EU rental car question

[roboref]

I want to either rent a car for a week before or after our cruise from Barcelona. My question is:

 

Can I drive the car from Spain up into Switzerland and/or France?

 

I know a one way rental would be exorbitantly expensive. So I want to rent in Barcelona and drive a loop to Switzerland and France. I have found very little information. I hope and would expect that with the openness of the EU that this would not be a problem, but would love to hear from others who have experience with this.

[Cruise Junky]

I won't be a problem at all. AutoEurope dot com is a great site. There will be a very high drop fee though. We rented in Nice and dropped off in Rome, I think it was a 16 day rental. The drop fee was around 300 Euro.

[carlmm]

Can I drive the car from Spain up into Switzerland and/or France?

 

I know a one way rental would be exorbitantly expensive. So I want to rent in Barcelona and drive a loop to Switzerland and France. I have found very little information. I hope and would expect that with the openness of the EU that this would not be a problem,

 

There should not be any problems (even though Switzerland is not part of the EU :) ) as long as you do not venture to far to the East.

[49er]

We have rented cars from Hertz in Europe and will do so again this May in Barcelona. Always have been dropped off at the same city we picked the car up in. Won't be a problem with a one way rental though (other then the cost in Euros. Ouch!) Also there is a road fee when you enter Switzerland which I believe is around 30Euros. You might also want to pick up an international drivers license before you go. Some rental companies now require them

[roboref]

One site had quoted 800 Euros for a drop charge, so that is the reason to make a loop up into Switzerland and France with the return being back in Barcelona. So far quotes have been in the $300 to $400 for an economy 1 week rental.

 

Also the idea of a foreign driver permit is a good one. I have heard you get them at AAA or is there someone better to go to?

 

Thanks for the recommendations of AutoEurope and Hertz.

 

One last question, is there a rental location in Barcelona, rather than going out to the airport?

 

Thanks again

[vivian02]

Your right....getting information is sometimes difficult. 49er is correct on the sticker you will need to purchase when driving into Switerland 30 Euros sounds about right. Another thing to consider that you won't get reliable information on will be insurance. If you call your insurance company they will flat tell you that your are not covered by them when driving oversea? Here is how you get "Primary Coverage".... "Use your Visa Credit Card" once you charge on your Visa and sign the wavier from the Car rental Company your Primary coverage for car insurance will be covered by the Credit Card Company. You should be covered for everything your insurance company covers you for at home. Look into this because you will save lots of money. If you should purchase the Rental Cars insurance it will cost as much as the rental car price (Don't do it). I hope this helps. I don't think you will have any problem, just do your homework and read the fine print. Tim

[bonnieg]

Roberef, I few years ago I rented a car with a pick up in Lisbon, Portugal and a drop off in Spain. I was also quoted exorbitant drop off rates, but I knew I had to pay them because there was no other way to get there, trains and buses didn't work out. While in Lisbon I went around to different car rental agencies to see if they had a car that needed to be returned back to Spain. Avis had a car to go back and I canceled by original reservation with Hertz. The drop off fee was waived. I think this happens quite frequently.

 

BTW, Love the picture of your beagle, I have a beagle also.

[SelectSys]

... I know a one way rental would be exorbitantly expensive...

 

Consider your time as well. For example, the drive from Zurich back to Barcelona is over 10 hours. With only seven days to look around, spending 10 hours driving isn't all that appealing to me. I would be very cautious in terms of trying to go too far. I would much rather spend time exploring a destination than driving madly from place to place.

 

Good luck and have a great time!

[sierralala]

I rented a car for 3 weeks - pick up in Paris and drop off in Munich. Hertz gave us a car that needed to be returned to Germany, so there was no drop off fee. I also did this when I rented a car in the Netherlands and dropped off in Germany. Our contract stated we couldn't not drive into Eastern Europe (the contract specficially listed the countries), but ask the rental car company and also be sure to read your contract to ensure you know where you can and can't go. Sometimes the agents don't tell you everything or tell you something different than what is in the contract, but the contract controls in a dispute.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Various comments:

 

I think the International Drivers Permit/License is a big scam. I have NEVER been asked for that document. Rentals have been in Spain, Germany, Belgium and Netherlands. If you're renting with a major rental company, all they want is your home state drivers license and a credit card.

 

Auto Europe will beat other company quotes. They don't have their own cars, they book you with major rental companies such as Avis or Europcar. Get quotes from all sources and then call AE. Get their quote but if you've found one lower, tell them.

 

Not all credit cards provide the rental car coverage. Normally it has to be a platinum or gold card. The little brochure that came with the credit card will describe the benefit as well as the exclusions.

 

The road fee in Switzerland is paid at the border and they give you a sticker to place in the vehicle's window. The sticker is called a "Vignette". Rentals cars in Switzerland will already have the sticker and it's possible cars rented outside the country will have one from a prior renter. But that's unlikely renting in Spain. Austria has a similar "vignette" sticker requirement.

 

The autoroutes in France and autostradas in Italy are toll roads. They are expensive!

 

BobK/Orlando

[Globaliser]

Can I drive the car from Spain up into Switzerland and/or France?

If you rent a normal-size car, it ought not to be a problem. But you should ask well in advance, because you may be surprised.

 

In July, I rented an E-class Mercedes in Munich, mostly it was both big enough to take the five adults in our group, and it had been badly mispriced by the computer. I was told in no uncertain terms that the car was not to go into Italy - even though both Germany and Italy are in the EU.

 

The restrictions tend to get worse the more expensive and powerful the car is.

I think the International Drivers Permit/License is a big scam. I have NEVER been asked for that document. Rentals have been in Spain, Germany, Belgium and Netherlands. If you're renting with a major rental company, all they want is your home state drivers license and a credit card.

I agree with this. I've been renting cars all over the world for the last 20 years and I have never had an international driving licence. I've only ever taken my national licence (which is so old it doesn't even have a photo on it) and my passport.

Another thing to consider that you won't get reliable information on will be insurance. If you call your insurance company they will flat tell you that your are not covered by them when driving oversea? Here is how you get "Primary Coverage".... "Use your Visa Credit Card" once you charge on your Visa and sign the wavier from the Car rental Company your Primary coverage for car insurance will be covered by the Credit Card Company. You should be covered for everything your insurance company covers you for at home. Look into this because you will save lots of money. If you should purchase the Rental Cars insurance it will cost as much as the rental car price (Don't do it).

Not all credit cards provide the rental car coverage. Normally it has to be a platinum or gold card. The little brochure that came with the credit card will describe the benefit as well as the exclusions.

You need to be clear about what insurance is necessary.

 

Liability insurance should not be a problem, because pretty much all car rental in Europe includes minimum third party liability insurance in the rate - and the minimum must by law include unlimited liability for personal injury, and something like the equivalent of $500,000 of liability for property damage.

 

There are often chargeable extras for insurance of the car itself. But again, many rates already include CDW/LDW and Theft Protection. Two things to look for: whether TP needs to be a separate item from the CDW/LDW, and whether you want to insure the excess (deductible) for a further fee.