First time car rental question

I've booked option 2 on a few different occasions and it works well. You should read the AutoEurope voucher completely to know what is and is not covered, but they make it more clear than most rental contracts. The whole booking can be cancelled/refunded or changed up to a specified time (I think 48 hours) before pick-up, so the pre-payment has not bothered me.

Some travelers prefer not to pre-pay if they think there will be a range of equally good deals available upon arrival and/or they want flexibility to change their selection on shorter notice. But in Lucca and Siena, you won't have many agencies side-by-side and will probably stick to the plan you've booked.

If I could offer an alternative, check out gemut.com. They are brokers in the US and will get you a car from one of the Italian dealers. You pay up front but it is cancellable up until time of rental. They will explain the insurance issues. I have had very good experiences renting from them in Italy many times. Only once did I have a problem, when picking up a car at FRA, and I called them in the middle of the night on the west coast, and the issue was resolved immediately. I always get the zero deductible in Italy, and have often returned cars with injuries that were no fault of mine. So worth the peace of mind.

I’ve also had many cars through gemut.com. Very knowledgeable, very helpful. They are the “middleman”. I had one problem once, and it took me simply one short email to Andy at Gemut and they took care of the details and got me results. I think it’s worth checking, what do you have to lose?

I've had no problems with Auto Europe, including cancelling once or twice and getting refunds within a couple of days. Have you looked at europcar.com directly? Sometimes their prices are better than Auto Europe. Read the fine print on both.

Either one is pricey for four days. Not only the drop-off fee but it appears as though they only offer a more expensive class of vehicle for one-way rentals. I've had no problem using Autoeurope.ca, you have up to a day or two before the rental begins to cancel. I've had a couple of quotes from Gemut before, they use Autoeurope and add a fee on top.

If you decide on Avis or another company, I'd get the insurance quote in writing beforehand. Autoeurope's quote is transparent, and there is a difference between the plain zero deductible and zero excess with super cover - the latter covers damage to tires/roof, the former may not.

AutoEurope: Is paying up front for the rental "normal"?

Yes, it's required, and has never been a problem. Last year when I found a lower price for the same car from AutoEurope after having already paid AutoEurope, I just cancelled the first one and re-booked. An agent then told me that next time, just contact them and they'll refund the difference.

Thanks for all the great advice. I have sent a request for a quote to gemut.com. Will hear back from them Monday.

We are now seriously considering taking an early morning train from Lucca to Siena. We would save about $200 by picking up and returning in same location. We were planning on stopping by a couple of towns along the way, but we will have 3 1/2 days in Sienna to do this. Since it's a Saturday, will need to arrive before rental offices close.

Will get car from AutoEurope or Gemut.

Thoughts on this plan? Will we regret not driving from Lucca to Siena?

Thank you.

"Will we regret not driving from Lucca to Siena?" - It depends on what you had in mind and what you intended on seeing from Lucca. You will miss some pleasant scenery and villages along the way but you can backtrack for a day - Volterra and San Gimignano are popular. Certaldo and Casole d'Elsa are pretty villages.

The upside, you are likely to get a cheaper selection of automatics when starting and dropping off in Siena. I don't know of your plans from there but my favourite place in the region is Pienza, and I highly recommend a lunch/visit to Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore.
Try and stay to the back roads, even if it takes a little longer. Don't worry about getting lost, plenty of it is beautiful.

The same as Robert, I also once received a refund with Autoeurope after finding a lower price months after booking.

I never prepay rental cars because their pricing schemes and patterns make the airlines look positively transparent in comparison and I can usually reduce the rate I finally pay by 30-40% from the original quote just by looking every few weeks and trying different discount coupons.

We have rented a few times from Autoeurope and have had good experiences every time. I think their website is clear and easy to maneuver but I never rent without calling and arranging it on the phone. I’m not a fan of pre-paid anythIng, but their cancellation policy is flexible enough for me. I check my reservations now and then, and just last week, as in years past, when the rate went down, the agent simply made the necessary change. We saved $100 in five minutes. I have always found their agents to be patient, friendly and helpful. They may offer GPS deals as well. I will call a few more times before we leave home. Safe travels.

Gunderson: thanks for sharing your favorite places in the region.
Denny: thanks for the tip to keep checking on prices.

It's looking like we'll go with AutoEurope, but I'll take Denny's recommendation and call them. Their website quote is for a vehicle with an automatic transmission through Hertz. But, when I called Hertz directly, they said they have to confirm with rental agency in Siena that they will for sure have an automatic available. Just want to make sure AutoEurope will also verify this.

Thanks for the great information.

