Renting cars in Italy. What I'm I missing?

I don't think you're missing anything. The CDW and theft are included as described. Another expense is if you choose to buy Super CDW, which just covers the value of that $1,000 deductible. If there are other charges that are not included but are expected, maybe specific to a pick-up location, those will be listed in another column on the Auto Europe voucher.

In order of appearance:
1. Yes. If you rent through the consolidators www.autoeurope.com or www.kemwel.com, insurance is included. You might have to select in you want no deductible (which can be over 1000 euro). I always go with that option, it's not that much more and I don't like to deal with the credit cards in case of accident (also consider that many credit cards do not cover Italy, therefore check with yours).
2. No choice there, see no. 1.
3. Most cards do not cover Italy, that's correct. However going all the way to Germany to travel to Italy to save insurance is kind of pointless (unless you are going to Germany for other reasons).

$300 for 15 days on a Fiesta is exactly what you should expect to pay, including insurance.
Note that it doesn't appear you have no deductible insurance, that is why you have the 1000 euro deductible.
You can select the no deductible insurance by clicking on the "filter results' drop down menu in the autoeurope website when the table with the prices comes up. Uncheck the "inclusive rate' box and leave the 'no deductible rates' box. That will give you a higher rate, but no deductible insurance. If you have already purchased, call Autoeurope rep and see if they can revise (if you want the no deductible). That no deductible option will add about $4 to $6 per day to your overall cost for an economy car.
Also there might be the road tax that is not included and which will be added to your credit card bill at the rental office. That's only a couple of euro a day or so, but so that you know once you receive the credit card bill.

I highly suggest AutoEurope. First class service.

The gotcha is that $1000 deductible.
At the car rental center they will charge/put a hold on your credit card of choice for $1000 plus maybe a little more ;

Problem A:
that right there people may not be prepared for, the lack of credit available to them after this charge may affect the rest of their trip budget, etc...
if you have no issues with the money being held against your available credit no worries about problem A see problem B below.

Problem B:
Italy it seems will nickel and dime you for that $1000 so you must be vigilant about inspecting the vehicle up and down and noting any scratches, nicks, dents, etc...
In the US, as long as no major damage they really don't get you about little nicks and stuff, there they will and that will come out of the $1000 first.
Related to problem B: Should you bump into something, hit a curb, scratch an outside mirror, pebble hits your windshield ; etc... expect that to come out of your $1000

Solution to both problem A and B is to pay another $100 - $150 to cover your rental with full insurance and zero deductible including tires/windshield, the whole thing.
You can decide if it is worth it, if you call Auto Europe they can tell you the exact amount and change your booking.

One more thing: at the counter as mentioned above they will charge you a road tax, but that is not much as mentioned a couple of Euro per day and they will also try to sell you on insurance to cover accident type issues unrelated to your car beyond what the normal insurance does and I would consider those completely not worth it.

On a positive note, Italy seems to typically allow one way rentals like you have (Rome - Venice) without fees or nothing significant. Try that same thing in the US on most routes and you will get hammered with out of control fees. For this aspect Italy rental cars are a real bargain.

Lastly, make sure Auto Europe has booked you with a place with a good name in Italy like EUROPCAR, AVIS or HERTZ
they usually do but not always and the others appear terrible including ones that have good names in the US.

Rental cars are required in Italy to have CDW insurance--by government regulations. There's no getting around it.

But the good news is that the CDW rates are not terribly expensive--like in the U.S. and in other countries. The relatively low CDW rates tell me the government is stipulating how much rental companies can charge--or they'd be ripping your heads off on rates like everywhere else.

Where you've got to be careful is when a rental agency tries to add a secondary insurance that covers your personal belongings in case of theft of those items. This is a rip off and you can request it be removed.

If you get down to it, CDW is very often a rip off (in the U.S.) because an individual's regular auto insurance policy is usually primary. If you're covered on physical damage insurance by a credit card company (when the rental is charged to that card), it's always secondary to your regular automobile insurance policy. And on the personal belongings, homeowners' insurance usually pays for items stolen from rental cars.

I try to rent from AutoEurope (a consolidator) or Hertz in Italy. Many European car rental operations with familiar brand names are franchises--not actually the company. And they may not handle their business to your liking. Hertz is a company run operation in Italy that runs like in the U.S. When you rent from AutoEurope, they will often refer you to a Hertz location.

