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| Janis Joplin |
🎼 🎶 Oh Lord, won't you buy me A Mercedes Benz...My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends
I worked hard all my lifetime, No help from my friends
Oh Lord, won't you buy me A Mercedes Benz... 🎶
So as you already know, you're going to need a car for your Adventures to Provence Tour... You can pick up a rental car at any of a number of places over there.... France has all the big names you know like Hertz, Avis, etc... and a bunch more that you may not be aware of... like EuropeCar, Sixt, Kemwell, etc. What you want to do is make arrangements to reserve your car soon. There have been shortages of rental cars worldwide ever since the rental car companies sold off their fleets during the pandemic and once travel started up again, they were having a hard time getting new inventory! And just like here in the US, car manufacturers have still been having a difficult time getting parts they need like chips... And while things have slowly been getting back to normal, there are still shortages... So we suggest you don't wait till the last minute to do this! It's simple supply & demand economics; as inventory starts to get low, prices tend to get higher.
We usually use AutoEurope.com... they're an American consolidator/agent that works with all the rental companies, and because of their size & volume, their prices, convenience and selection are hard to beat... We've recently made our personal car rental reservations for all four of our upcoming summer Tours next year in Tuscany and Provence, and we used AutoEurope.com. And of course you'll also find companies you may be more familiar with online like Hertz, Avis, etc.
Tips for car rental ;
You can make arrangements to pick up your car from offices at the airport, or arrange to pick up at one of their intercity offices... Usually, just like here in the states, rentals cost about 7 -10% more to pick cars up at the airport
(airport /convenience tax), but you have to measure that against convenience...
Rental car operators typically make cars available in upwards of 10 categories; Mini, Economy, Compact, Mid-Size, Family Size, Luxury, SUV, Station Wagon, Minivan, etc... Make sure you get a car with enough room for you and your luggage! That may sound obvious, but believe me, both cars and their trunks are smaller in Europe! If you're sharing a car with others, 4 people, 4 suitcases and 4 daypacks WILL NOT usually fit in a mini car... you'll probably want at least a Compact or Mid-size vehicle... If it's just two of you, and you're only coming from Marseille or Avignon, the little Fiat 500's are a really fun, economical and classic choice! But if you're driving from farther away and spending several hours on the highway, you may want to consider a compact or mid-size. Also be aware, that unless the car your renting says "guaranteed model" in it's online description (usually only on higher-end luxury models) then it likely says "or similar" meaning you'll get whatever's available in the size/category when you pick-up.
Insurance
You'll need insurance coverage in France... And you can check with your personal auto Insurance company or your credit card company to see if you're covered for a rental in France. If either your insurance company or your credit card company tells you you're covered, we suggest you get it in writing! It won't help at all, if you have a claim to say "the lady on the phone told me I was covered". We strongly suggest getting a car with "full insurance coverage" (zero dollar deductible... i think AutoEurope calls it no-deductible coverage). It's a few dollars more, but it pays off easily when you're returning the car and they try to tell you "that scratch/dent wasn't there when you picked it up..." When it comes to the insurance coverage, do what Nike says... "Just do it"! Make sure you list on the rental contract everyone who will be a driver... and any damage already on the car... (even small scratches) and take pictures with your phone of any damage you see on the car before you leave the rental lot... You'll have to pay extra for extra drivers, but if you had a fender bender, and the person driving isn't listed on the contract, the damage won't be covered
Car Rentals typically cost approx 7 - 10% more if you choose to pick-up/return at the airport as opposed to a city office... But it's certainly a lot more convenient... the choice is up to you... We suggest you check car rental prices often as they move them up & down almost daily... After a while you'll get a feel for what's a decent price.
Stick or Automatic
As you're searching for cars, be aware that most cars in Europe are standard transmission, and you'll need to highlight "automatic transmission" in the search criteria if that's what you want. (usually about 25% more for a car with auto trans). If you don't do this, you'll likely end up with a car with a stick shift.
Make sure when you pick up the car, you find out if it's "gasoline or diesel" and where the latch for the gas lid is... they can be hard to find... (more info on fueling in future posts). If you put the wrong fuel in the car, the engine will stop working! (and you'll be financially responsible).
Short-Term Leases
If you need a car for at least 15 days, you might want to take a look at & consider a "short-term lease". This is just what it sounds like; A Lease instead of a rental... You lease the car from the manufacturer and they buy it back from you at the end of the lease. There are a bunch of valuable benefits to these short-term leases: first off, it's just like buying a car... You get a brand spanking new car (never been driven)... it's a guaranteed model (no "or similar". you know what car you're getting)... it comes automatically with no-deductible insurance for no extra cost... Family members can be additional drivers at no extra cost... all these cars usually come with built-in GPS units... and lastly it's usually less expensive than renting IF it's 15 or more days... the longer the lease period, the more money you save over renting . (we personally most always lease as opposed to rent as we typically need a car for upwards of 30 days). If you have questions about leasing, reach out to us and we'll be happy to help you!
Maps
We also strongly suggest you have both a good map and a GPS unit... we can help you with acquiring really good Maps. The one they'll give you at the car rental office is typically totally useless( often times it's very small scale, and sometimes it's just a bad photocopy of a small scale map)... We suggest Michelin Maps, they're by far the very best... Michelin Provence #527 available from Amazon.com
Click here . You'll see lots of maps available online... In our experience, none are as good as Michelin. If you have a portable GPS unit you plan on taking, you'll need to check to see if it has
"Europe Maps"... (it probably doesn't) You can either choose to rent a car with a GPS in it, rent a GPS from your car rental office, or choose to use the maps program on your cell phone.
They'll also offer to rent you a "mobile wi-fi hotspot..." Our experience with these was so-so at best... not that great... The good news is there is
free wi-fi available at the Villa... but just be aware, wi-fi internet access is rarely as fast anywhere in Europe as what you're probably used to here in the US... but it does work fairly well and it is free!
On the day you return your rental car, fill it up immediately before you return it, and
"keep the receipt" for the gas... in fact, we suggest you take a picture of it with your phone... show the receipt to the attendant and
get him to note on the contract, that the gas tank is full... (keep the receipt, you may need it later.)
Lots more to come... As always feel free to contact us with any questions...
You can make arrangements to pick up your car from offices at the airport, or arrange to pick up at one of their intercity offices... Usually, just like here in the states, rentals cost about 7 -10% more to pick cars up at the airport (airport /convenience tax), but you have to measure that against convenience... 
