why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
Jun 19th 2004, 4:05 am
#1
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: sydney
Posts: 76
why is short term auto car-hire so expensive in europe ?
Is it true that you must hire cars for atleast 3 days in europe ? one of the sites said that...
Also why are car hires so very expensive....
i was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3 days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
Also to hire an auto(never driven manual) car in vienna for just a day is worth almost $A160..why is it significantly more expesive (almost double) to hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ? not that different in Oz i might say....
or am i looking at the wrong websites ?
Also why are car hires so very expensive....
i was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3 days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
Also to hire an auto(never driven manual) car in vienna for just a day is worth almost $A160..why is it significantly more expesive (almost double) to hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ? not that different in Oz i might say....
or am i looking at the wrong websites ?
Last edited by soum; Jun 19th 2004 at 4:09 am.
Jun 19th 2004, 3:27 pm
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
"soum" <member2609@british_expats.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Is it true that you must hire cars for atleast 3 days in europe ? one of
> the sites said that...
To get a reasonable rate. You can hire as little as 24 hours, but you'll pay
a premium rate, often with no or little included mileage. They are often
geared to business users who put convenience before cost.
> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
Supply and demand. What the market can bear.
>I was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3
> days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it
> more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
Yes, you are charged a drop-off fee, which covers among other things the
cost of driving or transporting the car back to the renting country.
most double) to
> hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ? not that
> different in Oz i might say....
> or am i looking at the wrong websites ?
Most Europeans drive manuals. Automatics are popular for large executive
cars like Mercedes Benz and BMW. If you want a small or medium automatic,
you pay more because there are fewer of them, and may often have to be
located specially to meet a request.
Learn to drive a manual. You save in rental fees and in fuel charges.
Alec
news:[email protected]...
> Is it true that you must hire cars for atleast 3 days in europe ? one of
> the sites said that...
To get a reasonable rate. You can hire as little as 24 hours, but you'll pay
a premium rate, often with no or little included mileage. They are often
geared to business users who put convenience before cost.
> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
Supply and demand. What the market can bear.
>I was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3
> days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it
> more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
Yes, you are charged a drop-off fee, which covers among other things the
cost of driving or transporting the car back to the renting country.
most double) to
> hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ? not that
> different in Oz i might say....
> or am i looking at the wrong websites ?
Most Europeans drive manuals. Automatics are popular for large executive
cars like Mercedes Benz and BMW. If you want a small or medium automatic,
you pay more because there are fewer of them, and may often have to be
located specially to meet a request.
Learn to drive a manual. You save in rental fees and in fuel charges.
Alec
Jun 19th 2004, 3:29 pm
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
You could have expanded that question to why is everything so expensive in
Europe! Hotel rooms, dining out etc. all prohibitively expensive some
countries are worse than others - Switzerland I am told is the most
expensive.
Here in the UK we even have a site called Rip Off Britain!
http://www.rip-off.co.uk/
My niece and her family have just returned from the US and she was amazed
how cheap things were there. It is I suppose a question of comparison.
I shall be in Australia myself next March and hope to be delighted by the
prices there - a pal who spent a month there says he was well pleased.
Europe! Hotel rooms, dining out etc. all prohibitively expensive some
countries are worse than others - Switzerland I am told is the most
expensive.
Here in the UK we even have a site called Rip Off Britain!
http://www.rip-off.co.uk/
My niece and her family have just returned from the US and she was amazed
how cheap things were there. It is I suppose a question of comparison.
I shall be in Australia myself next March and hope to be delighted by the
prices there - a pal who spent a month there says he was well pleased.
Jun 19th 2004, 3:38 pm
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
"soum" <member2609@british_expats.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
I've only hired in the UK so can only speak for there.
> Is it true that you must hire cars for atleast 3 days in europe ? one of
> the sites said that...
No. I've hired for 24 hours before. easyRentACar hires on an hourly basis.
> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
Because insurance is usually included in the price. Plus, their insurance is
expensive, plus cars are expensive. Plus Europe is expensive in general
> i
> was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3
> days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it
> more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
It is usually more expensive to return a car to a different place, even more
expensive when you return to a different country. Cars are registered to
individual countries and usually can only be hired in that country.
Therefore if you drop off somewhere else they will have to employ someone to
drive the car back to where it should be, or put it on a transporter. Hence
the cost.
