Renting a Car in Europe

Having a auto provides a lot of freedom and convenience when traveling through Europe. You tin travel at your own footstep, stop ofttimes to take in the view, and get to some places that are hard to reach with public transportation. Yet, there are some things to know about renting a machine in Europe. Knowing these differences in advance tin save you some coin and maybe fifty-fifty a large travel headache.

Renting a Motorcar in Europe

#1 Choosing a Company

The major rental car companies in Europe are Avis, Hertz, Budget, Europcar, and Sixt.

We ever volume our rental car in advance. During the planning phase of the trip, Tim checks the rates for the major companies and chooses the ane with the best toll. It takes extra time to price out 5 companies, just prices can vary widely depending on promotions and supply and demand, and it has been worth information technology to do this extra work in order to save coin.

We don't have a preference for one particular company, we just want the all-time deal.

If you don't like the thought of pricing out the costs for multiple companies, yous can employ Auto Europe, which volition find you the best rates for your trip. It'southward similar to using Kayak when searching for the best deals on plane flights.

Trollstigen

Trollstigen, Norway

#2 Factors that Affect Rental Automobile Price

There are the obvious factors that determine toll, such every bit duration of the rental period and the size of the vehicle. But there may likewise be some factors that y'all are not aware of.

Transmission vs. Automated

Manual vehicles are much more than common in Europe than automatic vehicles. You can hire an automated but these cars tin can price as much equally 50% more than a transmission vehicle.

Different Pick-Up and Driblet-Off Locations

Sometimes it makes sense to pick upward a car at one location and drop it off at a unlike location.

For example, if you are driving through southern French republic, you may option up a car in Nice, road trip through the French Riviera and Provence, and drop the car in Avignon.

Dropping the car off at a different location saves you a lot of time and unnecessary backtracking. Still, there is a drop fee and this usually costs between €100 and €300, merely it tin be a lot more (up to €g), particularly if you are picking it upwards in one state and dropping it off in another country.

When getting an gauge for different pick-upwardly and drop-off locations, you accept to decide if the extra coin you will spend is worth saving the time and extra driving.

Tim and our Mega Van

Our "mega" van in Germany. The smaller shop in boondocks did non accept the compact automobile that nosotros reserved, then Tim drove this brute on the Autobahn.

Picking up a Rental Auto at an Airport or Train Station Adds an Extra Fee

Sure, it may be convenient to option upward a rental auto at an airport or train station, but this usually comes with an additional accuse, as much equally €25 to €100 depending on the country. To save coin, consider renting from a shop in town.

With that being said, renting at an airdrome or train station does have several advantages. It'due south very user-friendly to get off the plane, choice up your car, and bulldoze to your hotel. Secondly, the car rental facilities are much larger at airports and train stations. They have a higher volume of cars, and then you lot're less likely to exist stuck waiting for a motorcar or stuck with a car course yous didn't reserve (like in the photo higher up). And finally, those smaller shops also have reduced hours. Don't expect to pick up or drop off a automobile before 9 am or past five pm at many of these locations.

Information technology's up to you to make up one's mind if the extra fee at the drome or train station is worth the convenience.

Cross Edge Fees

Some rental car companies will accuse yous extra for driving their cars into certain countries. When driving through western Europe this is generally not an issue. However, you lot can be charged actress when driving into or between non-EU countries. This fee ranges from €15 to €50.

#iii Y'all May Not exist Permitted to Drive into Certain Countries

Some companies may forbid you lot from driving into specific countries. Countries that tin can make this list are Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Albania, and Montenegro. However, these rules are always changing and tin can be very particular to sure rental companies.

#four Make Sure y'all have an International Drivers Permit

When you go to selection upwardly your car they will ask to encounter your confirmation number, drivers license, passport, and credit carte du jour. And they could potentially enquire to encounter your International Drivers Let (IDP).

An IDP translates your Driver's License into 10 different languages. It contains your proper noun, photograph, and driver information. You lot can become an IDP at AAA for $20.

It is important to know that an IDP does not replace your Commuter's License or passport; it supplements your Driver's License.

