You should be aware that Hotwire does not disclose the name of the rental car agency until you have completed your pre-paid reservation.  But really, as long as the vehicle can be picked up in an “in-terminal” location, who really cares which major car company it is?  The rental company turned out to be Alamo and the pick-up and drop-off were seamless.

So lesson learned….. next time I need to rent a car, I’ll go to Hotwire first and save myself lots of time AND money!

Problem #1 – I’ve heard from a number of folks who have been charged daily fees for a transponder even though they did not request one in the car, did not use it,  and did not drive on a toll road.  If the transponder is in the car, you will be charged a fee for every day of your car rental.  Agencies typically charge about $2.50 per day for the transponder.

Problem #2 – Folks have experienced erroneous toll charges that have been billed to them after they returned home  (the toll fees are administered by the toll transponder company).  It turns out that disproving a toll charge is very difficult – you will be required to prove you did not go through the toll (no simple task!)

Read the comments by Geoff and Sal on our Rental Cars Get Transponders article to get all the frustrating details of their bogus fee encounters, and give careful attention the next time you rent a vehicle to determine if there is a transponder aboard or not.

“While driving between Germany and Italy I happened upon a service oasis outside Hohenems on the E43.  Before I was aware I was flagged down by an official looking gentlemen holding a small stop sign standing on the roadside.  He politely notified me that I was driving on Austrian roads without the proper permit.  Surprised, I asked him to explain, which he did.  About 200 meters before him I had crossed into Austria (now if there had been significant signs stating such I would have known, but it looked just like a dozen other service stops on the highway) and was now required to have a road permit.  I said I wasn’t 1) aware I had entered Austria and 2) saw/knew nothing about a required road tax/toll/permit. That mattered nothing to him and it would now cost me 120 Euros (~$160). He said there were signs in English as I approached the border which I later verified was not true. But they had me, (and 4 other carloads at the time I was stopped, all unwitting tourists like myself). Either I pay their extorted 120 Euros or they impound my car, detain me and charge me 3000 Euros for not complying.  Nice place.  Worst than a Georgian speed trap.

Now I may not have seen the signs leading to this fiasco but I could read the signs now.  So I paid their grimy little tourist tax vowing never to return to their miserable little tourist trap and to tell whoever I meet what a petty and disingenuous place Austria is. I will someday be offered an opportunity to extract recompense and I assure you it will be sweet.

So if you drive in that region, avoid Austria, and if you can’t avoid it all together, figure out to purchase their toll pass for 7.70 Euros before they can rob you of much much more.

Switzerland BTW has a similar tax but they were very polite and accommodating allowing you to buy as you cross into Switzerland.”

So be forewarned, when renting a car in Europe ask in advance if any Vignette Stickers are needed.  

Hertz: Known as “The Green Collection”, Hertz has over 268,000 vehicles that average 28 mpg or better, which represents 64% of its total fleet. Additionally, 43% of its fleet achieves 34 mpg or better. They seem to be stocking up on the Toyota Prius, which number over 3,400 vehicles at the moment, and they rent hybrid vehicles throughout the European market as well. 

Avis/Budget Group: Dubbed “The Cool Cars”, this group has brought in a number of Nissan Altima Hybrids and the Toyota Prius to stock its fleet. They are available by guaranteed reservations in select cities. (Just ignore the more politically incorrect offerings of Hummers and the like). Avis also offers Flex-Fuel vehicles in a few cities that use E-85 ethanol fuel – just be sure you get a map of where to find gas stations selling this type of fuel!

Enterprise/National/Alamo Group: This group has over 237,000 Hybrids fleetwide that average 32 mpg or better. Additionally 264,000 vehicles qualify as “SmartWay” vehicles as certified by the Environmental Protection Agency for their relatively low levels of regulated pollutants and greenhouse gases. More than 73,000 cars and trucks are Flex-Fuel vehicles that burn E-85 ethanol fuel. And they have approximately 4,000 gas/electric vehicles – an impressive array of fuel efficient choices!!

Dollar/Thrifty Group: Although Dollars wants you to “Drive With Attitude” I’m sorry to say not too much is going on here in the Hybrid arena.

And as an extra bonus, ask your hotel if they offer a parking discount for hybrid vehicles. Several hotel companies have introduced overnight parking saving incentives for customers driving hybrid cars.

I’m off to a wedding in New York soon, so I did a quick calculation on gas cost from Boston to New York City (roundtrip). The form asks you to enter the beginning and ending cities and the make, year, and model of your vehicle. I found the drive will take about 15 gallons of gas, and at current rates, cost about $56. Certainly a lot less than an airline or train ticket. So it’s on a road trip I’ll go.

Now to find the lowest prices for that gas. Here are some great websites for finding the cheapest gas prices wherever you are:

MapQuest – Gas Map
MSN – Gas Finder
Gas Buddy
Gas Mobio (downloadable software for cell phones)

Happy motoring!!!