Independent Advice to Avoid Car Hire Scams
A Guide to Prevent Car Rental Problems in Europe & Italy
You are going to have a great trip to Italy. To make sure, here are some tips and tricks so you can avoid some of the most frequent traveler complaints about renting cars in Europe and Italy. If you just search for cheap car hire prices, you might get hit with expensive unfair credit card charges after the rental is over. The worst problems can be avoided by the savvy renter when the car is picked-up. |
| This marble 1952 Cadillac in Carrara is not available to rent. The 31,000 lb. sculpture was carved from a single block. |
Read this article before you reserve a car in Europe or Italy: Independent Car Rental Company Reviews for Italy. In the article, there are links to some of your fellow travelers' complaints, and most apply all over Europe.
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Tip 1. Check Your DocumentsYour reservation will require you to meet certain conditions: take it seriously and read the fine print and any referenced 'Terms and Conditions' on your voucher, on the car provider's website - and on the car rental broker's website (if applicable). Failure to meet a requirement could mean being denied a rental car or being required to buy extra insurance or even a forfeiture of your entire prepayment. Some reasons we have knowledge of:
➜ Lack of credit card funds available to cover the excess (deductible). Even with zero excess insurance!
➜ You need a valid driver's license and, if it's not an EU license, you also need an International Drivers Permit (see below) in some European countries including Italy.
➜ A printout of your voucher may be required.
➜ Most companies don't accept a debit card.
➜ The credit card presented must be in the name of the principle driver.
➜ For some rentals two credit cards in the same name can be required!
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| Lower price but with a cost. On an ordinary Friday (April 28, 2017) at Pisa, Italy airport - lines (only partly visible) for Firefly and AutoEuropa a/k/a Sicily by Car (Dollar, Thrifty) stretched the width of the building while Avis, Hertz and others were nearly empty. |
Don't cut it close if you have a time constraint. Italian car rental counters can get overwhelmed by passenger arrivals, especially ahead of holidays and during the summer season. Waits of over an hour are reported regularly, and it can screw up your schedule. It happens much more at the less expensive companies but Hertz and Avis get overwhelmed at times too. It happens at all sized airports - though resorts are more vulnerable - and it catches travelers by surprise. Frequent renter privileges may help - say as an Avis Preferred member - but some of the smaller facilities may not be set up for your service.
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Recommended Approach. Hire your car from one of the companies with the fewest problems reported (Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Budget) either direct or via a reputable car rental broker such as AutoEurope(US) or Auto Europe(UK) ____________________________________________________________________________________
When you reach the counter, consider it yours. Italians take pride in personal service so take advantage of it: always be relaxed and friendly, but ask about anything you don't understand, and don't be rushed. As pleasant as the clerk may be, SEEING IS BELIEVING: ask them to show you that your key choices are in the paperwork, type of car, the time period, rental rate, allowed mileage, additional driver rate, and especially that your insurance choices correspond to the boxes you must initial. If you must sign a digital version on a tablet, make sure you get a paper copy while still there - not by email later.
Tip 4. Understand the Insurance.
Car rental companies worldwide make a lot of money by 'up-selling' one of their expensive zero excess (deductible) insurance. If you've done your homework, you already know whether you want that and what the price will be, or if you are covered by another policy.* Many travelers complain that they were mislead at this point. That's because the companies offer monetary rewards to clerks for selling it to you! Human nature being what it is, some underpaid clerks succumb to the incentive and 'mislead'. Especially if you are declining, as affably as you can, ask the clerk to point out your selection. Many, but not all, of the rental contracts we've seen in the last few years had the key phrases in both the local language and English.
There's a new company offering supplemental insurance on rentals from any company. Rental Cover If you use them, please tell us about your experience - email: A Path to Lunch.
Tip 5. Check Which Car.
The easiest point to ask about the exact car you're getting is when you see the clerk retrieving the keys. Hopefully, you already know the rental companies don't guarantee particular models, but they usually have several cars available in your category. A diesel is decidedly less expensive to operate and usually costs the same. The counter clerk also knows the mileage on the car, and perhaps there's one with less than 35,000 km? This is the easiest time to influence which car you get, but you can also switch after seeing the car in the parking lot, although you may get an eyeroll then.
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| It's hard to photograph scratches and small dents. Make several photos and change angles to catch the light. |
Unfair blame for damage is the NUMBER 1 PROBLEM that travelers report. Generally, the only record the car rental company has regarding the car's condition are three copies of a wee piece of paper called the Condition Report. You just signed a contract that says the car is perfect except for what is indicated on said wee paper. You need to inspect the car carefully (including the windscreen, the hubcaps and wheel rims) to make sure that's true. If there is ANY damage not noted, get the rental folks to change the markings on the wee paper and initial it. Then you need to photograph the car twice, now and when you drop it off. Make photos all around the car both in overview and with details of any damage, large or small. On drop off, also photograph the dashboard with the mileage and full fuel gauge in one shot (unwarranted fuel charges are a regular complaint). This documentation is recommended even if you have zero excess insurance, as you are still responsible for certain types of damage - such as tires and windscreen - and administrative fees.
Of course, it's a pain to go on an Italian holiday and start and finish by having to photograph a rental car like some persnickety bureaucrat. Do it anyway, then you won't have to worry. Too many travelers have returned the rental car and been told - sometimes months later - that they caused damage that they didn't. The rental company has then charged repair money to their credit card. There is no good defense except the car's condition report (said wee paper) and your photographs.
More Info
IDP: International Driver's Permit Drivers from non-EU countries are required by law in some nations (including Italy) to provide an IDP (or an official translation) along with their driver's license. Car rental companies MAY decline to rent if you don't have one. This should be obtained only from a vendor authorized by your country's Department of State. Other websites offering to supply one are fraudulent! In the USA, the authorized entity is the AAA. In Canada, it's the CAA. In Australia, they are issued by the States: SmartTraveller.gov.au.
ZTLs Made Easy. Be sure to learn about the restricted driving areas of Italian cities before you travel. This article Italian Limited Traffic Zones (ZTL) has all the info as well as maps of the Rome ZTL, Milan ZTL, Florence ZTL, and Pisa ZTL.
Driving in Italy Guide (PDF) An excellent guide with photos (3MB).
Airport Rentals. Confirm that a car rental company is physically located at your airport. Search on the official airport website to confirm. In Italy, use our handy listing: Official Italian Airport Websites (with Authorized Car Rentals and Ground Transport links).
Link: The Guardian on Renting a Car A useful article, however Holiday Autos is now owned by Cartrawler and it may not identify the actual rental car provider before you reserve. We recommend you never commit your money to an unknown company! Remember, you may give your money to the broker, but you sign a contract with the car provider.
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* The excess/deductible may already be covered as a benefit offered by your credit card. Some credit cards (Amex, Chase Sapphire, United Air Explorer, et al.) now offer primary coverage on rental cars, and it may make sense to get one even for one trip. You can also buy a special traveler's insurance policy ahead of time (especially in the UK via a company such as Insurance 4 Car Hire), or a policy purchased from a car rental broker or by paying more to the car rental company. Read the terms offered, as all of them have significant exclusions.
Last updated January, 2019.
