Car hire in Italy - will I get ripped off?

[brightongull]

Me, my DP and my DS (2) will be heading to Italy in a couple of months for 2 weeks and doing a trip that involves visiting family and friends in 3 different parts of the country.

I am trying to work out whether we should get trains but I think a hire car would be more handy as we will have so much toddler stuff to carry.

I have read so many horror stories about being charged for scratches that you didn't make, the 2000 + euro excess that I would be liable for, should something happen etc.

I guess my questions are:

1. Are there better and less scammy car hire companies in Italy?

2. What is the best way to insure yourself and avoid paying thousands should there be damage? (I definitely cannot afford this!)

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks ☺️

I hire a car in Mallorca each and every year, always take out their own comprehensive insurance and contact the company direct at the specific office i wish to hire from & ask for their best deal via email.

Yes more expensive but avoids the surcharges/paying up front for damage and dealing with a UK based ins company who may not reimburse me.

If you decide not to take out their ins, take loads of photos and video the car extensively.

Only use very well known international brands like Hertz. Don’t return in a rush (eg just before a flight) in case of “issues”.
take your own car seat or you might end up paying €80 per week (and more) for an old, dirty and disgusting car seat.

Generally trains in Italy are very cheap and connections between major cities fast and good. You can prebook seats too.

Have hired a car in Italy twice with no issues. You cover yourself by going round the car when you collect it, taking photos of any marks etc and make sure they are noted on the paperwork. Mileage and perrol gauge also. We also pay extra for the best insurance, which gave us peace of mind.
I can't remember who we used the first time, but the second time was Zest. On both occasions, we collected from the airport.

We book through wisecar. Then get additional annual rental insurance through eversure or similar to cover you for any mishaps. It's very reasonable

we have been ripped off - ‘scratches’ one year, needing to pay with a different card another (latter cost us more than the original cost again?!?). Agree go with a big name and accep this means you pay more up front. But trains are great and if you’re not going somewhere remote would recommend. Parking is a nightmare in lots of places anyway!

www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-car-hire/#excesscompare

We pre-booked a hire car when we flew into Rome and it was fine. Picked it up from the airport and returned it when we flew home. we did a full inspection of the bodywork on collection to make sure any existing marks or dents were noted before we took the keys. It all went very smoothly and they were perfectly reasonable and professional.

My best tip would be to refuse the collision damage waiver that they offer you when you pre-book the car. Instead buy it from a UK insurer separately (just Google it to get quotes). It cost us about £10 for 10 days compared to about £20 a day as a bolt on to the car hire. You can sort the hire and separate CDW in advance of your holiday which takes away a lot of the stress.

Go with one of the international well known chains (we’ve used Sixt several times in Italy with no issues)

Take out the super insurance, it’s worth it

Do a thorough inspection before you sign any paperwork and insist they document it, take your own photos too

Also if you’re going to be going into towns etc., go for a smaller car rather than an SUV or anything

Not hired in Italy for years, but other European countries regularly. Definitely take photos and a video of the whole car both on arrival and departure, including things like the roof and under the wing mirrors. If the car has any damage already make sure they note it. Don't buy their additional insurance, but get cover at a much better rate from a third party provider. I use insurance4carhire. We usually go with Avis - join their Avis Preferred scheme and it can make your life easier at pickup sometimes. Yes, they are more expensive but they've been consistently good for us and we'd had a bad experience with one of the other major companies, and with a local company in Spain, so we would rather avoid the hassle on holiday.

The cheapest way to rent a car in Italy is by adding it onto your airfare. Ryanair or Easyjet offer it before payment or even as a later addition to your booking. Otherwise it’s a stinger.
Hertz or Maggiore car hire are in most places and with a toddler I think it’s the best way to travel, especially in Summer when long-distance trains are often delayed and jam-packed.
You’ll probably need 2 credit cards as one will be taken up with the €2,000(?) reserve that will take a few days to be refunded. The main driver should make the booking so it’s all in one name. Drive on main roads (Italy wasn’t built for cars!) and park in official CCTV covered car parks. Motorways are on a toll ticket system but will send you just one monthly bill if you pay by credit card.

