Rental cars in Italy

It is called, Cutting Your Loses ! A car is fine in small cities and the country side - just stay out of the big, congested cities with narrow streets, no parking, and frequently scrapped fenders.

It's easy - but not cheap - to get adequate rental car coverage in Italy. Just buy Super CDW from the rental car company. Then you can drive worry-free. A car is fine - and fun - in Italy. Except, as Frank says, in the larger cities. Over the years we've driven Italy from Bellagio to Agrigento and never had a problem, knock on wood. If our itinerary includes a large city, we always begin our trip there and don't rent the car until the day we leave.

Vikki, It's not surprising that credit card companies are "reluctant" to offer coverage for rental cars in Italy, as there's a higher probability that they'll have to pay. If you've seen the traffic in Rome and Naples, you'll see why! There may still be some CC firms that offer this, but I haven't checked recently. When I was in Rome last year, I did an informal "eyeball survey" of cars going through a major intersection. I found that a significant number had some kind of body damage (ie: dents or scrapes). That may not be representative of the overall picture, but I found it surprising. Of course, there are other reasons why renting a car may not be the best option. A few of the usual "caveats".... It's important to note that for driving in Italy, each driver must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any CAA/AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which in some cases is offered at the issuing office). Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at This Website for more detailed information on driving in Italy. You may also want to have a look at some of the other posts here concerning the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many Italian towns & cities ( especially Florence!). EACH PASS through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket! There's also the issue of parking tickets and the possibility of having "The Boot" applied. There's also the issues of high fuel costs, tolls, etc. A GPS along with a good Map would also be a good idea. Cheers!

It's not just Italy, it's also Ireland, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, etc. Facts that might solve the problem: 1. A second country drop-off fee is horrible. 2. Credit card companies don't care where you drive, just where the transactions (pick-up / drop-off) occur. 3. France has cheap rates and is an inch from Italy. Switzerland and Austria are equally close, but have horrible rates. Germany has good rates; Munich is two hours from the Italian border. 4. You can drive from Nice to Rome in less than seven hours for about a hundred bucks worth of gas and maybe seventy-five for tolls. I drive a rental in Italy rather frequently, but it's for a month at a whack - - the insurance rates would kill me. I don't think I've ever actually rented a car there except for a couple of times in Sicily. Do the math. See how much time you have. See how many days you actually need a car - - look at both the daily rental rate and the daily insurance rate. It's been seven evers since I checked, but the full cdw is probably twenty or twenty-ve bucks additional per day.

We rented a car through www.expedia.co.uk for 9 days for $311the agency we wound up with was Budget in Catania; this included a $60 drop fee to leave it in town in Palermo. In addition, the super CDW was around $250 additional, so the per day charge came to just over $63 a day for the peace of knowing we would have no hassles for any scrapes or scratches. Everyone is correct: country driving is a breeze, however, city driving is only for the stout of heart. The only hassle I have ever had in the EU was with the Sixt agency in Italy where they tired to double charge for fuel, VAT, and a highway "surcharge" when I returned the car to FCOit took me probably 6 months to get this resolved, but I did win as I had the documentation to prove my case to Amex and Sixt. To us, for the freedom to travel where and when we wanted, it was worth the cost, even though we were "hosed" for the CDW.

To beat the horse to death after reading Jerry's post - - I just looked at kayak and, renting from Nice for nine days I'd have to pay $24/day from Sixt (who will never hear of me again) or $28 from Budget or Hertz. I think AE was $27, but I'm starting to get ticked at them too. On top of that I'd have to add 1/9 of $25 per day since AmExp picks up the insurance for $25 per rental. That would work out to about $275 for the entire period.

The reason credit cards company refuse to cover cars in Italy has more to do with Italian legislation than anything else. Italian law is VERY strict in regard of insurance offers, and requires all cars to be insured IN Italy. Therefore, it makes no sense to offer external coverage that is, above all, illegal .

If a credit card company refuses to provide insurance for rental cars in Italy, what would happen if you rent in France or other neighboring country and your car is totaled or disabled in a wreck in Italy so that you cannot return it to the other country? Would the company pay or leave you with the bill? Has anyone had this kind of experience or checked with their cc provider to be sure it would pay? Without a guarantee from the cc company, I would purchase full CDW from the rental company.

