Car Rental in Slovenia

Hi Pam.

We picked up a rental from Europcar from the Ljubljana airport September 2023, booked through Autoeurope. We have CDW through our credit card as well, and there was no request from the rental,agent for proof of coverage.

We've rented cars in many countries in Europe multiple times since 2006, always using a card with CDW coverage and haven’t ever been asked for proof of coverage. However, We’ve always been required to sign off as declining the coverage offered by the rental company.

We’ve never been asked to provide any specific third party liability.

As for Sixt, we’ve had cars from them and our experience has been positive.

Did the same thing as you are proposing (off Amex Platinum) and they were fine
with it. Of course, I never had to file a claim, which I suppose would be the acid
test.

Some additional thoughts:
- the Sixt office in the train station is not inside the station, it's accessed from the
train platform outside the station. The cars themselves are located at the other
end of the parking lot east of the train station.
- if you plan to drive on the highways, make sure the car has a vignette for tolls.
- when I rented, they went over a list of defects (aka, dings & scratches) on the car.
It would be wise to take pictures before you leave the lot just in case there is
dispute at return.
- I can't say it's required, but I got an IDP from the AAA office, just in case.
- if you want an automatic transmission, reserve it.
- No complaints about Sixt.

Thank you for your responses, Peter and shoeflyer. Very helpful.

Shoeflyer, did Sixt include toll pass as part of the rental? Or did you purchase it elsewhere? Do you remember if it included third party liability coverage? I ask because Avis ToC states it is not available for US and Canadian residents even if rental contract says it's included. Wondering if that is specific to Avis (and perhaps other North American companies? What did you do in terms of liability coverage?

Peter, you do not have to furnish third party liability to car rental company. My understanding is that it is something the rental companies in Europe provide as part of rental and perhaps required to drive a car.

Re. toll vignette, they provided it, but when I mentioned my need for it, they
changed the car they gave me. Can't remember if it cost any more, but
finding a place to buy one myself was definitely not happening.

Can't remember for sure, but I think I took a subset of the liability options
Sixt offered.

Most countries have e-vignettes now, so you can buy them online once you know the license plate number. Some of the web sites are:

• Slovenia https://evinjeta.dars.si/en
  
• Austria https://shop.asfinag.at/en
• Hungary https://ematrica.nemzetiutdij.hu/en/home-page
• Slovakia https://eznamka.sk/en

Thank you, shoeflyer. It's interesting you were able to buy liability options offered by Sixt as I don't see any. The only thing that's available is the mandatory third party liability coverage that is included with every rental. I just hope it is not excluded for US residents.

Robert, thanks for the links on e-vignettes. I won't know the license plate number until I pickup the rental car right before driving on the highway. I assume I can purchase it online using credit card and have the toll pass be activated immediately? Since it is associated with the license plate number, I am guessing it doesn't need to be displayed in a physical form?

I'll have to check if Greece has an e-vignette option as I plan to rent a car there as well.

I won't know the license plate number until I pickup the rental car
right before driving on the highway. I assume I can purchase it online
using credit card and have the toll pass be activated immediately?

Yes, the web sites all say they're ready for immediate use (for the simple passenger car classes).

Since it is associated with the license plate number, I am guessing it
doesn't need to be displayed in a physical form?

Correct. There are lots of motorway cameras with license plate readers for enforcement.

BTW, all new cars in Europe include Intelligent Speed Adaption systems.

Thanks for the additional info on tolls and speed adaption link, Robert. Will check it out in case I happen to get a newer car with this feature.

Regarding Amex Premium Car Rental protection, you can actually get proof of coverage via email from Amex's premium car rental protection website specifically listing coverage for the countries you are interested in. It is like one page email with information on what is covered and useful to show to rental company at the time of pickup, if they do ask for it.

BTW your US auto insurance likely will not cover rentals outside of the US (and, likely Canada), Mine doesn't. In that case, the basic CDW coverage (secondary) offered by credit cards, including Amex, will become the primary coverage, if you use it to pay for your rental and declide rental insurance's CDW coverage. Amex covers up to $50,000 for 30 days, I think.

Because I am renting in Europe for the firs time, I will play it safe and use CC with primary coverage. I might use Amex basic coverage in future.

Pam, we tried to use Amex card with CDW too but Enterprise did not take Amex. I don't know about where you try to rent but I honestly don't remember using Amex card at all while in Slovenia, most business only take Visa/Mastercard..just so you know.

Jumping in here, the info about getting the e-vignettes is useful. We will be in Austria for a few days, then Slovenia, then back to Austria. The 10-day Austria vignette gives us enough total time, even with putting Slovenia into the middle. I suppose we can just buy the one 10-day pass, or is it necessary to buy two of them for our two periods of time in Austria? Hope this makes sense...

I see that Germany does not require one, which is nice because we'll be in Berchtesgaden for 2 days.

Thank you leeshao. Yes, in my experience, Amex isn't accepted in European stores as widely (probably because of their higher mechant fees), but I checked Sixt website where I made my rental reservation and confirmed they do accept Amex as a method of payment. However, I have contacted the Sixt Ljubljana location to confirm if they accept Amex as I will be paying at pickup. If they don't, my fallback plan is to use a Chase card that has primary coverage for CDW. Did your car come with toll pass or did you buy it separately?

@danb2489, I do not have personal experience with Austrian e-vignettes and hope others that do chime in, but I'd be very surprised if your 10 day pass cannot be used for your two subsections of the trip spanning those 10 days. I mean, people are always crossing the border back and forth between Austria and Slovenia, and I doubt they keep buying separate passes for each border crossing. You may want to check https://shop.asfinag.at/en/info-pages/faq/ to confirm and that website also has some contact email you can try to get confirmation.

@danb2489, some car rental companies have an add-on cross border fee. Just something to be aware of, if one is required for your rental.

Our car came with toll pass.
We were informed at the car rental that if we go to Austria, we will need to buy a toll pass at the gas station when cross the border. The fee to cross from Slovenia to Austria was something like 20 euro.

Thanks @leeshao. Is the 20 euro fee the cross border fee from the rental company or in addition to that and the Austrian toll pass?

When we picked up our car at Enterprise, the guy at the counter asked us if we intend to cross boarder to Austria, the fee is 20 euro. Our car has Slovenia toll pass included.

Austrian toll pass has to be purchased later(extra cost) on at Austrian boarder, at Austria gas stations. Toll pass is required on Austrian motor roads only.

It's a real good idea to have an international drivers license in case you get picked up or have an accident. AAA offices charge about $25.00
You also need a warning triangle and bright vest to wear in case of a roadside problem in Austria . Rental companies sometimes provide and will be in the trunk.

@Nigel, yes, I will be getting an IDP, as it is a requirement in Slovenia.
@leeshao, Sixt in Ljubljana confirmed they accept Amex. FYI in case you'd like to use Sixt in future.

I wanted to update this post on my car rental experience. I had a good experience with Sixt at Ljubljana train station. The car came with a vignette. Sixt confirmed all their cars come with a vignette as part of the rental. Paid for the rental using my Amex card for Premium Car Rental insurance coverage.