it was missing, we had driven 2 hours away, so he called them, they packed it up and overnighted it to our next Hotel destination. I think it only cost about $40, which was probably just the fee to ship it.

They were really nice about it. I would definitely recommend them, they had great rates as well.

nina

We declined the full coverage.

christy1

I've used Auto Europe and they were great both times. You can purchase the CDW through them but I believe if you want the full deal, with no deductible, you purchase the rest at the car rental counter. Read the fine print. One time we just purchased the CDW and were fine, this last time there was a deep scratch running the whole length of the car that would have only been covered had we purchased the zero deductible insurance at the counter.

NeoPatrick

We nearly always use AutoEurope and for years we took their full coverage. A couple years ago, when booking with them on the phone for a UK rental, the guy actually asked me why I was doing that, and if I had checked my credit card. In addition to saving a couple hundred dollars, he informed me that my deductible would still be 500 pounds with the full coverage, but would probably be zero if my credit card covered it. We checked and he was right, so for the first time declined all insurance saving us the several hundred dollars. And as luck would have it, we totaled the car (yes, our fault) in Wales. While it took a while (partly because we were still traveling for a couple months in Europe) the Citibank Visa insurance paid everything, right down to the towing and the storage of the wrecked car. So all in all we saved probably a good thousand dollars or more by NOT taking the AutoEurope insurance.

blondeinabmw

We used Hertz for a recent trip to Italy. Booked online, picked up with no problem in Firenze and dropped off in Venezia easy as can be! We had a Ford Fiesta, which was a little slow on the Autostrada, but was plenty zippy enough for windy mountain and Tuscan roads. The entire rental for 9 days, unlimited mileage, was around €400.

Traveler2

I really appreciate all your comments as I have learned from past experiences that Fodorites postings can really be a bonus and they can make a vacation much more enjoyable. i.e. when I took Patrick's advice and used Auto France and leased a car on our last Euro. trip. He said he had used the full coverage (0 deductable) in the past and it paid off for him. It paid off for us also as we turned the car in with a dent! USEFUL INFO!

NeoPatrick: I will check on my Chase Visa to see if this applies. I will be renting in Italy so I don't know if that factors in?? Did your auto insurance have to be applied and then the insur. covered the deductable?

I have read all positive remarks about autoeurope in this forum which so far seems the way to go.

Dukey: I am not sure of your question, but full coverage, 0 deductable is included in the price of the lease with Auto France-there is NO ADDITIONAL charge! I had nothing but positive experiences with them and recommend them HIGHLY as did other posters in this forum prior to my leasing with them

Thank you all.

tgibraltar

There is no better way to go than Autoeurope. They guarantee the best rates. Also somehow they guarantee the best service. If you get a lower rate for the same they are offering , you let them know and they give you a lower rate. Also you can cancel anytime for a full refund. If you return your car early they will refund the unused days for you. They are open 24/7 with toll free calling from Europe!!! Simply the best service around. You can prepay in dollars, pounds or euros too. Also if you have AAA or AARP you get a dicsount. Give them a call 1-800-223-5555. You can purchase the insurance from them at wholesale prices, then get the super CDW at the counter if you want. The best way to do it is to use your credit card if oyu have one that co vers.

zootsi

Our last trip to Italy, we booked a car thru http://www.webcarhire.com/. Their prices even beat Autoeurope (which is what we usually use), and they work with Maggiore and other European agencies. In Italy we got full coverage.

anat1

Hi,

I used tiger for a car rental in Italy. I found the rates to be the best and everything is included. They worked with Budget and were flexible with no drop off charges.

http://www.tigercarrental.com

Anat

NeoPatrick

Traveler2, my own auto insurance doesn't provide ANY coverage in Europe, as most don't. The entire bill was paid by Citibank Visa on the automatically included insurance when you charge with the card and decline all offered insurance with the rental agency.

Travelermebe

Using a credit card that provides rental car insurance usually works great. However, some credit card companies exclude coverage in certain countries. Most exclude Ireland and many exclude Italy. In that case, it is best to get the Super CDW through a company like AutoEurope.

Traveler2

Thanks to everyone for your help. I will have to check things out carefully to determine which way to go.

