Car Rental in the Netherlands - Land of Art and Floral Landscapes

To hire a car in the Netherlands, you’ll soon discover that most of the leading car rental companies impose some age restrictions and require drivers to be at least 21 years old, although it's important to bear in mind that that some restrictions might apply when selecting vehicles in specific categories like Luxury vehicles due to the greater value of such cars. Please also remember that in order to pick up your vehicle at the collection point, you need to have been in possession of a full driving licence for at least one year. Some providers rent vehicles to drivers as young as 18 years old but stipulate the payment of a Young Driver Surcharge which is paid locally.

It couldn't be easier or quicker to find out how much the Young Driver Surcharge will be: all you need to do is select your dates and pick-up point after making a search in the Auto Europe booking engine, after which a list of suppliers, car categories and their respective car hire prices will appear. To find the fee, just click on the blue and white info (i) button in the car details where you'll see any age restrictions and any related additional payments in the Driver Information section. It's essential for younger and older drivers to enter their correct age when booking their car hire through Auto Europe's high-tech search engine so that we can help you make the right choice of car hire for your car rental in the Netherlands.

Yes, definitely! Another of the big advantages of booking your car hire in the Netherlands through Auto Europe is the chance to request a one-way car hire, which is usually subject to an additional charge known as a one-way fee. The amount of these fee is either included in Auto Europe’s published rates or will need to be paid directly to the local car rental check-in staff when you arrive to pick up your vehicle. It's worth noting that the local car rental provider might choose to impose their own restrictions on one-way bookings; for instance, they might decide that you are not allowed to drive a certain category of car (such as Luxury vehicle) into one or more of the neighbouring countries. All the info you need regarding one-way fees are normally clearly stated under the quoted rate of the car rental rate after making a search in the Auto Europe booking engine. Furthermore, you'll find the same information in the car rental voucher sent to you by e-mail once the booking has been confirmed. Please note that the entire amount of the one-way fee goes to the local supplier and not Auto Europe.

Nevertheless, our policy is to be as transparent as possible with our customers regarding every aspect of the booking in order to keep them fully informed and to help them make the best decision they can before embarking on their trip. It's important to bear in mind that each and every car rental supplier determines its own fees and therefore the rate charged for collecting and dropping off your vehicle in different locations might not be the same as other suppliers (indeed, other car hire companies might not even allow any one-way travel at all). Some of our customers choose to rent a car in the Netherlands with the intention of visiting one or more of its neighbouring countries, namely Belgium and Germany. Some vehicle rental providers all travel to Western European countries without restriction while others may impose restraints according to which country and/or vehicle category you choose. For this reason, Auto Europe requests its customers to state which countries they intend to visit at the time of making their car hire booking through our search engine, which will duly added to the car hire voucher. In the majority of cases, the local car provider will need to authorise any cross-border travel and decide whether or not any fees will be payable, which are then charged locally. To find out if any fees and/or restrictions apply to your booking, please click on the blue and white info icon (i) after making your search in the Auto Europe search engine where you'll find all the necessary one-way information.

Yes. The majority of local suppliers will demand a credit card and deposit before allowing you to collect your car rental in the Netherlands mostly because they will need to place a hold on the value of the deductible for the vehicle being rented out to you for the duration of your rental period. Please note that this deposit is promptly refunded once the vehicle has been returned undamaged. It's very important to be aware (and a common reason for complaint) that debit cards are very rarely accepted by the car hire provider, so our advice is to always present a credit card in the name of the main driver when you arrive to collect your vehicle. Please also make sure that this card is valid and has enough credit to cover any costs or other expenses that might be incurred during your trip, such as parking or speeding fines, etc. Please also note that the supplier might require a second major credit card such as Visa, Mastercard, Diners or American Express (also in the main driver’s name) in the case of customers booking a premium or luxury category car hire in the Netherlands. To check which credit cards are accepted, just click on the blue and white info icon (i) where all the credit card conditions are clearly explained in the Mandatory Deposit Information section.

There are a number of aspects drivers need to take into consideration when travelling with a car rental in in the Netherlands. First and foremost, it is essential to remember that traffic circulates on the right and seat-belts must be worn at all times, both front and back. Regarding speed limits, please remember that it is strictly against the law to drive faster than 50kph in built-up areas, 80kph on regional and local roads, 100kph on dual-carriageways and 130kph on motorways. Netherlands is a country that has an abundance of petrol stations open 24/7, including on the approach to airports which is useful when dropping your car rental. Please look out for cyclists, of which there are many often travelling in groups, so it's important to give them a very wide berth when overtaking. Drink-driving laws in the Netherlands are amongst the strictest in the European Union with the maximum permitted level being 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood for most drivers. The emergency number is 112 which you should call in case of a breakdown or accident at any time of the day or night. As everywhere, the use of a mobile phone whilst driving is strictly prohibited in the Netherlands unless you have a hands-free system.

The answer is no in most places, although there are a couple of places where you will be required to pay a toll to enter a tunnel. Two instances are the Kiltunnel (connecting the city of Dordrecht with the Hoeksche Waard region of the province of Zuid-Holland) and Westerscheldetunnel on the N62 motorway under the Western Scheldt estuary between Ellewoutsdijk and Terneuzen. However, both can be avoided if drivers have enough time on their hands. Other than that, there are no tolls payable for driving on country roads and motorways in the Netherlands which means you can travel around the country without paying any additional expenses.

The good news for people booking a car rental in the Netherlands with Auto Europe is the fact that all the rates quoted on our website include the minimum amount of legally-required coverage, including Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Theft Protection (TP), either with or without excess (depending on the local supplier). Drivers looking for full protection can pay a little more for peace of mind with Auto Europe's excellent Full Damage Protection simply by adding it during the booking process.

When you arrive to collect your vehicle, there's a tendency for the staff of the local car rental supplier to try selling their own products on top of what the customer might have already purchased on our website. These products are totally optional and non-refundable, so please make sure you are fully aware of what you have already purchased prior to collecting your vehicle.

Yes! Another reason for Auto Europe's widespread popularity as a major international car hire company is the wide range of services it offers, which includes giving people the chance to share the driving by additional another driver to the rental contract. The Netherlands is an excellent place for a road-trip and being able to take turns at the wheel further enhances the experience of touring this beautiful country by car. Some local car rental companies include the second driver in the rate, while others choose to add a daily charge known as an Additional Driver Fee (set by the supplier and not by Auto Europe) to the bill at the time of picking up the vehicle. Please note that, besides being included in the voucher, the name of the additional driver must be added to the rental agreement. He or she will also be expected to present the same documents as the main driver at the time of collecting the vehicle (namely their driving licence, passport, IDP (International Driving Permit), etc. As with the credit card info above, all the relevant info relating to Additional Driver Fees (such as how much it is) are clearly stated on the Auto Europe website by clicking on the blue and white info (i) icon, after which you can find it in the Driver Information section. Please note that should anyone drive the vehicle other than the main driver who is not registered as an additional driver, they would automatically become liable for the total amount of any damage caused to the vehicle in the event of a collision or act of theft, which is the main reason why it is so important to make sure that the names of all additional drivers are included on the voucher at the start of the rental period. The good news is that Auto Europe has a good selection of Free Additional Driver offers running throughout the years in many of the world-s most popular destinations.