European Car Rental
by Neil P Harkins
Put off by international timetables and endless airport lines? Seeing Europe from the front seat of a car is
an alternative that doesn’t need to cost the earth…
1. Cheaper airfares often mean cheaper car rental rates, so make sure to do your homework well in
advance of your trip—the websites listed below will help you with price comparisons. As an example, 30
days in a compact car rented from Frankfurt airport, Germany costs $310 less than when rented from
Luxembourg’s main airport (prices quoted here are from Auto Europe).
2. Be flexible when choosing the pick-up location. Rental agencies’ airport and train station offices
generally have higher rates than their city offices where, often, no taxes or other service fees are levied on
the base price. Sometimes the car can be returned to the airport if you need without extra charge—be
sure to check the agency’s return procedure before leaving the airport to fetch the car. Renting a compact
car from a Frankfurt city office instead of the airport saves you $180 (at Auto Europe); even after your
taxi fare, you’ll still have enough money for gasoline, dinner, and a hotel room.
3. If the car is to be returned in another country, ask the agency if a vehicle from that country is available
on their lot. The one-way drop-off fee (around $150 for a pick-up in Frankfurt and a drop-off in Paris) is
generally waived because you are doing them a favor. Ask about the return procedure at the final
destination.
4. Pay with a major credit card and decline the Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) insurance. The CDW
insurance from the agency’s Frankfurt city office for a compact costs almost $400, but credit cards
typically provide free insurance coverage for 30 consecutive days (make sure to review your card’s benefits
disclosures). To safely insure for more than 30 days, make several reservations of 30 days maximum each
time, return the car after each reservation, and use a second card for the next rental period—or go
without a car for a day, and use the first card again.
5. If you’re traveling for more than a couple of weeks, why not consider a short-term lease? Auto Europe
has partnered with the French Peugeot automobile company, offering non-European residents factory-new
vehicles for up to six months. The “Open Europe” program requires advance reservation of at least one
month. Your car is shipped to the European arrival city of your choice, fully insured and tax-free. No fee is
charged for delivery within France, but you’ll pay a distance-based rate when the car is shipped to other
countries. In France, a compact leased for 45 days costs $230 less than renting the same vehicle in Paris.
Delivery of a leased compact to Frankfurt will cost $310 more than if you rented it in this city—the lease
becomes more cost-effective after about 70 days. Remember that gasoline and your time are not cheap,
so the convenience of an uninterrupted, fully insured, drive-anywhere car may still be worth the extra
lease money.
This article previously appeared in International Living.
http://www.internationalliving.com/travel/free/04-10-07-car-rental.html
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