Car Rental in France (Insurance + Add'l Driver Questions?)

Re questions 1 &2: The rental car industry is one of those industries that seems to agitate a lot of people with one reason being inconsistency from location to location. But I have found car rentals in Italy to be more hassle prone than ones in France (and yes, I have rented cars in both countries). It is silly that the rental car company did not take your husband's card because the numbers were not raised because those cards are supposedly more secure than the ones with the raised numbers and have been around for at least 4 years. Some merchants do not like to take them because they rely on the carbon copy that they get from the old-fashioned cards as a back up. Have you read https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/car-rental-cdw? If I did not have an Amex card, I would get the rental car company insurance. I recently read a thread on TA that I can't find now about a person who was having a great deal of difficulty after having had an accident in France but having had coverage from a third party i.e. not the rental car company and not American Express. It may have been a US credit card company. The rental car company made her pay an amount when she returned the car and now she is having trouble getting the that amount back from the insurance company because it is willing to pay only the amount on the invoice the rental car company provided for the cost of the repair. Of course that invoice amount is significantly less than the amount she paid.
Re question 3: I have used AutoEurope and had two drivers in France. We did that while renting a car for a few weeks in Nimes in 2014. We just added an additional driver at the counter without a problem. I think there was an extra charge but I do not recall now. The one "twist" for lack of a better word was that the main driver had to be person whose credit card was used to make reservation. As to AutoEurope versus a rental car company, show me one that does not have mixed reviews. I would not let some "not so awesome" reviews turn me away from anyone them because they all have both kinds. In any event AutoEurope is not an auto rental company in the sense that they do not rent their own cars. Auto Europe sells car rentals through a number of companies including Hertz, Sixt, Europcar, Avis, Dollar, Enterprise, Budget, National, Alamo, and more.

I have had a deposit "hold" on rentals in Italy and France. I do not think that it is uncommon. Some rental agencies will not charge one if you opt for a CDW - but still might hold the deductible amount if there is one.

To my knowledge, the rental companies provide required insurance so if an agent asks for more, they are just trying to upsell you. The agent is just doing her job.

Check your Visa or MasterCard benefits and most likely you'll be covered for accidental damage but be required to pay a deductible and processing fees for any damages provided that your total rental is charged on one card. I have had two instances where my credit card company has paid for damages, though the process takes a while and can be frustrating.

I have used AutoEurope almost exclusively on my European trips because of selection, prices, options and great customer service. I have always had the vehicle I requested with no problems regarding pricing. Some of the vehicles offered are available with a "no deductible" insurance that means you are covered for collision and I have found the price to be reasonable for the worry-free coverage. Most, if not all, complaints about AutoEurope are usually directed to the car rental agency but not to AutoEurope's service.

I just checked on their site on a test rental on the left side of the page on which you enter your personal info, they state some conditions. One of which quoted a second driver charge of €11/day with a maximum of €77 including VAT. It also states the amount of any mandatory deposit. If you have questions, do not hesitate to call their toll-free number. Their customer service folks are knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. Also, if you rent through them, check to see what the rental amount is a few times before you leave on your trip; if the price has gone down, they will lower it at no cost. I rented a car in Sardinia earlier this year and my rental dropped from an original cost of $460 to $376.

They do charge for an extra driver. We had the car for a month this summer and I think the charge was about 80 Euro. We decline additional coverage because our own car insurance covers rentals abroad; this year I had travel insurance that also included some auto coverage; I think our credit card does also -- all that probably means they would all decline to cover and try to push it on one of the other insurers.

I have used Hertz for the last 20 years in Europe with the Amex Card that gives you 100,000 coverage for $17.95 for up to 42 consecutive days. We rent the car here in the US and present our voucher at the rental desk and it is always hassle free with the exception of Rome where it took a while to show the agent that the required insurance for Italy was in place.Do yourself a favor and do your rental in the states
Mike

I've used AutoEurope, or its sister company Kemwel, dozens of times over the years. They're great, and good to have on your side if a problem comes up at the counter, or after the rental. As to CDW, I've always relied on my credit card, although some people have had bad experiences with that. A rental in France will always include the required liability coverage in the price. It's the other aspects you have to deal with (principally, but not exclusively, CDW). As to the raised number issue, I ran into that problem in Bordeaux this year; the agent refused to take my card, which is the one I used to make the payment to AutoEurope. I have no idea why, but I'll make sure not to use that card again.

I have always used AutoEurope and have never had any major problems. I did run into a situation dropping a car once where they said the office would be open and I had to use the drop box because they were not open. Their telephone customer service has really gone downhill over the past few years, but you might be able to book entirely online. The agents are just less polite in my experience. The rental car companies can really be hardnosed and I have read that AutoEurope will be an advocate in disputes. I have usually gone with AMEX premium coverage, the one that charges a $20 premium. I am not sure what I'll do in the future though because I on a recent Ireland rental I did have a scrape on the underside of the bumper that may or may not have happened on my watch (I didn't hit anything and the pictures were indeterminate). Luckily I had the super-CDW but the guy was still pretty hardnosed. Be aware that the regular CDW often comes with a high deductible (like about $2,000). Right now a one week compact rental is pricing out at $316 with super CDW for pickup in Arles in April. You will probably be charged for a second driver, and drop fees if you drop at a different location. The best selection tends to be at major airports. I look for ways to minimize my time with the car. France is not a hard country to drive in until you get into towns and try and find your hotel and parking. Then it can be a real challenge, try to avoid arriving at evening rush hour.

