Rental car fees

Everyone seems to report similarly about high drop off fees on one way rentals so I’m afraid it is the norm for now at least.

Could you potentially get two or more different “round trip” rental cars from hub locations and then train between those destinations? Florence, although far from Rome or Naples in distance, isn’t that far in terms of time on the high speed train.

Have you tried with www.autoeurope.com (or .eu)?
I rent through them. When I select the different drop off location the website warns me that there will be additional drop off charges to be paid locally. However I don't think it has never happened. Only once Hertz told me that there would be a Eur 15 drop off fee for dropping off at a different location, but I don't think I've ever received that charge in the card. Since Covid I had a rental with drop off at a different location only in July 2022 through AutoEurope but rented with Europcar (in 2023 I went twice but pick up and drop off was at the same location). I don't remember being charged for the drop off fee. If it was charged to my credit card later I don't remember, but if it was, I'm sure it was small because I didn't notice it.

Roberto : fairly certain if you rented recently the auto europe total if you look at the breakdown will show you how much the one way fee was. Is not paid locally any more but part of the quote auto europe generates
Have done many speculative one way searches on auto europe’s website this year and it is always extra and the amount for it is shown if you look at the breakdown. The amount per company varies drastically though, some may only be 50 euro where others are 250 euro ; by that I mean Avis, Hertz, Europcar, Sixt all charge different amounts

Not many years ago, (like just before Covid) I remember you could pickup and dropoff anywhere in Italy without any one way fees
It seems those days are now gone

If you try an out of county drop off it has gotten ever crazier ; that was always expensive but is now outrageously so

I have had success with auto slash
Make a booking early for best price you can that is fully refundable and requires no prepayment from whatever your choice of rental website is

Then enter the rate and details into auto slash .com and it will monitor the rate changes and email you offers of lower rates
You don’t need to actually book through auto slash you can go back months later to where you made your booking and cancel and rebook at a lower rate

Saved me hundreds on my recent rentals this year and rented direct from Hertz not via an auto slash link

Last 2 years the pricing has become very “dynamic” just like airline fares

Mreynolds
I checked all my vouchers with AutoEurope since 2013.
The one way return after Covid was in July 2022 with Europcar.
The voucher says One Way Fee of €11 + VAT not included, paid locally.
I don’t remember if I was ever charged for that fee after I returned the car.
Prior to Covid I never had a voucher stating that at all.
If things have changed now in 2023 I don’t know. I went to Italy twice this year, but in both cases I picked up and returned at the Florence airport.

Thank you all. Pricing is fluid and fluctuating as to your responses. Roberto, I've used Autoeurope in the past. Good company. The website doesn't allow Firenze SMN to Sorrento so I think I'll just call and discuss with them. Any thoughts on my second request of renting just outside of Rome along the train routes? Not traveling until April.

After making a rental car reservation check back periodically to see if the price has dropped. For each of my trips since Covid I’ve done that and saved hundreds of Euros or Pounds from the initial reservation price.

I’m not clear of your itinerary exactly is. However it seems that you need a car in Tuscany and eventually you plan to go to Sorrento. The devil is in the detail but if you are unable to return the car in Sorrento, I would simply pick up and return the car in Tuscany then go to Sorrento by train.

Where you need to pick the car and return in Tuscany I don’t know because it depends on where you are coming from. Florence is one option, another option is Chiusi, which however has only Avis (therefore they would also handle Budget and Maggiore, since they are part of Avis). Chiusi is convenient if you stay in the Montepulciano area and the Avis office is near the Chiusi station on the Florence-Rome railway line (old line, not high speed, therefore most trains are Regional trains to Rome). You could also rent in Florence and return in Chiusi (Avis-Budget-Maggiore only), but I don’t know if they allow one way returns or what the one way fee would be.

Roberto ; you are correct it still does read that it is likely to be paid locally but that fee amount is drastically higher now in 2023
Below is the statement they have:
Rental car suppliers sometimes have restrictions or additional fees for rentals picked up and dropped off in different locations, often to be paid locally.
Should a one way fee be applicable, the final price and one way fee cannot be calculated until you choose a specific pick-up and drop-off location. The final costs will be displayed on the booking form prior to payment.

Below I just inputted into Auto Europe 5 day rentals for each
pickup in BLQ (Bologna Airport) drop off VCE (Venice Airport)

Avis: shows a $139 one way fee
Sixt: shows a $98 one way fee but the rate is crazy high
Sicily by Car (who I personally would not use): shows a $123 one way fee

While these are not outrageously high, this was a pickup / drop off only 90 minutes apart that would have previously did not cost extra in years past.
And it is possible they would not actually charge you this at the counter ; cannot speak to that.

OP: I think your challenge with option 1 is Sorrento has few options of car companies. If you change that drop off to Naples airport you might get much better options. And same with starting in Siena instead of Florence.

Your #2 example I am not sure why but seen other examples where the airport rental is always cheaper and by the way often best in terms of hours and car options at the actual location. Whenever possible I do prefer to rent at airport locations or major train locations for these reasons. Did you check Termini train station location in Rome rental vs. FCO?

Was curious so looked up a one way rental I did last year 2022
Hertz rental from FCO (Rome Airport) ; drop off was (NAP) Naples airport

I paid a 40 euro one way fee is on my emailed receipt.
Making a dummy booking right now shows me a similar amount for a Hertz one way rental for the same places. $51 is showing as the one way / drop fee.

So the one way amount varies by car company and also based on the specific locations and is not mileage based ; assumption only.
Also the amount in 2023 may actually not be any worse than it was last year ; 2022
I am confident back in 2018, 2019 and prior there was no one way / drop fee for such a rental within Italy and that combined with higher rental rates is looking like major sticker shock to most even if the drop off fees were not quite as bad as I initially thought.

All of your advice is very helpful. I won't be able to work on routes till next week, but will consider all alternatives. Grazie

I searched my credit card statements for 2022 and found a charge from Europcar in July 2022 for $13.55, so maybe that was the €11 one way fee.