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In May 2012 we needed a car again for a short time – so we rented one. This time a VW Polo 1.2 model 2012 with a petrol engine. Here’s an impression of the rental car and the price for 2 weeks in spring 2012.
Portuguese car rental companies
This time we did the same rental car survey as in early 2012 – again the differences in price and conditions were quite surprising. Again Europcar had the better deal as well in price as conditions;
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| VW Polo 1.2 petrol model 2012 - rented from Europcar |
This is a VW Polo model 2012 with a 3 cylinder 1200 cc petrol engine. Although it’s less powerful than the WV Polo 1.2 TDI rented earlier, it has the same look and feel.
Rental price and conditions
Here are the results of the car rental market survey in May 2012 for Avis, Herz and Europcar. The rental period started on a saturday.
| Rental car agency | Rental Price incl. CDW | CDW | CDW per day |
| Europcar (18 days) | € 720.24 (€ 40.01 / day) | € 290.03 | € 16.11 |
| Hertz (19 days) | € 871.86 (€ 45.88 / day) | € 268.66 | € 14.14 |
| Avis (19 days) | € 706.58 (€ 37.18 / day) | € 234.65 | € 12.34 |
Europcar was the only agency open on a Saturday at the preferred location. Hertz and Avis required an extra rental day for pickup at Friday. Hertz as well as Avis were located in a Hotel / Car dealership.
Collision Damage Waiver
Apart from renting the car itself, the Full Collision Damage Waver (FCDW) is second expensive. Without a FCDW the risk rises from € 0,- to a maximum of € 950,- for Europcar.
AVIS doesn’t have a FULL CDW. With Avis CDW the risk starts from € 1200,- upto a maximum of € 5000,-. Quite a difference. Herz was too expensive to start with – so the exact CDW conditions there remain unknown.
At first we tried to book Avis - however it was not possible to pay for the rental car online. Secondly, the additional CDW conditions (not being FULL) emerged when actually booking the car. This was reason enough to cancel the booking over e-mail immediately.
Europcar rental price agreement
Another more pleasant surprise emerged when actually booking with Europcar – the actual price was lower compared to the market survey. This was probably because we booked and paid online and rented earlier with Europcar.
The results for 18 days car rental in May 2012;
- 18 day rental : € 577.44 (incl FCDW)
- Unlimited miles
- FULL CDW : € 234,- (€ 13,- per day)
- Single driver (meaning no-one else can drive the rental)
- Same location pickup / delivery.
- Price per day including FCDW: € 32 per day
- Price without FCDW: € 19.08 per day (In early 2012 this was € 11.07 / day)
In all not a bad deal compared to the initial survey.
VW Polo 1.2 Engine – model 2012
Here’s an impression of the tiny 3 cylinder petrol engine – under the hood it’s less crowded compared to the 1.2 TDI;
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| VW Polo 1.2 petrol engine - model 2012 |
First experience with VW Polo 1.2 fuel economy on mixed roads;
- 666 Km - 38.2 liter petrol (414 miles - 10.09 Gallon)
- 5.7 liter / 100 Km (2.43 gallon / 100 miles)
- 1 liter - 17.4 Km ( 1 gallon / 41.03 miles)
VW 1.2 polo on the highway (100 - 140 Kmh / 62 - 87 Mph)
- 356 Km - 24.68 liter petrol (228 miles - 6.52 Gallon)
- 6.9 liter / 100 Km ( 2.85 gallon / 100 miles)
- 1 liter - 14.4 Km ( 1 gallon / 34.97 miles)
In both cases the Air Conditioning was not on.
Remarkable is the exposed belt for alternator and the AC compressor. (below blue cap ) It looks a bit fragile – a twig or anything could hit the belt. Apart from this it looked like a car that's pretty much ok.
Comparison VW Polo 1.2 Petrol versus 1.2 TDi
The model VW Polo 1.2 petrol engine (model 2012) is a modest performer. It does well on flat roads and can compete with the average small passenger car with it's 55 Kw.
In more elevated terrain to steep hills the 1.2 petrol engine is too weak. The 110 Nm torque is enough to maintain speed but for uphill acceleration,but it can't produce the torque to get any more speed.
The VW Polo 1.2 TDi with it's 180 Nm is much more powerful and is the best model for those who have too drive a lot in mountainous terrain. With less revs it can accelerate uphill with a better fuel economy.
Read about renting a VW Polo 1.2 TDI in early 2012
