Leasing a car in Italy

We've leased about 10 times over the years, most with Peugeot and once each with Renault and Citroen. The negative information you cite doesn't ring true to me - I think those folks have misunderstood the lease/rental short term/long term terminology. Basically AutoEurope just handles the US paperwork for the French short-term leasing company TTCar which manages the program for all three French car companies, and has nothing to do with the physical car transaction. The program takes advantage of a special 50-year-old French law that encourages both tourism and French cars. TTCar has facilities in Rome and Milan as well as a dozen or so French cities and in numerous other European countries.
The program works differently from a rental. One arranges ahead and picks up a brand new fully-insured car with your name on the title and French plates. When you return it, you sign the title back to the company. We have never had a problem with our leased car. We have friends who were in an accident with a leased car and the company responded well although it naturally took TTCar several days to get another car for them. The car will be a bit more expensive than a comparable fully insured rental, but the advantages a worth it to us. It is cheaper to pick up and drop-off in France, so a bit of trip planning is worthwhile - Nice is only 30 minutes to the border and 4 hours from Florence and Liguria is ever interesting.
I sent you a PM.

We have never leased a car, because, I believe, the financial advantages kick in only after 3 weeks or more. Even then, it was beneficial only for a much longer trip. However, I have researched leasing for a few trips. 28 days might not be enough to make it worthwhile. It would be quite easy to compare lease vs rent on the AutoEurope website.

Don’t forget to factor in the additional charges for pickup and/or drop off outside of France. When I looked, they were substantial, $400 or more.
Another thing to consider is whether any of your destinations will involve parking difficulties. You can find multiple postings on this site on that topic.

Thank you, Mike. I've done a bit more research and now understand completely the process. And you are right about the complainers not understanding the leasing agreement because as I read further there was a statement that if there is a problem with the car, you have to deal with the agency from which you picked up the car. We will be on a pilgrimage to Greece and then renting a villa in Italy for a month, and we'll be flying from Athens to Rome and picking up the car, so we probably will have to pay a bit more for it; but we are okay with that as all of our flights have been booked, so there's really no alternative. The villa is located in a remote town between Umbria and Tuscany so a car is vital. As it turns out, the actual cost of the leased vehicle is only a few dollars more than the cost of a rental with all the insurance coverages. So we will be going with AutoEurope and are excited about getting a new car with French plates in Italy with American (and International) driver's licenses, lol. Your information has been very helpful.

@Glassygal

I endorse Mike’s comments and experiences. Very well explained. Would like to add my families’ experiences.

https://www.franceatleisure.com/2024-european-car-lease/ Here is a blurb which nicely summaries the programme. You effectively own the car for the duration.

https://www.citroeneuropass.com.au/ My sons have chosen Citroen this time. I presume there is a standard invitation to offer to the world at large on a site elsewhere. The main points can be perused at this site. Bear in mind that it is specifically direct to Australia. Probably better known here as we have had a minimum of 4 weeks/20 weekdays (police, fire brigade and some others get up to 6 weeks) as legislated annual holidays since 1974. It is possible to carry over one year to the next and make an 8-week period. Government and large employers view this arrangement favourably as provides an extra tool in the succession planning process and how delegate authority is handled and what improvement in support can be made to the temporary occupant.

If you go to the Locations tag, you will see that, for Australians, there is no charge for the pickup location but there is for drop off outside of France. (We chose Rome as some of us are flying on to the USA and Canada for work and social functions.) My sons received a rebate for our previous leasing and for early contract sign up that reduced this to a small amount. Suggestion that probably will be rebated at next lease.

The insurance arrangement is crystal clear. Also, what to do if an unexpected event occurs. Should not need to be a legal type to understand.

In our case the contracts were emailed to my sons who duly signed and returned with electronic signatures. Usually, I read them through. Not this time, maybe they have learnt something from me. For us circa 12 pages. Bread and butter contracts. Time is needed to get the car you want and to the place you want. While they may have signed in Melbourne any disputes are determined and adjudicated by the laws of the republic of France and come into force when the contract is signed by the company delegate.

More information including a handy booklet which clearly explains what to do in the advent of problems has been provided in the past at pick up. European dealerships associated with Stellantis are the go-to. Never had to use them so can offer no firsthand experience on problems. Never had any.

I am not advocating this programme but is best fit for my family’s needs and desires.

This video of a 1977 big hit hints at my approach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Ojjn35kP8 The title not the content about infidelity and betrayal.

Regards Ron

Thank you for your input, Tassie Devil. I've done a bit more research and based on what I've read and Mike's comments above, I feel confident in leasing a vehicle from AutoEurope. Since we are flying in and out of Rome (and can't change that), we do have to pay a hefty 500 euro return fee, so the car will cost us US$2000 for the 28 days. When I originally booked a rental car, the cost was US$1700 without added insurance, so for the extra $300 we are getting much more peace of mind with the lease policy...and a totally new experience. I also found that the people who complained about Auto Europe's customer service had clearly not read their policy, so giving them a low rating based on flawed information was unfair to the company.

For whatever reason, nearly all lease programs are run out of the French automakers, and are most available in France.

Not sure what offices or delivery options they offer for locations in Italy, so that you need to check.

The other main issue is insurance, Italy has some specific coverage requirements, you sound like you may be taking the car out of the Eurozone, that may have coverage issues, being a lease, taking the car on a ferry should not be an issue like a rental, but there may be some insurance limitations.

From one of my searches, I found that France does this car leasing because "Yes, you get a make and model of your choice, but "your choice" is limited to a Renault or a Peugeot since leasing is offered only by French car manufacturers (it's complicated, but basically these programs take advantage of a loophole put into place 50 years ago as an attempt to lure French émigrés back home after World War II)"

The article goes on to say that you are fully insured with the lease, but I will see if that is true in Itay or if we need something more. AutoEurope's customer service can probably answer that question. We don't plan on taking the car out of the Eurozone as we will be using it mainly for transportation to and from our rural villa in Allerona. We'll be going to Orvieto, Multepulciano, Siena, etc. day trips mostly.

Had I known about leasing before I made my flight reservations, I probably would have considered flying in an out of France. Could have saved myself some money. But, then, I may have had added hotel and other expenses, so I am at peace with our final decision.

Thank you for your insights, especially with regard to insurance.

I would also wonder about having a car with French plates in Italy, it just screams HIT ME. It was bad enough when the plates used to have the home city on them, any car with ROMA plates was ripe for break in.

I guess that's a chance we'll have to take. Fortunately we will not be in Rome but rather out in the country, and I hope nothing will happen there. France, to my knowledge, is the only country that does the leasing. I could be wrong, but that's all that popped up when I searched it after reading RS's suggestions for leasing. We won't be leaving anything in the car to be stolen and there is only one night when the car will be parked in the Rome area at the hotel outside the airport. This seems to be something that is done frequently, and I think if cars with French plates were regularly being damaged, the leasing option would be off the table.