Rental car rip-offs

I have been very happy with Autoeurope. They are a consolidator based in the U.S. When logistics get tricky, I've called and spoken to an agent for ideas. I've never had a problem in Europe but I've heard that Autoeurope does try to facilitate in any issues that arise.

I've been renting cars for years and never had a false claim of damages but then I don't rent from the companies where the price seems too good to be true. There are a number of companies that I avoid like the plague because of their reputation for supplying damaged and dirty cars, rip off fuel policies, insisting on a multitude of insurance extras and yes, allegations of false damages.

There's no need to be concerned about renting a car. You can read the reviews of all the rental companies and you'll soon develop a sense for those that are to be avoided and my advice would be to stick to the well known companies. Sure, their prices may be higher than many of the others that pop up on comparison sites but there's a reason for that.

Rented twice in Ireland, buy the full insurance, have not had a problem. We like AutoEurope too.

Agree with the above. Have rented in Europe many times without any problem, even when I’ve damaged my rental car — scrapes, etc. Always buy the most comprehensive insurance and always take photos of the car when you pick it up so that you have a means of proving that any damage that might have been there when you picked up the car was preexisting.

Renting mostly from AutoEurope yearly for over twenty years with never anything happening like you write about. If there is any problem, AutoEurope takes care of it! I also have never heard about this problem from our friends who also rent cars in Europe yearly.

We rented from Hertz, 2012, Dublin to Shannon. Although we paid for the full insurance, they still charged us over $200 for "damage to the interior of the wheel wells." The Shannon agent knew we had to catch a plane, therefore we had no time to argue. Caveat emptor. Factor a couple of hundred extra $ into your Ireland trip costs and be pleasantly surprised if you aren't scammed.

We have rented cars in Europe at least a dozen times - our only negative experiences have been in Ireland..

We had a Hertz car, via AutoEurope, last May in Ireland. Bought the added "wheel/windshield" coverage as recommended frequently on this Forum. We inspected the car at pick-up. Sure enough, we had tire damage upon return, but walked away without further charges because of the insurance. In our experience it was a good precaution; no rip-off. The stone curbs on the narrow roads in the SW are easily encountered even while proceeding slowly.

I rented through Avis at Dublin airport and drove to Northern Ireland, across the Antrim Coast and back down into the Republic and all over. No problems at all. That trip was 10 days. No idea what a driver would cost, but my guess is it wouldn’t be inexpensive.

We rented a medium sized 5 door car with Europcar and had no issues. A few years ago we rented with Hertz in England and also no issues.

Rented thru Hertz at Dublin airport last spring, had no issue but I did spring for the full coverage as I had struggled a year earlier in Scotland and ws worried about the narrow roadways and left side driving. In Ireland quickly adjusted to the driving and had no problems, having the car was great but get one as small as you can stand....with 5 that may be tough for luggage and such. If this is your first driving on the left experience and five folks in the vehicle I would surely get the full coverage. I would think a driver for 11 days would be somewhat pricey but clearly would be enjoyable if you can work it out. I would give Paul Brown a call and see if he has a suggestion, we used him for a one day tour and it was great. He may have or know of someone that would be affordable for a long tour. http://www.kenmaretaxitours.com

Thanks for all the comments. Very helpful. My daughter is in charge of finding our transportation and found Sixt Rental through AutoEurope. Very low prices. Has anyone had experience dealing with them? As one of you said, low prices may not be the best choice.

I don't rent cars because I drive my own one. But I do know that Sixt is one of the biggest in Europe - probably the biggest Europe based one.

Same as most people in the rental business worldwide, some people behind the counter are more pushy than others. Some less.

Just be sure that you are truly comparing apples and apples. Check insurance coverages and any restrictions. Take plenty of before and after photos, in, over, under and all around.

Thanks, Nigel. Will do.

Sixt: Had an uneventful rental from them in Scotland a few years ago. Good pricing; no problems; bought all the insurance.

Sixt are fine, they used to be my "go to" rental firm until they inexplicably raised their prices to Avis level. Their prices used to be very competitive and their vehicles were always clean and well maintained and staff were good. None of that has changed other than the prices.

Thanks, JC. My daughter has been checking them out, and we think they offer the best deal for what we need. Thanks to all of you who responded.

hey Jim on a trip to Scotland I ended up in a Sixt car because National did not have an automatic I had reserved. The Sixt folks were fine but one thing that I discovered was there was no spare tire in the vehicle. On the narrow roads in Scotland I was worried about blowing a tire out in the woolies, I had no workable cell phone and no spare tire!!...luckily I had no tire issues or damage to my rental. Just wanted to pass this along so you can check out if they are equipped with a spare or not. good luck

Excellent point. Thanks very much.

The spare or no spare thing depends on the car, not the rental agency.

My brand new Honda Civic is only available with no spare. It is not like anybody has taken it and out it in a back room somewhere.

On the other hand - I can fit a brass band and all its instruments in the trunk/boot. (only a tiny exaggeration)

Most new carscome equipped with run flat tyres so there is no requirement for a spare tyre. When I was going through the specifications of my new car with the rep I insisted that it came equipped with a spare wheel, he insisted that it would add unnecessary weight to the car and that it comes equipped with run flats as standard however I'm a bit old fashioned and preferred the comfort of knowing the was a spare wheel in the boot.

I agree, JC, but I guess we'll have to deal with whatever we end up with.

good info, didn't know about the "runs flat" tire, glad to know it

"The spare or no spare thing depends on the car, not the rental agency."

It's not just the model of car. I also rented in England from Sixt and the car did not have a spare. It had a tire shaped well in the rear for a spare, but no tire. There was a jack and tools, but no spare. The car definitely did not have run flat tires. The model of car clearly is equipped with a spare, but Sixt removed it. We got a flat in the Cotswolds and had to wait for Sixt to send a truck with repair equipment. I can't say whether other companies in the UK also remove the spare, but Sixt definitely does.