Driving in Europe with a hire car

[I'm Brian]

Started thinking about next years holidays and was looking at a multi country road trip...Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Italy.

Does anyone know what the craic is with hiring a car for such purposes?  Will the hire just be standard wherever I go or will their be extra charges for crossing borders? 

[welshbairn]

36 minutes ago, I'm Brian said:

Started thinking about next years holidays and was looking at a multi country road trip...Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Italy.

Does anyone know what the craic is with hiring a car for such purposes?  Will the hire just be standard wherever I go or will their be extra charges for crossing borders? 

Sounds like you'll have to tell the car hire firm your plans if you want to be sure of being fully insured, and there may be a charge. There are a couple of specific examples elsewhere on this website. Could be worth deciding where to hire your car before planning your trip, eg Swiss firms don't seem to make a charge.

https://www.rentalcars.com/en/guides/driving-your-rental/drive-hire-car-in-another-country/

 

 

[Dindeleux]

If you have a non-Swiss car you get charged 50CHF just to drive into the country.

If you have a hire car you can get fines back here in the UK if you get caught speeding.  The French don't advertise their speed cameras so you just get fucked all the time.

 

Just noticed you didn't mention France.  The roads in Switzerland and Germany are fantastic.

Edited May 1, 2019 by Dindeleux

[carpetmonster]

Just make sure you get something with a reasonable amount of grunt for hilly country. Hertz gave us a Mini in Andalusia which was about as much fun as a kick in the bollocks

[senorsoupe]

On 5/1/2019 at 11:36, I'm Brian said:

Started thinking about next years holidays and was looking at a multi country road trip...Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Italy.

Does anyone know what the craic is with hiring a car for such purposes?  Will the hire just be standard wherever I go or will their be extra charges for crossing borders? 

Double check the company you rent from, but last time I went we had no problem with Europcar, got unlimited KM in most countries. Drove in France (where we rented), Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, and Luxembourg with no issues however when I was researching I noticed some of the cheaper rental companies had country restrictions.

Also here is my ranking of countries for their car-friendliness

1. Germany, smooth roads, good speed limits

2. Belgium, decent roads, no tolls

3. Luxembourg, decent roads, lower speed limits

4. France, crappier roads, really nasty tolls.  If driving in France avoid the main autoroutes unless you don't want to end up paying a metric fuckton of tolls.  I think it cost us something close to 15 euros to go from Paris to Caen

5. Netherlands, all of the traffic calming all of the time, no tolls but it takes forever to get anywhere off the motorway because everything gets slowed down.  Oh and roads seemed closed for no logical reason and we had to take long detours

Edited May 3, 2019 by senorsoupe

[Ingo ohne Flamingo]

On 02/05/2019 at 00:56, Dindeleux said:

If you have a non-Swiss car you get charged 50CHF just to drive into the country.

If you have a hire car you can get fines back here in the UK if you get caught speeding.  The French don't advertise their speed cameras so you just get fucked all the time.

 

Just noticed you didn't mention France.  The roads in Switzerland and Germany are fantastic.

Yep, the good old Vignette, Austria also have those but you can get a 10 day card for cheap. 

Unfortunately speeding fines are now working their way home now! I got 1 in Austria and 2 in France back in October (in a Scottish vehicle). All 45EUR each, and aye, the French cameras are the same size as wee telephone exchange boxes at the side of the road!! Sneaky b*****ds, add that to the scandalous charges for the tolls, Calais to Catalonia easy over 100€ return. 

In terms of hiring a car, I’ve just hired from Eindhoven Airport today with Sixt. Booked via Autoeurope who are very good. Definitely book the £0 excess cover!! It costs a wee bit more but you’re safe in the knowledge you’re not going to be fucked for a few hundred euros for a wee scratch of dent. 

Also, book an economy sized car, 9 times out of 10 you’ll get a free upgrade. 

In terms of driving round Germany, head to Munich and head south and nip off the beaten track, some of the roads up the hills towards Austria are stunning! 

Füssen to Innsbruck is a gorgeous drive as well, consider going into Süd Tirol in German speaking Italy. 

Edited May 6, 2019 by Ingo ohne Flamingo

[welshbairn]

6 minutes ago, Ingo ohne Flamingo said:

Also, book an economy sized car, 9 times out of 10 you’ll get a free upgrade. 

Same in Scotland btw.

[German Jag]

On 1.5.2019 at 17:36, I'm Brian said:

Started thinking about next years holidays and was looking at a multi country road trip...Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Italy.

Does anyone know what the craic is with hiring a car for such purposes?  Will the hire just be standard wherever I go or will their be extra charges for crossing borders? 

Assuming some form of Brexit will have kicked in by then, then would also check on the need for an International Drivers Permit. Both to satisfy the rental car people as well as any police.

