We’re driving around Sardinia in October. We start in Alghero, end in Cagliari. Should we reserve a car from a US company before we go, or from an Italian company? One of our Air BnB owners said she could get us a discount? Should I trust that?
Also, what is a suggestion for best car for 4 adults, given relative comfort and road conditions?
Thank you!
Posted by
5707 posts
I'd at least inquire with the owner about the car deal she is proposing. First, I'd go to the AutoEurope website and see what results come up--you'll get a table showing various operators. But I don't put a lot of effort into understanding car insurance policies...
I'd look for a small SUV, something like an Opel.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA area (USA)
279 posts
We were just in Italy last month and rented a Peugeot 5008 SUV. We were 3 people with 3 giant suitcases plus smaller stuff. It would have seated 4 adults comfortably and carried 4 smaller suitcases. Good luck with the trip!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16520 posts
Hertz or Avis in Italy are just franchises. That means it’s an Italian company that has entered a franchise agreement with Hertz or Avis.
We don’t know what kind of arrangement your host may get. It’s likely with a local rental outfit. Whether the price will be better or not we can’t know. Ask what the price would be then search and compare using for example www.autoeurope.com
4 adults with luggage need at least an intermediate size car. You might do with subcompact SUV like a Jeep Renegade or Fiat500X (both are made by Stellantis in Italy, are the same size since they share the same platform, and are very very common in Italy) but the cargo space is limited so you need all to have carry on size bags to fit all. A Jeep Compass (also made in Italy and popular) has a slightly larger cargo, but I think that might be intermediate. Opel Mokka (also Stellantis but made in Spain) is also popular but the same size as a Renegade and it is compact category.
Midsize cars are slightly bigger, like a Mini Countryman, or Toyota Yaris Cross (a crossover), or a Skoda Kamiq, or VW T Roc
If you have people who can’t travel with just a carry on (like my wife), then take a wagon. That would be the category of a Peugeot 308.
The Peugeot 5008 obviously will do, but that is in the large/SUV category in Italy so it will cost more.
If you need something larger than a 5008 then I can’t help you. Unfortunately they don’t sell the Canyonero in Italy.
Posted by
la rioja
652 posts
Hey @dlplant,
last summer I took the ferry to Sardinia with my car. We have a Peugeot 3008, and there were four of us (me, my wife, and the kids 23 and 20 y.o.). We were able to get our the luggage for the four us plus some beach chairs. The 5008 is probably too big, you might be able to fit in the 2008.
I found the road conditions variable. There were some good stretches, and a few bad ones. For me the main highway was not very good, and needed some resurfacing. When we were driving, it seemed a bit strange, we would be driving along a nice flat straight road, then all of a sudden we were on some winding roads going up or down hills.