Any experience with Thrifty Car Rental in Florence and suggestion for CDW?

Figuring out the rental car insurance in Europe is really difficult; and, I suspect, deliberately so. The problem with taking the super CDW is that it is very expensive. It may double the cost of renting. I like to say I'm sure the mandatory coverage is included. I've never had an experience in about a dozen trips to Italy when it wasn't. However, it being Italy and rental car companies being what they are - - IMO mostly devious and dishonest - - I would get it in writing. You don't want to find out at the checkout counter that there's another substantial charge not included. Have you checked out Autoeurope? They are straightforward about costs and very competitive on prices. Also, I strongly recommend that you pick up and return to the respective airports. You can read numerous accounts, on this site, about the woes of folks who have inadvertently made incursions into ZTL's. Florence is especially tricky in that regard. And, while I'm at it, driving a large vehicle through any historic city enter in Europe is not fun.

When renting a car in Italy, the most worry-free and hassle-free way to insure your car is to buy "Super CDW" coverage from the rental car company - not from any third party. (In Europe, Super CDW is sometimes called "Excess Waiver" coverage.) Super CDW will provide you 100%, first-dollar, walk-away coverage. In Italy, whatever super CDW costs, it's worth it.

I called Thrifty again and this time the agent said that they couldn't tell if there was any CDW in my rate. She gave me the phone number for the office in Florence and suggested I call directly. I did a quick search on AutoEurpoe. You have to choose the address you want to rent from first. I didn't see the exact address of the Thrifty office, so I picked something close. The rate that came up for the same vehicle was about 3x what my rate is but it is listed as "With Insurance Package". I've probably spent more time on trying to get a car then on the flights, rooms, etc.

When you get to the rental counter in Florence, odds are someone there will speak good English (Florence gets millions of English-speaking visitors every year). Just tell them that you want full, no deductible coverage. Don't trust - or worry about - what you're told weeks ahead over the phone. All that counts is the transaction at the rental counter in Florence. Most of all, don't worry about it. The coverage won't be cheap, but you'll have total peace of mind while you enjoy your great vacation in Italy.

Our experience was with Hertz, so I can't say for sure this applies equally to your situation, but; Our car rental quote came with the mandatory theft insurance and mandatory CDW (large deductible, I'm sure - I didn't really pay that much attention). In any case, both are mandated by law in Italy, so should be part of the quote. Now, many people will say that you should just get the "super CDW" and simply forget what it costs, as if that's irrelevant. That's easy to tell someone else. Most people I know consider costs pretty relevant most of the time. Consider this; A year ago we rented a car in Australia without any extra insurance and got a chip in our window. It cost us about $250 extra when we turned the car in. This year we rented that car in Italy and got our driver's side mirror smashed in a tight traffic squeeze. That cost us an extra $440 when we turned the car in. (every other rental we have ever had was trouble-free) So I should be offering this as a cautionary tale to get you to buy the best insurance possible, right? WRONG. Although I was certainly irritated at my bad luck on both occasions, paying the cost for the repairs in each case was significantly LESS than the cost of the extra insurance for each of those rentals (the Italy one was for three weeks). I won't fault you for either choice. But I would encourage you to approach the situation rationally and not emotionally. Good luck.

I am renting a Mercedes mini-van from Thrifty in 3 weeks. Picking up and dropping off at FCO. The rate includes the mandatory insurance but not the 0 deductible upgrade. Many months ago, when I first made the reservation, I emailed the international division of Thrifty in Tulsa headquarters office. They had no idea what the super coverage would cost and said whatever the cost that day, it could change between then and now. It was not the most reassuring email I ever received! But I concluded that I would just have to wait until I pick up the van to know the cost because no one was forthcoming with even an estimate.

To Peggy, I actually just called Thrifty in Florence this morning. I was told that my rate did include the mandatory insurance. I was told that the cost for the 'super cdw' would be 37 euros per day. So in my case (we're renting for 4 days)it will add around $180 to our cost. But that is still less than the Hertz total price for the Galaxy mini-van. Hertz quoted a pay in advance rate of $781 and that was for the mandatory insurance only. I don't remember what the add-on cost for their super coverage was. I think it was less than the Thrifty cost, but that still puts the total cost significantly higher than the Thrifty rate. Our base rate for the Mercedes is around $438 (355 euros). I am prepared to be totally screwed in some way, but I'm trying to do as much homework as possible. -Chris