Car Rental Extras and Local Fees Explained

The contentment of our clients is a serious consideration for Auto Europe and because of this we spend a lot of time trying to improve the quality of the information we provide. The subject of local fees and add-ons can be a little confusing for travellers, hence we are constantly striving to ensure that our customers have all the information they require to make the best decision when choosing one of our excellent car rental offers. The thing to consider is the fact that the local fees are decided and charged by the local vehicle supplier and Auto Europe has no control over the amounts charged. However, we try to list them as accurately as possible so that visitors to our website can access them just by clicking on the blue-coloured info (i) buttons tnext to the car rental rates that appear in the search results. The same information is also stated on the voucher once the reservation has been confirmed. Additionally, the purpose of this page is to explain in layman's terms all the aspects relating to additional options and local fees, including the most common examples and how drivers ight be able to avoid some of them.

Fuel

The two main fuel policies are full-to-full and full-to-empty, with the former operating on the basis that the driver both picks up and drops off the vehicle with a full tank of petrol. Many customers prefer this option because it means that they only actually pay for the petrol that they use. The full-to-empty policy means that the car is collected with a full tank (for which the driver pays when they pick up the car) and return it at the end of the rental period with the tank as empty as possible (note that there's no refund for any petrol left in the tank). It's important to remember that the price suppliers charge for petrol is normally higher than the price you will pay at the petrol station, so please bear that in mind when making your decision. Furthermore, the local car rental company might apply an additional service charge in addition to the price of the petrol, which the driver might not be expecting. This type of fuel policy is quite common with low-cost companies in the south of Europe (such as Spain and Portugal) and elsewhere across the continent, while some local companies apply both fuel policies, depending on the number of days of the rental.

Young/Senior Driver's Surcharge

Drivers both under and over a certain age (with the exact age depending on the local car rental supplier, location and vehicle category) are normally subject to an additional fee when hiring a vehicle. The reason for this is because insurance companies charge more for drivers in these age groups, the cost of which is passed on to the customer in the form of a surcharge to cover the extra cost.

How to avoid the Young/Senior Driver's Surcharge

The age limits that determine whether or not a younger or a more senior driver will pay the fee tend to vary from company to company. Some car rental providers may charge this fee to drivers under the age of 26, while others might reduce the age limit to 19. To be sure, you'll need to check the terms and conditions of each respective vehicle supplier in order to find out if there are any offers where this fee does not apply to your age. If it does, the best thing to do is compare the rates offered by all the different rental companies and select the most advantageous one for you.

Additional Driver Fee

All additional drivers must be included in the car rental agreement in order to be covered by the insurance. Occasionally you'll find special offers that include an additional driver free of charge with the booking (such as our Gold Rate Package in the USA), but usually an additional driver means paying an extra fee to the local car hire supplier.

How to avoid paying the additional driver surcharge

When making a search in the Auto Europe, the best thing to do is check the T&Cs of the various companies to find out what their rules are and what their surcharge is for any additional drivers because some companies charge a lower daily rate than others. Furthermore, you'll also find that some car rental companies offer the first additional driver free of charge, so make sure you check out our special free additional driver offers to see if you can avoid this fee on your next trip.

One-way fee

Our customers can enjoy the added benefit of being able to pick up their vehicle at one branch and return it to another, for which they will probably have to pay an additional fee. The reason for this additional charge is due to the supplier's fleet management policy, because the car will have to be driver back to its original base. Some car rental companies don't apply this fee, especially if the pick-up station is close to the drop-off point or in some case located inside the same country. But if the two locations are in different countries, a one-way fee will definitely be payable.

When you make a booking on the Auto Europe website, you will receive notification concerning any one-way fee that might be payable. For instance, when you begin your search and choose the different locations for pick-up and drop-off, the results will include the one-way fee in blue letters next to the car rental rate and/or on the page when you enter the driver's personal and payment details. At that point you already know that this fee will be added to the total price. Sometimes it is already included in the rate, but when this is not the case the main driver will have to pay the one-way fee at the counter when he or she arrives to collect their vehicle. So please make sure you read the full terms and conditions of your booking very carefully in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises when you receive your bill. All the relevant information is clearly stated both at the time making your booking and in the car rental voucher sent to you once your reservation has been confirmed. But there's no need for any surprises because the amount of the one-way fee payable appears in the car details when you book online (next to the blue-coloured buttons) and again on the confirmation voucher.

Cross-border fee

The first thing to note is that the main driver must always notify Auto Europe whenever they plan to travel to other countries, even when they intend to drop the car off at exactly the same place where they picked it up. In such cases, an additional fee will often (but not always) be charged because driving outside national borders normally requires extra insurance. If the customer decides to drive the rental car to other countries without having informed the local vehicle supplier, then they will not have the required amount of insurance and the car will not be covered outside the country of hire. In other words, it is considered illegal to drive the car rental in other countries.

