Car rental in Europe

Car rental in Europe

A drive in a rental car in Europe is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the countries of this fascinating continent. Today, this service is not considered a luxury, since car rental can save a lot in countries where public transport fees are very high.

The more people travel together, the more visible the benefit of renting a vehicle becomes. Independent travel is, in any case, the most convenient form of transportation. Nevertheless, in order to rent a car in Europe, you need to understand all the nuances and features of the service in order not to get into a mess and not get large fines.

Renting a car in the countries of the European Union follows the following mechanism:

• First, you should find the most the best offers in the city chosen for the trip on the desired dates. To make booking a vehicle profitable and convenient, it is best to do it in advance using the Internet.
• Upon arrival or arrival in the city, you can pick up the car at the agreed place at the appointed time. To do this, you will need to carefully read the contract and only then sign it. Next, you will need to make a deposit (deposit), inspect the rental car. Any damage that you notice should be noted on the vehicle inspection report. The entire inspection of the car is best captured on video. Go around the car in a circle, film it from all sides. Remove the general condition of the car outside and inside. Pay special attention to the condition of the interior, roof, windows and tires. Don't forget to note the gas level.

• As ​​soon as the rental period ends, return the car to the rental company. If there are no problems, the surrender process is quite quick and simple. Also take a video of the machine from all angles to avoid any further problems.

There are several ways to rent a car in Europe, namely:

• world famous car rental organizations (Alamo, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Sixt, Europcar). You can find signs with their names at all major airports in Europe;

• international rental aggregator sites. Among the most famous are Bookingautos, Cars-scanner, Rentalcars. These platforms help you find cars at competitive prices. Moreover, the booking system on such a service is quite convenient and fast. Typically these sites are available in multiple languages;

• local car rental companies: each European country has its own organizations;

International and local car rental agencies are the only final contact, even if you choose to use aggregator sites found online or through a travel agency. You can usually see them at airports and tourist centers.

What do you need to rent a car in Europe?

To rent a car, you need to provide valid payment and documents, be within the local legal age to rent a car and provide proof of insurance to ensure you are covered at all times. To be able to rent a car in Europe, you will need the following documents:

• a valid (national) driver's license;
• international driver's license;
• voucher (if you booked the car online);
• credit card in the name of the driver of the rental car;
• passport in the name of the driver for identification.

Most car rental companies require a credit card for payment. Rental companies usually ask for a deposit when you pick up the car. Some car rental companies may accept debit cards, but in this case, you must ensure that you have enough funds to cover the full cost of the rental.

While most European countries have a minimum age of 21, some allow car rentals from 18, including Germany, Austria and Sweden. Be sure to check the car rental age limits in different countries for more information.

To rent a car in Europe, you should also read and print out Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which is regulates driving under national law. If your voucher contains an indication that you must have an international driver's license, then the car rental organization may refuse to issue a car in case of their absence. Plus, you can run into a large fine. A printed copy of the Vienna Convention in international English will help you avoid disputes on the roads, as well as at the car rental point.

As ​​a rule, car rental insurance contracts simply provide for liability insurance ( RC) for damages caused to others by the rental car. Theft, attempted theft, fire, damage to the car by a third party are sometimes added to them. However, these services are subject to deductibles, which are amounts that remain your responsibility anyway.

You should read the rental agreement carefully. If the insurance contract seems insufficient to you, you can take advantage of the additional options offered by the rental company to cover, for example, theft, glass breakage, breakdown assistance, punctures, etc. If you already drive a car, you have car insurance. Before you go to a rental company, take out an insurance contract or call your insurer to check if the contract includes car rental.

What to look for when choosing and booking a car?

In order to choose the most suitable rental car for your holiday, it is important to determine in advance what you want usage. If you have a lot of short trips to do, a small model will save you both on rental costs and fuel costs. The longer the car rental period, the lower the cost per day.

It is worth considering that in international car rental companies you can book not a specific car, but a type or class of car. For example, if Honda Civic is indicated, then they can give a compact Toyota Corolla. As a rule, the replaced vehicles are approximately the same level. Sometimes you are lucky, and they give you a free car with a higher level.

There are quite a lot of manual transmission cars in Europe. Renting them will cost you much less than cars with automatic transmission. When choosing a car, it would be good to estimate the number of kilometers that you need to drive in order to choose the offer that is closest to your budget. If possible, choose the "unlimited mileage" plan, although this is rarely offered in Europe during the holidays.

