Hlitner and others with car rental experience

Hi, everyone. I am trying to find a rental car in Toulon on a Sunday, and the lowest I've found is $220 for the day for an automatic (neither of us drives a stick shift). For those of you with experience, is this pretty typical for a Sunday, or should I continue looking?

Also, did you find that you need a good understanding of French to drive in France? Not sure how my school Canadian French will hold up. Thank you

Harjinder

Like the rest of Europe, the signage uses international signs. Probably the biggest worry you have is the word "peage" which indicates you are on a toll road.

Learn the international signage, especially the ones for parking or no drive zones! They may look complicated, but notice all the red circle outlines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_European_road_signs#Prohibitory_or_restrictive

We have driven extensively in Europe but always had a three week or more lease from Renault or Peugeot, so I cannot help on the rental. I know an automatic is more expensive and Sunday rentals can be an issue.

We have never personally rented a car in Toulon, but it does appear that Hertz's Train Station location is open on Sunday. As to automatics, we always rent a stick (more fun) which is usually a lot cheaper then an automatic. Hertz does usually have automatics...but since they are not as popular as sticks it is wise to reserve in advance. As to driving in France, as has been posted, the country (like all European countries) uses international road signs. Ironically, the stop signs in France actually say "STOP" which might be a shock to French Canadians :). We do suggest you do a little online research about Parking rules, which actually can be more confusing then the road rules. Our favorite parking story is about the day we parked our car at the Avignon TGV station to meet some friends. When we later went to leave the parking lot we got to the automatic gates which would not accept cash and only worked with a European style EMV Chip/PIN credit card. We could not get out of the lot and there were more then 10 cars lined up behind us which made it impossible to back-up. They had an intercom on the gate machine and we got a man who spoke no English (and we speak little French) but we did manage to communicate our problem. His solution was that we had to back-up and drive to the parking lot office (hundreds of yards from the exit). My friend got out of the car and had to get all those cars (behind us) to back up so we could get out of the queue. We went to the office where they did accept cash....and all this trouble was for a 1 Euro toll.

Hank

Thanks, everyone, for the excellent information!

We have never personally rented a car in Toulon, but it does appear that Hertz's Train Station location is open on Sunday. As to automatics, we always rent a stick (more fun) which is usually a lot cheaper then an automatic. Hertz does usually have automatics...but since they are not as popular as sticks it is wise to reserve in advance. As to driving in France, as has been posted, the country (like all European countries) uses international road signs. Ironically, the stop signs in France actually say "STOP" which might be a shock to French Canadians :). We do suggest you do a little online research about Parking rules, which actually can be more confusing then the road rules. Our favorite parking story is about the day we parked our car at the Avignon TGV station to meet some friends. When we later went to leave the parking lot we got to the automatic gates which would not accept cash and only worked with a European style EMV Chip/PIN credit card. We could not get out of the lot and there were more then 10 cars lined up behind us which made it impossible to back-up. They had an intercom on the gate machine and we got a man who spoke no English (and we speak little French) but we did manage to communicate our problem. His solution was that we had to back-up and drive to the parking lot office (hundreds of yards from the exit). My friend got out of the car and had to get all those cars (behind us) to back up so we could get out of the queue. We went to the office where they did accept cash....and all this trouble was for a 1 Euro toll.

 

Hank

Thanks, Hank. I'm also trying to get your attention on the Travel Around Venice post. :)

I know that I will have many questions for you as I plan this cruise. Do you have an email I could contact you at? Here's mine: hsaroya@hotmail.com

No worries at all if you'd prefer to protect your privacy, however.

Thanks,

Harjinder

Thanks, Hank. I'm also trying to get your attention on the Travel Around Venice post. :)

 

I know that I will have many questions for you as I plan this cruise. Do you have an email I could contact you at? Here's mine: hsaroya@hotmail.com

No worries at all if you'd prefer to protect your privacy, however.