If you have insurance through a third party vendor then the rental company will put a hold on your card. It's not a charge, it's a hold. That means that you cannot use that amount of credit until the hold has been taken off. If there is any damage to the car your card will be charged. At that point you must go through your third party insurance to be reimbursed for the charges against your card. This is standard practice and is in the terms and conditions on the rental websites. If you want a zero deductible you can purchase that at the counter. If not, just be aware of the hold they'll put on your card. If you choose not to purchase their deductible be sure to properly inspect the car and note ALL damage, no matter how small. Take photos and have the attendant sign off on the damages form before taking the car and also when returning the car. Keep the signed copy in case there are any discrepancies.

donna

Although chase sapphire does cover Italy the terms state the CDW must be denied by rented for the chase policy to become effective and that is impossible with Italy
May still work but could be a hassle because of this to get any claims processed

Also with chase sapphire coverage you still have to put the hold on your card and pay any damages yourself first and then get reimbursed by chase

I am a chase sapphire card holder and still felt it was worth it using my chase card to buy the zero deductible super insurance for Italy

Car rental insurance in Europe is a murky topic, especially in Italy. To clarify some of the misinformation above, I'll tell you what our experience has been. Yes, some cc's exclude Italy from their car rental insurance coverage, most notably American Express. Chase doesn't; and the time we made a claim, we received excellent, prompt service from them. You need to check with your card's appropriate department to clarify their policies.
The super CDW is not inexpensive, if you are renting for three weeks. Every time we've considered it, it came close to doubling the rental cost. Also look carefully at the details of what is being offered. I was once surprised to see tires and windows were excluded from coverage I was considering.
Hertz in Italy is not the same company as Hertz in the US. Lots of luck trying to deal with the Italian guys after you return home (voice of experience).
The required insurance does not invalidate your coverage by your cc, at least not with Chase. (See above.). Again, best to check for your card.

Tires and windows are usually in the highest coverage. Depending on where you're traveling you may not need this amount of coverage. You can ask the agent at the desk to get their opinion. They will know what sorts of damage they see most often and can advise you which coverage to take. Most agents will be very helpful if you ask them questions.

For our trip over the summer we asked about the differences in the policies and which would be the best for us. The agent asked us about our itinerary and suggested that we didn't need the policy which included tires and windows. He said that for our area that really had never been an issue. He was correct, we had no issues with tires or windows, though we did get side swiped and had a huge dented rear quarter panel. The insurance we had covered it and the attendant looked at the damage, at our paperwork and said we were covered and that there were no issues.

If we had used our credit card for insurance or bought a third party insurance our card would have been charged for the damage and we would have had to file a claim to get that money back. I just find it easier to do it through the rental company than to jump through those other hoops.

Donna

We rent through Autoeurope every year in Italy and have been happy with their service. Several people above have mentioned the wisdom and extra value of purchasing the additional $0 liability. We buy this every year since 2008 for the peace of mind and it's worth every penny.

In 2008 we reserved through Autoeurope, picked-up the car at Europecar, and did not buy the extra coverage. I dinged a rear quarter panel on a narrow street and indicated the damage upon drop-off. Europecar's contract included a 400€ deductible and the Autoeurope car contract indicated a 200€. We paid the 400€ to Europecar at drop-off and contacted Autoeurope when we returned home. Autoeurope refunded the difference to us. Since that point we've only used Autoeurope.

Buy the extra coverage $0 deductible because, IMHO, it's worth the peace of mind. After you drive in Italy for a few minutes you will understand.

Go and have fun.

Buon viaggio,

Thank you everyone for your replies.

It’s good to know that the rate is about right for what we are getting. Hopefully there will not by any surprises. The company they booked us with is EUROPCAR so I think we are ok there. We read about the daily road tax and that was an expected extra.

Purely by chance we booked it with a Chase Sapphire Preferred card. (Rosalyn, thank you for telling us about your experience with Chase. It is good to know!) The extra $1000 hold on the card should not be an issue as we carry several that will work.

I plan on taking pictures of the exterior of the rental before it leaves the lot in Rome. Noting any dings, dents or scratches, just in case it becomes an issue later.

Terry,
I do think how much you will be driving and where factors in.
I didn't mention it but for our rental this year, I plan on driving roughly 30 hours and cover a fairly large part of the country from Tuscany and further north.
Will be leaving the car overnight in garages at times and things like that as well plus driving back roads of Tuscany and throughout the Dolomites. If you are driving into any of the hill towns, watch a youtube video or two to see how winding and narrow the streets are.
My chances of a incurring some type of damage is fairly high, it seems like little scrapes and nicks are very common.

For a US rental I would never buy any insurances and just let my own policy and/or credit card coverages handle any fears.

In Italy for the amount of driving I plan on doing, the added cost from Auto Europe for the Europcar rental, same as you added $120 to the total which added:
Extended Cover Includes:
Zero Deductible with Super Cover
Liability Insurance
Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) including damage to wheels, glass, underside and roof of vehicle with zero deductible
Theft Protection (TP) with zero deductible
Roadside Assistance

For me the $120 was worth just the added hassle of documenting any issues, worrying about it being inspected at drop off time and documented with no damage ; and/or the mountain of paperwork and inconvenience that would come from submitting some type of reimbursement claim.
I think the odds I will have some type of damage is higher than 10% and $120.00 is about 10% of the 1000 euro deductible.
The hold on the card was not a worry to me, I just felt $120 was worth paying to ensure a smooth drop off with no worries rather than yet another thing to worry about and take precious time up on my vacation.
One of the reasons I choose Auto Europe is this coverage is cheaper than elsewhere or at the counter price.

If I were driving much less or different areas I likely would be fine with letting the 1000 euro or so ride and stick with Chase coverage.
Not trying to talk you into it, just giving you my reasoning.