Car rental advice

Go for it. Thanks for the info.

That's frustrating. One comment though is that I have called Autoeurope based in the U.S. and for a couple issues it was helpful to talk to a person. I would guess that might not be an option on the French site??

Friends rented through autoeurope.it for less but we always book through the US site, based in Portland,ME.

I booked a rental car with autoeurope.eu because it was several hundred dollars cheaper than autoeurope.com and the .eu website offered zero deductible while the other did not.

I did call autoeurope and the man I spoke to was not very helpful. He wasn’t even aware of the French site. He went to the site while I was on the phone with him. He told me he would not do it but could not give me a reason why! The France site was in French so that may have had something to do with it!!! I speak French so that is not an isssue for me.

Thanks Tim. I never thought of autoeurope.eu. I will check that out too. No issues with the rentals through that site?

I think that for any Autoeurope sites in Europe, whether it be .it/.fr/.eu etc, the headquarters are in Munich, though you will speak to agents from the country you rent in if the need arises. It is all legit, just depends how comfortable you feel about it. Reps in France are likely to speak some level of English.

Thank you for your input. I love this forum! I grew up speaking French and taught it in a high school for over 30 years so the language will not be a problem. I just reserved a car from the French site at a significantly lower price than the usa site. I got the voucher and confirmation and everything looks good!

Is the insurance the same?

Yes it is but I didn’t buy the extra insurance since I have car rental insurance on my credit card

Really read your credit card company's coverage overseas. We found ours did not help outside the US.

Thank you. I will do that but I think I said I was traveling to Europe when I called to find out if we had coverage. I will check again :)

Kathy, my credit card covers me in Europe, too. But, I'd check the specifics for the deductible, etc.

Will do. Thanks!!

I was aware that we would have to pay for damage and get reimbursed from insurance company but 8 months is a long time to settle a claim! Maybe I need to reconsider. I would be interested to hear from someone who took the insurance for car rental co and then had to file a claim through them. How did that work? Was it easier? Thanks

If you take AutoEurope’s insurance, you don’t file a claim. You just leave the car. If no-deductible, you pay nothing. There are exceptions for windshield, tires, and a couple of other excluded car parts.

. I would be interested to hear from someone who took the insurance for car rental co and then had to file a claim through them.

Last year I rented from Hertz, via AutoEurope, and took full coverage (and I do mean full -- including windshield and tires). I backed into a stone wall and did some damage to the car. When I returned it, the agent noticed it, and I admitted I did it. There was no claim, and no bill. I heard nothing further.

Kathy, the best information I have seen anywhere on car rentals in Europe is on Gemut.com. They have a 16 page detailed guide on "What you should know about renting a car in Europe in 2019." I have been letting them book my cars for the past 3 years. I have used my credit card insurance in several trips (your credit card company, VISA for me, will send you their detailed coverage and what you have to do for this to be enforce.). I have also done the no deductible coverage with the car company. Your quote comes through autoeurope but can be Hertz, etc. for your pickup. Go online and download the pamphlet for everything you need to know.

Thank you Steve. That is very valuable advice. I have a capitol one visa and it looks like we are fully covered through them. If I am reading things correctly the only drawback to using cc insurance would be that we would need to pay the damages and then get reimbursed from visa, whereas there would be no charge (other than the deductible) if we were to go through the rental car agency. Thank you for the the gemut.com website.

I rented for a couple days in Spain to travel thru the white villages of Andalusia. We typically do not get extra insurance as we have good coverage with our credit card. I decided since it was mountains, etc., and the cost was low, to buy the comprehensive insurance. We indeed had a couple mishaps. I scraped a mirror against the side of a building and my husband did similar with a bumper. Roads were two way, but only wide enough for 1 1/2 vehicles and parking was allowed on both sides. Oh, and, it was hilly. Made for some exciting moments. Anyway, when we turned in the car, the attendant immediately noticed the damage. I paused and tried to talk to him, but there was a language barrier. Three months later, my rental agreement sits on my desk just waiting for some hassle. Nothing. I think the comp insurance was worth it.