Car Rental In UK/Europe

[gshase]

I may have made a mistake by letting my wife plan our second trip across the pond. She rented a Vauxhall Insignia for our time in Ireland and a Peugeot 508 for our time in Europe. Our 18 year old daughter will be with us along with our luggage for 45 days. Any advice would be helpful.

[biosurfer1]

I am in the process of booking our rental car for our trip in Europe right now, the only advice I can give is to make sure she booked a round trip car rental to pickup/drop off in the same country, the international "fee" is unbelievable if your pick up in one country and drop off in another.

[Drisump]

What I did when I was there was get a car from Renault Eurodrive. You get a brand new car and they cover you for almost all possible problems...unlike many of the alternatives. They have a US office and the deal is only available to non residents of the EU. I have friends and family who went the normal rental route and were on the hook for a lot of money in repairs for dings and dents (and one b&e broken window in Italy). Eurodrive may cost a bit more than conventional rental but they really take care of you.....and no surprises and the end of it all. Have a great trip. PS I went with my wife and 19 year old daughter and rented a 1.5 litre diesel Renault Clio and we managed to be very comfortable with luggage on our 6600 km trip....obviously it depends on how much luggage you are travelling with.

[cairns]

The 508 should have more than enough room for three and their luggage I don't know about the insignia but surely you can call the rental car company and change the car. However, Ireland has some very narrow roads and you will want a smaller car if you're going anywhere off the beaten path. What's big in the states is enormous in Europe.

The 508 is a very nice car IMO. Good handling and great ride, decent power. And you don't have to worry about fixing it.

[imcarthur]

As I have mentioned before, AutoEurope is the go to car broker for much of Europe on the forums. Check their US site - as well as the UK site because sometimes the rates are lower in the UK. Then . . . if you can find a quote from another legitimate site, AE will match or better it. You often pick up AE rentals at Avis locations.

I have used AE in France, Spain, Italy, Sicily, Turkey . . .

Ian

[Drisump]

Drop off rates can be very expensive, also the country that you actually pick up the car can have some pretty extreme taxes or levies that can amount to hundreds of dollars, especially if you're picking up at an airport. We picked up our car in Nice, we called Eurodrive when we flew in and within a few minutes we were picked up at the airport. Within an hour of touching down we were cruising along the Riviera in the Clio toward Italy.

[Rick Lee]

Two yrs. ago I made a reservation with Avis in Duesseldorf for an economy car. As always happens, they ran out of those and gave me a new Ford Kuga diesel, which is sort of like a Ford Escape. Diesel is the way to go in Europe. But man, parking in underground garages in an SUV can be dicey. There were a few times I really didn't think I was gonna make it up that corkscrew ramp without some real damage. Small cars are king in Europe.

[911-32]

Originally Posted by cairns

The 508 should have more than enough room for three and their luggage I don't know about the insignia

The Insignia is the same size car as a 508 - ie., mid size sedan - made by GM Europe (Vauxhall/Opel). This class of car used to be more 3 series size but has grown to be more 5 series size - possibly a touch bigger inside because they are front drivers. Think Camry/Accord but a touch narrower. Both are fairly new models and will drive nicely without setting the world on fire. LIkely to be 2.0 turbodiesels with 6 speed manual unless you specify autos. They will cruise at 115mph all day on autobahns and be very happy at the French 130kph type limits getting c40mpg.

Both are comfortable cars and not too big for Europe if you steer clear of the very centre of the smallest towns. Entrance/exit to underground car parks can be challenging but we have managed everywhere in our X5, though have had to fold in the mirrors and inch through some places. Its almost always best to park on the outskirts of places like say Sienna or Bruges and walk the short distance to the centre. There is normally decent parking at railway stations and they are always reasonable to access. A satnav wil be worthwhile for 45 days touring.

There should be plenty of room for 3 in either if you pack in sensible size bags. You should get 3 x 20kg suitcases and carry-on in the boot/trunk. If you bring super size suitcases, like 30kg whoppers, then the shape of the boot/trunk might trip you up trying to get 3 in.

As has been said, most folks travel in Golf size cars in Europe. We just holidayed for 10 days with 4 (2 kids) of us in a Merc A class. We packed light

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by gshase

I may have made a mistake by letting my wife plan our second trip across the pond. She rented a Vauxhall Insignia for our time in Ireland and a Peugeot 508 for our time in Europe. Our 18 year old daughter will be with us along with our luggage for 45 days. Any advice would be helpful.

PM me if you are picking up and dropping off in Germany. I have a magic Hertz discount number that will get you an unbeatable deal when booking from North America.

[kaisen]

The Opel (nee Vauxhall) Insignia is the EXACT same car as a new Buick Regal. Look it up at Buick's website or visit a Buick showroom if you'd like to "try it on" before your trip

[Skytrooper]

Having just recently returned from Europe & Scotland, I would have to say that my rentals through Hertz were more than satisfactory. Neither of my cars were "round-trip". I picked up first one in Munich and returned it in Berlin, second one was picked up in Edinburgh and returned in Glasgow 10 days later. Both were Ford Fiestas although the rental was to be a vauxhall or similar. No big deal, the fiesta was the perfect size for the narrow scottish roads. We had chosen the ecomomy class as it was just my son and I travelling.

[Ned, NYNA11]

Get a Mastercard World, I think it's $60 a year. Use it when renting the car.

It will cover Collision insurance, otherwise you will pay E15 a day for that coverage from the rental company.

And keep away from Europcar. Crooks would be a generous description.

Sign up for the Hertz No 1 card and rent from them only.

And get the smallest car possible. Not much room over there.

And a manual shift is seriously less expensive than an automatic.

Decline the Gas option as this trick will sell you a tankful on the way out while giving no credit for the gas remaining when you return the car.

Ned

[Monza_dh]

sounds like you are on the right track for a 45 rental. I assume you went straight thru Peugeot:
if not Its a great program:
Tourists

Dont worry about the size, I just rented a MB Vito van for two weeks in Italy(drove all over) for a family of 5 and it was perfect with no issues with navigating or parking anywhere.

[LWJ]

Rented from Hertz this summer in Italy. Painless.