Hi, I just want if there's going to a big difference on price for renting a car, if I book early or not to rent a car in Italy and France? Because I'm planning to rent a car to go Tuscany for 6 days and 7-8 days in South of France next year summer.
Posted by
Hudson Valley
2267 posts
You should absolutely make reservations for those destinations in high season. Otherwise, you might not even be able to get train tickets when you cant get a car.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7204 posts
We always reserve in advance and when we know the dates we’ll need the vehicle. After reserving a vehicle check back periodically to see if the price has decreased. If it has, rebook and cancel the original reservation. I can’t say if a last minute rental costs more, but you’ll probably have more options for vehicles if reserving early, especially if renting from a smaller rental facility. It’s conceivable that a smaller facility won’t have any vehicles to rent at the last minute. If you need an automatic, a larger facility like an airport would be your best bet.
Posted by
San Diego, California
5647 posts
And if there's one of those many train strikes on your dates, the cost of rental cars with jump, if available at all! Good luck!
Posted by
Irving
3274 posts
It costs more to show up at a car rental agency without a reservation to rent a car. Did you see that Seinfeld episode where Jerry’s arrives at the rental company and learns there are no vehicles even though he has a reservation?
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8337 posts
If you don't get a prior reservation, the rental car representative will rip your head off on the rental fee--and the back end charges. They're often a lying and dishonest bunch.
In Italy, physical damage insurance is required, however it's fairly priced by gov't regulations. Most renter's personal vehicle insurance does not cover you in Italy (or Ireland.) And credit card's free insurance is secondary too. You have to buy their coverage.
I warn you they'll be trying to charge you for personal goods theft insurance that's totally optional. Most peoples' homeowners policy will cover that.
Tuscany is easy to drive in with well paved roads that are well marked. The region is just a little crooked. Virtually every farm has rooms and apartments for rent as a source of secondary income.
I usually rent with Hertz or thru AutoEurope.com--a New England travel consolidator. And I don't rent the car in an airport or train station--looking for a city location without surcharges.