I've read the policy, talked to the credit card companies, and talked to the subsidiaries that actually write the policy. My attorney has reviewed the policy. The operant words for exclusions are 'except for .....RENTED in' rather than 'driven in' or 'operated in'. I'm comfortable with what I believe, somebody else may not be. We're only talking about damage, not liability (which is covered by the owner). My credit card limits/balances are such that I could pay for the damn car, keep on traveling, and let the dust settle later - - all on any one of three cards, or the ones my wife has for that matter. That said, I can't knock the car rental outfit cdw in an excluded nation. Being a flawless driver for a gazillion years, I thought real hard about not getting it in an excluded country last month. I did, however, and yep, I got smashed to kingdom come. I had a new car within a couple of hours and would have only been liable for another three hundred dollars of deductible coverage - - 'pending resolution of fault, etc, etc'. That discussion ended when I forked over the fuzz report - - it seems one of us was stopped and the other one was driving just a tad fast past a cop - - and one of us didn't fare too well on the breath test.

I have driven lots of times in Italy and just avoided the cities, but for the countryside I wouldn't have had the trips I did by going on a train or a bus. A number of times I rented outside of Italy and was definitely allowed to drive in Italy with my car. there are countries that are excluded from certain agencies, just ask. Check out the Amex additional insurance that is about $25 for the rental period. I think they cover Italy. Also I typically rent from Budget, Avis, Hertz...whoever is cheapest at the time. I do not prepay and I make a reservation and keep checking till my departure date and if I find a cheaper rate, I will cancel the first one.
There are lots of banged up fenders and scratched cars it Italy... its part of the ambience??? I am assuming you want to explore the countryside. If you are just doing the cities then definitely take a train, but if you want to have freedom to see the villages and towns and vineyards then definitely rent a car.

"Check out the Amex additional insurance that is about $25 for the rental period. I think they cover Italy." Nope. Amex coverage specifically excludes Italy. Along with Australia, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, and New Zealand.

Are you going to want a car for 21 days or more? Try one of the French buy-back programs. They include full insurance at no extra charge, the insurance is valid in Italy, and the cars are cheaper over that time period than most rental cars, even not counting their extra insurance charges. Here's a link to the T&Cs of one program (Peugeot through AutoEurope): http://www.autoeurope.ca/buyback-terms.cfm I'll be using this in Italy next summer. I plan to pick it up in France, since there is no pick-up charge and it's close to my destination, but you can pick up a French lease car in Italy.

American Express Coverage excludes cars "rented in" Italy. We rented a car in Germany drove to and around Italy, and returned the car in Florence. American express confirmed that the car was covered as we did not rent "IN" Italy.

Vikki, One more comment on the subject..... CDW and Theft insurance for rental cars in Italy MUST be purchased from the rental agency. AFAIK, it's NOT possible to use any credit card coverage. You might find it helpful to download this Rental Car Guide (click the "Download The Free Report Now" link). Cheers!

Karen,
we are heading to Europe shortly. Flying into Munich and out of Florence. Trying to get by using train in Germany to Salzburg, Austria and then on to Italy. We are struggling with where to get the rental car?? Austria and drop off in Italy...or public transportation to the Italy border and rent a car so it is same country drop off...you dropped your car off in Florence. Did they charge a huge fee for it being another country?? Thanks for any input! Julie

Yada, yada, yada, this is the same old discussion. Vikki, it is no big deal to rent a car in Italy, but do it only if it makes sense. We have rented a car several times and it always worked great. First, make sure you have a credit card that covers Italy rentals. Some don't, but many do. Just make sure yours does, and if it does not, do some research and find one that does. Driving in Italy is easy, as they have a great road system. Our trip this September we have rented a car for 5 days, for picking up when we arrive in Milan airport. We will drive to Bellagio and Bolzano for a couple of days each, because they are difficult to get to on public transportation, and parking is not difficult. We will then turn in the car at Piazzala Roma in Venice. After 3 days in Venice we'll take trains from Venice to Cinque Terre, and then on to our final destination of Florence -- both easy to access by train. Don't be scared off by all the scared people. I love public transportation, but to get to a lot of the quaint little areas of Italy, a car works best.