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liability car insurance

Trying to find out information regarding liability insurance. We are renting a car through Hertz picking up in Florence. Planning to buy CDW & Super. How do we get liability insurance?

Posted by
194 posts

Yes, go with AutoEurope. They're a consolidator based in the US, so you'll have someone in your corner if you run into issues on-site when you go to pick up the car. We rented through them and had a fantastic experience, picking up the car at the Hertz office in Florence and opted for the no-deductible insurance. No-brainer, get the full coverage so you don't need to worry about anything. Also, ask them about the GPS program, where you get the unit sent to you in the US before you leave. Much better deal than opting for it at the Hertz office.

Posted by
5697 posts

Re: GPS sent to your home -- if the car rental time is only a small portion of your trip, be aware that you will be charged for the days you have the GPS unit, not the days you use it -- and the prepaid return appears to be U.S.-based FEDEX only.

Posted by
7448 posts

Liability Insurance is mandatory in Italy. You see something about it either being included in the quoted price, or a note that "Mandatory Liability Insurance will be assigned at the counter" meaning they will add it on at pick-up.

Posted by
1018 posts

Spend the extra dollars and purchase the 0 deductible coverage for peace of mind. After driving in Italy for years the cost of the insurance is highly recommended. Also, when you drive in Italy for a few minutes you might realize the additional cost was a cogent strategy.

Buon viaggio,

Posted by
1204 posts

Hi Cathy. To answer your question, in general, in the US and throughout Europe, liability insurance is the legal responsibility of the car owner (the rental company) and is already included in the base rental rate. Enjoy your trip!

Posted by
194 posts

be aware that you will be charged for the days you have the GPS unit, not the days you use it -- and the prepaid return appears to be U.S.-based FEDEX only.

In our case, the cost (for the GPS unit) was $40 total. We rented cars in two different countries over a two week trip. Once in France and once in Italy. The GPS was pre-loaded with maps for both. So we had the GPS for over 3 weeks, and paid $40 total. Way better deal than paying for it at the rental office in-country. It might have been a special promotion, so ask AutoEurope for details, but I've seen similar offers throughout the year.

Posted by
227 posts

We rented a car twice in Florence in March directly from Enterprise. I recommend the $0 deductible for peace of mind. It is expensive but worth it. I found GPS was not needed. We used our cell phone GPS and always had service (AT&T).

Posted by
114 posts

Don't rent your car directly through Hertz. Rent through AutoEurope or Kemwel (same company i think) and get your car from Hertz. We recently rented at Florence airport through Kemwel and the 7 day automatic transmission rental with all inclusive zero deductible coverage was $343 usd . If we rented directly from Hertz it would have been over $600, and we would have had to negotiate that coverage while you are at the desk and deal with the usual hard sell. . With Auto Europe or Kemwel , everything is paid in advance and you just pick up the car.

As for GPS, my unit from home didn't work in Italy even though it contained Italy maps. To be fair, I only tried for a couple of minutes.
Since we paid ten dollars a day for Verizon's unlimited text and calls international plan, we just used my wife's cell phone for driving directions and it was perfect.

Posted by
3150 posts

As for GPS, my unit from home didn't work in Italy even though it contained Italy maps.

Most GPS units will not automatically switch between maps. You physically have to change the country on the device or it won’t work.