It’s fair to say that Europe is one of our top destinations to travel to as a family. But it can have its challenges in terms of getting around, especially if you want to travel to explore the beautiful countryside where public transport isn’t always reliable or kid-friendly. Nothing beats the independence of a self-drive holiday in our opinion, and we find it so much easier having a reliable car to get around in. That’s why we love leasing a car through Peugeot Eurolease – so much that this is our fourth time travelling with a Eurolease!
A Peugeot Eurolease is perfect for European family travel.
Here we give a rundown on why we keep using Peugeot Eurolease, the benefits the scheme offers and why it’s the best way to experience Europe.
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How does Peugeot Eurolease work?
Peugeot Eurolease is a scheme run by the French government that allows non-European residents to lease brand new Peugeot cars, tax-free, for a minimum of 21 days to a maximum of nearly six months.
This means you can pick up a brand new Peugeot car from the airport you fly in to – with a choice of 15 different locations around France for free, or 12 different locations around Europe for a small fee.
Picking up our car in Bordeaux, France
For a three-week holiday or longer – as most New Zealand travellers tend to holiday in Europe for – it truly is the best value for money and hassle-free option there is.
There’s a wide choice of vehicles available to choose from, including smaller cars like the Peugeot 208 and 2008 SUV (which we have opted for this time), the mid-range Peugeot 3008 SUV, and larger Peugeot 508 and Peugeot 5008 SUV. There’s even an 8-seater Peugeot Traveller for larger groups.
For Kiwi travellers, the best way to do this is to directly pre-book the vehicle through Peugeot Eurolease New Zealand. It’s important to note that you must organise all of the paperwork and booking BEFORE you leave New Zealand for your travels.
You get a comprehensive run-through of all the car’s features when you pick it up.
Why use Peugeot Eurolease instead of a standard Europe car rental?
There are SO many reasons why leasing a car in Europe this way is better than through a standard car rental company.
The reliability of a brand new, named vehicle
The trouble with booking a standard rental car is you never quite know what you’re going to end up with. It could be a completely different vehicle than what you thought you were getting, with a fair few miles on the clock and associated wear and tear.
Normally a rental car upgrade is a good thing, but not necessarily in Europe! You could end up with a car that’s bigger than expected and therefore more difficult to explore some of those cute country lanes and negotiating with tight parking spaces. It could cost you more than anticipated in fuel too.
Only 3km on the clock!
With Peugeot leasing you receive a brand-new vehicle (ours literally had 3km on the clock when we picked it up!) of the model that you’ve selected before you left home. That gives you great peace of mind that everything is going to fit in the car – especially with all the gear that’s involved when travelling with kids.
It’s got that lovely ‘new car smell’ and it feels super special cruising through Europe in a new car, without having to worry about what kind of maintenance it has or hasn’t had!
Because we travel on a very tight budget, it’s also great to be able to use online fuel calculators to plan out our driving routes, and know exactly what our fuel is going to cost.
The fabulous price
Exploring the vineyards of France in our Peugeot Eurolease
Let’s face it, it’s pricey to travel to Europe from New Zealand and even more so when the whole family is travelling. We’ve yet to find a rental car company that can beat the cost of a Peugeot Eurolease (over 21+ days).
Believe us, we’ve scoured the internet far and wide to find the best deal, but every time we come back to Eurolease.
It makes it a really affordable option and for us certainly much more cost-effective than a standard rental car or taking public transport (train tickets from Paris to Venice for 4 people – you simply cannot do it for anywhere near the cost of the daily rate for a Peugeot Eurolease).
Handy tip: the earlier you book, the better deals there are to be had! Check out the great 2020 earlybird specials here.
The freedom to travel in multiple countries
Ready to explore Europe!
As Kiwis coming from our tiny little island at the bottom of the world, it always blows our mind how easy it is to travel within countries in Europe. But you need to be careful when booking vehicles with a standard rental car company, as there will often be fine-print saying you can’t take it out of the country of rental, or on any ferry transportation. One-way vehicle rentals are extortionately expensive.
No such problems with a Peugeot Eurolease. You can take your car to over 40 countries within Europe and have full insurance cover and breakdown assistance no matter where you go.
We’ve previously taken our Peugeot lease cars on ferries in Croatia and the UK with no problems whatsoever (the GPS does get a little screwed up so you need to give it a couple of minutes to recalibrate in our experience!)
If you want to pick up your vehicle in one country but drop it off in another – no problem. There’s a small fee to cover this, but otherwise you’re free to travel where you want, without having to backtrack to drop your car back.
24/7 breakdown assistance in English and comprehensive insurance cover (with no bond required)
Driving in a foreign country sometimes has its moments, but if the worst happens you want to be sure you’ve got the best cover possible.
We honestly find it really tricky booking rental cars as it can be difficult to figure out exactly what you are (or not) covered for. Excess payments in the event of an accident can be exorbitant, and it gets messy working out if you’re covered by your travel insurance or not.
One of the BIG reasons we love Peugeot Eurolease is the fact they have fully comprehensive insurance built into the price, with no excess payable in the event of an accident. It really is comprehensive and includes punctures, glass repair and cover even if you accidentally put the wrong fuel type into your car!
