Car rental in Italy

Italy is a country which attracts travelers from all over the world. Car rental will help you see Italian sights according to your own route and preferences without depending on tour agencies. The most acceptable variant is to rent a car at the airport of the city you have arrived in. It is possible to rent a car in Venice, Milan, Rome and other cities.

The following companies function in this country and rent out cars on favorable terms:

• Maggiore. This is a famous national care hire agency with a perfectly developed chain of rental stores on the whole territory of the country.
• Sixt, Hertz, Europcar, National and Avis. These are popular international companies which have gained a brilliant reputation for their perfect selection of cars of any class.
• Beres, Economy car rentals and Rental cars. These are brokers which work in the car rental segment on favorable terms.
• Tuscia. At this company, you will manage to rent a car with a driver and enjoy your trip denying yourself nothing.

The Italian variant for car rental is ‘noleggio auto’. Tanks to the Internet opportunities, it is possible to book a car and choose a suitable variant such as a sedan, minivan, sport-utility vehicle or executive car beforehand. You can analyze all the variants without stirring out of the house.

For example, the average rental cost of a C class rental car with an insurance policy and installed in-car navigation system is from 60 till 80 Euro per day.

In order to hire a car, need to have:

• The Russian or international driving license.
• A bank card on which there are enough monetary resources to deposit a pledge. The amount of the pledge is as a rule not more than 500 Euro. The standard of the card shall be not lower than Classic.

As to the terms, the hardest ones are offered by international companies, the regional agencies offer more flexible conditions. It is also necessary to point out that the pledge is returned within 2-4 weeks after you give the car back to the company. Within this period of time, the car rental company gets fine receipts in the event you violated the road traffic regulations in Italy.

Average prices for car rental in Italy

The sum which makes up the car rental cost at Italian companies includes:

• Mileage which is as a rule without limitations.
• Insurance package. The insurance policy covers such events as car theft as well as the case when the car is damaged in the road traffic accident or by third parties. In most cases, the franchise is stipulated in the insurance agreement.
• Local compulsory taxes.

You will need to make an additional payment for a child seat if you need it. The child seat is provided according to the age and weight of the child. You will also have to make an insurance payment for another driver if someone else is going to drive a rental car. The payment list also includes the payment for the in-car navigation system which contains the latest Italian roads map package.

In order to get the most acceptable rental cost, it is necessary to find a car hire company and choose a car a couple of months before your trip. The closer the date of your arrival in the country is the fewer chances you have to find the necessary car at a low and even at an average price.

The final rental cost will also depend on the availability of additional devices. The price will also be affected by such factors as:

• Mileage. There is a substantial distinction between unlimited and limited mileage. In the second case, you have to make an additional payment if you exceed the mileage limit.
• Amount of fuel in in the fuel tank. According to the main rule, when you give the car back, there should be as much fuel in the tank as there was when you rented this car. As a rule, the tank should be full.
• Age limit. Some Italian companies have age limits. You will have to additionally pay up to 20 Euro per day in case the conditions are changed.
• Another driver. This paragraph of the agreement will also increase the rental cost by up to 20 Euro per day.

Important! In order to travel along Italy in a premium class car, you need to have not less than 3 years’ driving experience.

Road traffic regulations and speed limitations

The road traffic regulations in Italy are called ‘codice della strada’. These regulations are just a little bit different from the Russian ones. The main difference lies in the fact that Italian drivers do not break the regulations irrespective of being very emotional and having a specific driving style. There is one more piece of advice. If you have violated the regulations, do not try to make terms with the authority representatives. This attempt may result in rather bad consequences.

Speed limitations in the country are reasonable and widely known:

• The speed must not exceed 50 km/h in cities.
• You are prohibited to make more than 90 km/h on highways.
• The speed on local automobile roads must not be more than 110 km/h.
• You can drive as quickly as the wind on expressways. However, the speed must not exceed 130 km/h.

There are also additional regulations peculiar to Italy in particular:

• If you drive a car outside the inhabited localities, you need to switch on the head lamps. Motor-cyclists must switch on the head lamps all the time.
• It is forbidden to use a mobile phone. If you wish to carry on negotiations, you need to have a hands-free device.
• Limited access zones which are called ‘zona traffico limitato’ are closed for the majority of drivers. If you want to drive through these zones, you need to have a pass.