Countries that require yous to accept an IDP are Kingdom of spain, Germany, Italian republic, Greece, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, Austria, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. You may not exist asked to show your IDP when picking up your rental car in these countries, but it's however a good thought to accept 1 only in case.

Croatia Highway

Driving through Croatia

#5 What'due south a Vignette, You Ask?

A vignette is simply a sticker that you lot adhere to your windshield that shows that yous have paid the highway taxes. If you rent a automobile in a country that requires a vignette, you will already be covered. However, if you drive a rental car into a state that requires a vignette, you will take to purchase information technology.

Countries that require vignettes include Austria, Czech Democracy, Slovakia, Romania, Switzerland, Hungary, Slovenia, and Bulgaria.

Vignettes are sold at border crossings and nearby gas stations. Y'all can purchase a vignette for €3 to €10, depending on the state. If y'all fail to purchase a vignette, y'all could be fined 60€ or more.

#half-dozen And so in that location'southward this thing chosen the "Green Card"

A greenish bill of fare is a cross-border insurance menu that proves that your auto has at least minimum level of insurance required.

Most countries in the Eu do not require you to have a green card. It's required in only a handful of countries, including Bosnia & Herzegovina, Republic of albania, and Montenegro, just to name a few. We needed a green carte du jour for our trip on the Balkan Peninsula and we spent $ii.34 USD per day for the greenish menu.

This is issued by your rental car company when you brand your reservation.

#7 Use a Credit Card that Offers Rental Insurance

Some credit cards offer car rental insurance. Nosotros always reserve our rental cars using our Visa card considering it provides collision harm insurance then we do non pay extra for the rental car company'south insurance.

#eight Nigh Filling the Car with Gas

What Americans phone call "gas," Europeans call essence, petrol, or benzine. Regular unleaded gas is labeled every bit "95" at the petrol stations.

In that location's a very good chance that you will be adding diesel to your car, rather than unleaded gasoline. When yous choice up your rental car, confirm what type of "gas" you volition need to add.

Prices are listed in liters, so it may look cheap, only ane gallon of gas costs roughly €7 in Europe.

#9 Driving on the Left in the United kingdom and Ireland

If you are accepted to driving on the right side of the road, making that switch to the left can be intimidating. At first, it takes a lot of concentration. Roundabouts, decorated city streets, and entrance ramps onto highways tin be nerve wracking. All of a sudden you feel like a newbie driver once more.

Give information technology some time and it does get easier, and rather quickly. Just remind yourself which side of the route to stay on as you make a turn and as y'all enter a roundabout. Information technology can be helpful for the passenger to remind the driver as well.

The other thing to know nearly driving on the opposite side of the route is that the driver's seat volition besides be on the opposite side of the vehicle, forcing you lot to shift gears with your opposite hand. If shifting gears with your opposite hand concerns you lot then make sure you select an automatic car when you brand your reservation.

Dingle Drive

The Dingle Peninsula, Ireland

#10 The Quirks of Manual Transmission

I thing to know about manual transmission is that it's not always as simple equally pushing in the clutch and moving the gear shifter to "R". In Europe, some cars require an extra step.

You may have to apply downward pressure on the gear shifter, pull up on the neckband of the gear shifter, or even press a push button on the neckband of the gear shifter, in order to get information technology to engage into opposite.

Just make sure yous know how to put the car in reverse earlier you drive it off the lot.

#11 European Street Signs

Become familiar with European street signs. If y'all are from the United states, European street signs are very unlike than the streets in the United States. Click here for a behemothic listing with images of the street signs used in Europe.

#12 Is Parking Included with Your Hotel?

Confirm if your hotel, hostel, apartment, etc. offers parking and if they do, what type of parking that is available. Possible options include individual parking on the hotel property, parking on the road next to the hotel, or in a nearby parking garage. All of these have different factors to exist considered, such as the toll, the hassle of finding a space, and the chance that y'all may need to parallel park.

If your hotel offers private parking, then it is also a skillful idea to determine if you need to reserve a space in advance since there may not be enough parking for all of their guests. Street parking might mean that you demand to brush up on your parallel parking skills earlier your trip and there might besides be fees during certain hours of the twenty-four hour period.