The same as Robert, I also once received a refund with Autoeurope after finding a lower price months after booking.

That's not going to work for me this year. I booked in France through AutoEurope several months ago, and the rate was very reasonable and in line with last year -- same car rental company, same location, and almost the same # of days. As was the case last year, I started to check again a couple of months later, and was amazed to see that the rate was 2.5 times what I've already paid. Because I was curious, I went directly to Hertz's web site, and it was even more! I don't know why, but I'm glad I booked and prepaid.

Most important. You will want a GPS. Not necessarily attached to the car. You can bring your own or use a smart phone app. I drove in a number of countries without a GPS - until I drove in Italy. Street signs are rare, house numbers are rare. Exits on the autostrade don't say 66 west, instead they list three small towns you've never heard of. If you pick a wrong exit, you lose 20 minutes getting back on track. After driving in Italy, I always have some GPS. Now it's my unlocked smartphone with the Co-Pilot app. It costs $30 to download the maps, other than that it's free and works fine without any data. You can use Google maps but I consider it a battery and data hog (you can use it without data. If you miss a turn, however, it won't update until you turn data on).

I assume you've shopped other possibilities? I always do a fairly exhaustive search before picking one company. I'm not very brand loyal, I pick the one that's best offer for each trip.

One thing to look for is a possible drop charge. I find them popping up lately as "a drop charge may be added" in the small print with no details on whether it applies or how much. I had to pay a drop charge on my last rental (with Thrifty) that I picked up in Toulouse and dropped in Bordeaux. I expected drop charges when you cross a border but in two cities that aren't far apart?

$24 a day isn't unusual for CDW (collision damage waiver) insurance. I've used American Express' CDW premium rental insurance that comes with the card for previous trips. It's a money saver at $25 for the entire rental rather than per day. There are countries they won't insure, however, so you have to check. I'm going to Ireland in May, premium doesn't cover there but they convinced me the basic insurance, that does cover Ireland, will work.

Autoeurope is pretty good on being upfront with their charges (or were last time I used them). I'm inclined to favor them now because of the drop charge from my last rental.

Aside: Why Lucca? I think Rick recommends it because it's on a train line. Or perhaps because it takes you toward Cinque Terra? It's flat, so perhaps because readers have mobility issues? I find it an average small city in an area with better places to spend your valuable time. I did enjoy the park they've made on top of the wall but otherwise think it's one of the least evocative places in the area.

I would only recommend Lucca for travelers with mobility issues because it's flat. Otherwise I'd substitute some gorgeous hill towns (Volterra, Monteriggioni). Pisa is good for a morning in the field of miracles. Ideally get there early, park, see the main sights and move on.

Thanks all. We have reserved a car from Auto Europe. Decided to pick up and return in Siena.

The question about why we are staying in Lucca is a good one. The answer is: not sure😊. Several years ago we spent an afternoon there and I remember thinking I would like to return and spend more time there. It's actually just a stopping point on our way to Siena. I am certainly open to going somewhere else for two nights before staying outside of Siena.

Before we arrive in Italy, we will be in Zurich. We have been to Florence, Pisa, Venice, Cinque and Lake Como. Suggestions?

Just a little update...we are back from our trip to England with our Autoeurope rental. Everything went well. The return agent even drove us to the train station. Turned out Europcar charged us an extra day, I called Autoeurope when we got home, and the charge was truly technically legit, but contrary to what I was told that morning when I called Autoeurope to double check the return time. 3 days later Autoeurope emailed to say Europcar apologized and the charge was removed. I was surprised but grateful. Still a happy Autoeurope customer.

A couple of points on insurance. The Amex rental car insurance, mentioned by another poster, is by far the best deal around. However, Italy is specifically excluded, so it’s not relevant here. All readers should keep it in mind for future trips, though.

Read carefully what “zero deductible” actually means. I once was considering taking it. Upon reading the fine print, I discovered that tires and windows were excluded, so it was really not zero. For the reasons above we, we choose to rely on our Chase cc when renting in Italy. We have needed to make a claim at least once, and it was settled promptly and without hassle. Everyone should note that most banks offer a multitude of cards, and you should check to verify what is covered by yours. I always call before renting to reassure myself that there have been no changes.

I never prepay rental cars because their pricing schemes and patterns make the airlines look positively transparent in comparison and I can usually reduce the rate I finally pay by 30-40% from the original quote just by looking every few weeks and trying different discount coupons.

It depends on when you're renting. Try renting during the school holiday periods and you'll only ever see the prices increase as the date approaches.

