Business practices are just as individual as the countries themselves. With an average score of Good, Italy faired best among the car rental companies examined in the current test. This result, however, does not provide any general statement, but merely reflects the impression gained in the 58 sample tests taken in five different countries. Portugal and Greece came second and third, followed by Spain in fourth place. The poorest result among the five countries and lagging far behind in fifth place was Turkey – with poor test results in most cases. Turkey, by the way, was the only non-EU country in this test. Just how serious the differences are can be seen by the fact that the twelve Italian test candidates were rated as “Very good” or “Good” whilst more than half of the twelve Turkish vehicles failed the test due to serious safety failings.
The key points of the individual countries and/or test regions
GREECE (GR) Two test locations: o Chersonisos/Crete: Six car rental companies; vehicles rented between 11 and 13 August 2005, including one off-road vehicle. o Faliraki/Rhodes: Five car rental companies; vehicles rented between 8 and 10 August 2005, including one off-road vehicle. The car rental points were "sold out" there. This was why a sixth car was not available.
The most important facts from this test: • Child seat offered free of charge from all car rental companies • Second driver included free of charge with one exception • All rental agreements provided with an English translation of the most important provisions of the contract • It was possible to talk to all the car rental companies in English • No damage report made at the time the vehicle was handed over – with one exception • Vehicle registration document was missing with nine from eleven rental companies • The statutory first-aid kit was missing in all vehicles • The required warning triangle was missing in all vehicles
General rental terms and conditions – Greek islands* o Minimum age: 21 years of age, up to the age of 25 sometimes with extra fee o Additional driver free of charge o Third-party liability insurance including higher coverage of 1.0 to 1.5m euro o Comprehensive damage cover / theft cover without deductible o Personal/passenger cover optional for 2.95 euro per day o Deposit: starts at 45 euro/credit card o First-aid kit: required by law o Reflective jacket: not required by law o Warning triangle: required by law
The Greek car rental companies ranked mid-field in this test. However, some extreme exceptions were found. For instance, the two best candidates and the second last candidate from a total of 58 test candidates were found in Greece. On the whole, only three of the eleven car rental companies failed the test. The Very good result recorded for rental agreement layout and in the "Lighting/electrics" and "Engine compartment" categories made a positive impression. On the other hand, points were deducted considerably for Customer service. Avis in Chersonisos with a Hyundai Atos was both the national winner and also the overall winner, closely followed by Avis in Faliraki with a VW Polo. The poorest result went to Rental-one in Crete with a nine year old Daihatsu Cuore and more than 200,000 kilometres on the clock. The two off-road vehicles from Motor Plan in Chersonisos and La Luna in Faliraki did well with a “Good” in the overall result. At the same time, Motor Plan with a Suzuki Vitara achieved the best result from all the seven off-road vehicles examined in the test.
ITALY (I) Two test locations: o Porto Cervo/Sardinia: Six car rental companies; vehicles rented between 15 and 17 August and 11 and 14 September 2005; no off-road vehicle available. Re-testing was necessary, because almost all small cars were sold out at the time of the first test. o Taormina/Sicily: Six car rental companies; vehicles rented between 11 and 13 August 2005, no off-road vehicle available.
The most important facts from this test: • Vehicle registration document provided by all rental companies • All vehicles were clean and well maintained • It was possible to talk to all the car rental companies in English • Ten vehicles were fitted with the required warning triangles • The second driver was included free of charge at every second car rental company • Four rental companies provided the rental agreement in Italian only • No damage report made at the time the vehicle was handed over – with one exception • The first-aid kit was missing in all vehicles
General rental terms and conditions – Italy* o Minimum age of between 18 and 23 years old, 18 to 24 years of age subject to additional fee o Additional driver free of charge o Third-party liability insurance including higher coverage of 1.5 to 2.5m euro o Comprehensive damage cover / theft cover without deductible o Personal/passenger cover optional for 13.80 euro per day o Deposit: starts at 362 euro/credit card o First-aid kit: not required by law o Reflective jacket: not mandatory for the vehicle, but must be worn in the event of a breakdown outside urban areas o Warning triangle: required by law
Three quarters of all car rental companies in Italy achieved a result of “Good” or “Very good”. All in all, only three of the twelve companies failed the test. One very positive feature was the perfect score for all twelve vehicles in the "Engine compartment" category and the good score in the "Equipment and passenger safety" category. Insurance coverage and the technical categories "Chassis, brakes and steering" and "Lighting/electrics" also received a score of “Good” – with just a few negative results. When it comes to customer service, in particular, the Italian car rental companies tested still have to catch up. Eight failed, and the remaining four at least achieved an”Acceptable” rating.
The best result and third place in the overall score went to the Pinna car rental company Porto Cervo with a Fiat Punto. This was followed by the companies, California and Sicily by Car in Taormina. Whilst a Fiat Punto was rented from California, a Smart Forfour was rented from Sicily by Car. Bottom of the table and the only “Very poor” result, went to the City car rental company in Taormina and their Fiat Punto.
PORTUGAL (P) One test location: o Albufeira: Six car rental companies; vehicles rented between 9 and 11 August 2005, including one off-road vehicle.
