May have made a big mistake with rental car in Puglia

And I don’t know if this will matter, but my rental agreement says it’s for a fiat or similar mini. They gave me a Jeep something. What if that voids my agreement?

So the agreement Avis gave me does say it has scratches and scrapes medium/small. It also apparently has scratches and scrapes on the right side. I didn’t even think to look there after I saw the ones on the left. In my mind they are not small, but at least they do acknowledge them.

None of us are going to be able to tell you what will happen when you return the car. If the agreement does say that there are scratches on it, you're probably okay. If they make an issue of it, say that it was there when you picked it up and show them the language in there that notes the scratches.

And since it's not long since you picked it up, take photos (with date/time stamp) all round.

Thank you for responding. I panicked when I saw the scratches, but once I calmed down enough to read my agreements with both AutoEurope and Avis I feel somewhat better. One thing about traveling solo is there’s no one to be the voice of reason when it is not me. That’s when I’m particularly thankful for this forum. Now back to enjoying my travels.

KRS, I read your dilemma and went to refill my coffee cup. Now I see that you’ve replied. : ). I was just going to say at this point it’s what it is & please put it behind you and enjoy the beautiful area where you’re traveling! I hope your weather is lovely & you have a fantastic time!

Which cities are you visiting this time?

I may be being dense but if you have “zero deductible” is that the same as excess waived? Because if it is you could take the car back in pieces and walk away.

I may be being dense but if you have “zero deductible” is that the same as excess waived? Because if it is you could take the car back in pieces and walk away.

If OP purchased the zero-deductible option from Autoeurope, it's not the same as the zero-deductible option from the car rental co.: the car rental co. will still charge you and you have to make a claim to Autoeurope.

But TBH, if the rental contract is for a different car/license plate than what OP is driving, then it is a very easy dispute. I've got out of a damage claim like this before.

Sorry they stuck you with a big fuel guzzler.

I agree with Jean. Too late to undo anything. So relax and enjoy your trip. Save the worrying when you return the car.

What model of Jeep is it? I bet it’s either a Compass or a Renegade, both of which are very popular in Italy (they are actually made not far from where you are for the entire European market, in Melfi). You have nothing to worry about. I’ve had larger cars in Puglia. You won’t be able to enter the very narrow streets of the towns, because they are inside a ZTL. You will park outside and walk, and all parking lots have large stalls where you park perpendicular to the curb, so the length of the vehicle is irrelevant.

If you have the zero deductible insurance with AutoEurope you have nothing to worry about. Even assuming it is something not noted in the agreement and even assuming you did it, they won’t care. I’ve returned my car in Bologna with a scratch and they told me not to worry about it because of that zero deductible insurance.

Yes, Auroeurope still offers that coverage, it’s just that you access the coverage choices in the website after you select the vehicle rather than before, as it used to be in the past.

I rented a vehicle from Hertz through AutoEurope a few weeks ago in France with zero deductible (I know this is the Italy Forum, but the principle should be the same as the OP's rental is also through AutoEurope). The lady at the Hertz counter told me I could literally return with nothing but a single car door and still walk away. We had such a laugh! Anyway, isn't the point of purchasing the zero deductible option to have total peace of mind?

I don't think you need to worry about a thing..........you took care of the problem in advance by spending the extra money on the zero deductible. I hope you can put this behind you and just go and have a wonderful time!

Thank you all for the reassurance. It has helped.

Roberto, it is a renegade, probably no larger than what I drive at home, but the roads are larger at home as well.

Jean, I’ve been to Trani so far. It was gorgeous and I might return someday to spend more time there. I went to Giovanazzo for a few hours and walked along the sea. It was lovely. I’m in Matera now and am purposely not rushing out to wander quite yet after walking almost 30k steps yesterday. This place is like nothing I’ve ever seen. Next I’m on to Martina Franca for 3 nights. I’d planned to drive to a few towns in that area, but my confidence has been shaken so I’ll need to push past that. I want to see Alberobello (I’ll go early) and Locorotondo from there for sure. Once I return the car I’m taking the train to Monopoli for several days and can do train trips from there. I decided Lucca and that area deserves a separate trip at some point in the future, so I’m skipping that for now. I’m finishing up with several nights in Rome, staying in the Testaccio neighborhood.