I have found that it is wise to prepare for the possibility that an auto transmission will not be available, or will be on a huge vehicle if at all. Rental company CDW is particularly confusing in Italy because of government-required less-than-full coverage. That also can make it harder to use your Credit Card's coverage, because they require that you have zero coverage with the rental company. Note that many agencies will demand (fairly or unfairly) written proof that your have Credit Card coverage.

You need to read the location and hours of the agencies very carefully. Two-hour lunches, or long distances from the train station can be a nasty surprise. You may also need to buy gas at an unattended gas station at the time you want to return. That can be difficult with some Chip-and-Signature cards, but sometimes it works. Have spare cards to try,

I always get the smallest car I can possibly manage for a trip. Although it's hard to hide luggage, you also have to consider the size of parking spaces and tiny aisles in efficiently designed parking garages. Even if you car has a cover for the luggage area, the risk of a break-in at a tourist site is always non-zero. Be sure you have all the equipment you are going to be responsible for when your return the car, like (depending on country and company) yellow vests, safety triangle, spare tire, and luggage area cover. (Yes, I've received cars with Missing Luggage Cover on the Out-Inventory.) I photograph my car on all four sides.

AutoEurope and Gemut are owned by the same company
I have used both with no issues and I always by the "no-deductible" option when I know I'll be driving in little hilltowns on little streets.

I hope he doesn’t take this as a personal attack, but Tim’s first paragraph is totally incorrect. The cc companies are well aware of the requirement for Italian car rental insurance, and they don’t invalidate the card insurance. I’ve rented in Italy more times than I can remember; and, not only has it not been an issue, but I have never been asked by the rental companies to prove I am covered by my cc. I have had occasion to make a claim😒, and can testify that I had no problems with it.
On the other hand, in his second paragraph, Tim is pointing you at a problem you may not have anticipated. Rental agencies, outside of airports and major cities, may close for 2 or 3 hours in the middle of the day. The same may be true for filling stations, except for the unmanned option. We have had very poor luck trying to use American cc’s at such. My suggestion is to use the autostrada to get to Siena. When you are close, say within 25 km. fill up at a roadside station. They always have someone who can take your card, though you may have to go inside for the transaction.

I rented from Europcar in Britain. I had secured a fantastic price on a vehicle. Of course, that vehicle was not available and they had to option to provide another in that class. Of course, the trunk space was too small for our luggage, unlike the one I booked.
Then no navigation system was available ( that was in the fine print that I knew when I booked) and Europcar wanted 20 Pounds a day to rent the GPS, a ridiculous cost.

The cars that were available that included a nav system were twice my booking price. I was in a corner and had little choice.

I had booked a rental car with Thrifty in Britain on our first drive tour a few years earlier, had no problems at all like this.

I would never book with Europcar again.

Bait and Switch

By the way, I did pay up front for the car that I booked.

Geovagriffith - did you rent directly from Europcar or through a consolidator such as AutoEurope? I’ve had one problem with Europcar in Paris but never with my many rentals using AutoEurope.

"AutoEurope and Gemut are owned by the same company" - no, they are not, and they are different in scope and size.

Sue,

I assume you're aware that each driver listed on the rental form will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. IDP's are easily available at any AAA / CAA office for a small fee, and are valid for one year.

Also, you'll have to be vigilant to avoid the ZTL (limited traffic) areas which exist in many towns in Italy. Each pass through one will result in hefty fines, which you probably won't know about until several months after you return home.

Unless you are talking select high end luxury and specialty cars, all the rental agencies will describe what you’re getting as the dread ‘or equivalent’ so never rely on the vehicle specs listed in the original quote if you need specific luggage space or such. Good customer service is to work with the customer when the ‘or equivalent’ isn’t really in what the customer feels is an important way but they don’t really have to force a change or offer a free ‘upgrade’ under the terms of the contract.

Unless you are talking select high end luxury and specialty cars, all the rental agencies will describe what you’re getting as the dread ‘or equivalent’ so never rely on the vehicle specs listed in the original quote if you need specific luggage space or such.

Good advice. There are several companies, Hertz and Avis are two that come to mind, that offer a guarantee of a paricular car in some circumstances however these tend to be the more expensive vehicles.

Also, if you opt for a vehicle that is usually not particularly popular you have a better chance of receiving that particular vehicle. Our recent trip to Mallorca with two other families where the flights and car rental were booked with British Airways only our car was the one that we booked which was a Mercedes 7 seater minivan, the other two received different vehicles but in the same category as their booking. I suspect the Mercedes minivan is not a popular choice for holidaymakers, especially considering the narrow streets of all the towns and villages throughout the island, which is probably why I got what I booked.