Once you have decided on a suitable car model, it is worth comparing the offers of different rental agencies. Online services save you time and allow you to evaluate rental companies in just a few clicks. It should also be noted that rental rates when booked online are often lower than those offered online.

1. Depending on your needs, before leaving, it is recommended to find out which insurance to choose: standard or additional. Usually standard insurance is included in the cost of car rental. It implies external damage and material damage caused to a third party and his vehicle. Depending on the risks specific to your destination, you may be asked to take out additional insurance. It is also recommended to find out about the amount of the deductible, as well as exceptions to the guarantee. Some rental agencies offer deductible reductions or even deductible coverage.

Entering neighboring countries with a rental car

Due to democratization vehicles, and since the abolition of borders in the European Union in the 21st century, crossing the border in a rental car has become almost as easy as in your own. You can almost always cross the borders of the state in which you managed to rent a vehicle. However, it all depends on the conditions of the rental company. Some rental organizations allow you to enter a neighboring country completely free of charge, others allow you to cross the border subject to authorization and payment of an add-on, and still others prohibit you from doing this, regardless of the country of destination.

Many car rental companies allow you to leave the country within the European Union where the car was rented. Some of them ask you to indicate this information in advance in the questionnaire at the time of booking. Additional fees apply for entry to neighboring countries. You may also encounter restrictions on transporting your rental car on a ferry.

Car tours in multiple countries require careful preparation and coordination with the rental company. Therefore, inform your local landlord about the countries you will be crossing and the length of your stay abroad. If you do not indicate the border crossing point when signing the rental agreement, you run the risk of driving without insurance in the crossed country.

Your vehicle's permission to cross the border may also depend on the category or make of the vehicle. In any case, you just need to check the general rental conditions to find out what is possible and what is not. Please note that the countries you can travel to depend on the rental country. For example, if you rent a car in Germany, you won't be able to drive to Croatia, but if you rent it to Slovenia, this may be allowed.

In any case, border crossing conditions depend on country and tenant. In northern and western Europe this is not a problem at all. For travel between Eastern Europe and Western Europe there are differences depending on the tenants. Renting a car between northern and southern Europe is more of an exception than the rule. Therefore, if you are planning a trip to Scandinavia, leaving and returning your rental car in Norway, but passing through Sweden and Finland, then this generally possible easily.

It should be borne in mind that crossing the border is usually allowed only for certain categories of vehicles and often involves additional costs. Therefore, we advise you to estimate the total cost of your trip around Europe in advance.

Peculiarities of driving on European roads

More and more legislation is being harmonized within the European Union. The same applies to the Rules of the Road, however, each country still has its own characteristics. Almost everywhere the minimum driving age in Europe is set at 18. The exceptions are the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hungary and Iceland, where driving is allowed from the age of 17.

It is worth noting that you must have your original driver's license with you. Also, if you have a non-European driving license, you must have an international driving license.

When driving on European autobahns, you should keep to the right, the left lane is for overtaking. As for speed limits on motorways, they can vary greatly depending on the European country: in general, from 90 km/h to 110 km/h. Here are the speed limits on motorways in frequently visited European countries or those whose restrictions are unusual:

• Iceland - 90 km/h;
• Cyprus - 100 km/h;
• UK – 112 km/h;
• Spain, Belgium, Portugal and Ireland - 120 km/h;
• France, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland – 130 km/h;
• Bulgaria, Poland - 140 km/h;
• Germany - no speed limits.

When renting a car in Europe on Bookingautos, use the google map navigation offline using the ok maps function in the search. Speaking of the speed limit in urban areas, it is almost everywhere 50 km/h. In Andorra this speed is set at 40 km/h, while in some eastern countries 60 km/h is allowed (Belarus, Georgia and others).

In countries Europe there is no difference between overtaking and being ahead. You are not allowed to use your phone while driving, in many places the police stand on the highway and look for violators. In most European countries, the legal blood alcohol limit for driving is 0.05%. In northern and eastern European countries, the standard border is often halved, or zero tolerance is the rule:

• Lithuania: 0.04%;
• Finland: 0.022%;
• Serbia, Norway, Sweden: 0.02%;

This applies additional restrictions to inexperienced drivers. In any case, you should just refrain from drinking alcohol while driving. This is a great solution for your own safety. In such a situation, you also don't have to do any complicated math to know if you're within acceptable limits. Penalties for exceeding your blood alcohol level while driving in Europe are hefty, so avoiding this unnecessary risk is advised.

Good to know

The most popular cars in Europe

Documents required for car rental

Driving license

Credit card

Voucher

Passport

Europe car rental tips