How is AutuEurope Car Rental

Go to Hertz.com and compare the prices. AutoEurope is a consolidator which means they purchase car rentals from many different companies at a set price and remarket them. They're a big user of Hertz Rentals, and you can often cross reference their pickup location to a Hertz location. Sometimes Hertz' direct prices are lower and sometimes they're higher.
You can get a discount with most of the bigger rental companies if you join their frequent renter club--for free. I always get a big discount because my ex employer had Hertz accounts.

I'm pretty sure you can cancel for full refund. The thing I liked about AutoEurope was their phone service. While I did reserve on-line for our rental in Provence, I called and discussed two or three times and they were great.

And here it is: With no cancellation fees (up to 48 hours before pick-up at no cost), you can book your car today and enjoy peace of mind leading up to your trip.

http://www.autoeurope.com/go/why-book-with-us/

Thank you! I did go to Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, Budget separately and they only had vans with manual transmission for a much higher rate than EuropeCar quoted. I feel much better now that I know I can cancel and get a refund within the terms described.

**I am seeing something that I'm not sure of.... under THINGS NOT COVERED, it says "23.5% location surcharge on any local fees for rentals commencing at an airport or railstation location."

Does that mean the price quoted online that I'm about to pay will be 23.5% more when I pick up or return the van?

It is normally more expensive to pick up/drop off at airport or train station. You should call them and discuss, as I say, this is where they are good-at explaining things. What city are you wanting to rent from and return to? Others may have thoughts if you can share that. Note that it is always best to drop off at an open, staffed location so you can get the car checked out while you are there.

Alexandra, since you are on the left coast aka. Pacific time, we had very good service from another consolidator, Gemut.com based in Oregon. Andy was able to answer all of our questions at a time that was convenient for us. If they are busy when you call, leave a message and they get right back to you. Their downloadable booklet on renting a car in Europe contains very good information and will answer a lot of your questions too. We compared prices and theirs were very fair. On mainland Italy we had a Hertz vehicle and on Sicily it was Europcar. No problems with either one. Hope that this is useful to you. Sherry

Careful - it's easy to get confused. In one post you mentioned AutoEurope, and in another you mentioned Europcar. They are two different things.

Europcar is a car rental company, like Hertz or Avis. AutoEurope is a consolidator that works with multiple rental companies.

There is a third entity called AutoEuropa (with an A at the end instead of an E). I've read that this one, ending in A, is trouble (no personal experience).

We are renting from Frankfurt airport, returning to Munich airport. I know that it's more expensive to rent from an airport but we've always done it in the past and had no added fees. Usually we rent with Avis. I'm concerned that AutoEurope is quoting me one price on their site and then I see the 23% surcharge in the fine print. In my mind it's deceptive. Or maybe I'm not reading it correctly.

And sorry, it is AutoEurope, not the other.

A mini-van won't cover 5 adults and their luggage in most cases.
I've looked at other threads where posters have encouraged you to use the trains. So far I haven't read anything from you that would keep you from using the trains. I do not think 2 changes of train for a given journey is a major problem. I do not see trains as problematic when it comes to luggage either - you just need to encourage your group to follow Rick Steves' packing strategies (his greatest contribution to travelers, IMO.) And many stations are equipped with elevators for moving from track to track. Booking near a station is wisest with train travel of course.

We usually do travel by train. The last 5 trips to the region we made use of both trains and rental cars. For this trip though, we wanted the convenience and flexibility of a car. The van I'm wanting to reserve is a VW Sharan. AutoEurope description says it seats 7 plus 2 large, 3 small suitcases. We are 5. If the back row seating folds (as a video shows), then I think we will fit all our luggage OK.

My main concern right now is the pricing, as per my previous post. I want to know that the price I'm agreeing to pay is what I'll pay. That 23% surcharge is throwing me off.

"That 23% surcharge is throwing me off."

You should call them to get clear.

We have used Autoeurope several times and every rental went exactly as expected. I too like the staff, who have spent many hours on the phone answering questions and finding the best rate. When I noticed a decrease in the rate ( it happened a couple of times), it was honored after a phone call. We have also rented GPS with them. If you haven't spoken with them, give it a try... we have always been more than happy with their service.

If the airport pick up charge is throwing you off, you'll go ballistic with final local charges. There are road taxes, second and third driver charges, VAT, and more. What you see on line is not the final cost, as the local agency will add charges, too. I can't tell you what they'll be. And if you get a traffic ticket, which even we the slowest drivers in all of France have managed to do, the rental agency will charge 30 euros for each time your info is supplied to the local authorities. So this is the up front price, not final cost. That said, we use AutoEurope every year.

