Avoiding one way car hire fee?

[docjames]

Any hints on avoiding the one way surcharge from Italy to France? Current quote is EU200 on top of the car hire fee (EU135).

 

[Sprucegoose]

Any hints on avoiding the one way surcharge from Italy to France? Current quote is EU200 on top of the car hire fee (EU135).

Who was that quote from? I like Argus. Play around with a few search engines. Ultimately it is the all in cost you need to consider.

 

[kelvedon]

I've been lucky in the past, when hiring a car from Zurich and dropping off in Marseille with Hertz, they offered me a French registered car which had to be returned anyway, so they waived the one way fee, and I got a better car as well.

So if your hiring from a major centre in Italy, use one of the big companies and you may be lucky.

Similarly, this year I need a car from Geneva to Nice. By hiring the car from the French side of Geneva airport, I can avoid the one way fee as it doesn't apply within the same country.

 

[mella2007]

Doc where are you hiring to and from?
Reason I ask, is that I have done the same thing...and if you're anywhere near Nice (or planning to be)...I can offer some alternatives

 

[docjames]

Florence to Nice. Well, near Florence, but clearly will catch the train into Florence if it saves the EU200.

 

[mella2007]

Hiring in Florence? or hiring in Nice?
Easiest option if hiring in Florence is to drive to Genoa (or keep driving to a town called Alassio). From there you can catch the train to Ventimiglia and then to Nice. Alassio is 40 mins by train to Ventimiglia, which in turn is a short trip away from Nice. It is very easy to do (we did it this year but the other way around to also save the car hire cost picking up in Nice). We picked up the car in Alassio and went from there. Any questions just ask.

 

[docjames]

We had looked at train the whole way, but it looked like a 7 hour journey (vs ~4-5 by car).

Thanks mella2007.