The most important facts from this test: • It was possible to talk to all the car rental companies in English • All rental agreements were provided with an English translation of the most important provisions of the contract • The required reflective jacket was provided in all six vehicles • Warning triangle provided in five out of six vehicles • Four out of six companies failed to provide a damage report at the time the vehicle was handed over • Extra cost for inclusion of a child seat with all six companies • The first-aid kit was missing in all vehicles • High extra costs for a second driver – highest fees compared to all other countries
General rental terms and conditions – mainland Portugal* o Minimum age: 18 years of age, up to the age of 25 sometimes with extra fee o Additional drivers costs an additional 31.54 euro per day o Third-party liability insurance including higher coverage of 1.0 to 1.5m euro o Comprehensive damage cover / theft cover without deductible o Personal/passenger cover optional for 6.55 euro per day o Deposit: starts at 600 euro/credit card o First-aid kit: not required by law o Reflective jacket: required by law o Warning triangle: required by law
The overall results: 4 “Good”, 1 “Acceptable” and 1 “Poor”
The Portuguese were not able to achieve a very good result in the test. All in all, four car rental companies were rated “Good”. The biggest highlight here was the “Very good” score for all six vehicles in the "Engine compartment" and "Lighting/electrics" categories. Customer service and transparency of insurance coverage were given a low score. And finally, in the overall result, Portugal ranked mid-field.
Leisure Car with its Renault Clio came first in the ratings for Portugal. Bottom of the table here was the Pandacar rental company with its Opel Corsa. The only off-road vehicle in the test, a Suzuki Jimny from Auto Prudente, was rated “Good”.
SPAIN (E) Three test locations: o Cala d’Or/Majorca (Balearics): Six car rental companies; vehicles rented between 1 and 3 August 2005, including one off-road vehicle. o Playa de las Américas/Tenerife (Canaries): Six car rental companies; vehicles rented between 1 and 3 August 2005, including one off-road vehicle. o Torremolinos: Five car rental companies; vehicles rented between 12 and 14 August 2005, no off-road vehicle.
The most important facts from this test: • It was possible to talk to all the car rental companies in English • Rental agreements in 14 out of 17 cases were provided with an English translation • Second driver: included free with half of the companies, otherwise subject to different rates • Extra costs for a child seat with 11 out of 17 rental companies • Vehicle registration document was missing with 13 out of 17 rental companies • 13 out of 17 companies failed to provide a damage report at the time the vehicle was handed over • The two warning triangles required by law, were provided in one vehicle only • The first-aid kit was missing in all vehicles
General rental terms and conditions – Spanish mainland/Costa Del Sol/Malaga* o Minimum age: 19 years of age, up to the age of 25 sometimes with extra fee o Additional driver free of charge o Third-party liability insurance including higher coverage of 1.0 to 1.5m euro o Comprehensive damage cover / theft cover without deductible o Personal/passenger cover optional for 6.09 euro per day o Deposit: starts at 60 euro/credit card
General rental terms and conditions – Canary Islands* o Minimum age of 21 o Additional driver included free of charge o Third-party liability insurance including higher coverage of 1.5 euro to unlimited o Comprehensive damage cover / theft cover without deductible o Personal/passenger cover included o Deposit: starts at 66 euro/credit card
General rental terms and conditions – Majorca* o Minimum age: 19 years of age, up to the age of 25 sometimes with extra fee o Additional driver included free of charge o Third-party liability insurance including higher coverage of 1.5 euro to unlimited o Comprehensive damage cover / theft cover without deductible o Personal/passenger cover included o Deposits starts at 62 euro plus a fuel deposit of between 45 and 70 euro/credit card
General rental terms and conditions – Spain* o First-aid kit: not required by law o Reflective jacket: must be worn in the event of a breakdown outside urban areas o Warning triangle: two required by law
The overall results: 2 “Very good”, 7 “Good”, 1 “Acceptable”, 3 “Poor” and 4 “Very poor”
With an “Acceptable” result, this puts Spain in the lower end of the mid-field rankings. However, this was also where the most rental companies and vehicles were tested. Seven out of 17 car rental companies failed the test. The best scores were awarded in the "Engine compartment" category. The other technical categories and “insurance coverage” were also given a rating of “Good” – apart from a few small exceptions. Customer service in Spain also made a poor impression. All except one car rental company failed in this category.
First place in the Spanish test rating goes to Nizacars in Playa de Las Américas/Tenerife with a Citroën C3, closely followed by Autos d’Or with a Ford Fiesta in Cala d’Or/Majorca. Last place goes to Luna Cars in Playa de las Américas/Tenerife with a Citroën Saxo which at the time of testing already had 104,846 kilometres on the clock. The two off-road vehicles attained mixed ratings: the Suzuki Vitara from Autos Mallorca d’Or scored an “Acceptable” overall result, whilst the Suzuki Samurai from Galaxia in Playa de Las Américas only managed a “Poor” rating.
TURKEY Two test locations: o Alanya: Six car rental companies; vehicles rented between 8 and 10 August 2005, including one off-road vehicle. o Bodrum: Six car rental companies; vehicles rented between 11 and 13 August 2005, including one off-road vehicle.
