Is there any reason why I shouldn't go thru Hertz directly, if the price is cheaper? Last time I used AE they ended up adding all sorts of extra charges, though I guess Hertz could do the same.
Hertz is fine. We rented from them our last trip to Italy as they would do a 2- day rental from Lucca to Pisa and AE old not.
I've always used AutoEurope or Kemwel. They both are up front when you reserve about what's included and what will be extra, and how much. But if Hertz is cheaper for the same class of car, why not use them. I've just never found that to be the case in France.
We used to go through Auto Europe, but the last several years have gone directly to Hertz with better results.