planning to rent a car from Marseille (dec 7), driving to italy and returning to CDG (29 dec)

I know nothing about European car rentals but have read that for periods of 21 days or more (and yours is 22 days), leasing may be less expensive. One of the benefits is said to be the included insurance coverage, so I think leasing is worth checking into. I believe the leasing companies are French, so that fits well with your itinerary on this trip.

Just so there's no confusion: Nantes is in Brittany, not in southwestern France (though it is WSW of Paris).

Leasing a car for 21 days or more is sometimes more economical than renting and has other benefits such as the inclusion of CDW with no deductible in the lease. If you go the AutoEurope website, you can learn what the comparable costs would be and see if a lease is right for you. I just checked and the price for a Peugeot compact would be $928. A rental for the similar size car would be about half that or less. Here are the rates from EuropCar for a Fiat500L:

Basic Rate
Rates starting at ...
$331.07
Inclusive Rate w/ Deductible
Rates starting at ...
$414.98
No Deductible Rate
Rates starting at ...
$477.21

Most credit cards do not cover CDW in Italy. Check with your credit card issuer to determine your coverage.Each individual card has its own rules. Points I can't address are: if you rent a car in a France a) Will you violate Italian law regarding CDW if you use your credit card for coverage? b) Because of the Italian requirement will you be covered if you do have an accident? Call Auto Europe on their toll-free number and talk to one of their associates. I have found them to be very knowledgeable.

Returning a car to CDG isn't a problem and will not incur a surcharge. Surcharges are normally added at the pick up location. If you can avoid driving into Paris the traffic to the airport should be manageable.

I was just looking at the RenaultUSA.com website a few days ago for future reference. Take a look there. I really liked the fact that they had the vehicle manuals in English and did not have drop charges. I have rented numerous times in Europe but never for more than 10-11 days. I use American Express for the insurance. They have a plan that is only 24 dollars for the rental period. We rented in Frankfurt and took the car into Italy and we were told that since we rented in Frankfurt we were covered. If the rental had started in Italy we would not have been since AmEx does not service Italy. Strange I know. Good luck and keep us posted.

If you haven't driven in Italy before, it would be a good idea to do some research on ZTL (limited traffic) zones, which exist in many Italian towns these days. EACH pass through one of these will result in hefty fines, which you won't know about for several months after you've returned home. The actual fines are usually preceded by a charge on your credit card from the rental firm for providing information to the authorities on who was renting the car at that time.

You'll also have to deal with tolls and with speed cameras, including the devious Traffic Tutor in Italy which measures not only current speed but also average speed between two points. Violate both and expensive tickets will follow.

You must take the CDW coverage in Italy and your credit card will not cover it.

Regardless of what agency you choose to procure your car, be sure to let them know you will be going to Italy and get the insurance issue resolved up front

Hi kapilkarki. There is some misinformation about driving a rental car thru Italy. All the talk about required insurance applies only to cars picked up in Italy. Each car rental company has its own rules, but in general if you pick up a car in France, you are free to drive into countries like Spain or Italy with no problems and no restrictions. I have done this several times using my credit card insurance and declining the rental company insurance. The only common country restrictions, which vary by rental company, are that some rental companies either prohibit or charge extra if you drive the car into Eastern European countries such as Poland or Romania. Above all, my advice is to get and read the info for your specific credit card, as rules / coverage varies among cards. If you don't have this info, contact your credit card company and they will send it to you or advise where you can read it online. Enjoy your trip!

Bob has it right on the insurance question.

You can easily compare renting vs leasing on the AutoEurope website. 3 weeks is a kind of cut off point beyond which leasing may be more economical, but not always. Sometimes you can catch a special on AE for rentals.

Thank you so much for all the response.
@acraven : I agree with you.
I checked with credit card and rental company and they said that I can use my credit card for CDW and theft protection. I have decided to go with renting a car.
@Ken : I will look into ZTL. Thanks for the heads up.

I have follow up questions.
If I rent Audi A4 or similar, will I be attracting more thieves to break in my rental car while it is parked? What are other cons renting premium vehicles? If I pay $150 more then I will be getting Audi A4 vs Renault talisman - GPS.

Thanks,
Kapil

Check comparative gas mileages. Gas costs a lot more in Europe than it does in the US.

Another thing to consider when deciding whether to rent/lease a more upscale car is car size. Besides the obvious added cost for gasoline, you need to consider that many European roads, particularly in older, picturesque towns, have very narrow streets and limited parking options. You may have difficulty navigating those streets or finding parking spaces big enough to accommodate your car. I always go for the smallest car that meets my needs.

Thank you all again for responses.
I really want to rent a smaller car but we will be 4 people and we are renting car for almost a month now (dec 2 to 29). In addition, we will have 1 check-in and 4 carry on suitcases from all four people. We will be mainly driving in spain, France and Italy (maybe Portugal). Also, I can only drive automatic so I am limited to car choices.
I have reserved Renault talisman but I can cancel it anytime.
What would be the recommendation of car size which best fits our situation?
Thanks,
Kapil