Europcar - A Cheap Alternative Or A Ripoff?
Written: Aug 07 '07 (Updated Aug 07 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good price for EU and large selection of vehicles there
Cons: Weak in the US. You may get into their little tricks if not careful.
The Bottom Line: I would recommend this company just for its low price compared to others. At the same time, be careful not to overpay later.
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| rabodzey's Full Review: Europcar |
As you might have guessed from its name, Europcar is primarily located in EU. However, they do operate quite a few US locations. I used their services in Milan and found it to be a good choice.
History
Europcar is a Paris-based company founded in 1949, it went through a whole spectrum of owners: Renault, VW, Accor, VW again, Eurazeo. With presence in 160 countries and 3049 locations, fleet of more than 200,000 vehicles, it is one of the biggest players in the world (the biggest is Enterprise with 6,000 locations and almost 900,000 cars). At the same time, this company is largely unknown in the US. One of the reasons for that is that Europcar acts through some of its partners such as National and Budget.
Personal Experience
I rented a car from Europcar in Milan and then in Germany. From my personal experience there is not that much difference between all car companies unless you:
a) get in trouble (flat tire or accident), b) want to pick up vehicle without prior reservation, c) want to get exact vehicle you want, d) want to get automatic transmission in EU.
As far as we avoid (a)-(d), Europcar is a great company that gives you some of the best rates available. There is the same standard process of reservations and pick up and same terms and conditions applied. I myself love low prices so I try not to rent from overpriced Avis and Hertz. I can't figure out how those big guys survive at all. At the same time, they provide a really great road assistance, protection and variety of car options you won't find with others. Basically, if you want to get a car without prior reservation, you will be amazed how often only Hertz has them. But back to Europcar…
Europcar is a low-cost service and, as such, it has almost no automatic transmission cars in Europe. If they do have some of them, these Alfa Romeos or Mercedes will cost you a buck.
For example if you reserve way in advance a car in Malpensa airport in Milan, you'll pay $262 for TWO DAYS for smaaaaaal Lancia Ypsilon… Alfa Romeo will cost you $412 for two days and cheapest automatic A180 Mercedes is $370 for two days. Basically, youi pay $55 premium for transmission every day! Hertz gives a quote of $307 for Fiat Panda and $650 for the first automatic BMW… THIS IS $325 a DAY!!!! Basically double the price of Europcar.
Caveats
Clearly Europcar is cheaper, but there is always a caveat when you seeing something really really cheap (if you consider almost $200 a day for a car "cheap"). The caveat is that Europcar likes to cheat on small things… When I rented a car, I had quite a pleasant ride (despite the fact that I got a different type of car I asked for). I dropped the car in some unmanned facility and felt somewhat suspicious about it…. Then I noticed that I was charged for two days instead of one. Apparently the person responsible for making sure I brought it back on time was eating or something and by the time he showed up, it was more than 24 hr. I discovered that extra charge more than a month after and decided not to mess with that at all, but later on I checked the Net for similar cases.
It appears that Net is flooded with complaints of Europcar staff charging you for extra days and broken keys, for damages you do not know about and for extra miles – for everything possible. Why? Because you are an American tourist, you will never be back in the same place – WHO CARES? I understand that it is not the official Europcar policy to rob people and discredit its brand, it is just that they have cheating employees and bad culture out there. If you were to get en extra charge from Hertz and call them about it, they will reimburse you immediately since they know you won't use their services again otherwise. But Europcar will ruin you in their bureaucracy and you may well surrender your hopes to get cash back.
These little tricks are very annoying, but if you are careful about everything – get a good car without any damage, if there is any – make sure it is described in the contract, make sure you read all fine print and make sure to bring the car back at least an hour in advance, then you will be safe.
Conclusion
Europcar is a low cost company with poor corporate culture and, as a result, their employees like to cheat a little. Still, it is a good bargain, but make sure to check everything carefully before you drive: scratches, gas level, keys…
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
rabodzey
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Member: Alex
Location: Cambridge, MA, USA
Reviews written: 68
Trusted by: 19 members
About Me:
I enjoy writing essays on various topics, especially if it helps people.
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