Edited May 6, 2019 by German Jag

[senorsoupe]

20 minutes ago, German Jag said:

Assuming some form of Brexit will have kicked in by then, then would also check on the need for an International Drivers Permit. Both to satisfy the rental car people as well as any police.

Rental people seemed to be pretty relaxed about the IDP, at least in Paris.  My Dad was really enthusiastic about trying to show it to the rental desk agent but she didn't seem to care, maybe because  our regular drivers licenses from Canada have French writing on it lol

Edited May 6, 2019 by senorsoupe

[Barry Ferguson's Hat]

Driving is dangerous and scary. 

[I'm Brian]

Cheers for all the replies

 

4 hours ago, Barry Ferguson's Hat said:

Driving is dangerous and scary. 

Driving is neither dangerous nor scary if you know what you are doing and don't act like a knob. Go off the beaten track and it can be both a rewarding and relaxing experience where other cars are few and far between and taking you to places you wouldn't get to otherwise

 

9 hours ago, Ingo ohne Flamingo said:

 

Unfortunately speeding fines are now working their way home now! I got 1 in Austria and 2 in France back in October (in a Scottish vehicle). All 45EUR each, and aye, the French cameras are the same size as wee telephone exchange boxes at the side of the road!! Sneaky b*****ds, add that to the scandalous charges for the tolls, Calais to Catalonia easy over 100€ return. 

In terms of hiring a car, I’ve just hired from Eindhoven Airport today with Sixt. Booked via Autoeurope who are very good. Definitely book the £0 excess cover!! It costs a wee bit more but you’re safe in the knowledge you’re not going to be fucked for a few hundred euros for a wee scratch of dent. 

In terms of driving round Germany, head to Munich and head south and nip off the beaten track, some of the roads up the hills towards Austria are stunning! 

Füssen to Innsbruck is a gorgeous drive as well, consider going into Süd Tirol in German speaking Italy. 

I would always avoid the toll roads if possible. So many more places to explore when you are off the main drag. The only time I drove on the continent I took out the extra cover. It might double the price of your hire, but makes sense. Everything is the wrong way round 

Think I got a speeding ticket in Italy last time I was there. According to the local I was asking about it they reckon it definitely triggered. Thankfully never heard anything back. Perhaps I'm an international fugitive now.

Innsbruck is one of the places I'm looking to fly into, but might struggle to get a flight in the summer, but will definitely be visiting regardless

Edited May 7, 2019 by I'm Brian

[Ingo ohne Flamingo]

15 hours ago, I'm Brian said:

Cheers for all the replies

 

Driving is neither dangerous nor scary if you know what you are doing and don't act like a knob. Go off the beaten track and it can be both a rewarding and relaxing experience where other cars are few and far between and taking you to places you wouldn't get to otherwise

 

I would always avoid the toll roads if possible. So many more places to explore when you are off the main drag. The only time I drove on the continent I took out the extra cover. It might double the price of your hire, but makes sense. Everything is the wrong way round 

Think I got a speeding ticket in Italy last time I was there. According to the local I was asking about it they reckon it definitely triggered. Thankfully never heard anything back. Perhaps I'm an international fugitive now.

Innsbruck is one of the places I'm looking to fly into, but might struggle to get a flight in the summer, but will definitely be visiting regardless

There’s an annual insurance policy you can take for car hire rental. An Irish lad I work with has it as he hires a car several times a year when he has a weekend or a few days at home. 

Some £0 excess options can be like £4 a day then there’s ones at £20 a day. Car Hire companies can be very wanky so I’ve never fancied taking the chance!

if you think you got caught speeding in a hire car, check your credit card statement, sometimes the sneaky b*****ds don’t notify you of if it and just deduct the money from your card, that and the lovely admin fee! Italian motorway cameras are in the gantries and very clear, the German ones are very hard to spot as is the Swiss, the French are the worst though.

i quite fancy a flight into Innsbruck, meant to be a crazy landing!

 

[git-intae-thum]

Don't buy comprehensive insurances with the rental company. Take out excess insurance from an on line broker. It will save you a fortune.

The only downside with this is that the rental company will want to put a hold on your credit card. This can be around £1000 to £1500.

If the car is damaged, the rental company will keep some/all of that money. You will then have to claim on the excess insurance, so keep any reports/ reference numbers etc re the damage.

In my experience, some of the car hire firms on the continent, particularly the budget ones, can be very shady. 

To avoid being blamed for damage you didn't cause, check the car thoroughly inside and out on collection. Then check the rental agreement to make sure all dints and dents are accounted for. If not get them to mark them on the rental agreement. It's also a good idea to take a video of the car at collection.....and let them see you doing so.

You are less likely to find any nasty shocks on your credit card a month or two down the line and then have the hassle of claiming from the excess insurance.

Apart from that it's a doddle and a great way of seeing the sights.

Edited May 8, 2019 by git-intae-thum

[tarapoa]

We hired a car at Frankfurt and were covered for every country we drove to between there and Montenegro and back.

