Renting a car in France

“Best” is whichever works best for your trip and budget. All of the companies have positive and negative reviews. Some of the companies may be unfamiliar to you, but are very popular in Europe.

Check your credit card to see if they cover CDW. If not, it depends on how much of a gambler you are. I would not leave any luggage in your car unattended.

Bear in mind that some familiar companies are franchises in Europe, and they may have different terms and conditions. Some you use in North America you wouldn't want to use in Europe.

I have a Hertz corporate card from 20 years ago that gives the lowest rates available--even though I'm long ago retired. And Hertz is mostly corporate owned locations.

In looking at Expedia at De Gaulle Airport, there's just a slight difference in prices between Europcar, Budget and Avis. Enterprise is maybe slightly more expensive but they're a superior operation.

I have been using Avis or Enterprise for years. Yes, you need CDW unless you want to be on the hook for literally any damage to the car. I think you may have meant, is CDW through the rental company worth it.

There are 3 primary ways of getting CDW; through your credit card company if offered (read the fine print), through a third party vendor such as, Allianz for $11 a day, or through the rental company. That price will vary among companies. Which you choose is up to you and what you’re comfortable with. Some people splurge on the zero deductible coverage. If you want that, you must get CDW through the rental company.

Regarding insurance, all companies I've used in France (Hertz/Firefly, Avis/Budget, Enterprise, Europcar) include CDW with €800-1,500 deductible in their offer and many credit cards would cover that deductible (check yours, as I am not as familiar with US CC policies).
One major exception is Sixt: they're a very good company with some of the best cars BUT their default base rate has no CDW whatsoever, only third party liability insurance. You have to pay extra for at least the basic CDW-with-deductible coverage, otherwise you are liable for the whole value of the vehicle, which is a lot of money even if you have your own separate policy to get a refund later.

I use Auto Europe to book cars. They are a consolidator based in Maine and it’s easy to compare cars/rental companies and call them with any questions.

I used Auto Europe as well. A few days after I booked, I found a less expensive car on a day that worked better for me, so I called them and they made the adjustment quite efficiently.

EUROPCAR, SIXT & ENTERPRISE are all agencies I’ve used at CDG. Do the research and see what works for you.

Thank you all for this information.

If you are considering renting a vehicle for more than 21 days, think about leasing a car for your stay. It includes good insurance coverage, you get a brand new car, and the rates are very good. I think both Peugeot and Renault both offer leases of over 21 days.

just keep in mind, if you bring your "own" insurance and don't buy what they are pitching, if anything should happen the rental car company will not be pestering those insurers, they will look only at you and insist that YOU take care of it yourself immediately.

And to follow up, if you buy any sort of coverage from the car rental firm, your CC coverage automatically becomes secondary coverage. That is, it won't help you until you exhaust what ever you bought from the rental company. Personally, I never buy any additional coverage. It's like buying an "extended warranty" for appliances. To me, it is just an expensive profit margin for those selling it to you.