Hertz - Upcoming European rentals

Hey Guys! For the most part, I've rented out of LAX and NYC. But I will be going to Europe this summer. I will be going to London to see Top Gear in july and to FRA Germany to see a few friends of mine. Since this is my first rental outside of the u.s., r there any requirements or extra paper work? how r they at upgrading 5*? And me being a 24 and usually a renter of the infiniti's, What cars do u recommend that I rent? as Renting in Europe is more expensive, a 7 series and the like are out of the question, Something fas, handles well yet has some luxury as well. I also know how to use manual Gearbox. Thanks Guys!

Standard rental conditions for Hertz in the UK includes minimum age of 25, so you may wish to speak to them about that.
I suspect that the minimum age for prestige or fun collection rentals is higher, 30 perhaps.

Are you intending to pick up from Heathrow? Or only collect the car on days when you travel out of London - because if you're staying in central London then having a car is a major hassle.

Standard rental conditions for Hertz in the UK includes minimum age of 25, so you may wish to speak to them about that.
I suspect that the minimum age for prestige or fun collection rentals is higher, 30 perhaps.

Are you intending to pick up from Heathrow? Or only collect the car on days when you travel out of London - because if you're staying in central London then having a car is a major hassle.

I have an age waiver on my CDP as I work for AT&T. Hertz has always honored it and has never had an issue with my age despite the fact that All I've rented are Infiniti's and 350Z. Hopefully, Hertz in the U.K. will not have a issue. I do intend to rent from Heathrow as I have a ton of friends in and around London not to mention that the Top Gear location is in Gloucstershire or something like that. I haven't looked @ hotels yet but the Chelsea Kensington area was my first bet, do you have any recommendations

If you are on your own, and don't have too much luggage, I'd recommend something from the Fun Collection like a VW Scirocco or an Audi TT. Small, good handling cars are far more suited to british roads than luxury barges, and the fun collection is very well priced compared to the prestige collection.

If you are on your own, and don't have too much luggage, I'd recommend something from the Fun Collection like a VW Scirocco or an Audi TT. Small, good handling cars are far more suited to british roads than luxury barges, and the fun collection is very well priced compared to the prestige collection.


I like your way of thinking. Not to mention the Scirocco isn't available in the U.S. so it would be a nice badge of honor to drive one. Now that the vehicle is sorted out (for my LHR trip), any hotels you guys recommend? and how good of a location is LHR?

Personally if I were staying in Chelsea or Kensington I woudln't want a car unless money were no object -- the Heathrow Express and Tube would get you to your hotel and around the city and there are Hertz locations in the city where you could pickup for your trip out for Top Gear. The Central London congestion charge alone is one that would support a daily travelcard on the tube.

I've never gotten a 5* upgrade for rentals in Europe. Also make sure your Gold profile is up to date for rentals in Europe.

All previous Top Gear series were shot at Dunsfold aerodrome, in Surrey (south of London). Not Gloucestershire, which is a long way west of London.

I love cars and motorbikes but I would not dream of driving in the Chelsea / Kensington area. Congestion is vile and parking is painfully expensive. Not to mention the congestion charge on top. I really would suggest just hiring the car on the day(s) when you travel out of London.

Hertz depot (and all the other major players) at Heathrow are off airport - a shuttle bus ride away. Hertz have some central depots but for Dunsfold it would probably be as quick to take the train to Gatwick (30 minutes) and grab the car there. The rental desks are right by the terminal and railway station in Gatwick - easy pick up location.

All previous Top Gear series were shot at Dunsfold aerodrome, in Surrey (south of London). Not Gloucestershire, which is a long way west of London.

I love cars and motorbikes but I would not dream of driving in the Chelsea / Kensington area. Congestion is vile and parking is painfully expensive. Not to mention the congestion charge on top. I really would suggest just hiring the car on the day(s) when you travel out of London.

Hertz depot (and all the other major players) at Heathrow are off airport - a shuttle bus ride away. Hertz have some central depots but for Dunsfold it would probably be as quick to take the train to Gatwick (30 minutes) and grab the car there. The rental desks are right by the terminal and railway station in Gatwick - easy pick up location.

If I had to choose between a hotel in Chelsea and having a car for three days, I'll take the car. More then anything, I want to stay in a place with nice bars and restaurants geared toward the younger demographic as I'm 24. If that means staying in a hotel in a different part of london where the congestion charge doesn't exist then that's fine. I only wish to see the touristy parts quickly and dive into the actual good spots as I've never been one who stays on the tourist path. Thanks to all of you guys for your suggestions so far. So what hotels in london would you recommend based on the criteria I've written about?

Have a look the Hoxton Hotel (http://www.hoxtonhotels.com/).
I live in London so I haven't been to this place myself, but I have heard good things about it, and I can confirm that its location is off the tourist trail and in an area with a lot of the coolest bars. They also do some great deals at weekends.

You should also think about if you will be comfortable driving on the right hand side....it is not that easy as it seems...

Be careful of speeding in France. There are cameras everywhere and the fine for 50 kph over the limit is 1500 euros. Wish I had know about that.

You should also think about if you will be comfortable driving on the right hand side....it is not that easy as it seems...

I did think about it, I drove a few RHD cars in Dominican Republic as they were direct imports from Japan.

Ok. So that takes care of LHR. I also am going to Germany this year. I will be most likely renting from FRA. Any thoughts on this?

I did a somewhat lengthy thread on renting via Hertz in Germany; a search should yield a result fairly quickly.

FRA and DUS are usually the best experiences for me, but don't expect an upgrade. For Germany I definitely would rent small; I drive a Mercedes A class and cannot imagine driving anything larger in many/most garages as turns are tight and stalls are narrow. Same in France, where I usually end up backing in. There is some XXL parking in Germany at a higher cost but that is still not that common.

I believe that my threads from last summer have some info about getting better rates ie which site to use. I find that Hertz.de without my usual CDP is the lowest and expedia.de is also sometimes giving good rates. My 2009 rental rates were actually lower than 2008 rates, although they do seem to be higher this year in America.

I did bid a farewell to Hertz here earlier this year, but I will admit that my last rental from FRA was top notch and somewhat restored my faith. At this point I have moved to National in America but will stay with Hertz at FRA for now.

Be prepared to walk a long way to the rental car in FRA.

I did a somewhat lengthy thread on renting via Hertz in Germany; a search should yield a result fairly quickly.

FRA and DUS are usually the best experiences for me, but don't expect an upgrade. For Germany I definitely would rent small; I drive a Mercedes A class and cannot imagine driving anything larger in many/most garages as turns are tight and stalls are narrow. Same in France, where I usually end up backing in. There is some XXL parking in Germany at a higher cost but that is still not that common.

I believe that my threads from last summer have some info about getting better rates ie which site to use. I find that Hertz.de without my usual CDP is the lowest and expedia.de is also sometimes giving good rates. My 2009 rental rates were actually lower than 2008 rates, although they do seem to be higher this year in America.

I did bid a farewell to Hertz here earlier this year, but I will admit that my last rental from FRA was top notch and somewhat restored my faith. At this point I have moved to National in America but will stay with Hertz at FRA for now.

Be prepared to walk a long way to the rental car in FRA.

Thanks Bayern, I look at some of them but the best one I liked for the price was the BMw 3 Series Manual.