after hours rental car drop off--bad idea?

I have had to do this on a few occasions but did not feel great about it either. I would take a few pictures of the vehicle and showing mileage and full gas tank. Although there has never been any problem or extra charges. One time I had to return a 9 passenger van there and decided I wanted to get rid of it the night before so we just stayed at a cheap hotel by the airport. Is that an option?

Staying 'some distance' from the airport for a 0600 flight sounds like a horrible experience. For me, dropping off a car in France has never been an experience that filled me with confidence. (Once leaving me wonder if it wouldn't have been better to just do an after-hours drop in anonymity.) However, there have never been 'added charges' when I just left the keys with someone at the desk who was too overwhelmed to inspect the car.

So, while not being well-seasoned, my quick-brined suggestion would be to go for the morning drop,... but only if you've pre-okayed it with the rental office you'll be working with. (Yet I'd still rather stay within walking distance of this car yard and drop the rental off the afternoon before. Even if it mean a less-than-acclaimed room for the one night before this crazy early departure.)

This subject is where renting a car in Europe is sometimes problematical, and definitely different from here.
We've had some travelers report in here that, when they did after hours rental car drop offs in Europe, they received significant added charges, even in some cases allegations of damage, that were difficult to dispute.

Now probably luck will be with you and things will be fine.

It doesn't sound like dropping it off before closing time at the car rental facility is feasible.
If you decide in the end to do the after hours drop off, you may want to follow the cautions given in the other posts (taking photos, etc.)
Also, you may want to verify with the rental company that the particular location allows after-hours drop offs. It's just one of those things that are sometimes different in Europe, and you don't want to be blind-sided by an unexpected complication.

Another thing about the early drop off... I don't remember exactly how far the drop off was from the airport but I would make sure its an easy walk to the airport and not a shuttle ride.

I'm confused. You're staying "some distance" - too far for a taxi - from the airport, your flight is at 6, and you want to drop off the car and somehow get to the check in, all by around 4:30 or 5 am after driving that "some distance"?

I sure hope this is a domestic European flight, not a transatlantic one, or you will need even more time.

Are you really sure that this is what you want to get up in the middle of the night and do?

Your other post talks about a one hour drive.

Brave.

Appreciate the thoughtful comments. Staying away from the airport I don't view as a big risk: Google maps tells me we are 55 minutes, my rental host estimates 45 minutes, and in the wee hours traffic will be light so the biggest unknown is leaving the car without a warm handoff to the car rental staff. Kent's comment that European car rentals are problematic is becoming clearer, the often seamless pickup and drop off we expect from US rentals is not an expectation we should harbor. And Terry kathryn, I did check on the location of the lot relative to the airport and that is probably the deal breaker: it would be a fairly long hoof from there with our bags, light though they are, and in the pitch dark along roads that are not pedestrian friendly. I think we will spend our last night a reasonable taxi trip away, though I hope to avoid the purgatory of an airport hotel for the closeout of our vacation.

I'm glad you've found the comments helpful.
In similar situations, I've followed the KISS rule (keep it simple), returning the car at the airport rental location, which is often open later but not necessarily 24/7 at a smaller airport like Marseille. And then biting the bullet and staying at an airport hotel on the last night, again, to keep things simple, it reduces time and cost to get back to the airport.

I think that sounds like the best idea. You could keep your car as late as possible, have a wonderful dinner, then return the car and check in to airport hotel just in time to sleep. At least then you will have a nice last dinner memory. I really like Marsailles.

After reading all of the horror stories about rental vehicles and thinking of a few of my OWN rental car horror stories I would NEVER return a car with no attendant on duty. Never.

I am with you, Tim!

Some airports (e.g., Athens) only have very expensive hotels nearby, but Marseille airport offers a selection of budget chains in the mix, which I would aim for. A good portion of my last evening is usually dedicated to re-packing all my gear into an airline-friendly configuration, especially if a car has been recently doing some of the carrying for me.