Europcar is my favorite
Written: Nov 21 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great rates, nice website, competent staff.
Cons: Not as widespread as they should be.
The Bottom Line: A great car-rental company offering all the advantages of a major, but with great prices and no rip-offs.
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| Raf_K's Full Review: Europcar |
Unbeknownst to most Americans, Europcar is one of the world’s largest car rental companies: it has 2𣳚 locations in 118 different countries covering Europe, The Middle East, Africa, Indian Ocean, Central America, Mexico, Caribbean and Asia-Pacific. Europcar is owned by Volkswagen, the number one car manufacturer in Europe.* Originally a French company, they partnered up with Budget to offer rentals in the USA.
I have rented cars at different locations many times with Europcar and have always been thoroughly satisfied with their cars and services.
I first tried them about four years ago during a trip to South Africa. The main reason I picked Europcar in the first place was because they were the only company that would rent cars to people aged 21-23 and at the time I had just turned 21. Most of the others required that drivers were aged at least 23, but Europcar allowed drivers from 21 with a young driver additional charge. I’ve long since turned 23 but Europcar remains on the top of my list when I consider renting a car.
RESERVATIONS
Their website has been greatly improved lately: booking a car used to be a confusing process, but now with their upgraded website it’s a very intuitive process.
Possibly the main advantage that Europcar has over its competitors is the possibility of choosing a particular model of car for each category. Most other companies just give you examples of the cars in a certain category; not Europcar. When you select a category of car, it automatically shows you what models of cars are available in that category at that particular station. You select the model that you’d like best and it quotes you a price for that specific model. This allows you to select that model that best suits your needs and budget. There’s a 100% chance that you’ll get that specific model when you pick it up so there are no bad surprises.
Choose any extra equipments such as ski racks, child seats, etc and quote any special rate to which you may be entitled. You’re then issued with a reservation number which you’ll use to pick the car up at the airport.
As an alternative, you can book over the phone where their efficient and courteous staff will assist you with choosing a product that suits your needs. Telephone bookings are essential for cross-border one-way rentals.
PICK-UPS & DROP-OFFS
Hassle-free pick-ups are one of my favourite features of their system. You are shown to your car, where you quickly inspect it and just drive away. The staff has always been very nice and the cars are usually very new and sparking clean as one may expect.
Dropping your car off is also a very fast process. After a quick check you just hand in the keys and you’re good to go.
THE BOTTOM LINE
I love Europcar because they usually offer the most competitive rates as well as all the amenities of a major company. With branches spread throughout the countries in which they operate you can be sure your rental will be absolutely adapted to your needs.
The cars they offer are invariably top-notch and flawless. The ability to choose exactly the car I want to rent also eliminates the risk of any bad surprises. I have once had a bad experience with Avis where I booked a category that supposedly was a larger sedan (in their website it quoted a Toyota Camry) but I ended up with a useless minivan (Renault Scenic)! The risk of such a thing happening with Europcar is nil.
To those who are planning to rent a car on a trip to Europe, or elsewhere I strongly recommend that you consider Europcar on top of the other majors. They offer superior service at more competitive rates.
* from www.europcar.com
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Raf_K
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Member: Rafael K
Location: London, UK
Reviews written: 101
Trusted by: 49 members
About Me:
Back after a long work-inflicted absence.
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