Earlier this summer, I wrote about SIXT’s $49.99 fuel deal and why I thought it could be a great option for summer road trips. A few weeks later, we were headed to Toronto to visit Natalie’s family, which gave us the perfect opportunity to rent from SIXT and see what the experience was like firsthand. SIXT provided our rental for the trip, but as always, all opinions are my own.
To be frank (as I always am, sometimes to a fault), I’d heard of SIXT but had never rented from them. I don’t rent that many cars each year and when I do, I usually book through Costco because they often have the best prices. But if you’re looking for something nicer than the standard rental car, then SIXT is definitely worth considering.
SIXT provided us with a 2027 BMW 5 Series and it was loaded with technology. It took me a little while to figure everything out, but once I did, I loved driving it. It was also much smaller than our SUV, which made it feel nimble and sporty behind the wheel. After being used to driving a larger vehicle, the BMW felt quick and responsive.
What’s funny is that on our way to Toronto from Europe, I couldn’t help but notice that Naples Airport in Italy was completely decked out in SIXT advertising. It was the only car rental counter I remember seeing; we had arrived at the airport about four hours before our flight but Finnair’s check-in desk didn’t open until two hours before departure. So I wandered around the arrivals hall for a while and couldn’t miss all the SIXT signage.
Not only did SIXT have a large counter but they also had a small lounge for their top customers. Snazzy.
Then I started paying attention and realized why SIXT has such a big presence in Europe. While many Americans are just getting to know SIXT, the company has actually been around since 1912 and now operates more than 2,200 locations in over 100 countries. Their U.S. presence has grown quickly too, with more than 120 locations across 27 states and at 56 major airports, but they’re even more established overseas. So if you’ve rented a car in Europe, there’s a good chance you’ve seen one of their bright orange signs. After noticing them in Naples, I started spotting them everywhere, including at the airports in Helsinki and Rome.
One thing I like is that you don’t have to be one of their biggest customers to get treated well. If you join their SIXT ONE loyalty program (it’s free and takes about 30 seconds to sign up), you’ll receive benefits like:
- Up to 20% savings on rentals (depending on your status)
- Skip-the-counter pickup at select locations
- Faster points accumulation
- Complimentary upgrades when available
- Rewards you can use toward future rentals
Since I was new to SIXT, I wanted another opinion about the company. So I asked my cousin Dennis, who travels internationally all the time and rents cars almost everywhere he goes. He didn’t hesitate to give me his thoughts:
“My favorite, and go-to, for car rentals is SIXT,” he said. “They have the newest and best cars, often newer German models. Their prices are competitive, too. I have rented from them in quite a few cities, including Boston, Brussels, Luxembourg and Los Angeles. I also rent through AutoEurope and Costco Travel, as well as Alamo, Avis/Budget, Enterprise and Hertz. They’re all pretty great, but SIXT really stands apart because of its cars and service.”
He went on to say, “The one thing I highly recommend is that you always take photos and videos of the dashboard, mileage and the entire vehicle before driving away, regardless of which rental company you use. Don’t be in a rush and skip this step. It’s very important. And since SIXT often rents higher-end vehicles, it’s even more important to document everything before you leave.”
That’s advice I completely agree with and have preached for a long time. No matter which company I rent from, I always take photos and do a quick walk-around video before pulling out of the lot. It only takes a couple of minutes and could save you a major headache later if there’s ever a question about damage.
As for our rental, everything went smoothly. The only hiccup we ran into was actually getting from Toronto Pearson Airport to the SIXT rental office.
The SIXT Toronto website says: “To pick up your rental car at Toronto Pearson International Airport, you will take the SIXT shuttle bus for just a few minutes to our branch. When you are ready to return your vehicle, you can bring it back to the location where you picked it up.”
That makes it sound like you simply walk outside and catch the shuttle where all the other rental car shuttles stop. Not quite. It took us about 20 minutes to get there. There weren’t any obvious SIXT signs, only signs for Hertz, Alamo, Budget and the other major rental companies. I finally asked ChatGPT how to find it and these were the directions:
- Exit into the public arrivals area of Terminal 3.
- Follow the overhead signs for Train Link, Sheraton or Off-Airport Car Rentals.
- Take the elevator or escalator up to the Terminal Link train platform (Level 3).
- Ride the free Terminal Link train to Viscount Station.
- Go downstairs to the ground level.
- Use the courtesy phone to call the SIXT shuttle (or follow the posted pickup instructions). A black SIXT Mercedes Sprinter shuttle will pick you up and take you to the rental office in just a few minutes.
Hopefully, SIXT will add clearer directions to their website; once we figured it out, everything else about the experience was smooth and easy.
The good news is that the shuttle was waiting for us both when we arrived at Viscount Station and when we returned the car. It runs about every 10 minutes so we didn’t have to wait.
Once we got to the branch, the agents couldn’t have been friendlier. The pick-up process was fast, the return was even faster and there wasn’t any pressure to buy extras we didn’t need.
Overall, I came away extremely impressed. Would I still check Costco first? Absolutely. Old habits die hard. But now that I’ve experienced SIXT firsthand, I won’t hesitate to compare their prices the next time I need a rental, especially if I want something a little nicer than the average rental car. If the price is close, I’d happily rent from them again.
Nice puff piece. Sixt in Europe is good. But US franchises, like the SFO location, provide low cost rentals with minor damage and then charge customers over and over again without fixing the damage. I took pictures and videos of my rental before and after, as you recommend, but Sixt didn’t care. It was the collection agency that took a look at my documentation and told the Florida corporate office to stuff it. Read the online reviews – renters who don’t document are out thousands of dollars.
Yikes! Good to know so thanks for sharing.