Anyone have experience with the rental car company SIXT?
We are looking for a car for 4 days in Lucerne, and they come up in my searches with decent prices. I've never heard of them though. They look like the others, so I guess they're fine but am just wondering if anyone thinks otherwise.
I really don't think you will need a car in Lucerne. The public transport is fantastic, plenty of buses and trolley buses and the of course the steamers on the lake.
what is your itinerary?. There are villages in Switzerland which are car free. Plus you will have to pay for parking in Lucerne.
SIXT is a large, international rent-a-car company. They have offices across Europe, and in a few markets here in the USA. I've rented from them a few times and had good experience.
Whether or not you need a car for Lucerne is a separate question, but SIXT should be fine.
I've rented with them several times, in both Europe and the US. Indeed, had a pleasant enough experience with them in Europe that when I started seeing them as an option in some places in the US I happily chose them over the companies I used to rent from here.
Pricewise, excellent (even when tacking on things like additional insurance and such). Their one-way fee is hefty (which is common), so if you're picking it up in Lucerne then be sure that's where you also plan to drop it off. As is common there also, an automatic transmission can sometimes add on a few dollars a day to your rate vs. a manual.
One thing I have noticed about them is they often try and upsell me when picking up my car - I'll rent a basic estate/wagon like a Skoda, and when I get to the desk to pick it up the agent has almost always tried to sell me an upgrade to a nicer car like a Mercedes or Audi. Not sure if they get some kinda commission on this or what, but it's never been heavy-handed or over the top and when I've politely declined they've been entirely ok with that (and, I admit, I've even taken em up on the deal when the car was nice enough!).
So I do think they're entirely worth renting from. As someone who had rented exclusively through Hertz for years, then switched to Sixt after a single experience with them because of how much better their pricing was, I'd say they're a worthwhile option.
To confirm David’s description of Sixt and second 1885BD’ satisfaction with them, we’ve also used them (although not in Switzerland) and they are as good, if not better, than anyone else. Way back in 2001, we rented from Sixt in southern France. They’re a German company, and offen feature Mercedes and BMW’s in their ads, so I was surprised that we wound up with a French Renault that trip. Worked fine, though, and their check out and return process was quick and efficient. They had the best price in Iceland on another trip, and though their office in Reykjavik wasn’t as friendly as we’d experienced in trips to France or Italy, it was good enough. Sixt has now started renting cars in the USA in select markets, in the south and southwest. You may be hearing a lot more about them from now on!
Yes rented at Geneva airport, everything was good. I have also used them at Seatac.
They are a large German rental car company. I like them.
Thanks for all the quick replies.
My husband wants to rent a car in Lucerne because we will be visiting various family in a 70 km radius, and he wants the flexibility. He's used to having a car in Europe. I was fine with public transportation or getting rides with others myself. Our hotel is a little out of town and has free parking and we won't use the car when we go into the centre of town.
Thanks again for all your helpful comments.
If your hotel has free parking then it’s definitely not in the pretty scenic city center.
Tim -- LOL, no, it's not in the city centre. It was recommended by my daughter's boyfriend's father who is a businessman in Lucerne. It's on the lakefront and every room has a balcony and faces the lake with a view of Mnt Pilatus. I follow the hotel on Instagram and they post every day -- apparently they're known for their gourmet restaurant. It looks spectacular.