> Also to
> hire an auto(never driven manual) car in vienna for just a day is worth
> almost $A160..why is it significantly more expesive (almost double) to
> hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ? not that
> different in Oz i might say....
Automatic transmission is rare in Europe, most people drive manual
transmissions. Because Autos are rare hire companies will have less of them
because not many people want to hire them. Because they are rarer the cost
is higher.
How many people around the world have never driven a manual transmission
car? Quite strange from a European point of view!
> or am i looking at the wrong websites ?
Probably not. Make sure you look directly at the websites of the companies
concerned too. Car hire (and most things to do with transport) in Europe is
expensive unfortunately.
Mark
news:[email protected]...
I've only hired in the UK so can only speak for there.
> Is it true that you must hire cars for atleast 3 days in europe ? one of
> the sites said that...
No. I've hired for 24 hours before. easyRentACar hires on an hourly basis.
> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
Because insurance is usually included in the price. Plus, their insurance is
expensive, plus cars are expensive. Plus Europe is expensive in general
> i
> was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3
> days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it
> more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
It is usually more expensive to return a car to a different place, even more
expensive when you return to a different country. Cars are registered to
individual countries and usually can only be hired in that country.
Therefore if you drop off somewhere else they will have to employ someone to
drive the car back to where it should be, or put it on a transporter. Hence
the cost.
> Also to
> hire an auto(never driven manual) car in vienna for just a day is worth
> almost $A160..why is it significantly more expesive (almost double) to
> hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ? not that
> different in Oz i might say....
Automatic transmission is rare in Europe, most people drive manual
transmissions. Because Autos are rare hire companies will have less of them
because not many people want to hire them. Because they are rarer the cost
is higher.
How many people around the world have never driven a manual transmission
car? Quite strange from a European point of view!
> or am i looking at the wrong websites ?
Probably not. Make sure you look directly at the websites of the companies
concerned too. Car hire (and most things to do with transport) in Europe is
expensive unfortunately.
Mark
Jun 19th 2004, 4:19 pm
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
soum <member2609@british_expats.com> wrote in news:1488546.1087617911
@britishexpats.com:
>
> Is it true that you must hire cars for atleast 3 days in europe ? one of
> the sites said that...
It is only true if you want the tourist rate. You can book in advance using
the country of rental as the country of your origin and get a on day rental
fare. (see also the problems of getting rjail tickets Australian IIRC are
like North Americans in havingto go through Rail Europe.
>
> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
competition, availability the usual market forces.
>
> i
> was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3
> days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it
> more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
NOrmally there is a drop fee, this is sometimes waived on site if they have
a car to return (recently happened to me in Belgium saved me $100 US on the
rental)
>
> Also to
> hire an auto(never driven manual) car in vienna for just a day is worth
> almost $A160..why is it significantly more expesive (almost double) to
> hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ? not that
> different in Oz i might say....
Automatic transmissions are considered cars for the disabled in Europe,
they are seen as gas hogs and in the land of $1USD per liter gas economy is
valued.
>
@britishexpats.com:
>
> Is it true that you must hire cars for atleast 3 days in europe ? one of
> the sites said that...
It is only true if you want the tourist rate. You can book in advance using
the country of rental as the country of your origin and get a on day rental
fare. (see also the problems of getting rjail tickets Australian IIRC are
like North Americans in havingto go through Rail Europe.
>
> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
competition, availability the usual market forces.
>
> i
> was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3
> days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it
> more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
NOrmally there is a drop fee, this is sometimes waived on site if they have
a car to return (recently happened to me in Belgium saved me $100 US on the
rental)
>
> Also to
> hire an auto(never driven manual) car in vienna for just a day is worth
> almost $A160..why is it significantly more expesive (almost double) to
> hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ? not that
> different in Oz i might say....
Automatic transmissions are considered cars for the disabled in Europe,
they are seen as gas hogs and in the land of $1USD per liter gas economy is
valued.
>
Jun 19th 2004, 4:59 pm
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
I don't understand the gas association with the price of the rental car.
When you rent a car, you're required to have the same amount of gas (usually
a full tank) when you return it so the rental company is not impacted with
additional costs.
