Want to drive a brand new Peugeot?

Next month we head to Europe!

Although this is obviously exciting, it is also a lot of work. We are travelling on a tight budget and this has meant many long hours trying to find the best deals. The best part about this? When I find an extra good deal, it is very exciting and I get to share it with all of you. I have an awesome deal to share today.

I recently came across Europ Auto’s buy back plan as an alternative to car hire. I must admit that it sounded too good to be true – it’s reputed to be cheaper than car hire for longer trips, you are given a brand new car and you can drive it freely around more than 40 countries. Thankfully, it’s not too good to be true! Here’s what I have learned about this alternative way to travel Europe…

How does it work?

Basically, you can choose a brand new, never before driven Peugeot for your holiday in Europe. You get to drive the car around Europe to 41 different countries. You then return the car at the end of your stay.

In many ways, it is not much different to traditional car hire – you have a car for a certain period that you can drive around. There are many advantages though:

• The price you see on the Europ Auto website includes EVERYTHING.
• Drivers just need to be 18 years old or over.
• The car comes with full comprehensive insurance. There are no deductibles. Everything is taken care of if you have a problem.
• The car comes with roadside assistance.
• There is no fee for additional drivers – parents, spouses and kids of the lease holder can drive the car as well (assuming they are over 18 and have a license of course!). Other people can also drive the car as long as the lease holder is there as well.
• You choose the model of the car – you don’t have to worry about this being swapped for an alternative like with a traditional car rental company.
• You can choose which transmission the car has and what motorisation – I recommend diesel to save money on fuel. Basically you choose the exact car except you cannot choose the colour – you can choose a colour you want to avoid though.
• The car has unlimited mileage.
• You do not need to fill up the tank before returning the car.
• There is no security deposit.

The things that appeal most to me is that it is a brand new car, I don’t have to worry about the model being swapped and that the price is all inclusive. I find it frustrating how cheap rates on car rental sites quickly increase when I want to add an extra driver and insurance.

Who can use the Europ Auto buy back scheme?

Anyone 18 or over with a drivers license can use this scheme as long as you are not a resident of Europe and are not working in Europe. Tourists can lease a car for up to 175 days. If you are in Europe to study or on a mission, you can lease a car for up to 355 days.

Some countries in Europe require an international drivers license, so it is worth purchasing one of these.

How does the price compare to traditional car rental?

The price compares very favorably for trips longer than a few weeks.

I tried entering random dates for a one month period later this year and compared the quote in Europ Auto to that in easyCar. A typical result is below (in Canadian dollars):

Europ Auto results for one month

easyCar best result for similar car for one month

The best result on easyCar for a similar car for a month is about CAD$100 less than the car on Europ Auto. However, you need to remember when looking at the above that the prices for Europ Auto is all inclusive – it includes everything mentioned above such as full insurance, unlimited mileage and additional drivers.

The easyCar quote includes one additional driver plus it includes insurance to remove any excess if there is an accident. It does not include any other extras and only 3750 kilometres are allowed to be driven over the month without hefty fees being added. It is also not a Peugeot. Quotes for Peugeots were far more expensive

This means that although the easyCar offer seems slightly cheaper at first glance, it really depends where and how much you will be driving your car and other details as to which option is cheapest in the end. It is also worth remembering that easyCar does not guarantee a specific model.

However, where Europe Auto really saves money is as the rental term becomes longer. Here are the best prices I could find for two months across both sites:

Europ Auto results for two months

easyCar best results for similar car for two months

The Europ Auto prices start at CAD$2188, the easyCar prices at $2,911. These prices at easyCar do not include an excess reduction, additional drivers or unlimited mileage either. Another advantage was that I did not find it at all clear which countries I could drive the car hired through easyCar. You also need to be aged 25-70 for the easyCar offers.

The earlier in the year you book Europ Auto, the cheaper it is meant to be as well so I may have saved money on both time frames had I run this test a couple of months ago.

What are the drawbacks?

For short visits, it is not cost effective. There are not that many pick up and drop off destinations and it is cheapest if you can start and finish in France.

The other minor drawback for those of us with young kids is that car seats can not be hired. However, I have found that thanks to the ridiculous cost of car seat rental with a rental car, that we are better off purchasing our own even with car rental periods of just a week.

How to book

Europ Auto Site

First step, get on the Europ Auto Buy Back section , put in your dates and pick up location.

You will then see a list of Peugeots and prices to choose from. You can filter by the type of fuel the car uses, the transmission, whether it has a GPS and the model.

You simply choose a model and then make a reservation. You can choose whether to pay now and get a discount or pay later. Please note that all prices are in Canadian dollars, and the price you see at this point is the full price – it includes insurance, unlimited mileage and all the others things described above.

You can read about leasing a car in Europe here.

There you have it. A cost effective way to drive a brand new car on your next trip to Europe!

Have you ever used a buy back plan for a car before?