International Drivers Permit

You can keep this simple. The IDP is required in Italy so get it. The rental agency doesn't care if you have it or not. It is a police matter. Get stopped for any reason or an accident, your toast without it.

Second, with credit card coverage it is third party to you - not the rental company. Have a problem, the rental will look to you FIRST, and you deal with your credit card company later. The ccard company will not automatically step in and cover everything. There have been several postings here about the ccard insurance not backing them up for technical reasons - like -- forgot to check a certain box, or sign a form. You have to be very accurate and careful with ccard insurance. In Italy I would not depend on ccard insurance.

You will need IDP in Italy. Sometimes car rental agency wants to see it. Police almost always. I would go safe and pay little more to be sure I am covered for accidents. If you go by public transportation or by a car depends on your itinerary.

An International Drivers Permit is mandatory in Italy. You probably won't be asked for it at the rental counter but if you are stopped by the police you will have to show it. Take 2 passport type photos and $15 to your local AAA office for this, very easy. Collision Damage Waiver is mandatory in Italy. The rental company will sell that to you. You can buy it elsewhere maybe cheaper, but I find the terms and limitations confusing. Liability insurance is included if you rent through a company such as Auto Europe. Read their web page, it has lots of good information. Credit cards and your own car insurance may offer some coverage but it varies. I would call customer service with specific questions. I tend to never buy insurance from a car rental company in the US and always buy it in Europe. That is me, and I tend to over insure. Keeps me sleeping at night.

Use the search box (top center, desktop version of sit) to read long, detailed discussions of personal experiences with insurance in Italy. IDP need is not a subject of opinion, it's a fact.

Also a fact is that rental companies in Italy are required to include some partial CDW with a rental. It normally has a deductible of THOUSANDS of Euros. You can buy more from them, your credit card, your travel insurance company. You have to decided what level of cost, bookkeeping, and risk is right for you.

American Express excludes Italy from credit card collision coverage. Other cards may vary. Our opinion of your card's rules is worthless to you; You have to find out. I happen to live in a state where I do not want to make any claim on my personal car insurance if it can possibly be avoided. You may have a better functioning insurance market in your own state. Do you already understand the difference between "primary" and "secondary" insurance coverage? Vast numbers of people happily rent cars in Italy and other countries, for tourism in those areas that are better covered by car than by public transportation. You didn't ask for advice on whether you need a car for your unknown itinerary. You also didn't mention if you have ever used public transportation in the U.S.

Have you noticed that it's hard to collect "the real facts" on the internet!? This is a far better than average newsboard, but you still have a lot of reading to do.

I have seen two explanations as to why you cannot rely on your credt card for rental car insurance in Italy. One is that Italian law does not recognize or allow foreign insurance. The other is that in order for credit card insurance to kick in, you MUST decline CDW coverage ( Collision Damage Waiver). In Italy you are not allowed to decline the CDW.---it is not an option. (These may be two ways of stating the same thing.)

The other is that in order for credit card insurance to kick in, you MUST decline CDW coverage ( Collision Damage Waiver). In Italy you are not allowed to decline the CDW.---it is not an option.

I would assume that prevents any reliance on CC insurance in Italy. As to whether or not Italy recognizes foreign insurance, that is irrelevant, since what would happen is you would have to first pay any charges to the rental agency, and then deal with your CC company in the US. And as far as I know, no US auto insurance policy will cover accidents overseas.

Mixed opinions or bad info? As stated, an IDO is required for driving in Italy. Friends and I rent cars in Italy and we all have IDPs.

The situations you may encounter are similar to having a driver's license in the US: you may never need to show it, but if you must show it, you had better have it.

First, what is your itinerary with the car?

An IDP? Like others have mentioned, get it. Only takes a few minutes at AAA and it's good for one year. I get the passport photos at Costco.

Reference insurance. We always buy travel insurance from Travel Insured which covers all aspects of the rental car in addition to our well being. Many people don't realize, unless they read thoroughly about the subject, that many areas of the car are not covered by basic car rental insurance: i.e., tires, undercarriage, outside mirrors, etc. Did you know that there is not a spare tire in the rental cars? And if there is an issue with the tires, it's your responsibility? Yes, lots of small print. However, I wouldn't do it any other way.
Be aware of ZTL--limited parking/driving zones. Many cities in Italy have areas/roads into their cities that you cannot drive on. For example, Sienna. Use the Rick Steves' guidebook to maneuver to the "legal" area to park in. Do not go into the city center streets that are in the ZTL zone. You will get a ticket sometime in the future back in the States. I also don't drive into large cities, like Rome. Also be aware of the speed limits on the autostradas. The police won't stop you, they'll just take a picture of your license plate then surprise you later.

Renting a car does have it's issues. Just be aware and informed and you'll be fine.

You probably won't need an IDP to rent a car in Italy, it depends on the people behind the counter when you walk up. Remember, they are paid to rent you a car and they do not really give a rat's rump what happens to you since they have you by the credit card and they will be made whole for damage to the car and any impounding fees etc. YOU MUST HAVE AN IDP TO LEGALLY DRIVE IN ITALY AND IF YOU ARE CAUGHT DRIVING WITHOUT, ONE THE FINES ARE LARGE AND ON THE SPOT. THEN THEY DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT TO IMPOUND YOUR CAR SINCE YOU CAN'T LEGALLY DRIVE IT. Remember that in Italy you don't have to commit an infraction to get stopped, they do roving traffic check points where everyone get stopped just to check your car and your papers.

As to insurance, as has been pointed out above, you are pretty much forced to take the CDW. Back to the IDP, if you have an accident without one, the insurance company will likely void the policy since you are an unlicensed driver and you will be left unlimited financial liability.

If you are traveling long enough to do a lease plan, take a look at it. The cars are brand new and the included insurance is better than any CDW (Includes glass damage etc.). We did our first lease in 2006 and if possible will never rent again. Overall driving in Italy isn't bad the scariest thing is people on motor cycles and scooters, they act like when they put the helmet on, it sucks every working brain brain cell out of their head.