> Automatic transmissions are considered cars for the disabled in Europe,
> they are seen as gas hogs and in the land of $1USD per liter gas economy
is
> valued.
When you rent a car, you're required to have the same amount of gas (usually
a full tank) when you return it so the rental company is not impacted with
additional costs.
> Automatic transmissions are considered cars for the disabled in Europe,
> they are seen as gas hogs and in the land of $1USD per liter gas economy
is
> valued.
Jun 19th 2004, 5:35 pm
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
"sbp" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> I don't understand the gas association with the price of the rental
> car. When you rent a car, you're required to have the same amount of
> gas (usually a full tank) when you return it so the rental company is
> not impacted with additional costs.
>
>
>> Automatic transmissions are considered cars for the disabled in
>> Europe, they are seen as gas hogs and in the land of $1USD per liter
>> gas economy
> is
>> valued.
>
>
>
Sorry it is part of the preerence for the manual by the renting public in
Europe, They drive manuals as a rule so they are used to and do not get
weird about manuals when renting. Americans in particular tend to have very
severe manual transmission phobia.
news:[email protected]:
> I don't understand the gas association with the price of the rental
> car. When you rent a car, you're required to have the same amount of
> gas (usually a full tank) when you return it so the rental company is
> not impacted with additional costs.
>
>
>> Automatic transmissions are considered cars for the disabled in
>> Europe, they are seen as gas hogs and in the land of $1USD per liter
>> gas economy
> is
>> valued.
>
>
>
Sorry it is part of the preerence for the manual by the renting public in
Europe, They drive manuals as a rule so they are used to and do not get
weird about manuals when renting. Americans in particular tend to have very
severe manual transmission phobia.
Jun 19th 2004, 6:08 pm
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 04:05:11 +0000, soum wrote:
>
> Is it true that you must hire cars for atleast 3 days in europe ? one of
> the sites said that...
>
> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
>
> i
> was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3
> days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it
> more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
>
> Also to
> hire an auto(never driven manual) car in vienna for just a day is worth
> almost $A160..why is it significantly more expesive (almost double) to
> hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ? not that
> different in Oz i might say....
>
> or am i looking at the wrong websites ?
Or the werong product, or something else wrong?
I just rented a full size car for sixteen days. Total bill: EUR 500.
Not outrageous, I would say. Probably roughly the same as on this side of
the Atlantic?
>
> Is it true that you must hire cars for atleast 3 days in europe ? one of
> the sites said that...
>
> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
>
> i
> was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3
> days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it
> more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
>
> Also to
> hire an auto(never driven manual) car in vienna for just a day is worth
> almost $A160..why is it significantly more expesive (almost double) to
> hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ? not that
> different in Oz i might say....
>
> or am i looking at the wrong websites ?
Or the werong product, or something else wrong?
I just rented a full size car for sixteen days. Total bill: EUR 500.
Not outrageous, I would say. Probably roughly the same as on this side of
the Atlantic?
Jun 19th 2004, 6:50 pm
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
I live in the USA and never owned an automatic transmission car - I've owned
9 cars.
> > Automatic transmissions are considered cars for the disabled in Europe,
> > they are seen as gas hogs and in the land of $1USD per liter gas economy
> > is valued.
I now drive a VW 2.0 liter Golf, manual transmission. I am a "mild" driver
and always get good gas mileage. My Golf gets poorer mileage than a
friend's Honda Accord w/ a 5-speed automatic. Also poorer mileage than
another friend's 4-cylinder automatic Toyota Camry. IMO, the European bias
against automatics is no longer based on universal facts.
Isn't there a substantial purchase price premium for an automatic in Europe,
unlike the USA where manual transmission is not available on many models?
No soccer-mom van models are available with manual transmission in the USA.
Also IMO, most Americans consider cars to be just functional items and the
skill required to operate one should be as small as possible - thus no
manual transmission. Many Europeans still think of driving as having a
sporting component, and the European driving test probably requires more
knowledge about cars and their operation.
9 cars.
> > Automatic transmissions are considered cars for the disabled in Europe,
> > they are seen as gas hogs and in the land of $1USD per liter gas economy
> > is valued.
