Has anyone used Autovia car rental company in Italy? It is showing they're prices are much lower, but wondering if anyone else has any experience. We are trying to do rental car pickup in Florence airport and drop off at Perugia airport, as we will be flying to Brindisi. Open to recommendations!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16135 posts
I don't know Autovia, and I think it's a fairly new Italian car rental company.
But I always rent through AutoEurope (a multinational consolidator founded in Germany, but now based in Portland, Maine).
They sell contracts with the major rental car companies (Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, and all others, maybe even Autovia, I don't know)
AutoEurope has 3 websites:
www.autoeurope.eu (their European wide site domain)
www.autoeurope.com (their US website)
www.kemwel.com (US website)
*They also have individual websites for each European country (like for Italy it's www.autoeurope.it), you can use them, however they would not be in English.
Check prices and offers in all three, because they differ, sometimes with significant price difference.
You can use any of the websites.
I also always select, under the Coverage Option (Insurance), the NO DEDUCTIBLE option (called the REFUNDABLE EXCESS in the .eu website).
I always get that option, because if you don't the deductibles are high (generally €1,000 to €2,000) if you have some damage, and many of those franchises are famous for charging hundreds of euros to customers for minor scratches and dents that maybe were there even before you picked up the car. I returned cars with minor almost invisible damages (not sure if I did it or it was there before), which were pointed out to me but they always told me I didn't have to worry about it because I had a 'no deductible (refundable excess)' coverage. And in fact I was never charged extra for those damages. That coverage option costs $5 to $10 more a day, but peace of mind is priceless.
Posted by
Boston
1804 posts
I would avoid. This is a relatively small company with locations in northern Italy. It is an offshoot of a large Italian car dealer. The name seems to be allied with or the same company as Ecovia. There seem to be numerous serious complaints (esp. Bergamo & Verona) alleging unfair damage claims.
--- https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187830-i816-k9785778-AVOID_Ecovia_Atlaschoice_car_hire_Bergamo-Bergamo_Province_of_Bergamo_Lombardy.html
---- https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/autovia.it
Posted by
45 posts
I booked a Hertz rental through autoslash.com and called to confirm everything with hertz. Completely cancellable. Fingers crossed it all works out. Check out autoslash.com though. The prices were unbeatable.