Car hire

[Admiral]

Ever wondered how to hire a car in Montmorillon? No, neither have I until our banger was taken off the road for remedial repairs etc.

Any road up....it's surprisingly simple.

Walk into LeClerc. Go into the travel agency bit and ask for a car/tipper truck/van or whatever it is you need.

You will need to have with you:

A couple of utlity bills with your name and address.

Your driving licence. Before you ask, they are quite happy to accept a UK licence.

Cheque book/credit card.

Once you've sorted out your vehicle of choice, they will take a whacking great deposit - anything between €800 and €1,000. This deposit is "unreal" in the sense that they don't cash the cheque or actually activate the credit car for payment.

Next, you take all your paperwork - and there's plenty of it - to the overworked girl in the petrol station kiosk. In the 15 minutes it'll take before she gets around to you, have a good look around the car for lumps, bumps, scrapes and anything else Le Clerc may not have noted on the form. You already have the form in your paperwork, in case you wondered.

She'll then take a cursory look round the car, you both agree on the mileage reading and off you go.

Our Davia Sandero cost €5 a day plus 12 centimes per kilometre. Nice car but with a nasty, sloppy Renault gearbox but that's a rant for somewhere else.

TIP: Don't go into LeClerc and ask for a car for that same day. The answer was a resounding: "Non." We are in France after all....

[Fred]

Yep good tip Admiral, we had one too funny little cars, ours was a Fiat I think but it done the job.

Tip check the petrol gauge. As we went flying off down the road only to realise the tank was empty, turned around went back and was told it's normal. I found that odd as whenever I've hired a vehicle it's full and you take it back Full. So check it and take it back empty (it was a bugger sucking out that last half litre)

Also make sure you go around with them before taking it, the girl didn't notice a rather large scratch under the bumper.

But yes if you're stuck they do the job, I also think SuperU do them too, and if you're south of Montmorillon the supermarkets in Bellac have them.

[Admiral]

Thanks for that Fred, although I'm surprised your motor was running on air.

Our Dacia thingy had a full tank.

On return, the car HAS to be washed and HAS to have a full fuel tank; otherwise your form won't be signed off by the girl in the kiosk. I should have known better than to flout rules in France because rule here.

She inspects everything on the car - something she didn't do on departure - including kilometres covered, full fuel tank, empty boot, unused back seats, windows etc etc.

Just before terminal boredom sets in, she signs the form and sends you back to the travel agency bit where you settle up for kilometres covered. MAKE sure you get a receipt confirming cancellation of your card deposit.

As a by the by, I returned the car two days early and asked for the two unused days to be deducted from the bill. I should know better......it didn't work.

[Fred]

If you're looking for a new post here by chris_and_julie I've moved it to a new thread in the hope of it getting noticed better, you can find it here: Cherry picker hire Montmorillon area

[chris_and_julie]

What a good idea! Thanks Fred.

Chris

[david9]

Are the cars new or nearly new or old bangers for that price?

[Fred]

Are the cars new or nearly new or old bangers for that price?

New, ours had only done 1400 K

I think they also have a deal where you can rent one for a year and get a new one each year, but don't quote me on it.

[Admiral]

Ours was brand new with only 1,000 kilometres on the clock and the inside immaculate. Which is rather unnerving having been used to driving an old 4x4 motor awash with dog hair, bits of straw, old cement dust etc etc.

[walesfranceuk]

Hi, I am planning on renting a house near Montmorillon and have read about renting a car and was told you can rent for 250Euros for a month plus 1,200 kms.  I know this is really reasonable but nobody has mentioned the insurance part? Do they add insurance or can you use your own?

[Fred]

Hi, I am planning on renting a house near Montmorillon and have read about renting a car and was told you can rent for 250Euros for a month plus 1,200 kms.  I know this is really reasonable but nobody has mentioned the insurance part? Do they add insurance or can you use your own?

Hello and welcome to Around Montmorillon, ours came with insurance. If I remember rightly we had to leave a deposit and I think you can leave a lower deposit if you are willing to accept an excess if you have an accident. We just left them a cheque and they gave it back when we returned the car.

Enjoy your visit.