Rental Car - Frankfurt

It depends on where you're going to. If you want to explore the country you may feel reassured if your rental company has stations along your route - in case you have to - or wish to change the car or for whatever other reason. Therefore in every country you might want to go with the largest ones. In Germany the two largest rental companies with stations even in smaller towns are Sixt (#1) and Europcar (#2). If you grade their network with an "A" than Avis and Hertz clearly are in the "B" range. Also note that the general economy 2 door in Europe comes with a stick - as do most cars unless you specifically book automatic. The good thing about Sixt and Europcar: Their fleet is so big and they've got such a big choice of cars even at smaller stations that they always have automatic cars even in smaller categories available. A great car to explore Germany for two people and luggage is the Mercedes A-Class (automatic, Diesel) which is a compact. Diesel engine is preferrable as a) milage is much better and b) Diesel is more than $1 per gallon cheaper than regular.

Check out AutoEurope.com and Gemut.com. Both are brokers who will search out the best deals for you. You can contact them by phone as well and their prices are guaranteed in case you find a better price elsewhere. We have used both numerous times and can highly recommend the service. We usually pick up our rental cars in Kelsterbach, a short taxi ride from the Frankfurt Airport to save paying the high airport tax. This adds up on a 3 week rental. (Note you can return the car directly to the Frankfurt Airport without any problem but the Kelsterbach location is only open from 8 am to Noon on Mon-Fri.)

You can check AutoEurope and Kemwel rates online. They are auto brokers and will arrange for your rental from companies such as Avis, Hertz and Europcar. When checking rates, input different places for pick-up and drop-off. This past November, Kelsterbach was actually more expensive than picking up a car at the airport. Why? Because they were different rental companies. Avis, at the airport, was actually less expensive than Europcar in Kelsterbach. Once you've decided on the size of car and location, call AutoEurope to finalize your rental. Sometimes they have specials like free car class upgrades. Also double check what their cancellation policy is. Sometimes you can cancel up to the time of pick-up, other times it is a two week notice. If you want two drivers, as of 1 1/2 yrs ago, Europcar does not charge extra as long as it's a husband & wife situation. Otherwise, Avis and Hertz charge extra. Our experience shows that there are more choices of cars at the airport. Diesel and automatic cars are not always available in the smaller towns. On our last rental, we requested a diesel (which you will pay extra for thru Avis). Unfortunately, it wasn't available and we tried to exchange the car in a large city. However, those cars were already spoken for. Diesel cars do get a lot better gas mileage and the price is a lot less. Just make sure you are getting a diesel by looking at the gas cover. Don't forget to take a copy of your rental agreement with you. Avis tried to charge us more for snow tires until I presented them with the AutoEurope contract. Since they are renting their cars at a discount, they will try to make up the difference somewhere. By the way, these auto brokers will match competitor's rates. Have a great trip!

Hum, we've never gotten anything but an Avis car in Kelsterbach when renting from AutoEurope. Agree that the choice of cars is much better at the airport but we've always gotten what we wanted at Kelsterbach. I guess if you want something unusual or very specific, the airport would be a better bet. But, always good to know you have choices, especially if you can save money which we've usually been able to do through AutoEurope and/or Gemut.