Coverage

The published rate of every vehicle booked through the Auto Europe website includes the minimum amount of legally-required coverage for driving in the country where it is rented. Nevertheless, the drive needs to be aware of the fact that this basic insurance package always comes with an excess for which they are liable in the event of something happening to the car, such as damage caused during an accident or the theft of the vehicle. The excat amount of this excess depends on a number of different factors such as the local provider, location, vehicle category, etc. for which a deposit is blocked on the main driver's credit card to cover the sum of this excess, fuel and VAT (excess + fuel + VAT = deposit). When arriving at the local car rental company's reception, drivers are sometimes offered the chance to buy additional coverage in order to reduce the amount of excess and/or to include parts of the vehicle not usually covered by the basic insurance package (ie windows, wheels, etc.). Make sure you check the T&Cs of your Auto Europe car rental booking for any exceptions, as well as the rental agreement you sign with the local rental company. It's a common occurrence that the local car hire staff can be deemed to be a bit pushy when it comes to selling local insurance (often their own), but the drivers should always remember that this insurance is entirely optional and that the customer has the right to refuse such products if they consider them unnecessary, especially if they have fulfilled all the supplier's requirements for picking up the car in the first place.

Winter tyres

There are many popular travel destinations around the world where winter tyres are compulsory at certain times of the year. The good news is that some local vehicle providers include winter tyres in the daily rate while others charge an additional fee which is payable at the pick-up point. It's easy to check if your booking includes winter tyres simply by verifying the car details after making a quick search in Auto Europe's state-of-the-art booking engine.

Ski racks, GPS and child seats

It's important to be aware of the fact that any additional equipment you might require for your trip such as a booster seat, GPS navigational device or a ski rack is paid for locally when you arrive at the supplier's welcome desk in your destination. Despite thet fact that you can request these items at the time of pick-up, you'll be running the risk risk that they won't be available so we therefore suggest that you inform us about any such equipment you might need so that we can book it in advance with the local rental company in order to guarantee its availability when you arrive to collect your vehicle. It's also worth remembering that whenever you book your car rental online or by telephone, you have the option of adding these items at the time of making your reservation. Please note that the price of adding a ski rack, child seat or GPS device varies from supplier to supplier and is usually quoted on a daily basis, while some local car rental companies have a minimum and maximum charge for such equipment. Please make sure that you take very good care of any additional equipment that you hire for the duration of your rental period because a replacement fee will apply if the equipment is lost, stolen or damaged. Regarding child seats, it's important to note that there laws are in force that require children up to a height or age be placed in one whenever the car is in motion, so it is essential to consult the local laws of your chosen destination well in advance in case you need to hire any child or booster seats for your trip.

How to avoid car rental equipment fees

Out of all the additional car rental fees that might be payable for your journey, GPS is perhaps the easiest one to avoid because several smartphone apps now available on the market will substitute a navigational device if you have a decent Internet connection on your travels. Regarding child seats, it's worth comparing the price of hiring this equipment with the price of taking your own on the airline, or perhaps purchasing one locally. As for winter tyres, make sure that you check and compare the rates being offered by the different car rental companies in your destination, because some suppliers include free winter tyres in the price of the booking, meaning that won't have to fork out any extra cash for this equipment when you arrive to collect your rental car.

Other fees

Please be aware of the fact that there's always the chance that some other local fees may also be added to your rental contract, such as an airport tax, train station tax, premium counter fee, car park fee, out-of-hours fee or late return fee, for instance. Such fees might be applied to your car rental reservation in accordance with the location of the supplier's office, most notably at key European transport hubs like major international airports, central train stations and cruise ports. The average cost for picking up your vehicle at one of these locations can vary depending on the supplier, location, etc. while other additional fees might also apply, such as the car parking fee payable in the city of Venice, for example, where parking spaces are extremely limited.

Some other additional fees applied might depend on the time of booking and the opening hours of the rental counter, all of which could have an influence on the final price of your car hire. Make sure, therfore, that you pay very close attention to the opening hours of the supplier's check-in desk where you will be collecting and returning your vehicle whilst confirming the exact pick-up and drop-off times which are clearly stated on the first page of your car rental voucher. Delivering the vehicle later than the time agreed on the voucher (and in the car hire contract) could mean that you'll be subject to a late return fee on top of the daily rate supplier applies to that vehicle. This out-of-hours fee is charged when the customer needs to pick up and/or return the vehicle outside the car rental company's normal opening hours.

How to avoid these fees (subject to location and opening hours)

To avoid any fees relating to picking up your vehicle at the airport, train station or the supplier's premium counter service (as an example), you may be able to collect your car at the supplier's office in the city centre. When you're travelling by plane, check out the taxi fare or public transport costs between the airport and city centre just in case it's lower than the airport tax you are trying to avoid paying. If it costs more to get there, perhaps picking up your car rental in the city centre won't be worth it after all.

Car rental opening hours are also very important because customers looking to pick up or drop off their cars early or late in the day will need to check the timetables of the hire companies to see if any will be open at the respective hours. Another popular option is to head straight to the hotel by taxi or public transport on the night of your arrival and pick up your vehicle in the city centre the next day when you know the provider's reception desk will be open. As always, we strongly suggest that read our T&Cs carefully in order to make a comparison and select the most favourable offer for your needs.