Hello all,
My husband and I will be traveling through Tuscany next April. We're arriving in Pisa (would prefer to pickup rental car here and have the car for about 3 weeks), and return the car in Florence. Are there any recommendations on a good rental car company to rent from? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Estella
So far I used AutoEurope or their affiliate Kemwel for my rental needs in Italy every year.
www.autoeurope.com
www.kemwel.com
It's a broker that works with the well known major international rental companies (Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt, etc.) and also some other European brands such as Autovia (an Italian company), Centauro (a Spanish company), Drivalia (a French company), Locauto (a former Italian company now part of Enterprise brands in Europe), Maggiore (a former Italian company now part of Avis brands in Europe), Noleggiare (an Italian company), SicilyByCar (an Italian company).
AutoEurope has recently changed ownership, and that has caused some changes in their extra additional zero deductible insurance coverage (the standard insurance coverage is always included in rentals in Italy). More information on that change is in the recent forum threads below:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/can-anyone-help-with-a-rome-car-rental-company-now
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/bari-car-rental
Hi, Giangilberto from Milan, my advice is to always use well-established, international car rental companies.
While you might find others at a lower price, I personally prefer to stick with the better-known, and therefore more reliable, ones, which ensures there are no surprises when you return the vehicle.
I generally use Sixt, or alternatively, Europcar or Hertz.
This answer is based solely on my own personal experience, to date, I have never encountered any issues whatsoever when using these companies.
We did this ourselves a few years ago: picked up the car upon arrival in Pisa and then returned it a few weeks later in Florence. We booked with Hertz and had no issues on either end. I forget whether we booked with Hertz directly or thru AutoEurope, but the transaction was pretty seamless.
When comparing prices don't forget to check any travel club memberships you may have (USAA, Costco, etc) and consider how you'll handle the insurance cover - most credit cards exclude coverage in Italy though some of the premium cards do.
And don't forget the IDP - it's a legal requirement in Italy.
We visited Sicily 2-3 years ago and used SicilyByCar.com
I was nervous about using it since I hadn't heard of it. They seems just as good and professional, etc, as all the big name companies I was familiar with. Sicily By Car was much less than what AutoEurope was showing.
We used SicilyByCar again, two years ago, in the Florence/Siena area. Again, very good.