Thanks,

 

Harjinder

As a general rule we prefer to keep with the spirit of Cruise Critic and post our comments/recommendations/etc in the various public forums. We think this is a great way to share ideas and it also keeps us very honest since other frequent posters (and less frequent posters) are quick to correct any of our errors or express different opinions. If we get into a situation where somebody really wants to talk about something that should be private then we do find a way :).

Hank

As a general rule we prefer to keep with the spirit of Cruise Critic and post our comments/recommendations/etc in the various public forums. We think this is a great way to share ideas and it also keeps us very honest since other frequent posters (and less frequent posters) are quick to correct any of our errors or express different opinions. If we get into a situation where somebody really wants to talk about something that should be private then we do find a way :).

 

Hank

Not a problem at all. Be forewarned that I will be seeking your advice often:)

Hi, everyone. I am trying to find a rental car in Toulon on a Sunday, and the lowest I've found is $220 for the day for an automatic (neither of us drives a stick shift). For those of you with experience, is this pretty typical for a Sunday, or should I continue looking?

 

Also, did you find that you need a good understanding of French to drive in France? Not sure how my school Canadian French will hold up. Thank you

 

Harjinder

Generally car rental companies in France are closed on Sundays but open for the cruise ships. The cost is usually 50-100% more than any other day of the week as they have to bring in staff at added costs. I drive a stick but "automatics" were quite a bit more and they're limited in how many they have on the lot.

When I rented in LeHavre, they brought someone in for 4 hours and we had to return the car at a nearby hotel. Being last, I ended up with a "stick shift" and a built-in french language GPS unit. All the "english handhelds" were gone.

I didn't do well in my Canadian high school french classes and I managed the drive from LeHarve to Normandy and back. Watch your speed as you don't want a "camera" ticket waiting for you when you get home. It's $60 better spent elsewhere.:D

Generally car rental companies in France are closed on Sundays but open for the cruise ships. The cost is usually 50-100% more than any other day of the week as they have to bring in staff at added costs. I drive a stick but "automatics" were quite a bit more and they're limited in how many they have on the lot.

 

When I rented in LeHavre, they brought someone in for 4 hours and we had to return the car at a nearby hotel. Being last, I ended up with a "stick shift" and a built-in french language GPS unit. All the "english handhelds" were gone.

 

I didn't do well in my Canadian high school french classes and I managed the drive from LeHarve to Normandy and back. Watch your speed as you don't want a "camera" ticket waiting for you when you get home. It's $60 better spent elsewhere.:D

Thank you, Lambchops. Not being able to drive a manual and being there on a Sunday are double whammies :(

Thank you, Lambchops. Not being able to drive a manual and being there on a Sunday are double whammies :(

ARGH. Manual shifts are the norm throughout Europe...and are always the best deal (economically). If you must have an automatic. it is usually imperative that you reserve the car well in advance...and you should be prepared to pay a premium for the car. We have actually suggested to friends that they learn to drive a stick at home...before they travel :). For what its worth (probably not much) most of the major rental car companies do have some automatics....but you need to be sure to have them reserved and confirmed before arrival. We once rented a manual in Civitavecchia for about $45 a day while the man next to us got the same exact model with an automatic for over $100 a day. He noticed the price difference and complained, and the agent said he could give him a manual for half the price of his car (even though it was not reserved). The man declined because he did not know how to drive a manual...which started an interesting conversation in the agency about "North Americans who cannot drive a stick." Many Europeans find this to be somewhat unbelievable!

We rent a lot of cars in Europe and have sometimes been involved in a bit of a con about rental cars. The conversation goes something like this. The agency (and we are talking about major rental car agencies) will tell us they have a car for X Euros, but it is a manual shift (they will sometimes tell us it is a complex 6 speed). They will then explain that they know that Americans cannot drive manuals (even thought that is what we reserved) and they will offer us an automatic for about twice the price. DW then likes to tell them that she is also an excellent driver of manual shifts..and would they let us put her on as a 2nd driver for free. The reaction we get is never good :) My only question with strange manual brands is to please tell me how to get the car into reverse (not always as easy as one would think).