Someone on a previous posting mentioned Gemut.com and they were very happy with them. Has anyone else use them?

englandlover

This past spring I did some damage to my rental car while in the Lake District. I declined CDW as I have a platinum VISA and one of its benefits is full coverage of any damage to the rental car when it is used to pay for the car. I had a wonderful experience with VISA in getting the $1600 in dmages reimbursed. I can't say enough about their customer service. Within a month of returning to the States I had a check for the full amount. Much less expensive than paying for CDW everyday! So check the benefits of your credit card!

OReilly

I have used AutoEurope, booked through my Travel Agent, at least 15 times and have always been pleased. They are a consolidator and use all car companies.

Once you pick up the car, you deal with the agency. Usually, I end up with Europecar and never had a bad experience. I have had been directed to National a couple of times; once I had a really serious breakdown and the service from National was spectacular. The only rental company I have had a bad experience with is AVIS - they gave me the run-around because of some paperwork problem at their end and were very rude. I now specify "any company but AVIS", which has been honored.

Re the insurance: up until last year, I purchased FULL CDW and local insurance to get a zero deductible. This was expensive, the insurance was often more expensive than the car rental. Last year, I finally subscribed to a VISA card that offered full CDW, no deductible and have saved $$$hundreds. I highly recommend you take this route. I confirmed with the bank (got it in writing) that they will pick up all the charges in the case of an accident. Most banks will offer this option on some of their VISA cards. Mine is specifically targeted at travelers and offers reward points that can be used for travel. They issue vouchers, which I can use at specific travel agencies and purchase revenue tickets, car and hotel vouchers. Over the past two years, I have accumulated $800, which I have used for airline tickets.

Regards Ger

bob_brown

The ones I have actually used in the sense that I rented a car and drove it are:
Sixt, Avis, Hertz, and Europcar.

All of the contracts with Avis and Hertz were negotiated through AutoEurope. My experiences with AutoEurope are such that I prefer to use its collective bargaining power to my advantage.

Let me cite just one example. This past summer I rented a car from Hertz through AutoEurope. Hertz overcharged me on the final bill. After a short, fruitless argument, I discussed the matter with AE and obtained a refund thanks to AE willingness to honor its contracts.

The rental from Sixt was less satisfactory because of the fact that I rented in Munich and had quite a hassle with the return of the car. Getting the car was spooky because it was in a garage that was both dimly lit and deserted.

My one rental with EuropCar was fully satisfactory and probably I had the best car I have yet driven: A turbo VW Passat with a 6 speed manual transmission.
It was an upgrade!! Otherwise it would have been a little too expensive!!

My standard procedure is to consult the websites for Hertz, Avis, Europcar, and Sixt to see how the contracts are running. Then I check the AutoEurope website to get the final comparison.

I usually take some of the insurance because the last thing I want is a messy accident to deal with when my time to go home has arrived.

mari5

AutoEurope is not a true rental car company...they are brokers for several companies and usually use the major rental companies according to various countries. They are wonderful and have good customer service and are very accommodating. We always rent a car overseas so have had a variety of experiences.
We like to prepay in the U.S. and have the FULL voucher when we arrive in Europe at the desk. Auto Europe use to only let you partial pay and then the remaining was after arrival in Europe. But I've heard that has changed.
I usually call several companies to get rates and often use Hertz, and have used Avis, National, etc.......as well as AutoEurope. AAA lowers rates on most, etc..
Yes, Italy and Ireland are two of the countries that really insist on Collision Damage Waiver insurance...but for a few years we obtained a letter from Mastercard saying we were covered and that was sufficient. (the 800 number for MC, not your bank). But I"m a little unclear if that practice is still possible. As far as regular insurance, your credit card company usually covers it.....
VERY interesting about NeoPatrick's experience in Wales...I've never really heard of anyone having to use the Credit Card insurance and it was good to know that it all worked out fine.(makes me feel better!)

artlover

We've used Autoeurope, Avis, and Hertz. Autoeurope and Avis were great, Hertz was a complete nightmare and would have been even worse if we hadn't put it on AMEX who came through for us.

Our auto insurance includes coverage in Europe, so we don't get extra coverage. You should check with your company about this.