Renting a car abroad? Budget ahead for all the extra fees!
Roadtripping is one of our favorite ways to explore a new country – the freedom of going wherever and whenever and having an adventure at our own pace! However, we’ve been surprised by extra fees with our car rentals and want to help you budget properly in advance.
In addition to your base car rental fee, we’ve outlined a list of other costs that may come up for your roadtrip. From age-related surcharges to multi-country fees, here’s what to know when you’re renting a car abroad and how to avoid sticker shock at the rental desk!
Multi-country fees
In Europe, it’s easy to drive through multiple countries in a single day. In Fall 2025, we reserved a rental car at the Barcelona airport in Spain. We planned on driving to Andorra for 3 days, returning the car to Barcelona afterwards. The rental car company we initially reserved with, Fox Rent-a-Car, asked if we’d be driving to a different country. We told them yes, and they informed us that they charge €9 per day (with a €25 minimum) as an additional “cross border fee.”
Ultimately, we ended up renting with Budget instead, primarily because the car they had turned out to be a better fit for our needs. Budget didn’t proactively ask us if we were leaving the country like Fox did, so we brought it up with them ourselves. The agent told us that while all rental vehicles are equipped with GPS so that they can be tracked, rental car companies generally only track them if they’ve been reported stolen. With that being said, Budget wouldn’t have known we left the country if we hadn’t told them.
They ended up charging us €5/day for the cross-border fee, or €15 total for three days. The agent mentioned that if we hadn’t paid for the fee and happened to get into an accident while out of the country, we likely wouldn’t run into issues with insurance because we would have violated the terms of our rental contract.
If the car rental company doesn’t ask, it’s ultimately your decision of whether or not to tell them.
Tolls and road taxes
In many countries (especially in Europe), you’ll encounter toll roads. We hit a LOT on our short drive from Barcelona to Andorra. They were frequent and not cheap (~$10-$20 each)! We then started routing for non-toll routes only which usually didn’t even add too much time. We recommend always spending a few extra minutes to check for non-toll options.
Some rental agencies will charge a flat daily rate for their toll passes, even if you don’t drive on toll roads. Ask if the car comes with a toll device (stickers, vignettes, passes) and if you can opt out.
Young driver surcharges
Unfortunately, you pay for your youth with car rentals. Many companies will charge a daily “young driver fee” for those under 25 (note: you cannot drive internationally if you’re under 18). These generally range from $15-$30 a day.
Check in advance for local laws (minimum driving age vary by country) and young driver fees for your selected rental company.
Insurance coverage and optional add-ons
These can double your cost if you’re not careful! Rental companies will push expensive insurance packages on you that you probably don’t need. We’ve written a whole separate blog about what is actually useful, as well as what you may already have covered through a credit card or travel insurance.
Check out our recommendations here [link to insurance blog], and check with your credit card company ahead of time to confirm what insurance coverage is offered!
Other charges similar to the US
Refueling charges. If you don’t fill up the gas tank before you return the car, the rental car company will fill it themselves and charge a premium that is usually 2-3x the local pump prices.
You’ll also have another option to prepay the fuel tank, which is usually not a great deal unless you’re returning it fully empty. When you’re checking out the car at the rental desk, they’ll ask if you want this option.
We always just fill up close to the rental car center before returning it and keep the receipt in case they charge fuel fees accidentally.
One-way drop-off fees. If you pick up a car in one city but drop it off in another, you’ll be charged a one-way fee. These can be expensive if the cities are in different countries. Domestic one-way fees vary between $50-$150, and international fees can be $300+.
If budget is a concern, we suggest comparing the costs for return-to-same-location even if it takes more time to drop off. It may even be cheaper to fly or train back.
Cleaning fees. For countries with strict COVID-era policies like Japan, you may be charged a cleaning fee for returning a dirty car (especially on the inside). Companies will charge either a flat cleaning fee or bill based on condition if it is especially bad.
Late return penalties. Most companies give a 30-60 min grace period. A few hours late on the return could cost a whole extra day for the rental. We suggest buffering in extra time for car returns, especially if the rental car center is at the airport and/or returning during rush hour.
Extra equipment fees. If you are traveling with young children, you can purchase car seats for $10-$20 a day. Some rental companies also offer GPS and WiFi hotspots, but we recommend buying an eSIM for international data and downloading maps offline as a backup.
Final tips
Before booking, compare prices for the trip total instead of just daily rates. Also read the fine print and check reviews for the car rental companies. It’s worth paying a bit more for the bigger brand names. We’ve found the smaller companies usually have extra hidden fees.
And make sure you’re driving legally with an International Driving Permit in hand!
Holders of U.S. driver’s licenses must obtain an IDP from an authorized issuer. PriorityIDP obtains legitimate IDPs on behalf of its customers from AAA and express ships them anywhere in the world. This is the fastest, most reliable way to receive an IDP while abroad.