Experience w/theft in car rentals Provence, Dordogne?

I believe it is a realistic worry. Guidebooks have been warning about theft from tourists' cars in Europe literally for decades. I have no information on the frequency of theft from autos, but it certainly does happen, and it's very disruptive to a vacation.

I rented a car in Provence and had no problems because my luggage was totally out of sight in a real trunk, not a hatchback. Advice here and in most guidebooks and other travel forums is to rent a car where your luggage will not be visible if you have to leave it in the car while parked somewhere. In addition to luggage do not leave anything visible inside the car except maybe a sweater/jacket and a local newspaper - no camera cases, guidebooks, maps, etc that would peg you as a tourist. Just makes sense. If you'd rather rent a small car with a hatchback and can't get your luggage completely out of sight, then you're taking a chance - maybe nothing will happen maybe it will. I'm sure others have left luggage in their parked cars without incident but that doesn't mean their luck will be your luck.

No way should you leave your car with luggage visible. I think France is one of the worse countries in western Europe for break ins. I don't have a problem with a hatchback as long as it fully covers the bags. Most rentals in Europe seem to have the pull over panel, not a real trunk, up through midsized cars at least. On our England trip even with the upgrade to a midsized car, the panel was not quite enough to entirely cover the bags. We chanced it and made it through o.k. but it was a risk. We now travel with 22" bags instead of 25", and those smaller bags still barely fit in the back of a compact.

I have rented cars all over Europe incl Dordogne and Provence multiple times without issues. While i understand your concern, as others have said leave nothing in sight and lock up well.
Take any valuables with you and as long as it is daytime u should not worry.
Hopefully u do not rent a fancy expensive vehicles or RV, go for Fords or sim. And have fun the areas that u mention are wonderful and a car is a must to see alot.

Okay, thanks everyone. Seeing as how I think our luggage would be visible in the tiny Fiat, I think there's broad consensus here that that is a bad idea so hubby wins and I'll go with the bigger car... Thanks again.

Thieves wouldn't need to break into the 500. They could just pick it up and carry it away.

It is always a risk even with no luggage showing. Be sure to arrange your luggage before you stop -- don't be opening the trunk to put things in or out at a stop. Don't leave a jacket or sweater or local newspaper in the car either as thieves will break in to see if a purse is hiding underneath. And when you leave the car parked always carry a bag with your cameras, computers, passports and other valuables.

I know one person who had everything stolen from a car when they stopped at a beach -- all of their luggage for the trip and they lost computer and camera as well. Rare but can happen. Also never park where you see a lot of broken glass; it is a sign of local gangs of thieves targeting the area.

There is an app I came across because I am facing your same issue. I too would never leave luggage exposed. I've personally have never used this app but it gets good reviews. There are local bars/restaurants/hotels that will store luggage for you for a fee. In the Normandy area it seems to be 12 euros per piece. They have a website also if you want to check it out.
Holibag

Thanks Irwins. What an interesting app!

We rented a Fiat 500 in Sicily and I think there was a cover over the trunk which hid our suitcases. We seldom left our luggage in the car but had no problems when we did. After all, a real trunk can be broken into, too and most rental cars are fairly obvious to the experienced thief. Karen: We thought the same thing :) but it could also be convenient if your car becomes hemmed into a parking place - if you're young, anyway!

We had our rental car broken into in Lyon in 2013 while we made a few hour stop to have lunch and do some sightseeing. The thief broke the passenger side wind wing window, opened the passenger door, and broke the cargo screen to get into the back and took our luggage and backpack. We were in a parking garage with an attendant in the main part of town with a cargo screen over our luggage. 7 cars got robbed the same day. Some of the cars were parked on the street. Bottom line is that your luggage is not safe in your car. An option is to lock your luggage up in a train station locker. The best way not to have the car broken into is to leave nothing in the car including visible tour books, etc in the front of the car.. If you rent a hatchback, leave the cargo screen open so it is clear there is nothing in the car. Also make sure the rental car company does not have an identifying sticker on the windshield. This screams rental and tourist. Get a car with an enclosed trunk and not a hatchback if possible.

katlynch904 is absolutely right-- don't leave anything exposed, not even sunglasses. And very correct about the back space, too. I'm very sorry for her/his experience.

