Can't take car into Italy?

It's pretty standard to exclude "Eastern Europe" unless you pay extra. But last I heard, Italy was not part of Eastern Europe. I've never heard of excluding Italy from a rental car picked up elsewhere in western Europe. However, the insurance requirements for Italy are a bit different and that may be the driving force.

Is this AutoEurope? I have had great service from them on the phone. I would call them and ask for clarification.

It is an HDI thing which is Europcar's insurance company. Had Gemut given you a Sixt, Avis, Hertz or other car the situation might be different. So contact Gemut and tell them about that limitation and ask for a car from another car rental company that allows travel to Italy.

Autoeurope is a consolidator, not a rental operator, so they aren't the company responsible for the rules. Europcar might be. Call Autoeurope on their 800 number and see what they can do.

I have used Gemut twice with rentals from Germany and drove into Italy. There were no restrictions for driving into Italy but some Eastern countries were off limits. It would be wise to check it out before you cancel you reservation.

Not a huge shock. My CC company told me it wouldn't insure my car in Italy because of the theft and damage rates (which are much higher than in the rest of western Europe).

I have never used Gemut, however, whenever we do rent a car usually from Avis,Sixt,or Hertz, they tell us the same thing....the car cannot go into Italy or else they give you a less desireable car...not subject to theft in Italy. I am not surprised you received the message. Ask Gemut if there is a car that could go into Italy. One year we rented from Germany spent most of our time in France and we told them we planned on driving through Italy and then they changed our car to a black Volvo station wagon. This year we are renting a car in Italy and then renting another in Germany for two reasons...one a better car in Germany and no drop off charges which are almost as high as a plane ticket over to Europe. Good luck.

Hi Cate,

We used Gemut this past October and wound up with an Avis car. No problems at all. We have also rented car's through travelocity and the like for our past 5 trips since 2001. We always pick up in Germany and 3 times recently have driven into Italy. We've never gone further south than Bolzano, but it's Italy. We haven't had a problem with the company's we've rented from, ALTHOUGH we were told that certain higher end cars and models (BMW, Mercedes, etc.) could not be taken into Italy. Call Gemut (they are very helpful) and AutoEurope and ask.

Paul

What Andreas said. Tell the company your plans to get the best rate for your trip. They may have picked the car because they didn't think you were going to Italy. It cost the agencies more for you to travel in Italy (because of theft and damage issues) so it will be reflected in your rate and your CDW rates.

We usually rent our car in Germany when we drive into Poland, Italy etc. Frequently from Hertz or Avis. Tell them upfront when making reservations you'll be driving to say Poland. That way they can have a car model available for pick-up that is not attactive to the local thieves - that's the sticking point they told us up-front. Kiss that cool Mercedes convertable goodbye!

Keep in mind that Gemut and AutoEurope have an affiliation with one another. When you get your e-mail from Gemut after confirming your car, they give you the 24 hour 800 number to call and it is actually a number for AutoEurope. They are brokers and deal with several of the major rental companies. Both are reputable and have gotten good reviews by those on these forums who have used them. I have used Gemut and will continue to as long as they give me the best rates and service. Call Andy or Bob Bestor at Gemut and make sure they are aware you will be going to Italy. I explained this to them in 2007 and Andy Bestor said it was fine. He set me up with Avis. I also verified this with Avis when I picked up my car. Before I told the gentleman at Avis that I was going to Italy, he offered to upgrade me to an Audi for no extra cost. I told him that would be great but I would be driving in Italy with it. He said, "Oh, you are going to Italy?" "I think you will be ok with the Audi in Italy until you park the car and then when you come back to get it it may be gone." I told him in that case I would take the Peugeot. Anyway, you should be fine to go into Italy as others and myself have done so in the past.
I had also inquired with Gemut about driving in Slovenia and Croatia but was told I could not. Maybe had I paid a premium I could have but I was not really planning on it but it was more of a just in case situtation.

Thanks! I think I would rather go with Avis, as they have more convenient rental facilities where we are picking up (Mainz). We're getting a minivan (6 of us) and not a luxury vehicle, so hopefully it's not a big deal.