Hi!
I'm travelling to Tuscany this summer and I'm thinking about renting a car, so I started reading reviews about the car rentals there.
Mainly I was reading on https://uk.trustpilot.com/ and https://www.tripadvisor.com. I have searched Avis, Europcar, Alamo, Budget, whatever I could find.
Mostly I found very bad reviews about all of them :(
Do you have any experience with car rental in Tuscany? Am I just over thinking this or should I find another way to get around?
Thanks :)
We rented a car at the Florence airport to tour Tuscany for four days. I priced a number of options for a 7-person mini-van and the best price was through Auto Europe and the rental company was Hertz. I have rented with Auto Europe in France and the UK prior to that trip. What I like about Auto Europe is not only their price, but customer service. I needed to change dates on my Tuscany rental. When I went online to make the change, the price changed—one call and I got the original price. They are also great if you have an issue. When we had an accident in France, it costs us just 350 Euros which was frankly a fraction of the actual damage. They handled everything quickly and on the spot, so no disruption to our trip.
As for driving in Tuscany, we spent most of the time in the Chianti region. The largest city we drove into was Sienna and the only real problem we had was finding parking for a 7-person van on market day. The roads were well marked, it was easy to get petrol, all and all one of our easier driving experiences in Europe.
One last note, having a car is great to explore the smaller towns.
At least four car rentals in Tuscany and never a problem. We always book with AutoEurope. If there is a problem, they stand behind you.
We also rented through AutoEurope and the company was Hertz. We picked the car up at the Florence airport and dropped it off in Milan. We purchased the zero deductible insurance for peace of mind. It was not very expensive. Rent the car and enjoy the ride. just make sure you stay out of the ZTL in the towns!
Overthinking it. Check out the Hertz rental at Chiusi. I trained there from Rome and got my rental there. Drove from there to Lucca and points in between and back.
We went through AutoEurope and got a Hertz car 2 miles by taxi from the Florence train station on Sansovino. We saved on tolls and taxes for not picking it up at the airport.
Like so many heading south toward Rome, we turned the car in at Orvieto Hertz and took the train into Rome in just over an hour. Their office is 100 yards across the parking lot from the train station.
I think many complaints on rental car operations in Italy are they will get billed for an administration fee 10 months after the rental. That's when rental offices are asked by police departments to identify who had a rental on a specific day and time--so they can issue a ticket for speeding or going into a ZTL unauthorized. Those radar/cameras are everywhere in cities and they give no leeway for a violation. They got me going out to Venice from the mainland on the causeway.
I haven't been to Italy, specifically, but, I've rented a few times now with Autoeurope (France and Spain). They are U.S. based. The rentals have always gone well and they've helped when I had a complicated situation come up. I feel as though if something negative comes up, they would troubleshoot for you with the rental car company. Plus their rates have always been lower than the other quotes.
We did not have a problem. Read up on the rules of the road, don’t speed, and make sure you avoid the zones in cities that you can’t drive in.
not sure what the problems were but we had no issues renting a car in Siena for the day. I think it was Hertz or Avis. All went smoothly.
Picked up at Florence airport, returned to Orvieto a week later. Spent the next 12 months waiting to get a ZTL notice in the mail, but NO problems. Great trip, seeing places not easily accessible by train.
We rented from Hertz at the Pisa airport. We got the same wonderful treatment that we always get but my husband is a Hertz #1 Gold member or whatever they call it.
Use a consolidator like
www.autoeurope.com
www.kemwel.com
(Now both part of the same company so they work similarly)
Select ZERO DEDUCTIBLE insurance for peace of mind (only about $4/day extra)
I usually select the Hertz or the Europcar option with them.
Drive off and forget the reviews.
HOMEWORK FOR YOU:
research the following topics (google them)
INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT (mandatory in Italy)
ZONA TRAFFICO LIMITATO (ZTL)
Traffic rules (including speed) are enforced by hidden cameras, not live cops, therefore be careful and watch your speed.
Learn the ITALIAN ROAD SIGNS on Wikipedia
Roberto has provided the best advice. Follow it, drive like you are on vacation, not like you stole the car. Park where you should, not where you feel like parking and use the Autostrada to make time, not the rural roads and all will be 100% fine. A car is a nice thing to have to explore with.
I have rented Hertz from Orvietto without any problems...nice folks and helpful.
I have used a US company gamut.com to rent cars in Europe for our last two trips. Same price as if I used Autoeurope and you have a contact in the US to help.
Before them I have used Autoeurope with success. A car is essential in Tuscany, in my opinion. Have a map, a gps and patience as driving back roads, which we prefer, as they are single lane.
Take your time and enjoy the drive.
What Roberto says.
I have rented from gemut.com many times in Italy. Always good. Don't underestimate the value of having an English voice answer the phone if you have a problem. Only happened once, but it was 3AM in the US, and the problem was quickly resolved.
I've picked up at the airport, which is fine if that's where you are. If you're heading to Tuscany after a stay in Rome, I think it's easier to pick up at Tiburtina, which is very close to the autostrada heading to Tuscany. Also an easy drop-off if you're heading to a Rome stay. I dropped off closer in town, once, and it was hair-raising because I was only a block out of the ZTL.
It’s not gamut.com it’s gemut.com
