Car leasing in Italy

Sherry - are you asking about leasing programs such as Renault Eurodrive, or about standard car rentals?

Yes, I am asking about leasing. RS recommends Europe by Car www.ebctravel.com Any others that you have used? What types of cars etc.? I am interested to hear of experiences in Italy leasing a car. Thanks in advance. Sherry

I looked at ebctravel.com and they're just a middleman for the Renault and Citroen leasing programs. Lease/buyback programs in Europe seem to be limited to French auto companies (Peugeot has one too.) You can pick up and drop off your leased car in countries other than France, but you'll usually pay a surcharge. Also, to my knowledge they only offer pickup and drop off at major airports, such as Rome and Milan. That being said, I've leased from Renault Eurodrive 3 times, and each time had a great experience. You get a brand new car, full insurance protection, and 24/7 emergency roadside assistance. Plus it usually works out to be quite a bit less expensive than a similar and comparably insured rental car. http://renaultusa.com/

We will be renting a villa for six weeks in Italy. Looked at renting a car from hertz vs. leasing a Citroen via Eurocar TT. Quote we received from leasing is quite a bit cheaper than renting but are there pitfalls of doing this vs. renting from Hertz?

About the only disadvantages I can think of are that their only pickup/return locations in Italy are the Rome & Milan airports, and you have to schedule your pickup and dropoff times a few days in advance. It's all done by appointment. I've had nothing but good experiences with leasing - although I've only used the Renault program.