Rental car questions

I’ve used AutoEurope and recommend them. AutoEurope’s website will let you know the cost of the various insurance coverages before you decide to reserve a car.
In Spain car rental agencies by law must include Third Party Liability coverage and Fire Protection in case the car is damaged by fire. That leaves the renter with a decision on the remaining Collision Damage Waiver and Theft Protection in the event the car is stolen.
I have been fortunate as a USAA member to have a credit card which includes almost all of the insurance coverages for rental cars overseas. A letter confirming these coverages gets me off the hook at the rental car counter where customers are forced to buy the insurance from the rental company if they lack a letter documenting the specific coverages they have.
If you are already planning to buy travel insurance, it may be cost-effective to get a policy that will include a low or zero deductible CDW in addition to Theft Protection. This often costs less than what the rental agencies themselves offer. I buy travel insurance through Generali Global Assistance which offers policies with car rental coverages.
You also need to know that an International Drivers Permit (IDP) is legally required in Spain. The rental agencies don’t require IDP’s—-it’s the police who can ask to see your IDP if you are pulled over for any reason. And in countries such as Spain where an IDP is legally required, the fallout from not having one in that situation can be severe—anything from a fine up to €500 to detention to— in the event of an accident— the impounding of the rental car. The most serious consequence is the possible voiding of any insurance coverage you thought you had since, technically, you are not legally driving the car if you lack the legally required IDP.
An IDP can be prepared at any American Automobile Association office for about $30. If you’re planning on having additional drivers they will also need to have their own IDP..
One thing I highly recommend in Spain is paying for the GPS option in the car, Having the driving map on the car’s screen next to the steering wheel makes driving so much easier and safer than relying on your cell phone or on a passenger’s cell phone.
If you have more insurance questions, AutoEurope can be contacted at (888) 223-5555.
Have a great trip!

We rented through Enterprise our last few trips to Europe. We splurge and get the full coverage even though it costs more. If something happens you drop it off and hand it the key. Which coverages you get should depend on your comfort level. Many people are fine with their credit card’s coverage while some like us spend more for piece of mind.

Additional coverages cost varies between companies as do available optional coverages such as road service, personal injury protection, windshield, etc. When reserving a vehicle ensure you know what is included regarding insurance. Different companies’ included coverage varies.

As already mentioned, liability insurance is mandatory and included in the rental car price.

Previously worked at Auto Europe for 10 years. I rent from them now all the time.

Here is the benefit. Something goes wrong during or after your trip, they will advocate for you!

Get to the counter and they don’t have your car? Call Auto Europe and let them deal with it! They have more power than you and they can fix you up with another rental provider in that situation. I saw them do incredible things for customers in a bind.

Personally, I get insurance with zero deductible when I rent from them. I pay extra to not deal with the headache that comes with insurance claims, reimbursement, rental car company scrutinizing the vehicle when you return it, etc.

Thanks for the replies

I actually had a few additional questions:

1. If I reserve a car thru AutoEurope with the zero deductible option will the car rental agency require a deposit on my credit card until I return the car? 2.If I happen to get in an accident or damage the car - do I have to pay the car rental agency and then file a claim for reimbursement from AutoEurope or does AutoEurope handle everything.
2. If I reserve directly thru Avis and purchase the Super CDW with all the extras or some other rental car agency is the zero deductible really 0 out of pocket? Or can I still be charged for damages?

I am risk adverse so I am looking for the option that is less paperwork for me and 0 out of pocket in the event of damages.

Thanks

No idea about AutoEurope, but with Enterprise zero deductible you just handover the keys if something happens. You pay nothing.

A 200€ hold/deposit put on the card when we picked it up. It was refunded when we turned the car in.

I have used AutoEurope occassionally and have had no problems. Once, I even rented a car for Hawaii through AutoEurope and they were cheaper than Costco or Discount Hawaii Car Rental.

One tip is to compare AutoEurope.com, AutoEurope.ca (i am Canadian) and AutoEurope.es. The different country sites may have different deals. It pays to compare.

I now use Sixt. I take the full insurance with no deductible. Last week in Valencia, they put a 300euro hold on my credit card.
Make sure to bring your home driver's license as well as the IDP!!! I forgot mine on a trip to Sicily a few months ago and we had to put the car into partner's name and re-do the entire rental contract.

Is autoeurope a consolidator/aggregator or the actual car rental company?
Also, how common are auto transmission cars. It’s been way too long and I don’t feel comfortable with manual cars.

Here is my perspective on insurance in general and more specifically on car rentals. One has to have a sense of likelihood and impact. If the high deductible uncovered is €5k or €10k and one is paying €50/day, one breaks even if the chance of accident is 1% or 0.5%. While that may not sound high, it’s extremely high. In other words, if one can afford to absorb the deductible then one would be better off to not take the insurance - specially if renting for multiple days. But sure, buying will give you peace of mind.

Automatic transmission vehicles are more common than they used to be, but still not very common. On our 2023 Spain trip Enterprise gave us an automatic rather than the manual transmission we reserved because that’s what it had. This year, we could have upgraded to an automatic for an extra 15€ per day. We stayed with the manual transmission vehicle.

I am still trying to sort out the car rental question for Spain.

On most car rental sites they do not list the price of purchasing the zero deductible insurance (super cdw) which is so frustrating because it is hard to gauge the true cost of renting the car if you want to go with this option.

So now I am considering going with AutoEurope. I had a few question regarding AutoEurope:
1. I read that the car rental agency may not hold your car reservation should you arrive later than the time you indicated when you made the reservation can someone tell me if this is the case? What do I need to do in case I am delayed?
2. If I go with AutoEurope and the zero deductible option will the car rental agency still put a hold on my credit card for the deductible amount ?

thanks

I can't answer the second one.
I used AutoEurope last year after reading everyone's raves for years, but I found one thing very annoying--regarding arrival time. I have previously only rented with Hertz, and despite having some late arrivals, I never really gave a slightly delayed arrival time a second thought, as I had provided the flight number and was picking up at an airport. Not so with AutoEurope, apparently, as they really emphasize the arrival time thing. So, when our flight was delayed, we called the number and reported that our flight was delayed but we would be there. Then the flight was delayed a second time, so we called again just to be sure and said, please note this flight is delayed but we are on the tarmac so don't want to keep calling--can you just note we are on the way? No, they made us call a few more times--it was stupid and made me really doubt their customer service. I don't need such silly hassles on a vacation.

I reserve the car for one-two hours after my plane is scheduled to land which is generally in the morning. Hertz or Sixt or whatever company will have a car held in their lot for me. Then, if I turn up earlier than the reservation time— the car is on the lot. In any event, two times I was on time and they upgraded the car to an automatic transmission in Spain when I had reserved a less expensive manual transmission, and upgraded to a hybrid car in Norway when I had reserved a regular gasoline-powered car. Both were wins for me because I prefer an automatic and didn’t have to pay the higher price; and the hybrid in Norway saved on paying $9 per gallon for gasoline and I never needed to recharge the battery.
With Travel insurance offering trip delay coverage, I would think any extra expense incurred would be covered if your flight arrives late.
I have never had a problem reserving through AutoEurope and have always found their prices to be less than what Sixt, Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty offer directly.

Give SIXT a try. After many years of AutoEurope I now use Sixt exclusively.

The zero deductible cost varies among rental car companies.