Car & Van Hire - Heilbronn

Heilbronn

Location Details

Austrasse 99
74076 Heilbronn, BW

Hours & Services

27 September 2026
Sunday -
Monday 08:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Tuesday 08:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Wednesday 08:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Thursday 08:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Friday 08:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Saturday -
Pick-Up Service Available
After-Hours Returns Available

Hiring a car at Heilbronn

Heilbronn combines industry, wine country and riverside charm, and getting around by car makes it easy to explore both the city and its surroundings. Starting your visit with car hire in Heilbronn, or van hire in Heilbronn for a group, gives you that flexibility from day one.

Heilbronn is a mid-sized city on the Neckar River in northern Baden-Württemberg, sitting roughly halfway between Stuttgart and Heidelberg. Rebuilt after wartime damage, the centre now mixes practical modern architecture with older landmarks. St Kilian's Church and the Rathaus stand out, and the Rathaus's Renaissance clock still draws a small crowd on the hour. Vineyards climb the Wartberg hill just above the rooftops, a reminder that this is one of Germany's oldest wine towns. Beyond the historic centre, the city opens out into industrial estates, riverside parks and the vineyards that surround it on almost every side.

A car hire in Heilbronn suits anyone planning to see more of the region than the city alone. An automatic car or a compact SUV both handle vineyard lanes and motorway stretches towards Stuttgart or Heidelberg with equal ease. Having your own transport also means visits can be timed around your own plans rather than a train schedule. For families, a 7-seater people carrier keeps everyone together on longer days out.

Van hire in Heilbronn tends to suit more practical journeys. This might mean moving between properties, carrying equipment for the city's engineering and logistics firms, or getting a group out to the surrounding vineyards. A small van covers most local jobs, while a large van or luton van gives more room for bulkier loads or a house move. For bigger groups travelling together, a minivan or 9-seater people carrier is often simpler than taking several cars.

Nearby attractions

Bad Wimpfen is a small, well-preserved medieval town a short drive from Heilbronn. Its half-timbered houses, town walls and the ruins of a former imperial palace make it an easy, unhurried stop away from the city.

Heidelberg is one of Germany's best-known university towns, with a hillside castle overlooking the old town and the Neckar. Walking the cobbled streets, or taking the funicular up to the castle grounds, gives a strong sense of the city's history and setting.

Stuttgart, the regional capital, offers a different pace. Its museums, including those built around Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, sit alongside a large pedestrianised shopping district. It is a solid choice for a longer day out from Heilbronn.

Beyond Heilbronn, the wider region settles into a slower rhythm, with vineyards, wine villages and the Neckar valley stretching towards Stuttgart and Heidelberg. Trains and buses reach the bigger towns well, but a car remains the simpler way to reach the smaller villages and vineyard roads in between.

Rental Policies

There is an additional charge of 10.00 EUR per day. At airport or rail locations, the fee is 12.59 EUR per day with no maximum fee for each additional authorised driver.

The minimum age to rent is 21 years old.

All drivers under the age of 25 will be subject to an additional daily charge of 25.00 EUR. At Airport and Rail locations, the additional daily charge is 29.99 EUR per day.

Drivers aged 21 to 24 may hire from the following vehicle categories:

- Mini, Economy, Compact, Intermediate and Standard Cars, and SUVs
- Cargo Vans all types

Drivers aged 25 to 29 years are able to hire:
- All vehicle types except Luxury Electric Vehicles

Drivers must be 30 years or older to hire:
- Luxury Electric Vehicles

Vehicles can be driven in Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Gibraltar, Great Britain, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Northern Italy, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain. Vehicles can also be driven in Croatia, Southern Italy, the Vatican, San Marino, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary with exception of vehicles of the brands Audi, BMW, Mercedes, VW, Land Rover, Jaguar. Luxury Elite Electric Vehicles cannot be rented for cross border travels. In all cases, customers must inform the rental branch of their intention to leave the country with the vehicle and require authorisation. The following additional charges will apply for all cross border travels. Airport & Rail locations 6.24EUR per rental day. All other locations 5.00EUR per rental day. Maximum charge is 10days. Prices include taxes and fees.