The most important facts from this test: • Vehicle registration document provided by all the car rental companies • Second driver usually included free of charge with just one exception • Rental agreements came with an English translation of the most important provisions, with one exception • Child seats provided free of charge by eight out of 12 rental companies • It was not possible to talk to three companies in English; moreover, communication difficulties were found with almost all the car rental companies • In four cases, the price was not clearly stated in the rental agreement • In nine out of 12 cases, the vehicles were handed over with an empty petrol tank • Apart from a few exceptions, the vehicle interiors were obviously dirty • Apart from one exception, insurance cover was impossible or almost impossible to understand in the rental agreement • No damage report was provided at the time the vehicle was handed over – with one exception • The required first-aid kit was missing in 11 vehicles • The two warning triangles required by law were missing in all the vehicles
General rental terms and conditions – Turkey* o Minimum age between 21 and 25 o Up to three additional drivers included free of charge o Third-party liability insurance including higher coverage of 1.0 to 1.5m euro o Comprehensive damage cover / theft cover without deductible o Personal/passenger cover optional for 5.90 euro per day o Deposit with credit card only o First-aid kit: required by law o Reflective jacket: not required by law o Warning triangle: two warning triangles required by law
The overall results: 4 “Good”, 1 “Acceptable”, 2 “Poor” and 5 “Very poor”
Turkey came last in this test achieving by far the lowest result and making what was on the whole a negative impression. More than half of the car rental companies failed the test, two were rated “Poor” and five only managed a rating of “Very poor”. With just one exception, the "Lighting/electrics" category was the only category to achieve a convincing result. The biggest failings in the Turkish test were found in service, insurance coverage and with regard to vehicle road safety. All too frequently, the "Equipment", "Passenger safety" and "Chassis, brakes and steering" categories left a lot to be desired.
First place in the Turkish test went to Europcar in Alanya with a Renault Clio. However, with an overall rating of “Good”, Europcar is the only car rental company in Alanya with a positive result. Blue, Pegasus and Redox in Bodrum also received a “Good” rating. The poorest result in Turkey went to the Avsar car rental company with a 15-year old Suzuki Samurai that was ready for the scrap yard. Besides this “Very poor” result, the second off-road vehicle from Blue in Bodrum, again a Suzuki Samurai, was rated “Good” and even came second among the Turkish car rental companies.
*The rental terms and conditions in the individual countries are described on the basis of "holiday autos" and "DERTOUR" information rather than the results of the test. This information is largely valid for other car rental companies in the respective countries and serves as a means of orientation for consumers. In some cases, local circumstances may deviate from this.
EuroTests - EuroTest 2006 - Car Hire Test 2006
Business practices are just as individual as the countries themselves. With an average score of Good, Italy faired best among the car rental companies examined in the current test. This result, however, does not provide any general statement, but merely reflects the impression gained in the 58 sample tests taken in five different countries. Portugal and Greece came second and third, followed by Spain in fourth place. The poorest result among the five countries and lagging far behind in fifth place was Turkey – with poor test results in most cases. Turkey, by the way, was the only non-EU country in this test. Just how serious the differences are can be seen by the fact that the twelve Italian test candidates were rated as “Very good” or “Good” whilst more than half of the twelve Turkish vehicles failed the test due to serious safety failings. 
The Greek car rental companies ranked mid-field in this test. However, some extreme exceptions were found. For instance, the two best candidates and the second last candidate from a total of 58 test candidates were found in Greece. On the whole, only three of the eleven car rental companies failed the test. The Very good result recorded for rental agreement layout and in the "Lighting/electrics" and "Engine compartment" categories made a positive impression. On the other hand, points were deducted considerably for Customer service. 
Three quarters of all car rental companies in Italy achieved a result of “Good” or “Very good”. All in all, only three of the twelve companies failed the test. One very positive feature was the perfect score for all twelve vehicles in the "Engine compartment" category and the good score in the "Equipment and passenger safety" category. Insurance coverage and the technical categories "Chassis, brakes and steering" and "Lighting/electrics" also received a score of “Good” – with just a few negative results. When it comes to customer service, in particular, the Italian car rental companies tested still have to catch up. Eight failed, and the remaining four at least achieved an”Acceptable” rating.
With an “Acceptable” result, this puts Spain in the lower end of the mid-field rankings. However, this was also where the most rental companies and vehicles were tested. Seven out of 17 car rental companies failed the test. The best scores were awarded in the "Engine compartment" category. The other technical categories and “insurance coverage” were also given a rating of “Good” – apart from a few small exceptions. Customer service in Spain also made a poor impression. All except one car rental company failed in this category. 
Turkey came last in this test achieving by far the lowest result and making what was on the whole a negative impression. More than half of the car rental companies failed the test, two were rated “Poor” and five only managed a rating of “Very poor”. With just one exception, the "Lighting/electrics" category was the only category to achieve a convincing result. The biggest failings in the Turkish test were found in service, insurance coverage and with regard to vehicle road safety. All too frequently, the "Equipment", "Passenger safety" and "Chassis, brakes and steering" categories left a lot to be desired. 