France Car Rental - Non-smoking and Walk-up Rental Rates

There is no downside to reserving your car ahead and finding the best price now as long as you do not prepay. You just simply reserve the car with your name and give your cc# when you arrive. The price can vary a ton between the rental companies, as well as they might not have a car for you if you just walk up. Especially a van... we have rented vans at the airport in Marsailles but they were always reserved. Don't remember smelling smoke in ours, but you need to check that with the rental companies.

Rich, Call Autoeurope at 888-223-5555. They are a consolidator based in Maine that makes deals with various car companies in Europe. They make insurance deals too, so the package can be very reasonable. For example, I have a compact car reserved for 14 days in the UK for under $700 including zero deductible insurance. The agents are very helpful Americans. If you explain your needs, they will be a big help. Making your reservation here before you go is the best. It can be very expensive to just rent on the spot. With Autoeurope you pay at the time you reserve, but if you cancel within the rules, it is all refundable. You will be sent a voucher via e-mail that you take with you and present at the rental counter. They have a good website too that you might want to look at before you call. I have made better deals on the phone though.
Have a great trip.

I may be off base here but I don't think there's such a thing as a "non-smoking" rental car. It's not like a train/bus/plane where there's someone there to enforce the rule. Once the car leaves the rental lot, anything goes as long as it's legal (or you don't get caught). I'm sure the cars are cleaned and deodorized before the next renter but I doubt you'll ever get a car that has not been smoked in - unless you lease a new car (which wouldn't work for 10 days, 17 days is the minimum for most dealers). Just my humble opinion.

I can't remember the last time I rented a car that had a lighter in the socket or the ash-tray insert in the cup holder. In the ones with an ash-tray in the dash, which I use for coins and junk, there's never been evidence that it's been used for butts. I rent a lot of cars, only a couple have had what may have been burn marks o the upholstery. None have had an odor. The last one had a big no-smoking symbol with fine print about the cost to sinners - - similar words were in the rental agreement.

Thank you everyone for all of your good advice. I found it interesting that none of the major US operations (Hertz, Avis, National, etc.) customer service personal for international reservations could provide any information as to whether their French franchisees had smoking or non-smoking fleets. The CSRs were literally clueless - not their fault as they should have more information. I also checked some of the French versions of the websites of many of the companies and it was difficult, if not impossible, to find smoking policies. Based on the consensus of everyone here, we're going to reserve ahead of time. Thanks for the tip about Auto Europe - it had some nice options. Nevertheless, We're going to go with Sixt because their entire fleet is supposed to be smoke free. We're also going to go with a Mercedes E-Class which we know will fit our luggage and change to a van or something else if it is available and fits our needs better. We're chickening out regarding not getting the vehicle we want as we don't really want a substituted vehicle. We'll certainly pay more, but we're already spoiled with nice vehicles at home and will appreciate the nice, comfortable, quite ride for all of the hours we will spend going from Southern France to Northern France. Thank you all for your help!

'We're also going to go with a Mercedes E-Class' Not to bust your bubble, but don't count on it. All any outfit will guarantee is something similar or of the same class/type. It took me but a split second to lift this from the Sixt literature concerning the E-Class: Please note that the image shown here is only an example of the vehicle class (errors excepted). You can only make a reservation for a vehicle class and not for a specific vehicle. I spend six months a year in rental cars all over the world and I can't even remember if I've ever gotton the exact car that was in the little pictures - - maybe, maybe not, but probably not. I quit thinking about it years ago.

Yes, when I'm renting through Autoeurope, I google the pick up address to be sure it's Europecar and not Sixt because they handle both brands. We were also charged for gas after we dropped the utility truck at CDG, but Autoeurope negotiated that one for us, so the charge was dropped.

@Bets...:)) Makes for a good story though. I have to agree with the idea that you cannot guarantee the kind of car you request... it is hit or miss, no matter what they promise you. If they don't have what you want, well, then what? You are at their mercy. I have always gotten something suitable, and can go with the flow, but they never know till the last minute what kind of cars they will have. Also, all car rentals I have had in the last many years are non-smoking, even in Europe.

I was holding back, but since Bets let the camel's nose under . . . Sixt gave me two consecutive screw jobs (France and Germany) a couple of years back (no little car, nice upgrade - - more gas, hard to squish in to tight spots, UGH - - refused and marched to the next counter with the quote in hand, satisfied there). Being infinitely generous, I relented and gave them the nod (okay, they won the cheapo bid) in Scotland in October. Guess what? They're now on the banned-for-life list.

Rich; use Autoeurope...they will make sure that you are taken care of. I have NEVER had a smoky car in the EU. No rental agency will guarantee you a certain car. BTW there are many van type vehicles available in the EU that will suit your needs. Again, explain your needs to AE and they will help you.