I have used AutoEurope going back over a decade and have not had any serious problems. They do charge you up front, and if you make any changes at all, , you will pay the net amount that gets you to the prevailing current rate (I tried to push my pick up a couple of hours later on our May 2016 rental but it would have cost me). I guess that's pretty standard. I think you still get a full refund if you cancel, but the last time I did that was 2009. I have found the quality and courtesy of their telephone agents has really gone down hill and prefer to book it myself without talking to them. When I have looked they always have the best price, and I hear they will be an advocate on any disputes, assuming your case has merit. The only small problem I have ever had was when they had the wrong opening hours at the Dachau office, and I was forced to drop the car off when the office was closed — which I really, really prefer not to do. Probably should have double checked with the local office of the actual rental company, but that can be a hassle.

I concur withe recommendation to use Gemut.com. They will help you and make sure you get what you need. I have used them twice and have had great service each time.

I have booked with AutoEurope and then cancelled, my refund to my credit card was prompt and accurate. Just be sure you know the refund policy before you book.

I rented a car in Chamonix last year - there is a high altitude fee (and both the altitude and the fee are high). AutoEurope's quote was less than Europcar's - until I read the fine print. AutoEurope's quote did not include that fee, Europcar's did.

Thanks for all the responses. To be clear, my husband and I (or my mom and I) have rented cars in Germany at least a half dozen times over the years. We usually rent from Avis, their final bill is not much more than what we were quoted when booking online (except for the one time when they charged us for a ding in the parking garage that they said happened on our watch, which we disputed). I get the extra little fees here and there. I know that renting from an airport will be more but on major rental sites the added $$ is just figured into the price of the car. My concern was in using AutoEurope and thinking I'm getting a deal, only to find 'hidden' charges that will bring the total closer if not more to what I see on Hertz and Avis.

I will take the advice and call them (or maybe email them) directly and ask about the airport surcharge.

If you re-read the terms and conditions, it states that the airport surcharge is included in what you are being charged, not in addition to. I've rented through Auto Europe numerous times. Their staff is customer-centric and is knowledgeable, capable and friendly. Just call their toll free number any time (24-7) and you can get your questions answered.

In my experience either AutoEurope or the majors will give you a bottom line estimate including all added taxes and fees at the time of reservation (with AutoEurope, before your card is charged). Definitely compare bottom line prices before booking. I'm currently in Ireland with an AutoEuope rental. A couple of weeks before traveling I noticed that Hertz's rate had dropped by about €50 but I was able to easily cancel and rebook viaAutoEurope and their price had dropped also. I saved between $50 and $100 booking via AutoEurope rather than directly through Hertz even with certain Hertz discounts although you might have a different experience.

People may wonder how a car rented via AutEurope can be less expensive than going through the company directly. It's because they negotiate a bulk rate months in advance. They then need to get these cars rented or lose money on the deal.

I've been renting through AutoEurope (or their sister company Kemwel) for 20+ years, and find them excellent. And when I've had a problem with the rental company, they've intervened to straighten it out. Also, there are no hidden fees. They state what you pay them in advance (it's refundable up to 2 days before), list what it includes, and then list additional local charges that you will pay the rental company, giving you an estimate in dollars for each charge. I have occasionally rented directly in France, but usually AutoEurope is significantly cheaper. I have read good things about Gemut, but have not used them.
On my recent rental through AutoEurope in France, with Europcar, I was charged a one-way fee by Europcar, despite my AutoEurope invoice saying that there was no one-way fee. . When I contacted AutoEurope, they said that shouldn't have happened. They credited my credit card, and then apparently debited Europcar's account.

Thanks again for all the info. I called them, talked to them and booked a van for our trip! I'm hoping this will be my 'go-to' rental company from now on.

It was funny that I'd been checking Avis and others for a van and all they could give me was manual transmission. My husband usually drives manual but for this trip, with a van, in the winter, he really insisted on an automatic if possible. AutoEurope seemed to have mostly automatics so it worked out great for us.

Glad you got everything sorted out. I just want to reiterate the advice above about getting lower prices if they change before you go. I did that for this summer's trip. I had reserved about 9 months early, hen checked the website periodically. If the rate had gone down, I made a quick call to AutoEurope and they adjusted the price and credited my card back. I ended up saving about half of the first price. Yes, half. I suspect the moral of the story is really not to book quite so early, but by keeping on top of it, I saved $450. Naturally, AE will not adjust the rate automatically, but they're friendly and willing to make the changes if you call them.