If you have an accident it’s best to call the police (polizia stradale), not just fill in the “mutual declaration” as thanks to Brexit you’re going to be involved in an international insurance and damages claim. It might scare off any chancers who slap your car and claim you ran them over…

Reading my PP, have you considered driving down through France in your own car?
It’ll certainly more expensive than a Ryanair flight but you won’t have the cost and responsibility of renting a car for two weeks.
DF used to prefer it even though he was on the “wrong” side of the road.

Thank you for all of your responses.

Yes, we had thought about driving ourselves and have done to Germany previously but I don't think our toddler would tolerate the length of journey. (One of our destinations would be 24 hours non stop driving although obviously we wouldn't do this!)

Seems there is mixed advice about whether to get the fully comp insurance with the company or whether to buy this separately with another company.

If you get the fully comprehensive insurance with the hire company is there still an excess to pay?

Also, my partner does not have a credit card but would be doing the driving. Could that be a problem?

Avoid Goldcar like the plague.
As long as one of you has a credit card to pay with that's fine.

We went to outside Florence a few weeks ago. DH is a competent driver, but Italian driving can be somewhat scary. Given the choice again, I'd stay somewhere we could use the trains.

“If you get the fully comprehensive insurance with the hire company is there still an excess to pay?”
Yes.
It’s normal practice to put a “reserve” on your credit card for the full insurance excess payment which is given back to you at the end of the rental period IF the car is undamaged. Understandable because they are giving you a €15,000+ vehicle on trust.

“Also, my partner does not have a credit card but would be doing the driving. Could that be a problem?”
I’d get one in the meantime. I have a second CC just for car hire. Many companies don’t accept debit cards precisely because of the lack of “reserve” feature.

We hired a car at Lamezia airport back in 2016 when we were going to a wedding in Calabrian region. No problems at all when returning it, the firm didn't question us about scratches or anything on hire car. Think we had it all booked in with Hertz.

Sorry, DH has corrected me, it was Europcar. Still a well known firm.

We hired with Avis btw with no problems.

If you get the no excess insurance separately it will be a lot cheaper than doing it through the car hire company- we have never taken it through car hire company. It will mean a bit more admin if something does go wrong, but chances are it won't.

In order to minimise any potential issues, take your time when you pick up the car and take pictures and go back with any scratches or bumps. Also check underneath- neighbours said they were billed for huge scratch underneath car that they think was pre existing.

But to reassure you we have hired cars abroad over a 20 year period and we have never been scammed,

I ve used Goldcar several times, so long as you take out their fully comp ins for 11 days) all good, they are like a lot of hire car companies, inc well known ones and will rip you off if they can.

One thing with separate comp ins' is that the OP would need to pay up front for any damage then make a claim on her separate cover...... i have known the claim to be rejected before, which is why i don't use this type of ins, there is a reason it is only a few £'s.

DH always tries to hire a car directly through the hotel were staying at. It's usually the cheapest option for us and we've never been ripped off doing it that way. We always go fully comp to avoid any issues.

Use one of the international big companies and you will be fine. They won't try to charge you for facetious things on return.

Take out a hire car excess insurance policy before you go. You will save a fortune compared to their own insurance.

DS drove when we went on holiday twice to Italy; he photographed the car all round and because he’s fluent in Italian (so understood everything that was said and could reply) we didn’t have any problems.
It was interesting that initially he spoke English and the attitude of the car people changed when he answered a question in English, in Italian!
Go to a reputable car hire company, take out good insurance, make sure you read and understand everything before you sign and be prepared for it to take an hour or so if necessary.

My best tip would be to refuse the collision damage waiver that they offer you when you pre-book the car. Instead buy it from a UK insurer separately (just Google it to get quotes). It cost us about £10 for 10 days compared to about £20 a day as a bolt on to the car hire

Completely disagree with this if you want a stress free trip. Yes paying for their collision waiver is more expensive but it means they have no interest in finding a scratch/worrying if you have dented it. If you use your collision waiver insurance it is in their interest to claim off you- this usually requires you to pay up front and then claim it back.

Booking through your airline is often cheaper but doesn't usually include the collison waiver insurance.

Ultimately if it is a cheap deal chances are you are risking it costing you a lot.

I’m now getting pop-up adverts for Sixt car hire…

I usually hire a car with a local firm and pay cash so they can’t take any money off my card without my knowledge.

I join forums and get reviews etc. never done it in Italy though.