As for knowing which are the rental cars: it's given away on the license plates. One department in France is cheaper for registering cars, so guess where rental cars are registered--you got it! And the thieves know it too. That always makes me just a little nervous with a rental car, just the way the red license plate on a leased car is a give away, too. (Red plates are on cars leased or bought with non-residents' money.)

We rent a lot of cars in Europe and in recent years they all have been hatchbacks. It is hard to get one that isn't and when you rent a car, you cannot guarantee a particular car. They often use horrible rattly Korean cars because they are 'equivalent' to the nice solid car you thought you were booking.

As for knowing which are the rental cars: it's given away on the license plates. One department in France is cheaper for registering cars, so guess where rental cars are registered--you got it! And the thieves know it too. That always makes me just a little nervous with a rental car, just the way the red license plate on a leased car is a give away, too. (Red plates are on cars leased or bought with non-residents' money.)

That used to be the case, and red plates still carry that risk, but cars in France are now centrally registered, with the regional coding showing only as decoration. I've parked next to cars with Reunion and Martinique plates.

It is possible to spot a hire car if you are looking for it, some companies worse than other. Most cars on Europe's roads are hatches. You are unlikely to get a saloon in the A, B, or C class segment. These should have the plastic cover over the luggage compartment.

The thing with it is out of sight out of mind. Any thief is looking for the easy prey and you need to not be that prey. Put a local paper on the passenger seat, I do this from time to time and my car stands out when in France because of where the steering wheel is. If you want a Fiat 500, which are not that small, one of the best things you can do is go to a Fiat dealership and look at what the boot is allowing you.

I read a suggestion a while back to leave the glove box and/or center console open, so it's extra obvious there is nothing of value. That person went so far as to suggest simply leaving windows cracked open a few inches and the doors unlocked. Even if nothing of value is stolen from you, it would still be a pain for your rental to be missing door glass or whatever.

If French law is the same as here for that, and is going to be very similar, that course of action would invalidate the insurance. On a new car, which a hire car will be, that would also, to me, if I was being a cynical ne'er do well, suggest 'what ho! they must have valuables in the boot!.

Cue broken rear window sound.

Some thieves prefer not to noisily break windows. I witnessed a gang of young guys and girls in Lucerne break into a parked car ON A BUSY STREET! They had a bunch of keys, a huge bunch of keys actually, and they tried one after another until one worked to open the trunk. I reported all this to a nearby police station and about 15 minutes after the thieves had left, a cop arrived. He asked me if it was my car. When I said "no" he rode away on his fancy motorcycle. Swiss tax money at work.

it has always been the case that that the best way of getting away with nefarious activities is looking like you are entitled to do them!

If you are involved in a car crime in France call 112. But you are likely to not be. The old regional/departmental system is gone. The main thing is to be careful where you park.

I have driven in France in hire cars with French plates and my own car and never had a problem. But take the cues, keep the hatch cover down and remember 'out of sight, out of mind'.

I had a Fiat 500 during my last trip. It had a fabric cover for the trunk area. If you're bags are carry-on, it seemed to have room for two of them in the trunk area (I had only one daypack). Probably not for bigger bags. The seats folded down for bigger loads, for me a bike, but that doesn't help with security.

I didn't have any problems but vehicle prowling around tourist areas is always an issue. The best you can do is avoid parking anywhere with loiterers and/or various spots of shattered glass on the ground. I skipped the parking at La Spezia train station (Cinque Terra, Italy) because it looked about as bad as it gets. I found parking about a mile away by the navy base that was perfectly safe (and free).

My biggest complaint with my Fiat 500 is it didn't have cruise control. I consider that a big deal in Europe where speeding tickets are given for being only a little over the speed limit. Driving even a couple hours without cruise control was tiring. I'm not sure if it was just my car or all of the 500's. It had "city mode" - which changed the steering response - and blue tooth, but no cruise control?