Cross-border car rental

[Edward Trunk]

Is it easy to rent a car here in France from, say, Hertz or Avis and return it to an outlet in UK?

[andyh4]

In a word - No.

Within Continental Europe cross border hire is expensive (usually). To the UK where you will leave a left hand drive car in a right hand drive world.............

Well would you want to hire on that basis?

[Gardengirl]

It's very easy, but depends on the depth of your pockets. If there's not a huge amount of luggage, you'd find it's a huge amount cheaper to hire two cars; one to the channel port of your choice and return it there. Then take a ferry across the Channel as a foot passenger and pick a second car up in UK. Then it would need the same planning in reverse to return to France.

I looked into hiring a car to drive to France from UK when we realised through this forum that we couldn't buy a car in France and drive it to UK  several times each year, as we had hoped. (Our main home is in UK). The cost was over £1200 just for the 4 days, and just too difficult for me to consider. [:(]

[Kevinmc]

Fundamentally, your local Avis, Hertz etc. is a franchise and owns/leases all the vehicles. they therefore want them back when you've finished with it. If you leave it 500 miles away, they'll have to send someone to collect it and you'll have to cover that cost. If you want to do a one way hire that gives them too much grief, if easier for them to say no.

There's a point at which they really don't need your business 

[ericd]

......Unless you find a rental company with a RHD car they want to send back to the UK......it would pay to call and ask.