Hello there
Does anyone know a cost effective way to hire a car in the UK with cover to drive in Europe?
Any quotes I've looked at are very expensive if you compare them with the same dates and just driving in the UK?
Thanks, Chris.
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Where are you going? Could you not fly-drive? Would save time too.
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Once hired a van in UK to take to Europe for a week - certainly took some shopping around to find a reasonable price. Eventually found something at a local company, not one of the majors, all of which seemed v pricey.
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Last summer I was in Holland and wondered about hiring a car to drive to Berlin, which I ended up not doing.
UK apart, is it easy to hire a car in one EU country and drive it in others?
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I had a terrible job trying to hire something to drive 7 of us to and from the Le Mans 24h back in 2005. Three or four companies quoted >£700 for the weekend for a Transit / LDV Convoy 12-seater, and then backed out when they checked the small print and realised they weren't insured for European use.
We eventually found a sub-1000 mile 05 plate VW Transporter 9-seater, with the 2.8TDi engine and auto box, plus aircon (just as well, it hit 37deg C that weekend), for around £350 IIRC to hire from 12 noon on Friday to 8am on Monday. It was fully insured and covered for breakdowns in Europe, it even came with a GB sticker, warning triangle, first aid kit, bulb set and fire extinguisher (no hi-vis vest needed back then). The company was Budget Rent-A-Car in Northampton. They even delivered it to and collected it from my house. Absolutely excellent service all round.
HTH,
Dave TD.
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Along with thousands of others I routinely hire cars in Switzerland for driving in France. No additional insure premium at all.
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Thanks for your advice. I'll make a few phone calls to the local independents and see what comes up.
Chris.
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Funnily enough, just last night I got talking to the guy in the van behind me in the Eurotunnel train - it was a hired 9-seat VW Transporter - and he was driving back from France to Welwyn, Hertfordshire. Turns out he owned the hire company, and I pressume insurance was no problem. Don't know his company name though.
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If you hire anywhere in Europe, the standard insurance cover will extend all the way across western Europe. However, if you rent in the UK, you will pay all sorts of surcharges to take the car outside the UK.
I've always suspected this was because of the hassle/cost for the rental company associated with repairs and repatriation. They can't leave a RHD car for repair at a depot in Europe - once the car is fixed they can't hire that RHD car in a LHD market. Hence they need to factor in the repatriation costs with the insurance element. Just my theory of why you face these extra costs - maybe someone in the industry knows the truth.
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Certainly Hertz (& I think their major competitors too) used to have a large office in Calais at or near the Eurotunnel terminal. They offered a service whereby you swapped your hire car for another one if you were crossing the channel or had just crossed it from the UK. Idea was of course to keep UK cars in the UK and French ones in France. This service existed about 5 years ago - maybe it still does today?
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maybe try www.carrentals.co.uk, its a comparison site, haven't used them myself, but have seen them recommended.
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Did it with Avis before - My better half had someone drive in her rear end just as we were going to France - other party admitted full liability (not much choice as it was witnesed by plod). Ins co told us to hire and they would cover the cost - think it was about £1200 for 14 days (espace) and about half the bill was insurance
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