Just wondering if there is a reason that when I look up rental car prices on the Italian Hertz website it is less expensive than the us or uk website? They both have unlimited kilometers. It seems the only difference is one website is in English and the other Italian?
Posted by
Coraopolis, Pa, USA
1018 posts
I cannot answer your question, but I can recommend you book with autoeurope.com or europecar.com. They are both brokers who use the big car rental companies and their prices are better. We have used them many times and have always been happy with their service. Also, purchase the inclusive package because it contains a limited liability CDW. Most credit card companies will not provide coverage in Italy, Ireland, Portugal, and Israel.
Posted by
Gaston, Oregon, USA
931 posts
Read the fine print on the contract and you will find out why they are cheaper! We usually book thur autoeurope.com, but used autoeurope.uk for our trip to Spain this past June. The price looked great, but after we paid all of the fees, the price was comparable. When I got the contract I found all of the "got ya's". The contract said we would have to pay to have the tank filled up before we picked up the car, and bring it back "empty". You can't bring a car back empty, and they charged us $100 EU to fill the tank. I almost ran the car out of gas, and it only cost me $70 to fill it.. On top of that, we had to pay a "drop-off" fee. I have never had to pay a drop off fee from AE.com, but AE.uk sure had one. AE.com has always been upfront about all of their pricing, and they usually have great prices. I'll stick with them next time.
Posted by
OP
Missoula
11 posts
Thanks for the suggestions! Unfortunately autoeurope doesn't have a location where I am renting from will probably just use the UK site so I can understand what I am getting into!
Posted by
HENDERSON, Nevada, United States
91 posts
Does it have to be Hertz? We rented Avis through Costco and got a 20% discount. Definitely get the CDW, otherwise you will get a bill months later at home, then what do you do?
Posted by
Mahwah, NJ
2 posts
I rented via Hertz but the Costco Avis deal sounds great. I prefer American companies as I can understand the fine print. Ciao
Posted by
Monterey County, CA (formerly Verbania Italy-Lago Maggiore)
1632 posts
We just got back from a two week trip to Europe renting a car in Germany and ping in Italy. We used Gemut, who contracted our rental through AutoEurope. I went to AutoEurope directly and ended up with a better price through Gemut. The agreement is very clear with what's covered and not. Gemut were also very helpful in clarifying many questions we had. The rental ended up being through Eurocar. It was hassle free. Since we had prepaid everything, the only charge at return was a $16 tax of some sort. We returned the car with about 7/8 of a tank and were not charged for the missing 1/8. (We didn't want to wait till we arrived at the airport to find a gas station). This is the second Eurocar rental and both have gone very smooth.
Be sure to review charges before you sign when picking up the car. Eurocar was going to charge a $500 charge that we'd already prepaid. But when showing them the contact with AutoEurope, they realized it was their error and made the correction.