When you pick up your vehicle, they explain in detail what to do if the worst happens and you are involved in an accident or incident.
There’s no quibbling over any dents or scratches in the car because you’re picking it up in brand new pristine, immaculate condition.
Enjoying worry-free adventuring!
There’s also no deposit bond required on a credit card as most car rental companies will charge you, tying up all your funds.
In the past we’ve had to pay bonds of around $4,000 New Zealand dollars to rent a car for two weeks through a European car rental agency and it took another two weeks for them to return the deposit back into our account. It’s SO good not to have to bother with all of that.
They also provide the reassurance of 24/7 emergency breakdown assistance in English – you just dial a number from anywhere in Europe and help is at the end of the line if anything goes wrong.
All booking and paperwork done at home in New Zealand before you leave
Peugeot Eurolease are based in Auckland, and will manage all of the bookings and necessary paperwork for you, before you even leave home for your holiday.
It’s super easy to do, and we’ve personally met the team who are very experienced when it comes to travelling in Europe, as well as being Peugeot experts. You’re in safe hands for sure!
You’re provided with comprehensive pickup instructions and everything you need to know about driving in Europe before you leave home, so you can study it up on that long flight over…
Why it’s so great for family travel
Enjoying a picnic in the gorgeous French countryside.
So apart from all the advantages listed above, why is Peugeot Eurolease so great for family travel in Europe in particular?
First up is that fact the cars are Peugeot, they’re super comfortable and we find they have excellent visibility from the back seat, so the kids enjoy riding along and looking out the window.
Kylie’s also quite vertically-challenged (read just over 5 ft!) but she has no problem when driving our Peugeot 2008 Eurolease in terms of all-round visibility and knowing exactly where the car is on the road or when manoeuvering into tight parking spaces.
The car also comes equipped with a reversing camera for extra peace of mind.
Great visibility from the Peugeot 2008 makes for easy driving on European roads
Anyone who’s ever travelled anywhere with kids knows just how much stuff you need to take! Even though we’re travelling light, we still have a big suitcase, two smaller ones, plus daypacks, portable car seats etc, and ALL THE SNACKS!
All our gear…
Fits easily into the boot space!
Our Peugeot 2008 is the perfect size for all our gear and it fits in with no issues. We find it’s the perfect compromise between having a smaller car, with great fuel economy while still being able to fit all our gear for the year in it.
We all love the big screen which houses the trusty GPS sat-nav that’s guiding us around Europe. The kids in particular like it because it gives a finish flag icon and an indication of how much further to go – it really helps avoid the endless “how much further” and “are we there yet” questions!
It seamlessly works with Apple CarPlay meaning we’ve always got our music and Spotify playlists on hand. We’re all enjoying listening to audiobooks, which help to pass the time and keep the kids (and adults) entertained during some of our long journeys.
It’s easy finding somewhere to eat with the ‘points of interest’ feature
Another handy feature is the “point of interest” feature that helps us out in so many ways. We can look up to see where the nearest petrol station is (for fuel of course but also the best place to take a comfort stop!), restaurants, tourist sites and more.
The navigation itself also has a feature where you can select toll roads or not for your route. This again helps us stick to our budget, as toll roads (particularly in France) can be expensive.
We can choose to avoid them by using this feature, and it’s often the more scenic route anyway! We’ve found some great off-the-beaten-track gems from taking the long way around.
Safety is also a big consideration for us, as it is for any family travelling to Europe. One of the big reasons we chose the 2008 model is we will be in Europe over Christmas and winter, and we’re sure to encounter some icy roads and snow.
The 2008 comes equipped with “GRIP” technology and winter tyres, meaning we’ll legally meet requirements for driving in Germany, Austria, Switzerland etc (when coupled with snow chains).
The GRIP control system is an additional safety feature that manages all 4-wheels together with the steering wheel angle and brakes, to keep the best grip and traction possible. It gives us extra peace of mind for the winter months ahead.
Our verdict
If you haven’t already gathered, we’re massive fans of Peugeot Eurolease. You simply can’t beat the value for money that it offers, and when you work out the cost per day is it really does make travelling around Europe with the entire family feasible.
It’s so easy to organise and the customer service you receive is top-notch. Travelling with kids can be stressful at the best of times, and it’s so good to know that everything is under control in terms of your vehicle – it really is super hassle-free.
It’s such a treat to pick up a brand new car, drive it out of the depot and head off for your European adventures – we hope to keep doing it for many years to come!
So many happy family memories being made with our Peugeot Eurolease!
Disclaimer: We partnered with Peugeot Eurolease and received our vehicle at a discounted price. However, as always, our views are our own, honest and accurately represent our experience!
I have just turned 80 am i still OK for Eurolease re full insurance ?? I have a full clean NZ drivers licence
Hi Bruce! I do believe that there’s no maximum age limit for renting a Peugeot Eurolease, as long as you have a valid New Zealand drivers licence (which you do!) I will double-check with our contacts though and let you know shortly!