kellyee21

Hello,

My partner and I need to rent a car for 18 days at the end of May out of O'Hare. We are both residents of France (though I am American) and we are looking for a rental with full insurance coverage and extra driver. I have seen some posts recommending Avis and Alamo having all inclusive rates and have checked prices (economy size). Avis is 685€ and supposedly the extra driver is no charge but I need to verify again. Alamo is 741€ including 180€ in extra driver charges (their Alamo insiders club which gives the extra driver charge for free is only open to US and Canadian residents).

So I am hoping to find a little bit better rate if possible (economy size). I came across the site : https://www.economycarrentals.com . All inclusive plus the extra driver charge comes out to 575€. Has anyone ever used this company ? I have never heard of it and the reviews I am finding seem to be mixed. I think I would rather rent directly from a major car company than a broker. Any opinions about that or ideas where I might get a better rate ?

Thanks in advance.

beanweb24

Have you considered trying hotwire or priceline?

kellyee21

Not really since it isnt going to include the insurance or extra driver so since I could get any company I wouldnt know what I would be paying in the end. Is my reasoning incorrect? Getting full insurance in a regular rental can add around 25$+ day and the extra driver 10$+.

doug_stallings

All-inclusive rates of $250 per week are really good, so I don't think this price is so far out of line.

I've never heard of Economy Car Rentals, but that is a really great rate. You might try a wholesaler like Auto Europe, which should be able to quote an all-in rate in U.S. dollars or euros.

nytraveler

The prices you're quoting sound like real bargains to me - but I'm used to New York Prices.

You don;t say where you will be using the car - but one problem with using a non-major company is that they may not have offices near where you will be traveling - and if there is some sort of problem you might be delayed instead of getting a fixed or new car immediately.

We use Hertz only - partly since we have a corporate discount - and partly since they seem to have office almost everywhere.

tracys2cents

I am seeing lower prices than your quotes but I don't know your exact dates, I was checking May 28 to Jun 16.

Ohare has an $8 per day location fee which adds up to $144.00 over 18 days, you might be better off renting in the city somewhere (you can book the return day to the airport location usually). But city locations close early so it depends on your dates and times of booking.

Try NationalCar.com, though they are affiliated with Alamo and the rates are usually the same.

tomfuller

The people at the rental car counter are not insurance professionals. If you own and insure a car where you live, talk to your local agent. Your credit card company may also have some insurance that you are not aware of if you use the card for your rental. Renting at a downtown location saves the airport fees which add up over your 18 days.
I got a great deal from Priceline on a car from Alamo/National in Las Vegas with no add on fee for my wife to drive.
Assuming you both have good credit and driving records you should be able to get the insurance coverage you need-but not at the rental car counter.

kellyee21

Thank you everyone for your help.

Doug: thanks for the tip, will check it out.

nytraveler: we will be going to Milwaukee, WI and some traveling around northern and central WI. You make a good point and it is one of the reasons I am hesitant to use a broker.

tracys2cents: thanks for checking. The exact dates are May 25 to June 12. If I could eliminate the 8$ a day airport fee that would certainly help. We are headed immediately to Milwaukee after arriving in the early afternoon. Do you know anywhere off airport that might be convient enough after a long flight to Europe? If my family could pick us up at ORD we could rent the car in WI but I dont think it is going to be possible. There is a bus to MKE but we arent to keen on that after the long flight (and adding in the bus fare it doesnt really save much at all).

I have checked National but they are not including the insurance in the quotes.

tomfuller: thanks for the ideas. We will check again with our insurance here but it doesnt appear that we are covered. I have a US based credit card that I used last time we were in the US to cover the collison, but I still had to buy liability. Plus I had to do all the driving as my partner was not covered and I really dont want to do that again.

I certainly dont want to pay more than necessary for the insurance, but I absolutely want to make sure we are covered and can both drive. I thought I could get a rate of 563€ which would be great at Alamo including all insurance and the extra driver but now they are saying you have to join their club to get the free extra driver but we arent qualified as non US residents.

kellyee21

I was just looking at https://www.alamo.co.uk and for the same rental it is quoting 343 British Pounds for the rental including liability, collision, and the 8$/day airport fee :

Collision Damage Waiver Full Included
Extended Protection Included
Customer Facility Charge 8.00 Per Day Included
Lessor Tax 2.75 Usd Per Rental Included
Vehicle License Recovery .82 Per Day Included
Auto Renting Occupation Tax Included
Mpea Tax Included
Mass Transit Tax Included
Chicago Transaction Tax Included
Unlimited Mileage Included

The conditions state the extra driver at up to 9.99 USD a day so converting all that to Euro I am coming up with 537.94€ total, as opposed to the 741€ quoted for French residents on the alamo.com site. The uk site does not ask the residence country and I do not see anything in the condtions about being a UK resident.

So anyone see anything wrong with this idea ?

The only thing in the conditions that I dont understand are:

>>Fuel Policy
Unless included in the product, a full tank of gas will be purchased at the time of rental. The service is convenient because the renter does not have to worry about taking time to stop and refuel before returning.>>

Does this mean I HAVE to purchase the fuel or it can be declined?

Thanks again for your help.

doug_stallings

You don't have to pre-pay for a tank of gas, but it's usually a good deal. You normally pay no more than what people are paying locally at any gas station, and then you can return the car with an empty tank. If you plan on driving for three weeks you will certainly use a tank of gas, so this is a good idea for you.

This last Christmas, I pre-paid for gas in Tulsa, and I paid 10 cents a gallon less than what I would have paid at a gas station locally. If I plan to drive enough to use a full tank, I almost always choose this option.

nytraveler

And if you return the car without a full tank they often charge you fill up fee. I've been charged as much as $35 - plus $5 per gallon for the gas. (This was Avis - which my employer requires we sue. the trouble with returning a car in Manhattan is that there are practically no gas stations - and none near my office. And if the tank shows anything but totally full its the $35 plus gas charge.)

tracys2cents

Yes, some of the agencies such as AutoEurope and others require the renter to purchase a full tank of gas up front. Not a big deal, but you really can't USE a full tank and return the car totally empty...and many people probably return it half full and lose $20-$30 in the deal. I once drove a car to empty and then filled it up, it took almost 12 gallons. The car company had charged me 14.8 gallons for the first tank - Okaaaayyyyyy, I guess this is legal.

Kelly the quote I see from National does indeed include the liability and collision, are you remembering to plug in FRANCE as your residence? And I will check to see what local offices are not far from the airport/ an inexpensive cab ride away.

Michael

I've used Economycarrentals.com in Turkey and Italy with no problems. It's a broker, so that the actual rental agency will be quite different. Check if you have to decline the CDW when picking up the car if you are using the broker. If you do not decline it, it means that it is the local agency providing the coverage with a deductible. You don't want that.