We are flying into Munich on September 30th and visiting Germany, Austria and hopefully Switzerland. We plan on renting a car in Munich. Who has the cheapest rates with the least amount of problems. I have called around and there seem to be some noticable differences in price which make us wonder.

I would like to pre-pay for the car before we leave the States.

AutoEurope, Kemwel, and Sixt.

Check with your credit card company if the CDW can be carried on the credit card with no deduction. That will lower the rental rate considerably. Both Kemwel and Autoeurope offer rates with and without CDW coverage.

<i>Who has the cheapest rates with the least amount of problems.</i>

These are often mutually exclusive.

IME, Avis and Hertz are far better than the other car rental companies. If the savings is substantial, then Sixt is okay enough, but they are definitely a noticeable notch below and you do increase your chance of hassle. I don't bother with the 3rd tier companies.

As for pricing, that is what Kayak is for.

Much cheaper companies are often so for a reason. And price will vary from one agency to another based ont he size of the car, the dates, and if they have offices most conveninet to where yuo need to be.

We almost always use Herts since we have a special corporate discount (may still be more than the cehapest agencies) but we want reliability and a large number of offics to choose from. Plus - if there is any problem it can be resolved in the US.

These are other costs I've not see fluctuate as much this year as in other years. (Just answered a post about airfares, which have stayed pretty steady all year). We've always used AutoEurope. Made original reservation in June with a "special offer" and confirmed it a couple weeks ago as there aren't any better "Fall Specials" around. Of course, we'll be in Italy and renting a car there is more expensive than in France, because you really have to get CDW. But we are getting a lower deductible if there were to be collision damage than we could get with Sixt, who had a slightly lower rate for the 20-odd days we'll be driving.

>AutoEurope, Kemwel, and Sixt<

Also www.novacarhire.com

firms like Gemut and Autoeurope most often have rates less expensive than major firms.
www.gemut.com

www.autoeurope.com

They act as brokers and most times you find that you pick up the auto ( same auto as usual rental ) from one of the major firms anyway.
Also examinre rentsl and drop off at alternate locations to the airport if convenient for you. Quits often the actual rate is less expensive

<i>Also examinre rentsl and drop off at alternate locations to the airport if convenient for you. Quits often the actual rate is less expensive</i>

Readers should be aware that policies and practices differ from country to country. In France, when renting one way via Autoeurope/Kemwel, it is cheaper to pay the RR pickup fee than to rent in the city because the agencies providing the city cars (often Hertz or Avis) charge a one-way fee that is, in my experience, not charged (by Europcar) when picking up the car at the RR station or airport. This might not apply to rentals in Germany, or so it is implied by Molker.

We have used www.gemut.com for our last 3 trips picking up and returning a car at Munich airport. We've used the cars for our trips which included Germany, Austria and the Italian Dolomites.

We've also used our AMEX card's "Premium Car Rental Protection" policy for the CDW insurance. It covers the CDW and a lot more. The cost is $24.99 per rental period (up to 42 consecutive days), NOT per day. You must reserve/pay for the rental car with your AMEX card. Andy Bestor, at Gemut, will help you out. Can't hurt to at least get a quote.

Paul

Thanks for the information! We will check these out.

Is there anything we should absolutely watch out for?

Yes,

In order to drive the highways in Austria, you need to buy a "Vignette", which is a toll sticker. It costs 7.90 Euro for a sticker good for 10 consecutive days (cheapest one you can buy) and can be bought at gas stations in Austria and in Germany near the Austrian border. Don't drive on an Austrian highway without one. Switzerland also has a toll sticker, but I believe the only one you can buy is around 40 Swiss Francs.

www.german-way.com/autobahn2.html

Paul.