I now drive a VW 2.0 liter Golf, manual transmission. I am a "mild" driver
and always get good gas mileage. My Golf gets poorer mileage than a
friend's Honda Accord w/ a 5-speed automatic. Also poorer mileage than
another friend's 4-cylinder automatic Toyota Camry. IMO, the European bias
against automatics is no longer based on universal facts.
Isn't there a substantial purchase price premium for an automatic in Europe,
unlike the USA where manual transmission is not available on many models?
No soccer-mom van models are available with manual transmission in the USA.
Also IMO, most Americans consider cars to be just functional items and the
skill required to operate one should be as small as possible - thus no
manual transmission. Many Europeans still think of driving as having a
sporting component, and the European driving test probably requires more
knowledge about cars and their operation.
Jun 19th 2004, 6:54 pm
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
"sbp" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I don't understand the gas association with the price of the rental car.
> When you rent a car, you're required to have the same amount of gas
(usually
> a full tank) when you return it so the rental company is not impacted with
> additional costs.
See jcoulter's previous reply - and also bear in mind that while you have
the hire car you will have to fill it with petrol from time to time, with
worse fuel economy in an automatic.
Alan Harrison
news:[email protected]...
> I don't understand the gas association with the price of the rental car.
> When you rent a car, you're required to have the same amount of gas
(usually
> a full tank) when you return it so the rental company is not impacted with
> additional costs.
See jcoulter's previous reply - and also bear in mind that while you have
the hire car you will have to fill it with petrol from time to time, with
worse fuel economy in an automatic.
Alan Harrison
Jun 19th 2004, 7:01 pm
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
devil <[email protected]> wrote in
news
[email protected]:
> On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 04:05:11 +0000, soum wrote:
>
500 eur is clsoe to 1000 australian
> Or the werong product, or something else wrong?
>
> I just rented a full size car for sixteen days. Total bill: EUR 500.
>
> Not outrageous, I would say. Probably roughly the same as on this
> side of the Atlantic?
>
>
>
>
news
[email protected]: > On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 04:05:11 +0000, soum wrote:
>
500 eur is clsoe to 1000 australian
> Or the werong product, or something else wrong?
>
> I just rented a full size car for sixteen days. Total bill: EUR 500.
>
> Not outrageous, I would say. Probably roughly the same as on this
> side of the Atlantic?
>
>
>
>
Jun 19th 2004, 7:15 pm
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 14:01:31 -0500, jcoulter wrote:
> devil <[email protected]> wrote in
> news[email protected]:
>
>> On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 04:05:11 +0000, soum wrote:
>>
>
> 500 eur is clsoe to 1000 australian
But this was for 18 days, while the OP talked three days.
>> Or the werong product, or something else wrong?
>>
>> I just rented a full size car for sixteen days. Total bill: EUR 500.
>>
>> Not outrageous, I would say. Probably roughly the same as on this
>> side of the Atlantic?
>>
>>
>>
> devil <[email protected]> wrote in
> news
[email protected]: >
>> On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 04:05:11 +0000, soum wrote:
>>
>
> 500 eur is clsoe to 1000 australian
But this was for 18 days, while the OP talked three days.
>> Or the werong product, or something else wrong?
>>
>> I just rented a full size car for sixteen days. Total bill: EUR 500.
>>
>> Not outrageous, I would say. Probably roughly the same as on this
>> side of the Atlantic?
>>
>>
>>
Jun 19th 2004, 11:34 pm
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 14:50:00 -0400, R J Carpenter wrote:
> I live in the USA and never owned an automatic transmission car - I've owned
> 9 cars.
>
>> > Automatic transmissions are considered cars for the disabled in Europe,
>> > they are seen as gas hogs and in the land of $1USD per liter gas economy
>> > is valued.
>
> I now drive a VW 2.0 liter Golf, manual transmission. I am a "mild" driver
> and always get good gas mileage. My Golf gets poorer mileage than a
> friend's Honda Accord w/ a 5-speed automatic. Also poorer mileage than
> another friend's 4-cylinder automatic Toyota Camry. IMO, the European bias
> against automatics is no longer based on universal facts.
Surely if you were to compare the same model, automatics still would be
less efficient. Except in the highest gaer, surely there still is
transmission slip?
BTW, I would say it's more a tradition than a "bias." If everyone has
learned to drive a standard, and automatics are more expensive to buy and
less fuel-efficient, why would you buy one?