Hank

All the more reason for my husband to learn how to drive a stick shift, Hank! ;) we do have 6 months!

$220 for a day's rental?

Sounds exciting - I've never driven a Rolls Royce Phantom, Bugatti Veyron or Ferrari F12. :p

We've never opted for automatic, but not noticed that they were significantly more expensive.

Finding best value for a one-day rental in Europe (and, I'm guessing, North America) is hard work cos you need to go through the terms & add-ons, which can double the cost of a day's rental.

That's worse than cruise lines :D

Check out fuel policy. Collect full & return full, or return with the gauge in the same place, there's no extra cost. But collect full return empty is a rip-off - you are likely to pay well over the odds for more fuel than the tank can physically hold & you'll get no credit for unused fuel.

And check out the insurance terms - usually even with CDW there's a high excess (€5000 or thereabouts) which can be covered but at extra cost (CDW excess cover is available for pennies from a number of sources on-line but that way you have to pay for damage & seek a refund from your on-line insurer).

Other potential add-ons too, such as "premium" locations like airports & railway stations, GPS, excess mileage child's / booster seats. Usually payable locally so if you don't do your homework you're committed.

JB :)

All the more reason for my husband to learn how to drive a stick shift, Hank! ;) we do have 6 months!

Oh my! Why "husband?" Ladies can also drive a stick :). DW was forced to give up her stick shift Toyota when DD learned to drive (she did not want to drive the stick). DW actually got over 150,000 miles on the original clutch of her car...and to this day complains about how much she misses the fun of a manual.

Hank

Good comments from John Bull. Renting a car in many European destinations can be a minefield. If the cost is going to be $220 plus, then it is probably going to work out cheaper either to do a private tour or negotiate with a taxi driver for the day.

Whenever we go on holiday we almost always hire a car. At home I drive an automatic, but when we go away we get a manual car due to the price difference. It really makes me appreciate my automatic.

We sure take JBs comments to heart. Currently we are in the process of reserving a rental car (for 3 weeks in France) and even though we are familiar with many of the issued cited by John Bull, it is still a daunting task. Many US issued major credit cards provide free CDW, but this means declining any Collision insurance offered by the rental car company (acceptance of any of this stuff invalidates your credit card coverage) but dong things this way means the rental car company will charge your account for any damage (whether real or imagined) and you can have a real battle resolving this issue. Another popular rental car company ploy is to charge lots of money for "loss of use" which may or may not be covered by your own credit card insurance.

One company that causes us some grief is Sixt which is a fine German rental car company. Sixt rents very new cars and its possible to get a very nice BMW or Mercedes at very good prices...just about anywhere in Europe. But their insurance options are challenging and these folks can be difficult to deal with if you do not take their insurance. I joke that before taking a car from Sixt..one should photograph every square inch (centimeter for Europeans and Canadians) and somehow get them to sign-off on every photo :). Because if you do not have their insurance, it sometimes feels like they will use a magnifying glass to inspect the car on its return. I think the best deal we ever had was on a long term (about 5 week) rental through Kemwel where the rental contract included zero deductible everything (and at a great price).

But here is my message to our JB friend in the UK. It is really no different here in the USA. All the rental car companies make you go through a minefield of insurance options and you can easily spend more money on their insurance then on the actual rental car! The situation is so bad in parts of our own country that many states have actually implemented special laws in an attempt to give some protection to consumers.

Hank

Do most of the French car rental companies offer CDW insurance? If so, how much per day?

My credit card offers this coverage (even loss of use for the rental agency) here in Canada and USA, but I'm not sure if it covers in France.

Will have to investigate!

Do most of the French car rental companies offer CDW insurance? If so, how much per day?

My credit card offers this coverage (even loss of use for the rental agency) here in Canada and USA, but I'm not sure if it covers in France.

Will have to investigate!

