Electric car rentals

Probably need a couple of locals to chime in. In the US we have apps that will id the location of charging stations. Our metro areas are well cover but less so in rural areas. I would assume that is the situation in Europe. EV are great urban vehicles but I would not rental an EV if I plan on a lot of long distance driving.

The EV charging landscape in Europe is much better than in the U.S. at this time. There are more fast-charging stations per EV than there are in the U.S. and they are reliable. Have a look at Tesla's map of Supercharging locations to get a sense of it. Plus, there are all the non-Tesla stations you can use. PlugShare and A Better Route Planner are good apps to consult. They show all charging locations. And don't forget that many hotels and B&Bs offer complimentary EV charging for guests to "fill-up" overnight!

That the EV charging landscape may be better in Europe than the US is a general statement that may apply to some European countries but not necessarily to Italy, especially the more rural areas. Charging stations per EV is a meaningless statistic in a country (Italy) where nearly nobody has an EV. In Italy there are currently less than 200,000 EVs, in a country of 40 million cars in the streets (that is only 0.5% of the total). If in a country you have only 5 EVs, having 1 charging station per vehicle may sound huge, but it means that there are only 5 stations in the whole country, so it doesn't sound like they are ubiquitous.

In Tuscany, except for major cities like Florence, where you have better chance to find a charging station, outside of major urban areas, charging stations are present mostly only on the Autostrade (toll freeways), and at many 4 and 5 star hotels/resorts, but otherwise in small towns they are few (if any exist). So before renting an electric car to go around the Tuscan countryside, you'd better check with the availability of a charging station at all the hotels where you plan to stay. If you stay at an AirBnB or Agriturismo, check with the host about the possibility of charging there, as some old houses may not offer such possibility.

Still, if you can choose a plug-in rather than full electric, I'd go for the plug in.

Nah, it would be fine with a proper EV. There are plenty of fast-charge points in the region. Just look at PlugShare. Rent a big battery EV like a Tesla or a Porsche Taycan in Florence, charge it to 80% right there in town, and that should get you at least 300 km of range. Especially at the relatively slow speeds of the Tuscan countryside. Sounds like an awesome trip!

I'm sure the "really good rates" the OP is talking about are not with a Tesla or with a Porsche Taycan.
Those "really good rates" usually come in the shape of an Opel Mokka Electric or a Peugeot e-208, if not a Fiat 500-e.

In any case (and this is for the OP), often those rental EVs in Italy come with limited daily mileage, so be careful about the "really good rates" if you plan to drive a lot.

The e-208 has 400 km official range. Even if the official range tend to be on the optimistic side you should have no problem getting at least 300 km real world range.