I have rented from my local LeClerc several times and have had positive experiences. My particular store is booked up months in advance. They are also VERY picky about how the car looks when you return it. The mileage you put on the website is pretty meaningless- you will settle up when you return it. As for your credentials, I think you will be OK ( I used a US license), but as they seem to be very local, I think it will just depend on your particular stores policies.

 

Thanks for that - very helpful. I shall give it a try and see what they say - hopefully not fully booked here! Good to know about return of car being strictly checked - better to know in advance ! Kind regards, Gary

 

Good to know about return of car being strictly checked - better to know in advance !

Just make sure you are as picky when it's being checked out.

They are usually new cars and are changed pretty regularly. We rented one for over two years.

Just be careful where you park it (& overnight) as there will probably be a 1200€ excess with it - certainly at the 'cheapo' daily rate.

 

We rented from Leclerc for several months with no problems or regrets. Expat acquaintances of ours have been renting for over a year. They say it's cheaper and easier than buying a car. I haven't run the numbers, so I don't know whether that's true. Perhaps so if you, like them and us, don't log many km.

I take it you're using the website to reserve. It does ask for estimated km you'll use. You can put anything there. My memory might be off, but I think they charge for that distance up front, and refund or charge for the actual distance when you return or renew. I put down 100km.

I still had my US driving license at the time, and got an official translation made. IIRC, they asked for the translation specifically. You might check with your store to see whether it's required there. An international permit might suffice.

We had to return the car to pay and renew the rental every 30 days. They won't write a contract for longer than that, but they will give you an ongoing reservation if you ask for it.

They didn't inspect the car at these interim renewals, just checked the odometer and charged us for the km used. But they did look it over pretty closely when we finally returned it for good. I had thoroughly washed and vacuumed it, so we passed.

I suspect - but don't know for sure - that one reason for the fussy inspection is that they save expense by not cleaning the cars much, if at all, before re-renting them.

One warning: our store at least raised the deposit to 1500€ a few months ago. Be aware of this if your credit card has a low limit.

 

I take it you're using the website to reserve. It does ask for estimated km you'll use. You can put anything there. My memory might be off, but I think they charge for that distance up front, and refund or charge for the actual distance when you return or renew. I put down 100km.

They do not charge for km up front only when it's returned.

 

After my experience of hire vehicles from super u, I would never hire from a supermarket again.
Brand new van, which had been tampered with the night prior to collecting it by thieves trying to steal the catalytic converter.
Van broke down half way to our destination. No replacement available. €650 for a taxi, of which we had to pay €150 as only €500 provided by assistance for onward travel. Try to find a taxi to take two people and a large dog on a 5 hr journey on a Saturday evening!
Had to find a replacement vehicle from another company ( intermarche ) ourselves, after 2 days. No help returning to original rental location ( 8 hours away )....... A complete nightmare........
And most people probably don't check but........ I have yet to find a hire vehicle with a spare wheel ( or the means to change it ie locking nut key). Just hope you have a mobile signal when you get a flat in the middle of nowhere!!!!
Ok, rant over.......but seriously?
Super u did refund the full hire charge, but we were left with a serious deficit. The assistance company just refused to answer our emails and phone calls.
Never again.

 

I have yet to find a hire vehicle with a spare wheel ( or the means to change it ie locking nut key).

Depends on how new the vehicle is, but it is more and more common that new vehicles you purchase have no spare tire. Generally, you get a kit that includes the foam stuff you squirt into the tire to seal it and then a little pump. A tire repaired in that way will only go a limited distance - so only to the closest garage for repair.

 

I rented a Renault Clio beginning of the week from Leclerc.
You need to leave a 1500€ deposit (blocked on your bank card)
- check that you are allowed to; we had one card no and one card yes
Rental was 6€/day plus 0.33€/km.
Must return with full tank, vacuumed and carwashed (if carwash isn't frozen)

Between a tiny Clio for 6€ and a more spacious vehicle for 8€/day I regret choosing the Clio
but maybe it was the only one available without reserving?

I didn't read the contract in detail but it seemed that there was a 1500€ franchise (what's that in English?)
for any damage even if the vehicle is insured all-risk

 

Please can I ask? - Do you know if insurance automatically included with hire from LeClerc? Thank you.

 

Thanks very much for that - we had one card yes, one card no as well😳 I assume the other charge is excess which is high - that has been mentioned to me. We’ll have to be careful as parking overnight is tight in our town. Appreciate the help, kind regards, Gary

 

Sorry, is that 33cents /km? 3km is 1€?

 

Yes, that's about right. But you can see the charges on the website before you reserve.

 

Thirty-three centimes per km sounds high to me. The cost may depend on where you are. We're in a rural area. A Clio cost us 5€ per day and 17 centimes per km in early 2023. I just checked, and the same store is now quoting 6€ / day and 21.8 centimes per km.

 

Thanks for the update

 

The rate depends somewhat on the size of the vehicle. Small cars are in the twenties/km- larger ones in the thirties. There's a website- see for yourself... You may not even be able to rent what you want when you want it anyway. Cars are in high demand at my Leclerc.

 

Thanks. I didn’t see the rate as I was just browsing and seeing what cars were available. The rates are very competitive but I’m thinking if I am driving all over the country, it may be the same as the big rental companies that include a daily mileage rate. Thanks again

 

You're probably on the right track. The Leclerc rental cars are most economical for people who don't drive much.

 

It may also be a question of the "purpose" of the grocery store car rental. I gather that they aren't looking to compete with the biggies like Hertz or Avis - i.e. for vacationers - but rather to provide a fairly cheap and simple option for folks who need a car for a few days to use locally.

 

You have two options, pay 7 euros a day or post a 1500 euro caution that you get back providing you don't damage the car.