[lloydofcochin]

Try economycarrental dot com. They have very competitive rates.

[Quatro]

Hi,

Please try autoeurope.com or italyonline.com In 2010, I had hired a BMW320d from Rome to Venice for 4 days and it had costed me USD 360 including comprehensive insurance and zero excess (meaning if there is an insurance claim, you will not have to pay any minimum amount).

I had reached autoeurope thru italyonline. It ultimately turned out that autoeurope had subcontracted it to Avis. The point is something like Ford SUV that can accomodate the size of your party should cost around USD 100 per day. You can also check out Avis website and also google "cheap car rental in italy".

You should also try to prebook a GPS device or pick it up at the time of car hire. It should cost around USD 20 to 30 per day and will be a great help on the trip.


I checked out Autoeurope. They have seven seater Fiat Ulysse available for 7 days in June 1st week at EUR 801.36 ie around Rs 65,000. Their sub contract is with Europcar.

[ajmat]

Try Honk Car Rental

I used them back in Dec 2010 in Orlando when Hertz decided to overcharge. They are car hire borkers and will find the best deal. Only catch is you need to pay up front for the hire. I saved 100's of dollars. They also give different options

[siddharthp]

1. Try Cheap Car Rentals with VroomVroomVroom. for all the possible countries.I used it whenver I was I US,Europe and APAC region.Excellent and simplified website for car hire.It gives you comparison of most of the vendors.
2. You may use discount coupons/codes if you search on internet.You will get good deals there as well.
3. Also,when you go for car hire,always buy a 'Full Insurance-No Obligation'.It may cost you bit more but will give you 100% Peace of mind.You do not need to pay a single penny in case of any mishap with the vehicle.
4. Buy a good GPS with SD card slot from there/India and use free openstreet maps for your trip.This will again save money for GPS hire and map purchase.So,overall cost of trip comes down.

Apologies for going overboard,as you have done such trips already as you mentioned,but just my 2 cents for your 'Happy' journey.

[tsk1979]

Oh boy. Rent in italy, and leave in vienna?
Its going to cost a lot(200$/day) instead of regular 50/day

within country drops are much cheaper.

For example, a Vienna-vienna one week drop will cost you 10,000 INR
If you inter country, expect the price to go to 60-70000INR

[ajmat]

Frankly, use the car in Italy and take train to Austria. A car is a waste in Vienna

[sugam]

A very Good Morning from Mauritius to all the Team BHPians out there!
Been mostly a silent spectator to most of the discussions so far and I definitely know that this is the right place to look for advice when it comes to asking for serious, level headed suggestions.

I am supposed to be going on a Euro trip with my family in July. Basically we would be visiting my relatives who stay in Stockholm. Been there in 2011 as well and at that time we mostly covered Sweden and Norway.

This time around, we would be visiting Finland, Estonia and St Petersburg apart from the usual stay in Stockholm.

Now, I would be staying back for a week after my family leaves and am booked to travel / backpack western Europe with a cousin of mine.
We are booked to arrive in Amsterdam on July 25 and we have a pick up from Milan on July 30, So, this is something like 6D/5N.

Basically this is going to be one unplanned trip. And since I am the elder one amongst the two, I have to be a little responsible and plan it out.

I was intending to follow this route:

Amsterdam --> Brussels --> Paris --> Milan

Checked out the bus fares for 2 PAX and I found the total fares to be comparable to renting a car + fuel. So thought why not rather rent a car instead!

It would mean much more flexibility in terms of stopping over at suburban areas, exploring the local culture and much more fun.

Moreover, if I am driving, I could maybe stop over at Rotterdam before I arrive at Brussels. Similarly, I could also pass through Geneva in a single day.

So, I am looking for advise from people who have some insight on driving in the region. Could you please throw some light on tolls / conditions, etc?

The total distance is about 1400 Kms. Seems doable in 5 days.

Any kind of feedback would be of great help!

[fine69]

Note for Mod: A thread exists for North America, one for IDP but none specifically for Car Rentals in Europe so created one. Please merge it in case I wasn't able to find the right thread for this topic.

Planning for a 2 week trip to Europe made me spend some really long hours searching for the right car rental service in Europe.

Most have recommended www.economycarrentals.com and some www.rentalcars.com however I haven't been able to figure out certain things which is why this thread.

As all of us know that one can go directly to the dealer providing car rentals viz. Sixt, Avis, Europcar etc. or choose a broker like economycarrentals or rentalcars and rent a car through them.

Rental price on the dealer's website is at minimum 150% of what I see on the broker's website, which explains their existence.

Now renting a car is not that complex until Insurance and Local Country Laws come into picture. When renting a car, directly or through broker, certain components are provided free of cost (at times) and what almost always costs substantial money is Insurance, specifically Excess.

Excess, so far from what I've understood, is the maximum amount payable by the person who rents the car in case there's damage to the car. So if I took an Excess Protection of, say 800 Euros, then in case there is a 2000 Euro damage to the car, I end up paying only 800 Euros, rest the Insurance company pays. Still, 800 Euros is a lot of money for someone to pay who's planning the entire trip in 4500-5000 Euros.

So the obvious thing is to get something like a zero depreciation insurance. No problem, you can get Zero Excess Protection but the only catch is that it costs about 30-50% of your overall rental cost. Not to mention, the online brokers (such as www.economycarrentals.com) don't even give the option of selecting zero excess.

I tried to chat online with these brokers and everybody told me that all offers are available on the website and if there isn't, then that simply means we aren't giving that offer. I was then told to go directly to the dealer's counter and check for Zero Excess Protection or any other insurance details.

