Costs, rules, and advice on Gemany car rental


For those who want to rent a garden-variety, four-door compact or midsize car with air, Germany is probably the best place in Europe to do it. And for upscale renters, the presence of automakers Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and Porsche means more of their vehicles in rental fleets than in other countries, thereby increasing the chances of being upgraded to these high-end brands. Germany's central location on the continent, wide choice of vehicles, and generally lower rates, make it overall the best country in which to rent a car.

For a Germany car rental one can expect to pay from less than $250 per week with tax for an economy car to more than $500-plus per day for a sports car such as a Porsche 911. A midsize car with tax is currently around $280 per week and a 7-passenger van is about $750. For longer rentals you can expect daily rates to be discounted as much as 15%, depending on the length of the rental.

Included in the Basic Rate
Most Germany car rental quotes include value added tax (currently 19-percent), unlimited kilometers, third-party liability insurance, and fire insurance, and, if the rental will commence at a rail station or airport, a "premium station" charge of 20 percent of the total price of the rental (Tip: there is no extra fee to return a rental car to an airport or rail station.) Beware overseas car rental brokers that quote rates that include CDW and theft insurance. This insurance can carry deductibles as high as $3000 and the purchase of expensive additional insurance will be required to reduce the deductible.

Automatic or Manual
You will save substantial money in Germany if you can drive a manual transmission car. A compact car with automatic transmission for one week in the winter of 2009 costs $408 including value added tax. The same car with manual transmission is $237, more than 70 percent higher.

Minimum Rental Period
Three days is the usual minimum rental period. (Note: the rate for a five, six or seven-day Germany car rental is usually the same.)

Collision (CDW) and theft insurance
The renter is responsible for returning the car intact at the end of the rental. CDW/theft insurance can be purchased from the rental company starting at about $90 per week, depending on the car. There is usually a deductible of about $1000 with such insurance. Free CDW/theft with zero deductible is available with most credit cards if the card is used to pay for the rental. (Note: the cardholder must pay for the entire rental - deposits, taxes, extras, everything-with the card or the insurance is not valid). The insurance applies only to the cardholder, whose name must appear on the car rental contract, and other drivers named in the rental contract. Be aware that some vehicles are exempt from credit card CDW/theft coverage. Exotic cars and expensive vehicles such as Porsche, Bentley, Ferrari, 9-passenger vans, trucks, and top categories of Mercedes, BMW and Audi are usually not covered. However, most 7-passenger vans and selected BMW, Mercedes, and Audi cars are covered. Check with your credit card company.

Domestic One-Way Rentals
One-way rentals within Germany are nearly always free. In other words, if you pick up the car in Berlin you can drop it in Frankfurt, or Munich, or Stuttgart, etc. without incurring an extra charge. An exception to this is one-way rentals between the Germany mainland and the Island of Sylt.

International One-Way Rentals
Except in rare instances, you will pay a fee to rent a car in Germany and leave it in another country. How much depends of a variety of factors. The drop charges between major German cities and such Western European cities as Paris, Vienna, Zürich, Brussels, and Amsterdam fall in a range of from about $75 to $250. However, a drop from Germany to places in eastern Europe, Italy, or Scandinavia, if allowed, will be substantially higher, in the $350 to $2500 range. For all practical purposes, one-way rentals between Germany and the U.K. are not possible.

Common Additional Fees
Like all European countries, Germany car rental contracts call for fees over and above the basic rate. Price quotes from most car rental companies and brokers include value added tax, unlimited kilometers, plus third-party liability and fire insurance, and "premium station" fees if the rental originates at an airport or rail station. There can be other fees, however. They include:

· Additional Drivers: Europcar in Germany waives the additional driver fee for spouses and immediate family members with the same last name. Otherwise Europcar charges about 5 euros per day to a maximum of 42 euros. Avis charges 15 euros per day to a maximum of 105 euros for each extra driver. Hertz's fee is a flat $65 per rental per driver, and Sixt does not charge for additional drivers.

· Winter Tires: Not mandatory for Germany car rentals but you can be fined if caught driving in snow without them. Must be requested at the time of booking. Cost is about $23 per day to a maximum of about $130 per rental.

· Road/Registration Fees: Typically $1.50 per day.

· GPS: Sometimes free on upscale cars but not on economy, compact or midsize vehicles. Prices vary from Europcar's 3.6 euros per day to Hertz's charge of 16.75 euros per day. Most GPS systems furnished with Germany rental cars operate only in Germany.

· Age Restrictions: There is no upper age limit on rental car drivers in Germany. A valid license from your country of origin is necessary, however. Minimum driving age is 19. Drivers under 23 are often required to purchase CDW.

· International Driving Permit (IDP): We have begun to hear that some rental stations in Germany will not rent to North Americans without an IDP, thus we strongly recommend you obtain one. They are available for about $15 at AAA and American Auto Club offices. The IDP supplements but does not replace valid U.S./Canada driver's license which you must have to rent a car anywhere in Europe.

· Geographic Restrictions: Most Germany car rentals can be driven anywhere in Western Europe. Cars that can be driven to former Eastern bloc countries such as Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary are available at a slightly higher price. Cars bound for countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and former Soviet Union countries will cost more and may require additional insurance. Certain cars may not be taken to Italy and most cars rented in Germany are not permitted to travel to Africa or to any non-German islands.

· Equipment Rental: Baby/child seats are usually available for about $10 per day on Germany car rentals to a maximum of about $65 per rental. Ski racks are available for most cars at about $9 per day to a maximum of about $60 per rental. Luggage racks are generally not available on Germany rental cars.

· Germany Car Rental Delivery/Collection: For an additional fee, and under certain conditions, most Germany car rentals of more than four days can be scheduled for hotel delivery and/or collection. Fees start at around $35.

Lease or "Purchase-Repurchase"
French auto manufacturers Renault and Peugeot have programs that offer the use of a brand new car for from 17 to 175 days. For an additional fee, pickup and drop-off can be arranged in both Munich and Frankfurt. "Lease" is the term most often used to describe this arrangement, but it is more properly a buy back or purchase-repurchase. The manufacturer agrees to sell the car for a certain price and then buy it back at a lower price; the difference between those two figures is the cost to the driver who, instead of having to come up with the full price of car, signs a promissory note.

You probably will spend more money on a lease or "purchase-repurchase" in Germany than a straight rental, unless you require a car for more than six weeks to two months. One advantages to leasing is that the package includes all insurance and you can drive the car virtually anywhere in Europe. There is always an additional fee-usually about $150 each way to pickup and drop the car in Frankfurt or Munich.

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