Car Rental in Italy -- Anyone Familiar with these Companies?

I've not dealt with any of them, but a quick Google search shows they all give awful reviews. They are dinged for poor service and unexpected charges. It seems to be bait and switch. Some folks claimed that after other charges, they paid more than it would have cost to rent from a mainstream company. Caveat emptor.

We rent from Hertz when in Europe. They are not the cheapest, but we have gotten good service with no surprises.

We always book our cars thru AutoEurope.com
Great customer service and usually best rates
Also try AutoEurope.eu
US based consolidator
We’ve had cars from Europcar, Hertz, Avis thru them in various countries
Stick with the major agencies

All drivers must have an IDP which you can get at your local AAA
Be sure to do your homework regarding driving in Italy-ZTLs, speed cameras, parking etc

Surprice is an ominous name for a rental car company

We went with Avis and it was basically the same process as in the US. The rental was seamless and both the pick up and drop off agents spoke perfect English and were very professional.

I heard from an acquaintance who was screwed by a an off-brand rental agency in Italy and that made up my mind to not bother trying save money by going outside the mainstream brands.

One tip - book a cancelable rental (not a prepay) and then keep checking back to see if the price drops. We saved about $90 that way just by rebooking at the lower rate when it popped up weeks later.

We have rented from SIXT (Amsterdam) and Sicily by Car (Naples); both were good experiences.

AutoEurope does require prepayment but you can always keep watching rates then cancel/rebook

Leasys is now known as Drivalia, but the advice is the same - avoid. I belong to an Italian email network and one participant had a very bad experience last month with Drivalia at Pisa airport when they refused to honor a reservation unless she bought their super insurance.. Luckily she had booked through AutoEurope who helped her get a different company on short notice. AutoEurope is reputable but they still offer cars from untested, low-priced companies. The risk lies with the company that provides the car. In Italy, so we only rent from Avis/Budget, Hertz, Europcar or Sixt.

Thanks everyone for your responses! We had seen some negative reviews from 10+ years ago but hoped things had improved through the years. I'll pass on your info to them. I appreciate this Forum so much! :)