How is it that car rental companies can charge higher rates for U.S. citizens than others, eg. French citizens. At CarHireSpain.com I compared same cars, same dates, etc., only changing country of origin. Results 2-day rental: French = 89 eur. inclusive, Spain= 206 eur. inclusive, USA = 270.93 BASIC. How can I avoid this rip-off?
Posted by
Tulsa, OK
355 posts
You might want to look at Auto Europe. I have used them for a number of years and feel like I always got a good deal. They have offices in many cities in Spain.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10245 posts
Very interesting. Could you post the results using Autoeurope.
Posted by
Tulsa, OK
355 posts
The price changes somewhat depending on when you want to rent. Renting for two days is also almost as expensive as renting for a week - so your rates for two days is high.
In October - just under $200. In August - around $240. In October renting for a week - picking up and dropping off in Sevilla is about $240.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
One difference is that France is part of the EU with Spain and the US is not. They may have deals or discounts for EU residents. If you don't like one company's rates, try others.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23343 posts
It is not discrimination. Companies are free to change anything they want as long as does not violate LOCAL laws. After all, Rail Europe routinely charges higher prices to North Americans. It is difficult for Am under 25 to rent cars in the US. You avoid the "rip-off" by renting somewhere else. And there could be higher costs related to renting to US citizens. Did you try a Canadian location? Notice that some Americans are quick to declare a rip-off on anything they don't like.
Posted by
Gaston, Oregon, USA
931 posts
Dan, I ran into this, and would like to point something out: read the fine print! First, I hope you have factored the quotes that you received in euros to dollars. I just rented a car for our trip in Spain from AutoEurope UK or EU, what ever you want to call it. I noticed that it was much cheaper than renting from our "good ole standby"; Auto Europe.com (US). But once I added up the fees that I was charged, there were no savings. Yes , the quote from AE.UK was all-inclusive (except it DID NOT cover glass and tires), and the quotes that that I got from AE.com (US) was also "basic"......but.....I got hit with two "zingers" when I got there: 1. We had to pay an "up-front" fee of $100EU to "fill the tank up now and bring it back empty". I don't care who you are, you are not going to bring the car back "empty"; so we lost out there. $100 is excessive: we almost ran the car our of gas; it only cost $70 to fill it. 2. We were charged a EU $35 "drop-off" fee. I have never been charged a drop off fee in the EU previously. Yes, I know that your quotes have huge discrepencies, but please compare them with all of the charges,fees, insurance coverage, etc.