*For your reference: there are such zones in all Italian large tourist cities such as Rome, Florence, Venice, Genoa, Naples, Pisa and etc.

Fines you will have to pay in Italy

If you have violated the road traffic regulations, you will have to pay a fine. You are not recommended to try avoiding this unpleasant procedure. All roads are equipped with cameras, and the fine receipts for the violations of road traffic regulations are sent to the car hire company. It is often possible to pay the ticket given by a police officer straight on site.

Important! Concerning the driver’s blood alcohol level, it is regulated by rather strict laws. The blood alcohol rate for people younger than 21 is 0.5% permile. The rate for the drivers who have C, D and E categories is 0% permile.

What should you know about insurance?

There is no car hire company which will rent out a car without an insurance policy. The main difference lies in the number of insurance risks, presence or absence of a franchise as well as in other insurance conditions. The characteristic aspect of local population’s driving and relation to cars allows monitoring a specific statistics. It is practically impossible to return a rental car without at least slight damage.

As a rule, a tourist who is going to rent a car should know about such insurance types as:

• CDW (Collision Damage Waiver). This is an insurance of a car from getting any damage. This type of insurance is extremely relevant in Italy. Sometimes, this insurance line is called LDW, which means Loss Damage Waiver. This is the main insurance type which practically always includes a franchise.
• TP (Theft Protection) or TI (Theft Insurance). This is an anti-theft insurance package, which is in good demand in Italy. In other quieter European countries, it is not so relevant.
• PAI (Personal Accident Insurance). This package covers accidents.
• TPL (Third Party Liability Insurance). This insurance line is actually the same as the compulsory third party car insurance popular in Russia.

When choosing an insurance package, you need to pay a special attention to a franchise. A franchise makes the insurance package more profitable for the user. The case is not in the sum you will pay if an insurance event occurs. The absence of a franchise or zero franchise is not the most beneficial variant. Zero franchise is called Super CDW (SCDW), Full Collision Damage Waiver (FDW, FDCW) or SuperCover. It makes the insurance package more expensive than usually. This is because it requires a calculation on the subject of profitability for every customer.

If you form an insurance policy at our company, you have an opportunity to avoid additional expenditures. When you get a car on site, take into account that you may be offered an additional package. However, if you have an insurance policy formed at our company, you do not need any other ones.

Where to fill a car and how much it costs

Cars rented out in Italy are usually filled with fuel 95, fuel 98 or diesel fuel. Fuel stations which work 24 hours per day can by no means be found everywhere. When planning to drive along Italy, especially along the countryside, please, take this fact into account. Concerning the cost of fuel, Italy is considered the most expensive European country. One liter of fuel 95 costs 1.67 Euro, one liter of fuel 98 costs 1.78 Euro and the price for one liter of diesel fuel is 1.56 Euro.

All entrances to fuel stations are practically always equipped with the following information plates:

• ‘Aperto’ which means ‘Open’.
• Chiuso which means ‘Closed’.

Car parks and toll roads in Italy

Car parks are a serious problem in the majority of Italian cities. When booking a hotel, it is necessary to learn whether it has its own car park beforehand. Otherwise, you will have to search a parking space for a rental car somewhere nearby. Free parking lots are situated in the centers of some cities. They are usually brightly marked with white traffic lines painted straight on the road. However, you need to learn as much information about a free car park as possible beforehand. This is because a free parking lot can be earmarked for local citizens only. Car parks for the disabled are marked with yellow traffic lines. Paid parking lots have blue traffic striping. The payment is accomplished by buying a ticket at a parking meter. It is necessary to put the ticket under the windscreen. There is also another variant. You can purchase a ‘disco orario’. This is a special card with a disk on which you can point the time you have paid for to park your car in one or another part of the city.

There is a general rule for Italian cities. The closer the center of the city is, the more difficult it is to find a parking space and the higher the cost of the car park is.

Another moment you need to pay attention to is toll roads. The average cost is nearly 7 Euro per 100 kilometers. The toll rate is calculated depending on the type of the car. It is possible to pay both in cash and by credit card. The tunnels stand apart. You are always obliged to pay for driving through a tunnel. However, the cost of driving through tunnels is different. Some highways are closed from November till May.

Illegal parking will definitely result in fine. You are not recommended to hope against hope. It is better to pay for car park at once than pay a fine afterwards.