one way rentals in Europe
May 13, 2012, 5:46 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: YVR
Programs: 100K
Posts: 444
one way rentals in Europe
I'm planning a trip Eastern Europe and the Baltics and was wondering if it's possible to rent a car in let's say Vienna and drive it up Tallinn or Riga, one way?
The folks at the 800 number haven't been very helpful.
Also, last time I rented a car there with Avis they would charge extra for each country visited outside the rented country. Do they even allow you to drive outside EU countries, like the Ukraine and Russia?
The folks at the 800 number haven't been very helpful.
Also, last time I rented a car there with Avis they would charge extra for each country visited outside the rented country. Do they even allow you to drive outside EU countries, like the Ukraine and Russia?
May 14, 2012, 3:31 am
#2
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: London
Posts: 1,546
There is usually a frighteningly large fee to do this - you are effectively charged the full cost of repatriating the vehicle back to the country that the vehicle is registered in. Vehicles can be freely driven across borders in the EU, but if the vehicle stays permentanty in a different company then it has to be re-registered. That's why you'll be charged the repatriation fee.
Hertz operate the transfer desk ( http://www.hertz-transfer.eu/ ) which shows which vehicles are "wrong country - need to go home", and hence you don't get a painful surcharge if you return the vehicle to where it needs to be. But these are for immediate rentals - you can't reserve ahead on these.
Hertz operate the transfer desk ( http://www.hertz-transfer.eu/ ) which shows which vehicles are "wrong country - need to go home", and hence you don't get a painful surcharge if you return the vehicle to where it needs to be. But these are for immediate rentals - you can't reserve ahead on these.
May 14, 2012, 6:03 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: YVR
Programs: 100K
Posts: 444
thats what i figured... also it's one thing to drive across EU countries... those in the Schengen area obviously don't have border controls... but it's another thing to be insured. Not sure if this is the case anymore but many Avis outlets wouldn't let you drive to certain countries.