Auto Europe VS. Hertz & 0 Deductible Fee?

My last three trips to Italy were rentals with Europcar through AutoEurope with $0 deductible and my two rentals later this year are with Hertz through AE, again with $0 deductible. AE is always substantially less expensive than going through the rental companies.

When I rented a car in Italy in 2014, Kemwel had a better price than either AutoEurope or the car rental companies themselves, for the 0 deductible rental (a must for me). I've heard two subsequent stories of others who also found Kemwel to be the cheapest for their car rental.

Apparently, Kemwel and AutoEurope are now under the same corporate umbrella, but they are still separate companies charging different rates, so look at them both, along with the car rental companies (Hertz, Europcar, Avis, etc).

OK great advise... I went ahead and booked with Auto Europe and feel much more confident after your input... thanks!

I have rented through Auto Europe on my last three trips (2 in France and 1 last week in Italy). On my France trip, we had an accident in a parking garage and Auto Europe was amazing in handling the claim. Driving for us is never the issue, but there is always a parking challenge in France and Italy and it was good to have the coverage.

Interesting that the parking garage accident was covered. It's so important to read the fine print. The last time I read AutoEurope's coverage, it said parking facilities were not covered - which I found unacceptable.

Don't forget to get you International Drivers Permit for driving in Italy.

We always get the 0 ded. It's worth the price for sure.

Most of the big rental companies are vague about how much the zero deductible coverage costs and force you to buy it at the counter when you pick up the car. After doing a little homework, I discovered that the zero deductible from Auto Europe was about three hundred USD less with Auto Europe or Kemwel (basically same company - each offer discounts from time to time) than through a direct booking with Hertz. And your car is ready to go when you get there.

No brainer.

Just a comment on price differences - we used AutoEurope twice for rentals in France (picking Europcar). The prices seemed so much cheaper, but there were fees tacked on at the end by Europcar when we rented thru AE. For our upcoming rental in France - I checked AE and EC, and there was a $160 price difference, BUT - that is because EC was showing the final total, with all fees added on (airport rental fee, automatic car fee, fees for environmental stuff), while AE was only showing the car rental price without the additional fees. And yes, it took me two car rentals to realize this.

But overall, when I was comparing EC to all the other rental places, it was the best price, tho Hertz was pretty close.

Nicole, I would have contacted AE about the charges. I’ve rented from Europcar through AE three times, always picking up at CDG. About 4 times in Italy at various airports. The only time I had an additional charge was when I returned the vehicle an hour late and was charged for an additional day. (They are very strict about that.) When you set up your rental, did you request an automatic transmission or did you opt for that at the pickup counter?

If you order an automatic car with a GPS and super cover insurance from an airport through AutoEurope, it will include all the fees and the information will be on the voucher. I have done it many times, never paid an extra cent.

Three weeks from Munich airport with the above details, Hertz I'm guessing would be about double in cost for me. Their base car price for a compact with a GPS is about the same as an all inclusive from AE. Collision damage waiver, theft protection and Super Cover have to be added to the Hertz price and are ridiculously expensive. Directlly through EC is well over 40% more than AE.

After you book, check back once in a while. AE will honour a new rate, I was refunded roughly $100 last year.

I just priced out a VW Golf automatic from AE and EC for 8 days in early October, pick up and return at FCO, $0 deductible. AE cost $370.49, EC was $746.58. Only difference is EC was diesel. Before to committing to renting directly from EC, I would call AE on their toll free number and talk to one of their very knowledgeable agents. Maybe they can pull up your 2 prior rentals and determine why the extra charges. They are very helpful.

We need to have an automatic, so that is what I priced out. When I checked what was included with the AutoEurope rental, it also showed the fees that were NOT included. I chose basic rate - I just did a dummy check, and this is what I got for AE, under Rental does Not Include (maybe it's different for France, which is the only spot we've rented)

RENTAL DOES NOT INCLUDE

•Insurance coverage for personal injuries to driver or passengers. Optional coverage may be offered locally for an additional fee .
•Gasoline client is advised to return the vehicle with a full tank unless client purchases prepaid option at time of pick up. If returning the vehicle full, a receipt must be presented showing the vehicle was refueld within 25 kilometers of the location dated for the day of return and showing how much fuel was purchased. For prepurchased fuel, vehicle should be returned as empty as possible as there is no refund for unused fuel / gasoline.
•Environmental Fee of approximately EUR 8 per day (maximum of EUR 48) for all automatic vehicles.
•Local toll, highway fees, or travel stickers which may be required by local authorities.
•Traffic Administration fee of approximately EUR 30 in the event of a traffic fine (in addition to the fine).
•Rentals commencing outside of normal operating hours will incur a fee of EUR 50.
•Airport Surcharge of approximately EUR 40.80, per rental, VAT included, paid locally.
•Road Fee:EUR 3.30, per day (maximum EUR 33.00), VAT included, paid locally (per30 day rental period).

