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Car rentals & local legal requirements

Posted by (Philadelphia) on

My very first post here!

Interesting item in The Atlantic that raises a question for me: http://theatln.tc/2gEXe0A

The first time I drove in Europe, I rented a car in Amsterdam and dropped it off in Paris, a block inside the Périphérique. I wouldn't do that again - the international drop-off doubled the cost - but I'd absolutely rent again and it's perfectly conceivable I could find myself passing through Paris (or some place else with particular local legal requirements) in a foreign-plated car.

I'd expect rental companies in and around Paris to be aware of this and get their cars the needed badges, but farther out in France, let alone in neighboring countries, can you expect rental companies to stay on top of this sort of thing? It would also apply to (for example) France's have-a-breathalyzer-in-the-car requirement (which I knew about somehow but didn't comply with on that trip...I couldn't find one before I crossed the border) or Germany's "Umweltplakette," which is an environmental thing similar to this Paris rule, I believe....

(Administrators, if an appropriate thread exists, please refer me to it, merge this in, whatever you do.... I didn't see one.)

Posted by
3260 posts

Thanks for sharing the article and your concerns. I've alo had to pay drop off fees and they are expensive. You have to weigh the cost against the convenience and what you want to accomplish on your trip. Weigh the cost against your whole budget not just the base rental fee of the vehicle. If it's within your budget, I'd go for it. Different rental companies charge substantially different fees. I took a Madrid to Lisbon trip and wanted to drive. All the posted drop off fees would have precluded me from driving the route, but I didn't rely just on internet pricing. I spoke with a customer service rep at AutoEurope. He researched it and returned the call two hours later and found a rental from Avis that was a full third less cost than the cheapest I could find. I've used AutoEurope frequently and found their staff to always exceed expectations. Don't rely on just what you see on your computer screen!

I found it hard to believe that it was mandatory to carry a breathalyzer, though there's no fine if caught without one. Little did I know that I was violating French law when I took my rental on the ferry from Sardinia to Corsica! I doubt that you'd be able to rent a car in another country that would have the necessary badges to enter Paris. I wonder if "foreign" vehicles will require them. Your post proves the point of checking the rules of the road before driving overseas which is easy to do on the internet.

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