Car Hire Greece: Small Local Company or Price Comparison Site Company
Adamc
Posts: 440 Forumite
Hi all
I've found reviews of local vehicle rental companies within Nikiana such as Vitacar which are very positive. The only trouble is they come in about £15 per day more expensive than the price comparison site companies such as Green Motion, Drive, and GR Rentals. The latter companies have mixed reviews and I've been warned about some dirty tactics to watch out for such as hidden charges. However, the small companies have little in the way of websites and information prior to booking seems minimal.
On average for a small no frills car costs appear to be around:
Vitacar £32 per day
Green Motion £18 per day
Does anyone have an experience in this matter? For a week the additional cost of going with the local companies is quite steep. While I would pay a little extra for a hassle free experience I want to find a good deal as the car rental is currently working out as expensive as the flights and apartment.
I've found reviews of local vehicle rental companies within Nikiana such as Vitacar which are very positive. The only trouble is they come in about £15 per day more expensive than the price comparison site companies such as Green Motion, Drive, and GR Rentals. The latter companies have mixed reviews and I've been warned about some dirty tactics to watch out for such as hidden charges. However, the small companies have little in the way of websites and information prior to booking seems minimal.
On average for a small no frills car costs appear to be around:
Vitacar £32 per day
Green Motion £18 per day
Does anyone have an experience in this matter? For a week the additional cost of going with the local companies is quite steep. While I would pay a little extra for a hassle free experience I want to find a good deal as the car rental is currently working out as expensive as the flights and apartment.
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Comments
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Some car hire excess insurers will refuse to cover Green Motion rentals. So factor that into your decision.
Ask them specifically if they will cover Green Motion. Don't rent one of their cars without having excess car hire insurance.
Some might suggest to stay away altogether. Though I have no experience of using them at all.0 -
When are you going? This month you can expect relatively high prices.
I have no experience of hiring in Greece... But in general, if you can ascertain that the smaller local firms include full CDW insurance cover, without an excess, and you want to avoid hassle - better to go with them.
If you have experience or feel you can present yourself as being an experienced hirer, and will buy the separate excess cover, you could perhaps save money that way. There's no point revealing your independent excess cover arrangements at the hire desk, just firmly decline their offers without discussion.
Don't even think about hiring with Green Motion..!Evolution, not revolution0 -
I've hired plenty of cars in Kefalonia, both cheap "brand" deals and local companies, I've even repeatedly used Goldcar, all without issue. (Goldcar got me brand new car for £30 for a week in May)
As already written locally independently owned companies generally are a bit more expensive due to them offering either full excess insurance or very low deposit deals.
The "brands" are generally locally owned franchises that operate under the headline companies rules and you can often rent direct with the owning company if you know who they are, but it's only usually after you've been once that you find out, due to seeing their office having all the names they deal with on a notice outside.
A good place to start researching these local companies is on the specific island/resort forum on Trip Advisor, there's usually a few island/resort experts or expats that will point you in the right direction.
One company I used repeatedly is https://www.direntacar.gr/
They were really good when a mad Italian ploughed into me on a (the only) roundabout, their car was at the back of their thoughts, it was all about our safety and health.
I also steer clear of Green Motion, my Bettersafe excess insurance won't cover them.0 -
I've always used small local firms in Greece. I've never had any problems, and in some cases you can pay in cash and not have to present a credit card at all. I wouldn't touch Green Motion with a barge pole. The small firms generally offer good reliable service and will bring the car to the airport, ferry port, hotel or whatever you need. Of course, there may be some dodgy operators out there too, so check reviews of the specific companies.Let's settle this like gentlemen: armed with heavy sticks
On a rotating plate, with spikes like Flash Gordon
And you're Peter Duncan; I gave you fair warning0 -
I wouldn't use GreenMotion as wherever I heard about them, the people always complained.
Also their rates are low, but the security deposit is huge - always over 1000 EUR/GBP...
The small local company may be a solution, however I would use a comparison website if I were you.
You can see the rules, inclusion/exclusions, deposits...T&C for each company and choose the one which fits your needs.
In general, the cheaper the rate is, the higher the security deposit and excess on the car are...
Also never look for the cost for a single day but compare for the whole week or for minimum 3 days.
I hope you this helps and you get a great deal!0
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