Car rental while traveling: how to rent a car abroad?

 Car rental while traveling: how to rent a car abroad?

For getting around abroad while traveling, car rental is often the best option. Definitely practical, and often even more economical, renting a car gives travelers a great deal of freedom and flexibility in their itinerary. So how do you rent a vehicle for your vacation? What are the conditions for driving abroad? The answers to your questions in this article!

The conditions for renting a car abroad

The driving license is obviously the first prerequisite for driving a car and renting it abroad. If the French license is accepted in all agencies based in the European Union and by many independent rental companies, you will need in some countries - Australia for example - an international driving license which you will have applied for a few weeks before. your departure, at your prefecture, sub-prefecture or town hall. It is free and valid for 3 years.
To find out if you must have an international driving license to drive in the destination of your choice, visit Service-public.fr.
Last thing to know: some countries and some rental companies require a minimum age of 21 or even 25 years to rent a vehicle, as well as a minimum 1 year license. So remember to find out about the car rental conditions at destination before your departure.

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What insurance to drive abroad?

To rent a car, you must also take out insurance. Indeed, the rental contract signed with the agency only includes civil liability, which protects other people and property only. Also, if you book or pay with your Gold Mastercard or Visa Premier bank card, it will give you certain guarantees, including civil liability, as well as coverage in the event of a car breakdown or theft. But be careful, compensation is capped and deductibles high. To reduce the amount of deductibles and provide you with more coverage, there are three types of additional insurance:

TP, insurance against theft
IP, which covers the driver and his passengers in the event of bodily injury
The CDW, which reduces the amount of the deductible for damage caused to the vehicle
Where to rent a car?

The big names in international car rental

Large groups are present internationally and in particular in most major airports to offer rental cars. Here are the main ones:

Europcar
Rent a Car
Hertz
Sixt
Opinion
Enterprise
These offer similar rates, and often unlimited mileage and the ability to return your rental vehicle to a different agency than pick up the car.
It is therefore important to compare the different offers - the services offered, insurance offered or not ... - before signing your rental contract!

Local car rental agencies

In many countries you will see different small local car rental companies, independent or family businesses. The prices are often more interesting than those offered by the big rental companies, but pay attention to insurance, rental conditions and the condition of the cars. Be careful, however, not all are trustworthy, so check the reviews on the Internet or in the guides before booking.

From an internet broker

To save time, these brokers negotiate car rental rates for you and provide you with generally great deals:

Autoescape
Rentalcars
Kayak
Holiday Autos.