Tourists Can Save Money At Europe's Rental Car Counters With This Useful Skill

Renting a car in Europe can be one of the highest expenses of your trip. So if there's a way to save some money, wouldn't you do it? No, don't worry, it's not haggling. But it does require a skill that's a bit rusty among some North American travelers: driving a stick shift. To make instant savings on your European rental car, book a vehicle with a manual transmission.

While automatic cars dominate the U.S. market, stick shifts remain the norm in much of Europe. Over there, manuals are cheaper to buy, so rental car companies tend to have fleets full of them. Meanwhile, automatics are scarcer, and scarcity means higher rental prices. How much you'll save with a manual depends on where and when you're renting, but it can be upwards of 50%. In the r/irishtourism subreddit, u/PorcupinePattyGrape was weighing up a $1,000 manual rental versus a $3,500 automatic one. That's not small change. Aside from possibly saving thousands of dollars, another perk of renting a manual is that because they're so common, you'll usually have more choice in the size and model of vehicle you rent.

But cost isn't the only factor to consider when choosing what type of vehicle to rent. The most important question is a simple one: Can you drive a stick shift? Legally, if you only hold an automatic license, you may not be permitted to rent a manual in Europe. Practically speaking, if your foot hasn't touched a clutch pedal in 20 years, do you really want to relearn on narrow roads or busy highways? Or even test your left-hand-drive skills in the U.K. or Ireland, all while crunching through unfamiliar gears?

On the other hand (or foot), confident manual drivers often prefer how a stick shift handles on winding country roads or in hilly areas. And we all know that Europe has plenty of both. Automatics may make city driving easier, but cars are a hindrance, not a help, in most European cities. The best way to city-hop around Europe is by train, in our opinion, not by car.

There is a third option, which is to rent an electric vehicle, almost all of which have an automatic transmission. Just make sure to factor in charging time (and the time you might spend searching for a place to plug in). If you're set on an electric vehicle, check out our guide to the most electric vehicle-friendly road trips. In short, if you're a sure-footed manual driver wanting to explore the European countryside and save quite a bit of money, rent a manual. If the thought of getting a manual started on a hill leaves your heartbeat at 1,000 revs per minute, reconsider. The savings just won't be worth the stress.