We have rented in France, from Hertz (through AAA discount) and most recently Enterprise. Used Amex $17.95 coverage on earlier rentals, Chase Sapphire included coverage on the last. Additional daily charge for additional driver. (We both had to show our U.S. licenses, and both carried International Driving Permits.) Since we did NOT have any claims, I can't comment on insurance service, but the time we had a claim from National in the U.S. (which they later reversed) Chase insurance people were courteous and helpful.

A few observations based on experience.

First, renting small cars is cheap but the cost goes up exponentially as you get to larger/nicer vehicles. If you will have the car 17 days, seriously consider leasing from either Renault or Pugeot. I find the leasing option gets better as you go into larger/nicer vehicles. There will be no delivery charge if you pick up and drop off in France. The price includes full CDW, you get a brand new car that you choose.

Second, if leasing isn't an option. Check out American Express cards. Some, not all, of their card offerings include full CDW on rental cars for an incredibly good price (about $30-40 depending on your state for the entire rental - not per day). I used to have a Costco American Express that offered this. When the Costco option went away last year. I called American Express and opened a different card that offered the rental insurance.

If you have the right card, you still have to enroll in the program before you rent a car. Once enrolled, it's supposed to automatically bill your account when you rent a car. You are required to decline whatever insurance the rental agency offers you. I rented through AutoEurope once and saw that I hadn't been automatically billed so I called and had them manually bill me for the insurance to make sure I was covered before I flew to Europe. I don't think that will be an issue if you rent from a well-known company like Hertz.

Hope that's helpful. Enjoy your trip.

We looked into leasing since we had the car a month but didn't find the cost that much less and with a lease it is your car and if there is a breakdown it isnt as easy to substitute cars as it is with a rental -- you may be stuck waiting for repairs etc etc.

Two quick points. If you use www.autoeurope.eu rather than the US dot-com site, you usually get a much better rate. Second, I had a flat tire in England and the insurance offered by my credit card (Bank of American Visa) covered it entirely without much hassle at all (your mileage may vary).

We have rented three times in France, most recently this past September 2016. We used Europecar each time with our Chase credit card. Rental periods were two to four weeks. Our credit card provides damage protection at no charge so we did not buy that protection from Europecar. You just need to understand the small print in your credit card and car rental agreement. If we would have had an accident we would have had to pay for damage and then get reimbursed later by Chase. Clean and simple. We added a driver at the counter no problem with small additional cost.

Car rental insurance is frequently bought but rarely consumed so typical advice is not that deep. I've rented in France using MasterCard free collision insurance without a hitch but have never had damage.

Currently renting in Mexico using a hybrid insurance combo: basic CDW with $1500 deductible, then using the Amex $20 insurance to act as super CDW to cover the deductible (Amex also covers medical, theft, and vandalism, and full collision, for this $20 proving what a ripoff CDW normally is). The car rental company wanted $90 more just for super CDW without the extras that the Amex covers so turning that down was a no brainer.

Note that with the premium Amex policy there is NO requirement to refuse the basic car rental CDW to get insurance card coverage.

I came up with this plan since I read online that, unlike in Europe, American credit card insurance won't be honored in Mexico and they won't let you rent without basic CDW.

A last comment about AutoEurope: this Mexican rental is an AutoEurope rental (my first) that was supposed to have liability excess coverage, it's clearly in the contract, but Thrifty here refused to include it, wanted $100 more. Tried to call AutoEurope but even though we added Mexico cell phone coverage could not get through. I signed and rented anyway and feel like I didn't get all I paid for. Won't bother with AutoEurope again.

As I assume you know, anecdotal evidence isn't worth a whole lot, especially on car rental questions. I suspect that's because the local agents have a lot of latitude, and some are franchises. Also, quite frankly, there seems to be a lot of latitude for dishonesty. Nonetheless, I'll add my account. We always have relied on our cc overage, which is AMEX in Europe, except for Italy, where we've used our Chase/United. We've had some minor incidents, and both companies handled them with dispatch.

It's really important to check the exact terms of your cc insurance. All VISA cards are not created equal.
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In the last several years, we rent exclusively from Hertz because we've had very good rates and service from them. Even had a bit of damage on one trip and thought they treated us very fairly. We do use Amex for the insurance.

It's important to note that for driving in France, each driver listed on the rental form must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any CAA/AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which may be provided by the issuing office). Instead of an I.D.P. you can also use a notarized copy of the terms of your D.L. in French. An I.D.P. is also compulsory in Italy, should you be travelling there again.

Regarding insurance I normally just buy the best CDW package offered by the rental firm and I want NO hassles should something happen. I've used credit card rental coverage in the past but this is usually provided by a separate firm, and the terms are often complicated and hard to understand.

You may find it helpful to contact the experts at gemut.com as they should be able to provide lots of good information. They offer a free car rental guide which can be downloaded, and as I recall also a toll free number.

Response to Ken above: super CDW is often touted as worry free but usually there are still exclusions like zero coverage for vandalism or missing parts-- not totally worry free.

Another thing I often read about online is that credit card coverage is third party so you will have to pay the cost then file for reimbursement. Amex doesn't use a third party so this is not true for them and they will prevent the rental car agency from putting damage charges onto the account; perhaps there are others that don't use third parties, either.