I've rented for years in France, usually one-way, and have never noticed any drop off charge. As a matter of fact, I just came off a 2 week rental and it was actually cheaper than the one I did 21 months ago.

They do have a significant charge for dropping off in a different country. They don't like that idea. That is a change from 15-20 years ago.

Some very good deals on novacarhire.com, carrentals.com, and also through some of the airline FF affinity sites.