The Damage Waiver (DW) reduces the renter's liability in the event of damage or theft of the vehicle when no responsible third party is identified. If DW is not included in the reservation, the renter has full liability for the vehicle. DW is available for purchase and reduces the applicable excess on all vehicles to zero. If purchasing DW at Munich Airport, the excess is reduced down to the following levels.

If DW is included in the reservation (or DW is purchased at MUC), all Car and SUV categories of the sizes Mini, Economy and Compact have a 1,200.00 EUR excess. Intermediate, Standard, Small Passenger Vans and Small Cargo Vans have a 1,400.00 EUR excess. For Full-size and Premium vehicles, Large Passenger Vans, Large SUVs, Luxury Elite Electric vehicles and Luton Cargo Vans, the excess is 1,700.00 EUR. For all Medium and Large Cargo Vans, an excess of 1,500.00 EUR applies. Excess will be charged for each separate incident of damage.

Before purchasing DW, it is advisable to determine if the renter's personal coverage is adequate to cover damage, theft, loss of revenue, administration fees, diminishment of value, and any towing, storage or impound fees. If DW is declined, the renter will be required to pay these charges and to seek compensation through their carrier of personal coverage. DW is not insurance.

Renters wishing to discuss or dispute any matters concerning damage to the rental vehicle may contact our damage recovery department. Please email schaden@em.com or call 0049 (0) 61 96 7853255.

All hires where the vehicle is not returned to the same location as it is collected from will be subject to a one-way fee. The one-way fee varies based on car category, location and pick-up date. The exact amount of the one-way fee will be displayed during the reservation process when entering the dates, desired route and car category. Where a vehicle is not returned to the location stated on the hire ticket, an unplanned one-way charge of €100 will be applied. 

Excess Protection (EP) is an optional coverage which reduces the applicable Damage Waiver excess amount to zero for all vehicles.
If EP is not included in the reservation, it is available for purchase.

Before purchasing EP, it is advisable to determine if the renter's personal coverage is adequate to cover damage, theft, loss of revenue, administration fees, diminishment of value, and any towing, storage or impound fees. If EP is declined, the renter will be required to pay these charges up to the Damage Waiver excess amount and seek compensation through their carrier of personal coverage. Excess Protection (EP) is not insurance.

If the renter does not choose to purchase an optional fuel product at the start of the rental period and does not return the vehicle with the same level of fuel as at the start of the rental period (as indicated on the Rental Agreement) the renter will be required to pay a refuelling service fee calculated as the difference between the fuel level recorded on the Rental Agreement and that recorded upon the return of the vehicle multiplied by the fuel price displayed at the branch. Unused or excess fuel will not be refunded.

Where the vehicle is an electric vehicle and is returned with less charge than was provided at the start of the Rental Period (such level as indicated on the Rental Agreement Summary), a re-charging fee calculated as the kWhs needed to charge the vehicle to make up the difference between the charge level recorded on the Rental Agreement Summary and that recorded upon the return of the Vehicle multiplied by the kWh price displayed on the Rental Agreement Summary plus, an additional charge as indicated on the Rental Agreement Summary. No unused or excess charge will be refunded. 

When you return the vehicle, we recommend that you remain present until the vehicle is inspected by the hire company. You may have to wait during busy times.
Unless otherwise provided in the Rental Agreement, you will remain responsible for the Vehicle's condition until  a member of our staff or an authorised third-party has inspected the Vehicle's condition, but no longer than (a) one (1) hour after the return if returned to the agreed return location within office hours, or (b) two (2) hours after the start of the next business day if returned out-of-hours to the agreed return location with out-of-hours return facilities.
If there is any change in condition of the hire vehicle which exceeds normal wear and tear then this will be recorded by the hire company on a written post-hire inspection report, a copy of which will be provided to you. For more information on damage dispute resolution, see the Damage Dispute Policy.

