We've got it good

[tazzieman]

Back in Oz (can recommend the Dreamliner flight to Perth).
The cost of returning the hire car with 3/4 tank of fuel at Dublin airport was $91.
I'm in Brighton East hipsterville right now watching massive SUVs and Mustangs and  few 911s fighting for a park. 
It's quite amusing to watch! In Europe , practicality overrides image.

[YellowDieselGolf]

I got back from Germany and Ireland a couple of weeks ago. We didn't hire a car in the UK, but did a fair few K's in Germany with some trips into France and Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria.

We reserved a manual Volvo V60 wagon via budget and received a DSG Skoda octavia wagon.  Nice car, but I wouldn't say they're in the same class.  The chick at the counter tried to upgrade us to an E Class and extra insurance, which I didn't entertain.  I had a week alone reserved an Audi A5 thru Sixt.  They gave me a BMW 420i grandcrap which I disliked.  Strongly.

As for driving in Germany, the roads were as smooth as silk.  I didn't spot a single pothole or repair in three weeks of driving.  The autobahns were great, but the speed zones changed all the time.  Often with little/no signage - even the absence of signs can indicate a speed change.  There were also many sections of autobahn that were being repaired/upgraded and were very narrow.  The unlimited autobahns were a novelty to us and we went WOT at every opportunity, while many of the locals cruised at ~150km/h.   Not always though - I still remember doing 235 km/h and being left behind by an Audi A8. 

The back roads in Southern Germany had amazing scenery, but again were narrow and it took us a week or so to adjust to driving a "large" car on the wrong side of a skinny road.  

The cars over there were interesting.  I spotted a few classic 911's and Ferraris which was great to see.  We spotted more Lamborghinis than utes/4wds.  And not a single toyota camry . . . bliss.

[Lucky Phil]

I would say I am the hire car expert for the UK and Ireland.  I have been a few times and tried all the companies.  Bottom line is that they are all the same. 

One must do is, "Always take out good travel insurance and your excess is covered so you never need to purchase the hire car company full waiver for extra money"

The best company I have used is Hertz for not having issues.  The two I will never use again are, 1. Shifty (sorry Thrifty) who claimed I had scratched the Jag Wagon we hired after our BMW 3 (that was booked) somehow morphed into a small BMW hatch and the Jag was all they had as an alternative for an extra $1000.  The pickup point was an underground garage in London.  The drop off point was an open air yard in Edinburgh.  Could not see any hairline scratches in the underground carpark but in the full sun they were evident.  Will never use them again.  2. Europcar who took a swipe of our credit card and the next thing we know someone has placed a 1800 pound bet on a horse running in the first race in Ireland.

Other key point to note.  No matter what you book, you will NEVER and I mean NEVER gat that car and they will all then try to offer you an upgrade (at a discounted rate). and ALWAYS thoroughly go over the car and take photos on your phone (which are date stamped) of all scratches and especially rim damage.  

On our last trip Avis was who we used for one car and yet again the Peugeot 3008 booked was not available and we were offered a Golf Wagon for 4 people.  We ended up upgrading to a Citreon C4 people mover(for an extra $500) At the first fuel stop I noticed the key fob had the emergency key missing and i said we better go to the closest Avis place and report the issue.  I took photos etc.  The good news was it pays to be nice.  I met a couple of nice guys at the Avis place in Kent (Ashford International Train Station).  They took all the details and said no problem all noted on our file.  Whilst looking at my file they said why did I upgrade from the Peugeot to the Citreon? So I told the story. Bth shook their heads and then they typed a few thing on file and said we have sorted it for you and gave me $500 back.  As I said it pays when you act friendly.  They were just really nice sincere guys.

For those about to travel we got a great deal this time in the UK with Auto Europe.  They are a booking agency and get the best deal and display all companies and you choose the one you want for the best price (like trivago for cars). We saved a lot through this mob.  I used Hertz in Ireland and Avis in the UK.  These are the best two I have found.

AS MENTIONED ABOVE THOUGH WITH HIRE CARS BUYER BEWARE.

In Europe we use the trains.  They are just fantastic.  Fast efficient and on time.  3 country pass, 3 people, first class, reserved seats travelled through Switzerland, Germany and Austria for $1600.  Totally relaxing and was perfect.  Used buses, light rail and public transport in cities visited.  Sometimes the pass gave us free or discounted tickets on these as well.  Would never doing it any other way in future.  It was brilliant.

 

[Coastr]

It’s so obvious that these car rental places use scratches etc for revenue- because they never fix them and most rentals will be repainted for sale or auctioned as is.

typical UK thinking ‘oi you scratched me car guvnor’