I deleted out a few fees that did not apply. We had to pay the environmental fee, road fee and a fee for picking it up at the TGV in Avignon, which was the same cost as the airport fee (which we will have to pay this time as we are dropping it an the airport in Nice).

I also just did a dummy booking on AE again for an automatic, compact with a GPS and when I check 'your rental does not include' - it shows the same fees. If I look at a manual transmission, I have the same thing show up in rental does not include. Not sure why others haven't had this happen when it's there in the rate details for me. I clicked Hertz and it shows some fees paid locally (airport pick up, road tax)

Anyways, for the OP, just check under Rate Details, and click on rental does not include to see what extra fees may be incurred.

I can speak only about booking in France over the last twenty years, but we always book through AE, whether EuropCar, Hertz, Sixt, and we always accumulate extra fees paid directly to the rental company, but they are noted ahead of time in the tiny print on the bottom of the voucher. It's not a surprise.
Here's a guesstimates on what we pay at the end:
road tax (about 48),
airport or train station pick up (35-40?),
second driver(48), etc.
We don't rent GPS, car seats, or drive an automatic, but we always accumulate a hefty bill once all these euros are converted to dollars. This can double a $200=$250 rental. It's just the way it goes.

I just looked at my AE voucher and there are no extra fees noted as excluded.

Nicole, I also looked at my last 2 vouchers from AE both with Europcar. One for Sardinia, one for Naples. There is some contradictory or confusing language regarding the 16% airport surcharge. I remember calling the toll free # and they cleared it up for me. There was no charge for the airport in addition to the rental amount I paid when reserving the car. On my Corsica rental, I had the car for 10 days and I was charged $48 for road tax by Europcar. I had the car I picked up in Naples for a week and never received any additional charges. I still think you should talk to the guys in Portland to clear up any questions you have.

Perhaps in Italy there are different fees. Regardless, the rental was in 2015 (and the one before in 2012) so I’m not going to argue about $150 from 3 yrs ago. And we’ve already booked our rental directly with Europcar for our upcoming trip. I know what the final total is and I’m cool with it.

As an aside...even with the extra fees that EC added on, it was slightly cheaper in the end (maybe by $25-30) to go with AutoEurope...the difference being AE was paid ahead (except for the fees) and EC we pay for when we pick up. Having just booked some flights on the cc, hubby decided he’d rather do the pay later than pay now, otherwise, I would have went with AC. Hertz gave the option of paying now or paying later. Paying now was about $50 cheaper.

I have rented cars in Europe nearly twenty times in the past seven years, using several different companies including through AutoEurope, but mostly through Europcar directly. I always compare prices on AE before booking. I don’t know if AE has a different pricing structure for bookings made from Canada but, like Nicole, without exception AE’s quotes always include the list of items not included that she shows above. The only time I have paid additional fees when picking up a car was when I booked through AE. I have found that when all charges are counted, AE’s price is not much different from Europcar’s online price- and sometimes slightly higher.

Nicole and other friends north of the border. AutoEurope has numerous worldwide websites. I use the US .com site and without fail, I always find pricing to be substantially lower than going directly to the rental agency’s site. Especially when looking for $0 deductible. I have never been able to beat their price.

Perhaps pricing or terms on the .ca website is different. I remember reading on this forum that if you want to rent in some countries, it is best to check out the .eu site. I’ve done that on a test basis and sometimes the .eu site was a bit less expensive and other times ridiculously more. Who knows what logarithms are out there to defeat us?

I perfectly understand why you want to rent directly from EC and it’s interesting to learn the different experiences that travelers have from the same company. I’d be interested in finding out how satisfied you will be with your rental. In September I have 2 separate rentals with AE. Next spring I m planning another French excursion so I’d like to hear about your experience. Have a great trip!