Europcar?

Happicamper

Hi,

I've never hired a car before outside of Ireland, but I am looking at the above website. When I use the .ie site the car price is €609 but when I use the .com the very same car is €338. Is there any reason I should not book through the .com site. It is giving me the price in Dollars but €338 is what the price is when converted or would they want proof that I am from America when picking up the car?

Any help much appreciated.

jt_dublin

Hi,

Take a look on Ebookers.ie and see what quote they give you for Europcar and other companies.

http://www.ebookers.ie/car-hire/


You could also use ArgusCarHire. I use them all the time. The only thing is that you dont know which car hire company they will allocate you until after you have completed the booking, but if you thought that they weren't one of the more reputable ones such as Europcar, Hertz, Avis etc.., then you can cancel the booking and get a full refund. There is more info on ArgusCarHire in this post, which might be of use.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=89452426

ardmacha

When comparing these things be very careful that you are comparing like with like, especially in relation to insurance. The site might just be giving you the price for the car, people in the US often have own insurance, but as a you will need insurance as well. Read the small print, thrice.

JOSman

Just back from a week in spain and (from research I had expected it anyway) additional costs are the tank of diesel/petrol and insurance, both cost €60 each. The insurance is to cover excess, which apparently is €3,000.

So expect to pay more that quoted.

Otherwise have a great holiday.

One other piece of advice for your trip, if you know the area you're visiting all will be fine, but if you're unsure, buy a sat nav it really helps especially if you plan to travel around.

skibum

try http://www.rentalcars.com/
If you are renting in spain and are comparing prices, check the fuel policy, most places have a compulsory fuel purchase where they charge you for a full tank on pick up (on top of the rental price) and you return it empty.
Other companies do a full to full, they supply car with full tank, and you return it full when finished.

Hertz with Ryanair do the compulsory fuel purchase in spain, but if you book direct with them it's "full to full"

jt_dublin

JOSman wrote: »

additional costs are the tank of diesel/petrol and insurance, both cost €60 each. The insurance is to cover excess, which apparently is €3,000.

My advice is:

Fuel: Check the fuel policy in the Terms & Conditions before you book. I only ever go with a rental where I can pick up full & return full. If you pre-pay the rental company for the fuel and then return empty, they usually charge you a much higher price per litre that than the forecourt price, plus nobody ever brings the car back completely empty. So they gain twice!

Insurance: I have an annual excess policy. This costs less than the excess you would pay for one rental. You say you paid €60 for 2 weeks. My annual cost with this company was about €40. So it might be worth considering, even if you are only doing one rental in the year. There are more companies doing this excess insurance now, so you could shop around but compare what you are getting.

http://www.insurance4carhire.com/

JT.

JOSman

Hi JT,

The €60 was for one week, I'm aware that you can purchase excess insurance and will in the future be buying before I go on holidays again.

I've heard horror stories where excess insurance was purchased before a trip but was refused by the rental company when the person went to collect the car.


OP,

one of the questions you asked would the rental company want proof of where your from, the answer is they will take details of your passport and driving licence but where your from doesn't matter as you will have a rental reference number and that's all that matters. So go with the .com, any savings made is in your pocket.

Get the best price and limitations to your advantage.