Nearly all (we know of one exception) French rental car companies offer CDW options (they sometimes have more then one option) and prices are usually pretty similar to what we have in North American which means anywhere form about $8-$15 a day. You also need to be careful since the waivers do not always give you a zero deductible. As to the credit card coverage, since they do vary you need to check with your own credit card company (always good to get it from them in writing) but most do include France (and do not include Italy and Ireland). As JB warns, when you rely on credit card coverage it does usually mean you will get charged for any damage and then have to fight with your credit card carrier at a later time.

Hank

Nearly all (we know of one exception) French rental car companies offer CDW options (they sometimes have more then one option) and prices are usually pretty similar to what we have in North American which means anywhere form about $8-$15 a day. You also need to be careful since the waivers do not always give you a zero deductible. As to the credit card coverage, since they do vary you need to check with your own credit card company (always good to get it from them in writing) but most do include France (and do not include Italy and Ireland). As JB warns, when you rely on credit card coverage it does usually mean you will get charged for any damage and then have to fight with your credit card carrier at a later time.

 

Hank

I just heard back from "Rent-A-Car" in Le Havre. They have booked a car for us which will meet us at the pier, alongside the ship apparently. They mentioned that "personal insurance" is included in the price of the rental ($100 euros/day) with unlimited mileage and an english GPS too! Looks like a pretty decent deal as we won't have to get a taxi into town at both ends of the rental and they also rent from 8am to 8pm, instead of 9am - 6pm.

I am going to check with my credit card though too.

I just heard back from "Rent-A-Car" in Le Havre. They have booked a car for us which will meet us at the pier, alongside the ship apparently. They mentioned that "personal insurance" is included in the price of the rental ($100 euros/day) with unlimited mileage and an english GPS too! Looks like a pretty decent deal as we won't have to get a taxi into town at both ends of the rental and they also rent from 8am to 8pm, instead of 9am - 6pm.

 

I am going to check with my credit card though too.

The last time we docked at Le Havre (and there are multiple docking locations) that agency had a counter right inside the small terminal building adjacent to the ship. With the GPS that sounds like a reasonable deal...especially if there is a zero deductible on collision. And we agree that getting a car at the port is worth extra Euros because you avoid having to deal with taxis and wasting the time to get to and from an agency.

Hank

Apparently my credit card covers collision damage anywhere I rent a car (even Europe), as long as I decline their insurance add-on. They did mention that in some European countries, you are not allowed to decline insurance coverage through the car rental company. In this case you must have it stated on the contract that you were declined the right to decline insurance through them, then pay the coverage amount and any deductible (i.e. $1000 Euros) if involved in an accident will be covered by my card to make up the difference.

I know…sounds a little confusing. Hopefully in France I can decline their coverage and use my cc's coverage!

I just heard back from "Rent-A-Car" in Le Havre. They have booked a car for us which will meet us at the pier, alongside the ship apparently. They mentioned that "personal insurance" is included in the price of the rental ($100 euros/day) with unlimited mileage and an english GPS too! Looks like a pretty decent deal as we won't have to get a taxi into town at both ends of the rental and they also rent from 8am to 8pm, instead of 9am - 6pm.

 

I am going to check with my credit card though too.

I have heard it's difficult to locate the car rental place in Le Havre. Could you give me the e-mail address you used to reserve the car please? Thanks.

Wendy

I have heard it's difficult to locate the car rental place in Le Havre. Could you give me the e-mail address you used to reserve the car please? Thanks.

 

Wendy

Hi Wendy,

The address below is the one I've been using to rent directly at the dock in Le Havre. They are very fast at responding. Good luck!

le_havre@rentacar.fr

Hi Wendy,

 

The address below is the one I've been using to rent directly at the dock in Le Havre. They are very fast at responding. Good luck!

 

le_havre@rentacar.fr

I have already sent them an e-mail. Thank you for the information.

Wendy

I have already sent them an e-mail. Thank you for the information.

 

Wendy

You're welcome. Hopefully it works out for you too!

Scott