One wonders how soon Hertz's 20 euro (plus 19-percent value added tax, of course) domestic one-way fee on car rentals in Germany will be adopted by other rental companies. Currently Europcar, Avis and Sixt, the other major players on the Germany car rental scene, charge nothing to pick up a car in one German city and drop it another. With most rental companies, cars can be picked up in Munich, for example, and returned to such cities as Hamburg, Berlin's, Bremen, etc. But Hertz even charges if the car is returned at a different location in the same city. Thus if pickup is in downtown Frankfurt, the 20 euro charge is applied to cars left at the Frankfurt Airport.

However, even with the one-way domestic charge, Hertz rates, when booked via Gemut.com's European car rental service (get an online quote or call 800-521-6722) are often lower than the competition. This is a departure from past years, when Hertz's Germany car rental rates were the highest in the country. A small car Hertz car for one week, including 19-percent value added tax, booked via Gemut.com is just over $200.