Best rental car class for driving Italy?

Size of car depends on how many occupants.

Depending on what type and how much driving you will be doing will also factor in to the choice.

I found the Volvo V50 I had a good choice, size wise

I would not go smaller than the compact and I would pay for every service. You do not want to have a breakdown and have to figure it out.

We reserved an economy class from Avis for our Sicily trip last September. We were given an Opel Mokka as an upgrade at no charge, and I wouldn’t have wanted anything larger.

Nix the economy, I had an Italian gas station guy call mine a 'Barbie Car' - in English. I wouldn't get the extra extra, Europcar is a decent company with decent cars.

Check on renting your car from Europcar through AutoEurope. You might save some money on the rental and the $0 deductible. As far as choosing roadside assistance, though I don’t and have never needed it, at $5 a day do what is comfortable for you. I would also choose a compact class to make sure that your luggage can be hidden and it’s a little more powerful and roomier than the economy models.

Autoeurpe for sure. We used them for both of our trips with the advise of a close friend.

Both times we purchased the airline tickets and the rental car for the cost of just the 2 airline tickets anywhere else. But the main point with them is the service they provide while away. On their last trip he had a heart attack and had to have surgery and stay for an extended period during recovery. Autoeurope really helped them throughout the entire process. And their trip insurance provides excellent coverage for a very low rate. We have been very happy with their service.

If it’s just me and my wife, I usually take the economy. The issue is how much luggage you need, because the cargo hold on economies is really small. It also depends on how far you are traveling. For example if my flight is to Milan but I know I have to go to Tuscany, I want a compact. If I land in Florence and I’m basically just in Tuscany, the Economy will do.

However there are economies and economies. I refuse to rent a Panda. The Micra has small cargo, the Lancia is ok. If the price on a compact is good, go for the 500L. That car is the bomb, I’m thinking of buying one in California.

We rented a Lancia Y for our tour of Tuscany and Umbria. It had plenty of space for our 2 carry-on bags, decent acceleration and technology. I wouldn't have wanted anything larger when negotiating the turns into and out of Montepulciano. It was just okay for our 2+ hour trip from Montefalco to FCO.

My only recommendation is to pay the extra money for Super Insurance. Piece of Mind..no worries.

I thinking about the Fiat 500L. I will driving in Tuscany for 3 days and staying in Montepulciano and visiting Siena and other hill towns. I would imagine we can hide 2 suitcases that are standard bring on plane size and 1 in the seat. I will be traveling with my wife and daughter. We won’t be leaving luggage unattended.

Do you like the 500L ?

You don't get to choose the exact car rather a class of car. The big factor is if will hold your luggage. Take no more than a 22” each to be safe. Specify Automatic if you want it, costs more.

I've always requested Economy class, which has worked fine for either one person or two (fine for speed, comfort, luggage space when packing light, parking in moderate amounts of space, fuel economy, etc.), and the last couple of times in Italy it was a Fiat Panda. As you know, it's not the smallest (Mini) class, so I don't think most people would call it a "Barbie car."

Smaller generally works best - with better rental rates, fuel economy, and ease of fitting into a parking spot. I wonder if the “Barbie Car” was pink? Or maybe the gas station guy just resented not being able to fill the smaller car with €90 in fuel.

Actually Mattel provided Barbie with some relatively “hot” cars over the years - a Corvette and a Ferrari. If you want to impress gas station attendants, rent a Ferrari. Actually, since Saturns weren’t sold in Italy, if you could rent a 2008 Saturn, that would really be impressive, as that would really be more exotic than a Ferrari in Italy!

It really depends on how much luggage you're hauling around with you, and the number of people. I love the Panda, but the typical rental has the 1.2 liter engine, which struggles to get to highway speed, plus, you end up driving in second gear uphill, tops. The best compromise for me is the B segment--Ford Fiesta/Renault Clio/VW Polo size. Just a bit smaller than a Focus or a Golf, so easy to park, quick enough and with decent if not generous luggage room. The 500L is kind of big and floaty, it's basically a minivan. But it's up to you what you're comfortable driving.

There are some great comments. I guess I will go with the economy class and see what they have when I get there. I’m going with Autoeurope.eu.

Well I went with the Compact class Fiat 500X. I’m thinking it maybe too big for some of the roads going to Montepulciano. Hmm. Thoughts? Anyone drive the 500X ?

We went with the compact class (500L or similar) and got a Nissan Juke at the beginning of May. It fit a suitcase and carryons in the trunk and other suitcase in the backseat. It was fine for size in Montepulciano and the hills town of the Val D'Orcia and had good power for the hills and windy roads. Getting Super coverage was great for peace of mind, although we had no problems.