Renting A Car in Europe Tutorial

I rented a car in Europe this summer and found out the following things:

1. Your credit card doesn't cover your deductible (unless you have Amex Gold or above).

2. Your auto insurance doesn't cover you at all in Europe (probably). You need to buy some from the rental company.

3. You still need an international driver's license. I'm told you can get it at any local AAA office for $15 and a one hour class. A joke of a class.

4. Rates vary wildly by city. If you are driving to a few countries, check the car rates before you make an airline reservation. It might be cheaper to fly into city A than city B.

5. Gas is expensive there. You have to use a 98 octane at a minimum. Don't put in the wrong stuff. Ask before you pump. Credit cards won't always work or they pretend they won't. A real problem if you run out of gas near a station with no attendent. You will learn why they have 20% unemployment. It's all machines.

6. Some countries have bizarre rules about breathalyzers or toll passes, emergency equipment, etc. Check that you have what is required in each country you will visit. And always check you have a spare and jack, etc. A cel phone is nice to bring along. 7. Alot of tolls have no collector. Make sure you have enough change or credit cards that are on their system. I had some that were supposed to be, but, didn't work when the time came. Make sure you get in the right lane if you want change, want to use cash, etc.

8. They are installing alot of robotic speed detectors with cameras (even on the non-highway roads)! The rental company will charge you credit card for them weeks to months after you have left. Use that time to replace your cards (new number). For some reason they can't find your new number later on even though they have all your other contact info.

9. If you get in a crash, the cops will take forever getting to you and then tell you that you could have just filled out a form with the other driver. If you do crash and ask the rental company to replace your car, they will charge you for the tow (even if it was the other guys fault) and tell you that they aren't. You will see the charge when you drop it off. they will also try and stick you for a full tank of gas. take a picture of the gauge before you release the car. They will also charge you for the repairs immediately and then never chase down the guilty party to indemnify you (or they pocket that $). Call you credit card company and then dispute the charge. Then replace the card. They will be too lazy or disorganized to respond by the date they are issued. You will get a letter in the mail later. Just ignore it a remember not to rent from them the next time you go to Europe (it didn't effect my renting domestically from the same company). Hopefully, you won't have a warrant out for you. Haven't gotten that far yet.

10. Triple check the car, fill out the form and photograph it and things like the fuel level. They still play games. I wasn't allowed to inspect my car before they gave me the keys. I wasn't offered the inspection form. The guy who was supposed to go through it with me and sign it never could be located. I kept having to run back to the counter.Not what you want to do at six am after a red eye.

11. Rent from the local website not the US .com one. Supposedly better prices. Also, check out some European rental companies.

12. Almost everything the US agents will tell you over the phone will be wrong, inconsistent or ignored when you go to the counter. There they have you by the balls and you will agree to anything.

13. Don't say you are coming in by plane or give them that info. If the flight times change, the computer changes your rental times and can put an extra day (for example)on your bill that will change the quoted rate. You will be confused as to why the bill is more than quoted. You don't want too many issues when the counter person can pretend not to speak english well.

14. You will be hassled in countries that are different from you license plate. They even do breathalizer checks in areas around booze producers. I'm not sure if it is legal, but, they pull you over randomnly.

15. They have tolls everwhere ($!). Try the smaller roads.

16. They are jerks about bringing the car in early or late.

My Experience -

I started getting quotes around a month before I left. The rates were outrageously low without insurance. I kept calling in to inquire about the insurance protections and prices and got a different story everytime. Everything was included, theft was extra, you only need collision, it's this price, it's that price. It turned out they have a "super insurance" that covers everything with no deductible. It tripled the price! The next one down had a $800 (they told me $500 over the phone) deductible and doubled the price. Collision only was slightly less. Theft and personal property protections were about half the rental price. Theft was about 2/3rds of PP ins. I didn't want to buy them a new car if it got stolen. I took the one with the deductible. A kid rear ended me and they charged me (not over the deductible) to fix it even though I waited to get a police report that exonerated me. They did get me a tow truck and took me to a different city to get the new car (was a hassle). They didn't seem very thankful that I didn't try and keep driving the car around and damaging in further. I want to reiterate that they quoted me a different insurance price everytime. I think they knew I was going to have to buy it and they tried to take advantage. Some of it could have been lack of lead time (price goes up), but, it happened in the same day.

Summary - Don't get fixated on the non-insured price. Get the full insurance and don't speed. European roads and parking spaces, etc are tiny. You will probably have some sort of damage to the car. Pick the right city to rent from. Prices fluctuate wildly.