Traveling around Europe is an adventure in itself. What makes it even more special and loved by travelers is that this old continent is well connected by public transportation, making it an affordable holiday destination. While trains, buses, and planes will allow you to discover picturesque cities, popular nature spots, uncovering hidden gems might be a bit of a difficult task.
Renting a car not only gives you the freedom to explore at your own pace but also the opportunity to get off the beaten path. And getting off the beaten path is always a good idea, especially in Europe, where are so much to see and do. While sometimes renting a car is not an option because of high rental costs, I am here to tell you that it can also be done at a very affordable price. So if you want to know how to rent a car in Europe on a budget, keep on reading!
Table of Contents
Tips on renting a car on a budget
Renting a car in Europe doesn’t have to be expensive, especially if you are being savvy about it. In this blog post, I will share a few tips and tricks for renting a car in Europe without breaking the wallet. After all, sharing is caring!
Research and book in advance
Might sound obvious but planning ahead is crucial when renting a car on a budget. You can start by researching different car rental companies and comparing prices online. My go-to option is to check comparison websites and booking platforms to find the best deals, such as Discover Cars (more on my personal experience later on in the blog post).
Booking in advance will not only ensure better availability of options but also often can result in great deals as companies sometimes offer early booking discounts. Also, make sure to keep an eye out for promotional offers, especially during off-peak seasons or important holidays such as Black Friday.
Opt for Compact or Economy Cars
One of the best ways to lower the rental price is to opt for an economy car. While it may be tempting to upgrade to a luxury vehicle, opting for a compact or economy car can help you also reduce fuel expenses. Depending on the countries you are planning to visit, fuel can quickly add up to your travel budget. Here is a useful website that display actual fuel prices in all European countries.
Opting for smaller vehicles is not only more budget-friendly but also makes it easier to navigate through narrow European streets and parking spaces. Countries such as Italy and Spain are notorious for narrow streets that can be difficult to maneuver. The last thing you want is an extra charge for car damage…
Be mindful of additional fees and hidden costs
Before pressing that ‘book’ button on your reservation, carefully review the terms and conditions to understand any additional fees and hidden costs associated with the rental. Common charges to watch out for include insurance premiums, fuel surcharges, airport pickup fees, crossing borders, and additional driver fees.
Some rental companies charge you extra charges for a car cleaning if you don’t drop it off already cleaned inside and outside. Also, make sure you know what your fuel policy is, if you need to charge it full when dropping off or not.
While you can save by not including additional services such as GPS or a second driver, you should never rent a car without proper insurance coverage. One tip I picked up along the way is to consider purchasing insurance coverage through a third-party provider rather than opting for the rental company’s insurance, as this can often be more cost-effective.
In my case, I used Discover Cars full coverage which was 10 euros per day instead of the actual rental company.
Take advantage of discounts and rewards programs
Many car rental companies offer discounts and rewards programs that can help you save money on your rental. Check if you qualify for any membership discounts and be sure to redeem any loyalty points or rewards you’ve accumulated.
Additionally, some credit cards offer rental car insurance coverage and perks such as free upgrades, so be sure to use a card that provides maximum benefits.
Explore alternative pickup and drop-off locations
Throughout my experience, renting a car from locations outside of major cities or airports can sometimes result in lower rental rates. Explore alternative pickup and drop-off locations, such as train stations, suburban offices, or city centers. Sometimes it can help you save money on rental fees and avoid airport surcharges which can be quite high.
Of course, keep in mind transportation costs to and from these locations when considering this option. While this is a good tip to try and test, in some cases, airport pickups are still cheaper depending on the availability of locations in the area.
My experience renting cars in Europe with Discover Cars
Now that you know what are the best tricks and tips for renting a car on a budget, I want to share my recent personal experience on renting cars in Europe. On a recent trip to Europe, I planned to spend quite some time in my home country, Lithuania, and later on exploring the western part of Europe, including Spain, Italy, Netherlands, and so on.
Luckily just as I was planning my trip, Discover Cars reached out to me with an offer to try out their services in exchange for an honest review. To give a bit of context, Discover Cars is among Europe’s largest online car rental platforms that connect travelers with trusted car rentals for the best price offer.
So this is my honest personal experience using Discover Cars online car rental platform in Lithuania and Spain.
Renting a car in Lithuania
To explore some of the places I wanted to go in Lithuania, I needed a car, so I took a look at the Discover Cars website to see what I could get on a budget for 3 days of travel. I was pleasantly surprised by how cheap renting a car was in Lithuania. For all 3 days, including insurance coverage (10 euros per day), the cost was around 50 euros.
Here are some things that full coverage includes and doesn’t:
I went for GreenMotion rental company as they had great prices and economy models that I could pick up from Kaunas Airport, located not far away from my home. The only downside was that they asked for a deposit of 800 euros which seemed a bit steep. However, this is the policy of the rental company and it was noted on Discover Cars website along with other important rental details prior to making a booking.
The booking process was very quick and smooth. At the end, you get a confirmation email that gives you all the information you need to make a pickup on the date of your booking. Also, the company I chose, sent me a separate email too with a form I needed to fill out for a quicker process on the day of arrival.
What left me pleasantly surprised is that on the day of pick-up, they gave us a brand new Volkswagen T-cross which had an automatic transmission instead of booked Golf model in manual. It was a nice free upgrade that we didn’t expect.
Dropping off the car was very easy as well as we only had to park the car in the dedicated spot and leave the keys in a special drop-off box. The deposit took around 10 working days to be released after the drop-off date.
Renting a car in Spain
For our visit to Spain, we decided to rent a car from Sixt, one of the most popular rental companies in Europe. We picked up at Malaga International Airport with a drop off at one of the offices in the center of Seville. Our plan was to make a road trip visiting Marbella, Ronda, and the famous Caminito del Rey all the while ending the trip at Seville.
What I liked about Discover Cars website is that the search process is quite easy and intuitive. We could select pick-up, and drop-off places, times, what car specifications we wanted, payment type, and even filter out options based on the amount of deposit they asked for.
We rented Opel Corsa for 3 days with full insurance coverage. In total, it rounded up to 167 EUR. As you can tell, car rental prices in Spain are so much higher compared to Lithuania. However, counting all that we would have paid for airport transfers, intercity connections, and other transportation modes, it was more convenient to rent a car.
Speaking about the price, it could have done for cheaper but we were looking for a bigger car as we had a lot of luggage with us and wanted to drop off the car in another location than we picked it up. All of this adds up to the cost.
With Sixt, everything from pick up to drop off was seamless and easy. What we liked is that when we dropped off the car, a person was waiting who quickly checked the car for damage and confirmed that everything was, in fact, great and the deposit could be released.
All in all, a very pleasant experience using Discover Cars! I 100% recommend them if you plan on renting a car in Europe or any part of the world, really. I know for one that I definitely will use Discover Cars platform again in the future.
Just as I mentioned earlier, renting a car in Europe doesn’t have to break the bank. With careful planning, research, and careful decision-making, you can embark on a memorable road trip through the continent while staying within your budget.
Disclaimer: This blog post is partially sponsored by Discover Cars but all my opinions are honest as always.
