car rental in Italy

You broke the code.

If you rent in Italy, your credit hard won't cover the cdw so it has to come out of your pocket (assuming you don't want to self-insure and risk the exposure which will be as high as the value of the vehicle, but no more).

If you rent AND RETURN the car in another nation, there is no problem driving within Italy and your credit card cdw coverage remains valid - - just no part of the financial/contractual transaction can occur in Italy.

We usually go into Italy with a car rented in France or Spain, but every once in a while we pick one up in Germany - - no problems.

Run the numbers. See if the extra six hours or so each way (with gas, grub, rental cost, tolls, maybe extra lodging, maybe days robbed from Italy which is your objective) is worth the cost.

Julia,

Regarding your questions.....

1. Yes, CDW and theft must be purchased from the rental agency when renting cars in Italy. You might find it helpful to download the free Car Rental Guide from this website.
2. The only advice I can offer on "cheaper rentals" is to shop around. You could also speak with a Travel Agent, as they may have some good deals.

I wouldn't suggest flying into Munich and driving down. If you rent the car in Munich and drop it in Italy, you could be looking at a HUGE supplemental drop charge. Your best (and cheapest) option will be to rent and return in Italy.

Happy travels!

We never rent in one country and return the car in another - those drop off charges are murder! Usually we do a giant circle kinda of thing but have also rented a car in Germany to tour Germany and France (returning car in Germany) and then trained to Italy. We also always get the CDW. Here's the thing. If you have an accident the rental car company may charge you not only for the repairs but for the time the car is out of service. So this is up front money you're out of pocket. Yes your credit card and/or insurance company will probably reimburse you but that can take weeks. (Make sure you get a police report if in an accident and take pictures.) Meantime your card is taking a beating and may be maxed out. Oh, and if you decline the CDW insurance the rental car company may put a $500+ hold on your card (ask before renting). On another note you won't need a car in Milan or any other city. Training is a good option between cities and short term 1 week car rentals can be a decent deal (say if you're staying out in the Tuscan countryside). Finally as regards renting an automatic vs a stick shift you may have reserved one (which will be more expensive to begin with) but that doesn't mean the rental agency will actually have one when you arrive. Twice we exchanged our automatic for a stick shift at the rental company because the group of 4 in line in front of us had no one who could drive a stick. (Both times this happened in Italy.) All this said I love the freedom of driving especially to out of the way places.

CDW is required on cars in Italy, however it's not nearly as expensive of coverage as in other countries (including the U.S.) It seems as if the Italian government governs the rates. In most countries, CDW is a big, big profit maker for the rental companies.

One way to often get a cheaper rate is to sign up for car rental frequent renter programs--like Hertz' Gold Plus Rewards. The big company I retired from had Hertz Gold fleet car discounts, and my card is in force 5 years later. I get substantial discounts automatically.

I've found that AutoEurope and some consolidators will sometimes quote cheaper rates than the big name rental companies. You just have to get out there and do some shopping online.

I have noticed that auto rental operations are not in every Italian city. I got my car in Florence and turned it in at Orvieto train station. There are relatively few rental offices in Chianti and south of Florence--other than Siena.

Good luck in your search for a car.

....and I would not assume that any rental agency would allow you to rent and drive into Italy with no questions asked. Inform any agency of where you will be driving as well as contacting whatever insurance coverage you will be using. Some agencies in Europe have specific restrictions regarding taking a car into Italy from another country (as well as other countries) and while you can certainly cross the border and do whatever, the consequences if damage or an accident occurs is the real concern.

My first recommendation would be NOT to drive in Italy. The trains are so much easier. I was in Italy in May/June 2013. We rented a car in Rome, drove down to Positano and then back up to Florence and Venice (where we returned the car). I am happy we rented the car to be able to get to Positano without having to take multiple trains and a bus to get there, but I would have done it differently (train from Rome to Naples, rent the car in Naples and drive to Positano, then return car in Naples and take train to Florence). Driving in Florence was an absolute nightmare and (as indicated in Rick Steves travel book) there are restricted zones in Florence that you cannot drive through without a permit ... I got a few tickets because of this. Highway driving was easy, but city driving was terrible. Use the trains!

If you still want to rent a car, we went with Sixt. It was by far the cheapest option.

I will completely disagree with the poster above: pay attention on traffic signs, avoid the ZTLs and you shall be fine with a car. There is no reason to pre-emptively avoid cars in ITaly, as there are some 20 million of them circulating in the country.

I agree you should stay out of the big cities with a rental car, but driving through Italy allows you to stop at those little places you'd never have access to on a train. I have rented many cars and never regretted it. I do recommend the GPS, by the way.

Thank you all so much for your helpful information. Your replies did not show up on my email so I am just now finding them. Since I posted, our plans have changed a lot! We are now flying into and out of Zurich, spending about 6 days in Switzerland and then driving to Lake Como where we have rented an apartment for 9 days. Now I am considering renting thru British Air who we're flying with. Maybe pick up car in Zurich, drive into the Alps for 3 nights, and on to Italy. Then we would drive back to Luzerne for 2 nights and return car to Zurich. DOES THIS MAKE SENSE? I am thrilled to find the Helpline again. Maybe responses will now come to my email? Julia in Vermont

You've got the idea on where to get and drop the car.

Compare BA with what you find on Kayak and go with the best deal.

The previous post is a bit obfuscating.

As previously noted, renting a car in Italy is inherently more expensive since you have to choke the cdw yourself instead of letting it be covered by the credit card.

Renting a car for a couple of short periods is much more expensive than combining the same number of days into a longer period. The example cited a rental rate of fifty bucks a day. I rent a lot of cars all over the world (about six months a year my tail's sitting in one); I figure twenty to twenty-five dollars a day just about anywhere - - four hundred bucks would cover me for about three weeks if I were lucky, otherwise a bit more than a couple of weeks.

I believe Ed is correct about longer rentals being less expensive/day than shorter ones. Also, the difference between picking up a car in Italy and picking up/returning in other countries (don't know about Switzerland) can be huge. Here's an example. We are doing a 4 week trip to southern France-northern Italy in May. Getting a car in Nice for that time is less than $500. Getting one in Rome, around $1600. I looked at leasing and at different combinations of shorter time spans with carless periods. Anything that worked for our itinerary came out around $1000 more than the simple Nice/Nice deal. You can go to AutoEurope's website and get quotes for your itinerary. BTW, if you have an AMEX card, check into their Premium Rental Car Insurance. For a $18 - $25 flat fee you get up to 42 days no-deductible insurance. That can also shave a significant amount off the car cost. It's not available for Italy, but the poster who said that a car rented elsewhere can be driven into Italy without invalidating the insurance echoed what the AMEX agent told me. Of course, it's wise to check all the ins-and-outs with the company you actually use.

Again, many thanks! You people out there in the world are a wonderful help! Julia