Car Hire Italy - Pitfalls to watch out for when hiring

bcirl03

Hi,

I'm going to Italy in June for two weeks. I need at least a 7 seater and have never hired a car before. Can anyone advise of the pitfalls one should look out for when booking car hire? Maybe some tips etc?

From reading other posts I can see there are a lot of dubious charges etc when you go to pay \ return the car.

If anyone wants to recommend a car hire company to use in Italy (Milan) please feel free to do so.

Thanks,

BC

mikedragon32

Whatever firm you book with, be sure that before anyone starts loading it up or jumps in to have a walk around the car and inspect it for dents, serious scratches or damage to wheels and windows.

When you start the car make sure there are no problems with the clutch or gearbox (you'll smell the clutch anyway if there's serious wear).

You don't have to take their optional insurances, and you can get quotes online for excess waivers etc.

Bring your own satnav if you have one too.

Personally I always use Hertz, usually get a very good deal and regularly get upgraded, but shop around... MPV hire is quite expensive.

zemphis

Adding to what the last poster said about checking the car beforehand, we usually also take pictures of the car, especially if there are any existing scratches on it. Also just before you hand it back, take some more pictures.

Instead of taking the extra insurance/waiver from the car hire company we've used insurance4carhire which has worked out cheaper. Though we have never had to make a claim.

We've used Avis twice, in Italy, once from Milan Malpensa and once in Sieana, and have never had any problems with them.

Also remember to fill up with petrol just before you hand it back. It's usually cheaper than letting the hire company do it.

dragon_lordMTB

Also be very careful when driving in some cities as there are permit only zones with cameras. You'll only find out you have a ticket 6~12 months later and the hire companies will charge you for passing on your details to the police (on top of the fine) . I think it's mainly in Piza, Verona but never just rely on Sat Nav for the route.

Fratton Fred

One general hint on car hire.

I rented a car the other day from Dublin Airport and I thought I was getting a good deal. I checked for airport collection fee, theft waiver, collision damage waiver etc and they were all included in the price.

However, collision damage waiver only covers you for claims over €1600 so when I turend up to collect the car, I ended up buying "Super Collision Damage Waiver" which cost more than the car hire did.

I haven't hired a car for a while, but this looked like a new thing to me.

ardmacha

As well as insurance4carhire Axa Ireland do an annual policy to insure the CDW excess for about €55 a year. This is generally a lot cheaper than buying 2 weeks of Super Collision Damage Waiver, the only downside is that if you have a scrape you will have to pay it and claim it back.

A lot of historic cities in Italy have permit zones inside the walls etc, so look out for it.

bcirl03

Thanks to all for the advice, it certainly is confusing for such a simple thing.

They quote you a low price but then slap on all the extras - €60 for a child seat being one example. I could buy one for that price! Don’t even get me started on the extra insurance

Thanks again.