Gas vs. Diesel Rental Car

I'm surprised they give you a choice, I would think they would just give you whatever car is on the lot when you show up. They never set aside a specific car, just a class of cars. I'd be more concerned about auto vs. manual tranny if that's an issue for you.

Europe went heavily into diesel several years ago so I would think the odds of getting diesel would just be higher.

Also be aware a Golf is not considered a "small" car in Europe, it's probably midsize. In France I had a Polo a few years ago, which is Golf's little brother. For a party of more than 2, make sure you are packing light since there will not be much suitcase room.

You will notice very little difference in performance or speed, I am surprised that they will charge you additional for a diesel. Diesel is available everywhere that petrol is, on the same pump just pick the correct hose. If they will charge you more you need to decide if you’ll be driving enough to pay for the difference. Diesel will go for many many more miles than petrol. My little Honda Civic goes between 500 and 600 miles in the UK and kilometre equivalent in Europe on one tank of diesel.

This sounds like a math problem. You will need to know the approximate cost of diesel and gas. I think you should be able to get miles per gallon (or European equivalent) from the rental car company. You’ll need to estimate how far you will drive. Then, you’ll have a bunch of conversions, but I think you can figure it out.

With gas( petrol) being 20 cents more per litre than diesel ( 76 cents per gallon more).

I doubt the diesel would produce a lower per mile fuel cost to offset the $9 per day surcharge.

EDIT

Doing a bit of 'back of the envelope' calculation, I got a breakeven point of ~180 miles per day. If mileage is less per, gas is cheaper. Over 200 miles per day the lower cost and better mileage of diesel, offsets the daily surcharge. So will you travel at least 1000 miles in each of the 5 day rental periods?
( like a yard sale, as is, no guarantee ) :-)

Thank you all, this is helping quite a bit!

I’ve never been given the option. Believe the last time I had an unleaded fuel car was about 2011. Every car since then we’ve been given a diesel and there was no extra charge. I rent through Avis and whatever is on the lot is what we got. I’d rent directly through the rental car company rather than a third party vendor like Expedia. In the event of an issue such as an accident or minor damage, you’ll avoid the middleman and will get better support resolving the issue.

We have never been given the option either but always hope we get a diesel. I do not think we ever paid any more for diesel rental.

Never heard of charging more for diesel. Geez. Did you compare with the AutoEurope.com offerings?

It depends where you are hiring a car - we hire 2-3 cars a year in Europe and have never had a diesel, always unleaded. Diesel cars will give a better fuel economy on long motorway runs, but there is far less difference with town and city driving. I get 70+ mpg out of my small diesel on a long motorway run, but it drops to 35-50 in town.

You need to check fuel prices - diesel in France used to be significantly cheaper than unleaded, but this is no longer the case.

Both fuels are available at all pumps.

I have a diesel Golf (1.8L turbo). Very fast acceleration -- more than I need 98% of the time. I get about 850 - 900 km on a full tank.

As for fuel prices in Germany, Fuelo.net indicates current pricing for regular diesel at 1.322€ per liter, whereas unleaded regular is 1.519€ per liter. So gas is about 15 percent more expensive than diesel. The current differential in France is about 8 percent.

Consequently, to make up the extra 9€ per day in rental cost, and:

(1) assuming this price differential is representative of that in existence when you rent
(2) assuming you have similar fuel economy as I do in my Golf, or about 18 km/liter

... you would need to consume about 45.7 liters per day to make up the 9 euros, which means driving 45.7 * 18 ~ 823 km per day.

Hope you like driving.

Another consideration not mentioned to this point is a potential prohibition on driving for certain cars.

July is mid-summer. In dry, warm conditions, air quality can be poor. When air quality is poor, many European nations, especially Germany, implement driving restrictions. If you have a smartphone, consider downloading the Green Zones app. You enter your car information and it will tell you if there are any driving restrictions in the area in which you wish to travel.

A late-model gasoline engine car will generally be rated one category higher (more favorably from an emissions standpoint) than a similar late model diesel car, which means there may be circumstances when the gasoline vehicle would be allowed to drive in an area where a diesel vehicle would be prohibited from driving. Now, I don't know how rigorously, or even if, enforcement is implemented on rental car drivers compared to those driving locally registered vehicles, but keep in mind the possibility.

All things considered, I'd go for a gasoline or a hybrid rental if given the choice.

Fuel is expensive in Germany. New taxes this year drove prices up 8-10 euro cent a liter. I have both a Benzine and a Diesel car. There are some small quirks to a Diesel and the cars drive slightly different. As mentioned, in Germany Diesel is cheaper than Benzine. Up to 20 euro cent a liter. The reverse is in Switzerland for example. Not sure why there is an extra charge for a Diesel car. Modern Diesel cars also use AdBlue to keep emissions and smoke down. AdBlue is pretty cheap, (60-70 euro cent a liter at the pump) and most Diesel cars can go 10,000 kilometers on a tank, but will not run without it. If you go with the Diesel make sure the AdBlue is topped off. With an Umweltplakette of 4/Green I don't think you will run into many driving restrictions if any at all.

Using Hertz and Avis, I have NEVER received the exact car I reserved in Europe. For example, I have usually been forced to take a standard transmission, despite reserving an automatic. (2019 most recent experience.) If you enjoy dueling with faceless corporations to get your $9 premium back, go ahead and specify diesel. I think it’s just a new entry in the fee-parade.

However, there are a lot of diesels in Europe. But there are some news stories that the Green glow of the diesel is fading.

I agree with Bets to check with AutoEurope, a consolidator. You can filter for manual or automatic transmission and choose the best option for you. They are based in Maine and you pay in USD. For your Munich - Frankfurt rental some companies charge a one way fee. In that case I call AutoEurope and speak to someone to determine what would be the best deal. If you plan to return the car at the main train station in Frankfurt be aware that it’s hard to spot the location. As you face the station it is to the left. We drove round and round, finally realizing that a car parked on the street had been blocking the driveway. Once we got the car parked properly in the return lot we had to go into the station to complete the process. This was in 2014, so maybe someone can update this if things have changed.

https://www.autoeurope.com/

Thanks again everybody. Very helpful.

Gemut.com is a good source for car rental information, especially in Germany. They are actually in Oregon, so phone calls are easy.

The free brochure from their website is a good intro to What you should know about renting & drivng a car in Europe in 2020. It covers many of your questions, but it hasn't been updated this year yet, so consulting with Gemut by phone is a good idea.

You will save on fuel with a diesel, but they may cost more to rent. Make sure the car you rent has enough room in the trunk for all your luggage.

Hey, or you take a car with a roof box ... so there is definitely enough space