Except.......we were stopped at the border post between Croatia and Republika Srpska- but got into Bosnia Hercegovina further up the coast by paying for special insurance at the border near Mostar, which was unavailable on the small road near Dubrovnik.

[Michael W]

On Wednesday, May 08, 2019 at 10:31, git-intae-thum said:

Don't buy comprehensive insurances with the rental company. Take out excess insurance from an on line broker. It will save you a fortune.

The only downside with this is that the rental company will want to put a hold on your credit card. This can be around £1000 to £1500.

If the car is damaged, the rental company will keep some/all of that money. You will then have to claim on the excess insurance, so keep any reports/ reference numbers etc re the damage.

In my experience, some of the car hire firms on the continent, particularly the budget ones, can be very shady. 

To avoid being blamed for damage you didn't cause, check the car thoroughly inside and out on collection. Then check the rental agreement to make sure all dints and dents are accounted for. If not get them to mark them on the rental agreement. It's also a good idea to take a video of the car at collection.....and let them see you doing so.

You are less likely to find any nasty shocks on your credit card a month or two down the line and then have the hassle of claiming from the excess insurance.

This. Did this in France and Sixt tried to pin some damages on me that I didn't cause. My suspision is that someone dinged it when moving it as the pictures that came back were not where I'd left the car. Not paying for the waiver, I was of course an easy target for them. Luckily I'd taken pictures of the car includig where I have left it. 

In the end they never charged anything after I'd provided my explanation to them, but it was much cheaper insure it rather than pay whatever silly money Sixt were charging for the damage waiver. 

[Joe Terrapin]

On 06/05/2019 at 22:42, Ingo ohne Flamingo said:

Yep, the good old Vignette, Austria also have those but you can get a 10 day card for cheap. 

Unfortunately speeding fines are now working their way home now! I got 1 in Austria and 2 in France back in October (in a Scottish vehicle). All 45EUR each, and aye, the French cameras are the same size as wee telephone exchange boxes at the side of the road!! Sneaky b*****ds, add that to the scandalous charges for the tolls, Calais to Catalonia easy over 100€ return. 

In terms of hiring a car, I’ve just hired from Eindhoven Airport today with Sixt. Booked via Autoeurope who are very good. Definitely book the £0 excess cover!! It costs a wee bit more but you’re safe in the knowledge you’re not going to be fucked for a few hundred euros for a wee scratch of dent. 

Also, book an economy sized car, 9 times out of 10 you’ll get a free upgrade. 

In terms of driving round Germany, head to Munich and head south and nip off the beaten track, some of the roads up the hills towards Austria are stunning! 

Füssen to Innsbruck is a gorgeous drive as well, consider going into Süd Tirol in German speaking Italy. 

The Vignette is only for using the motorways in Switzerland and the Swiss get charged it too. It is pretty easy to negotiate Switzerland without doing motorways and much more scenic. All the mountain passes Gothard, Julier, Simplon etc are vignette free and the bset way to see the country. The vignette is expensive if you're only passing through but as it lasts a year the locals don't mind the expense.

[Ingo ohne Flamingo]

On 31/05/2019 at 11:12, Joe Terrapin said:

The Vignette is only for using the motorways in Switzerland and the Swiss get charged it too. It is pretty easy to negotiate Switzerland without doing motorways and much more scenic. All the mountain passes Gothard, Julier, Simplon etc are vignette free and the bset way to see the country. The vignette is expensive if you're only passing through but as it lasts a year the locals don't mind the expense.

It's only about £40 I think. I've passed through the Gotthard Tunnel before, unfortunately I had to be in Milan and I had already done 2 flights to get to Zürich so I wasn't messing about. Stunning drive all the same mind you!

[UsedToGoToCentralPark]

I've used insurance4carhire before for this, it's decent peace of mind and lets you drive in places like France without paying for their crazy insurance that can double the price of the car hire. It was about £40 for an annual policy last time I got it.

I've used icarhireinsurance but never had to claim on it so cant actually say it's any good but on paper it is.

[TOUR GUIDE]

In fact, Costco isn’t the cheapest. It works with fewer dealers so your choices are limited. Compared with Costco car rental, EasyRentCars has more options and deals to choose from. Here's some information worth checking out.

Edited September 3, 2019 by TOUR GUIDE

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

I drive in America and Europe by hire car quite a bit. I took out an annual policy with insurance4car hire which provides fully comp coverage and protection for £110 a year, which is great considering I drive 6 weeks a year in America and that kind of coverage can be £15 a day with the company. It also means you pay no excess/cdw/ldw etc. It came in handy when wind damaged the car (an awning blew off into the rear of the car damaging the roof and parking sensor) and my mum hit someone else at a petrol station. Two claims for over £7000 of damage and it was all refunded with very little fuss. Think they do a european version for £54 a year.