Now some might think that I'm being too fussy about an otherwise fairly simple process but insurance details are a little shady when it comes to booking through online brokers and what if Zero Excess costs me a bomb when I'm at the dealer counter. The whole point of renting through a broker to get a cheap deal is out of the window.

Another dimension to this is getting a complete insurance package from a third-party (which is definitely cheaper and more transparent in terms of documentation) but what happens in case of damage. Wouldn't the dealer still block the entire damage amount until claim settles. And what if because of some legal issues the case is not sorted for a while. A good amount on my card would then be held by the dealer until resolution.

So how does one go about this car rental business in Europe? What would be some must-have options that I should sign for before I rent a car? Does Zero Excess make sense because even if there is a small ding the dealer can charge a bomb telling me that the whole panel would be painted again, thoughts?

[tsk1979]

Zero excess is frightfully expensive. So the recommended policy is SCDW. Its called the Super collision damage waiver and it makes your excess 350-500EUR depending upon the car.

Also, never take SCDW from broker. Getting a claim is very tricky. Its best to book car, and then at the counter ask for it. It has an added benefit. When you take insurance, and its not claimed, the agent gets a nice bonus for that rental. So if you are taking extra insurance, they often bump you up to a free upgrade.

So the best way is
1. Rent car from broker : Basic CDW is included
2. At counter ask for a SCDW etc., and then also ask for a free upgrade.
3. Drive very very carefully.

[HKap]

I'm planning to rent a car in Frankfurt in August this year and drive through Germany, Switzerland, Austria and maybe Italy. The last time I rented a car in Frankfurt I had an IDP. This time i don't (yet). Can someone tell me if I need an IDP or my Indian driving license is enough?

[fine69]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

So the best way is
1. Rent car from broker : Basic CDW is included
2. At counter ask for a SCDW etc., and then also ask for a free upgrade.
3. Drive very very carefully.

By upgrade you mean they would really upgrade you to a higher class of car free of cost? Did that happen to you anytime?

I understand SCDW but my concern was mainly around excess only. I mean what if there's a flying pebble that hits a panel, does that mean that I would HAVE to pay the initial excess amount myself.

What about the windscreen, headlight etc. coverage, I don't think that's part of SCDW. Its not in Europcar at least. Do we buy this cover separately again?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by fine69

By upgrade you mean they would really upgrade you to a higher class of car free of cost? Did that happen to you anytime?

I understand SCDW but my concern was mainly around excess only. I mean what if there's a flying pebble that hits a panel, does that mean that I would HAVE to pay the initial excess amount myself.

What about the windscreen, headlight etc. coverage, I don't think that's part of SCDW. Its not in Europcar at least. Do we buy this cover separately again?

Yes, I have always gotten free upgrades.
There is a glass and tire insurance, which covers tires as well as windshields with minimal deductible. You can opt for that. Go to counter, and ask. Usually, its part of SCDW bundle.

[vinayrathore]

Originally Posted by fine69

Now some might think that I'm being too fussy about an otherwise fairly simple process but insurance details are a little shady when it comes to booking through online brokers and what if Zero Excess costs me a bomb when I'm at the dealer counter. The whole point of renting through a broker to get a cheap deal is out of the window....

So how does one go about this car rental business in Europe? What would be some must-have options that I should sign for before I rent a car? Does Zero Excess make sense because even if there is a small ding the dealer can charge a bomb telling me that the whole panel would be painted again, thoughts?

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Zero excess is frightfully expensive. So the recommended policy is SCDW. Its called the Super collision damage waiver and it makes your excess 350-500EUR depending upon the car.

Also, never take SCDW from broker. Getting a claim is very tricky. Its best to book car, and then at the counter ask for it. It has an added benefit. When you take insurance, and its not claimed, the agent gets a nice bonus for that rental. So if you are taking extra insurance, they often bump you up to a free upgrade.

So the best way is
1. Rent car from broker : Basic CDW is included
2. At counter ask for a SCDW etc., and then also ask for a free upgrade.
3. Drive very very carefully.

The very reason I have always gone for a direct booking from Sixt. The only time I searched to book through a broker was before my first trip. Got so confused, threw the idea out of the window and went the straight forward way of booking on Sixt.com. Not sure why, I always got the best deals through them. Might be a bit expensive compared to brokers, but guarantees complete peace of mind. You can also try going through destinationcoupons.com. There is a 10% year round discount on all brands.

As Tanveer said, best is to go for the 350 to 500 excess option and of course, drive very carefully.

PS: Have heard some credit cards also provide worldwide rental car CDW as part of the package. Never explored though.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by HKap

I'm planning to rent a car in Frankfurt in August this year and drive through Germany, Switzerland, Austria and maybe Italy. The last time I rented a car in Frankfurt I had an IDP. This time i don't (yet). Can someone tell me if I need an IDP or my Indian driving license is enough?

You do not need IDP. But we have seen some reports of Italian cops giving grief. That said, you will only be stopped if you commit an offense. the culture of "naka" where they just stop people for fishing expeditions does not happen.

[reverse_gear]

Originally Posted by HKap

I'm planning to rent a car in Frankfurt in August this year and drive through Germany, Switzerland, Austria and maybe Italy. The last time I rented a car in Frankfurt I had an IDP. This time i don't (yet). Can someone tell me if I need an IDP or my Indian driving license is enough?

My understanding is that Austria and Italy both now require IDP. Though you will not be asked for it when renting the vehicle and generally not stopped on the road needlessly. Even if you are stopped, some traffic cops will not insist on IDP, while others can get petty. If you are able to, then it's a good idea to get it. Take a look at this link:

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-ti...r-requirements