> Isn't there a substantial purchase price premium for an automatic in
> Europe, unlike the USA where manual transmission is not available on
> many models? No soccer-mom van models are available with manual
> transmission in the USA.
I suspect you are right there. Wonder whether these Japanese SUVs sold in
Europe (probably mostly/only diesel) are automatic?
> I live in the USA and never owned an automatic transmission car - I've owned
> 9 cars.
>
>> > Automatic transmissions are considered cars for the disabled in Europe,
>> > they are seen as gas hogs and in the land of $1USD per liter gas economy
>> > is valued.
>
> I now drive a VW 2.0 liter Golf, manual transmission. I am a "mild" driver
> and always get good gas mileage. My Golf gets poorer mileage than a
> friend's Honda Accord w/ a 5-speed automatic. Also poorer mileage than
> another friend's 4-cylinder automatic Toyota Camry. IMO, the European bias
> against automatics is no longer based on universal facts.
Surely if you were to compare the same model, automatics still would be
less efficient. Except in the highest gaer, surely there still is
transmission slip?
BTW, I would say it's more a tradition than a "bias." If everyone has
learned to drive a standard, and automatics are more expensive to buy and
less fuel-efficient, why would you buy one?
> Isn't there a substantial purchase price premium for an automatic in
> Europe, unlike the USA where manual transmission is not available on
> many models? No soccer-mom van models are available with manual
> transmission in the USA.
I suspect you are right there. Wonder whether these Japanese SUVs sold in
Europe (probably mostly/only diesel) are automatic?
Jun 20th 2004, 12:45 am
#14
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
"devil" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> Surely if you were to compare the same model, automatics still would be
> less efficient. Except in the highest gaer, surely there still is
> transmission slip?
> BTW, I would say it's more a tradition than a "bias." If everyone has
> learned to drive a standard, and automatics are more expensive to buy and
> less fuel-efficient, why would you buy one?
I, who has exclusively owned manual xmission cars since before you were
born, could see an argument for automatic transmission if I spent a lot of
time driving in a congested city like London or Paris. Fuel efficiency is
going to be pretty bad even w/ manual, though even worse w/ automatic.
I see why many people get bad mileage w/ automatic. Not having to shift
gears, I see them flooring it to whoosh away every time the light turns
green. They must get horrible fuel consumption, largely due to driving
style. No one forces them to drive that way with their automatic [SUV].
news
[email protected]...> Surely if you were to compare the same model, automatics still would be
> less efficient. Except in the highest gaer, surely there still is
> transmission slip?
> BTW, I would say it's more a tradition than a "bias." If everyone has
> learned to drive a standard, and automatics are more expensive to buy and
> less fuel-efficient, why would you buy one?
I, who has exclusively owned manual xmission cars since before you were
born, could see an argument for automatic transmission if I spent a lot of
time driving in a congested city like London or Paris. Fuel efficiency is
going to be pretty bad even w/ manual, though even worse w/ automatic.
I see why many people get bad mileage w/ automatic. Not having to shift
gears, I see them flooring it to whoosh away every time the light turns
green. They must get horrible fuel consumption, largely due to driving
style. No one forces them to drive that way with their automatic [SUV].
Jun 20th 2004, 7:05 am
#15
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2002
Location: Languedoc
Posts: 243
Re: why is short term auto car-hire so expensive in europe ?
Hi
this is a question of economics ?
Cars are more expensive in Europe. The price the rental company pays reflects the manufacturer trading position. If the manufacturer can sell every car it makes, why sell to rental companies ?
Salaries, taxes and social costs are more expensive in Europe.
Booking, check out and check in are pretty fixed regardless of hire period.
No problem in renting for a single day, but it works out expensive. Often you can find an angle : 3 days cheaper than 2, 5 days cheaper than 4, etc.
Peter
this is a question of economics ?
Cars are more expensive in Europe. The price the rental company pays reflects the manufacturer trading position. If the manufacturer can sell every car it makes, why sell to rental companies ?
Salaries, taxes and social costs are more expensive in Europe.
Booking, check out and check in are pretty fixed regardless of hire period.
No problem in renting for a single day, but it works out expensive. Often you can find an angle : 3 days cheaper than 2, 5 days cheaper than 4, etc.
Peter