When you complete the rental agreement you will be required to present a valid credit or debit card as security for any charges incurred during your hire. Your signature on the rental agreement will pre-authorise the hire company to charge the card for future payments that become due. The hire company may also hold a deposit against these future liabilities - see Forms of Payment & Deposits

Personal Effects Coverage (PEC) is an additional protection available for purchase, which insures the driver's and passengers' personal effects, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable policy. Personal Effects Coverage (PEC) will provide coverage for theft, damage, or loss of baggage, electronic and mobile devices, as well as protection for delayed bagged and loss of travel documents. Personal Effects Coverage (PEC) insurance coverage is limited to 50 days, regardless of the duration of the hire; charges cannot exceed 200 EUR. Personal Effects Coverage (PEC) coverage will be conditional on your compliance with the terms and conditions of the applicable policy. Please note that this is only a summary; for more information, please consult the policy documents. 

All major debit and credit cards, issued by either Maestro, VPAY, Visa Electron, Visa, Mastercard or American Express, are accepted. All cards presented must be in the renter's name. Prepaid cards, cash, cheques, Diners Club and Discover Card are not accepted.


A security deposit of 250.00 EUR plus the estimated cost of the hire will be taken at the time of hire. If payment is made by credit card, only the estimated cost of the hire will be charged and a security deposit will be blocked on the credit card. The car categories Full Size, Premium, Large People Carrier, Large SUV and Luxury Elite Electric must be paid via credit card.


If the vehicle is damaged, lost or stolen during the hire period, we are entitled to increase the Security (as soon as we become aware of the incident) for an initial amount of up to €2,000.00.



Roadside Assistance Protection (RAP) includes a 24-hour emergency service including provision of a replacement vehicle in case of lost vehicle key, shipping of the key, on-site assistance in case of tire breakdowns, towing service, forced unlocking of the vehicle if the keys are locked inside, jump-start assistance, and refuelling service up to 5 liters. Roadside assistance is available in almost all European countries. The current list of countries is available at the rental branch at the time of rental. RAP is a flat-rate fee that covers all roadside assistance services. Roadside assistance is also available without payment of this flat-rate fee. It will then be billed according to actual costs incurred for each assistance service rendered. Roadside Assistance Protection is an optional product. Before purchasing RAP it is advised to determine, if a personal coverage is adequate. If RAP is declined, the renter will be required to pay these charges and seek compensation through their carrier of personal coverage. RAP is not insurance.

All drivers must present a fully valid and unexpired driving licence (digital licences are not accepted).
Unless the driving licence has been issued by the UK or a Member State of the European Union (in standard format):
•If the licence is in a language other than that of the country in which you are hiring, and the alphabet used is an extended Latin-based alphabet, an International Driving Permit is recommended, but not required, for translation purposes, in addition to the home country licence.
•If the home country licence is in a language other than that of the country in which you are hiring, and the alphabet used is not an extended Latin-based alphabet (i.e. the alphabet used is Cyrillic, Japanese, Arabic etc.), an International Driving Permit is required.
•If an International Driving Permit is required and cannot be obtained in the home country, another professional, type-written translation may be substituted.  In either case, the home country licence must also be presented.
•Customers may not hire a vehicle solely with the International Driving Permit.  The International Driving Permit is an official translation of the individual's home country licence and is not considered a licence, nor is it considered valid identification.

All renters must provide a valid identity card or passport. Non-EU licences are valid for up to 6 months based on the date of the stamp in the renter's passport. After six months, an EU-issued driving licence is legally required.

Please note that we reserve the right to request additional ID or conduct further identification checks if needed, which may include an identity check with an external organisation.

Heilbronn Car Hire FAQs

For additional questions, please visit our main car hire FAQs page.