Check for Auto Europe rate drops

Thanks for reminder. I was waiting a bit to reserve our car in France and it’s $150 less now than it was a month ago! Reserved! I will keep checking back too.

Does anyone have any insights or superstitions about when and why these rate drops occur? I'm looking at a late October rental in France, rates seem pretty high now but I don't want to see them go up as I wait for them to drop. I'm a fan of Auto Europe, and I assume the rates are set by the actual rental companies. Can anyone suggest an optimum time to take the plunge?

No idea why they go up and down. I had reserved a vehicle for later this year and when the price went down by 125€ I re-reserved the vehicle at the lower rate. I checked again today and the rate went up 55€. It’s still lower than the original reservation amount, but higher than my new rate. As a side note, the price of the reservation I made in early January for an upcoming trip to Germany/France has remained constant since I made it.

Just like airfares, they go up and down. Even the best rental rates now can be 50% higher than a year ago going into and out of the same airport.

Dick, no need to wait if you plan on reserving your car through Auto Euope. They will reimburse you the difference if the price drops.

I have always found that car rentals booked 4+ months ahead were never that cheap, probably because it is too early for rental cos. to have any view on demand! So yes, check and check again. I've already saved €300 on a rental this summer in the US.

I have also had success getting a refund from Auto Europe when the price goes down. It’s easy to call them and request it. Of course it’s up to you to keep an eye on the prices.

Kind of a side note.....but truly significant difference in cost of rentals booking on US vs. EU site....Looking at a 9 passenger van on the US site for rental in Italy next spring...cost is over $2500 for a week. On the EU site, it's about $1,300....Any problem with booking on the EU site? I see you can put in a US address. Why would there be such a huge differential,,,,manual vs. automatic, but really! And no option for manual on the US site.

It’s probably just what they reckon they can get away with charging. Anyone travelling from the US is already spending a lot of money on their trip and may not be as price sensitive as somebody on a cheap short haul holiday.

Rental rates have been high for the last couple of years due to lack of supply following covid, but they should be coming down now as availability increases.

I have had the same experience as Andrea above. I’ve called to change the price a few times on a reservation with no difficulty. I will be interested too in replies to hughw’s question. Safe travels all.

@hughweisman there is no issue with booking on the EU site. I’ve booked on the country specific sites for Ireland and UK and realized significant savings. The only difference I noticed was that customer service was not located in the US. But when I had a question, I contacted them and it was resolved promptly. I believe I spoke with someone in Amsterdam.

Just thought I'd let you know that after reading this, I checked my upcoming rentals. While the one next month in France actually went up a bit, the one in Italy in March went down almost 170$. I called and they made the adjustment. It took less than 10 minutes. I got the email confirming my new price, but nothing stating the higher price has been canceled or adjusted, so I'll keep an eye out for that, but so far, so good. Goodness, I love this site. Thank you!

@ KRS, your price difference will be credited to the card you used, which can take a few days. I have also had a positive experience renting on the EU site. When we went to France in 2022, the price difference was significant. However, in 2023 for Sicily, the price was actually more on the EU site. I guess you just gotta do your homework.