Car rental in Italy – cheap, without collateral and franchise, reviews

There are many interesting ways to travel the world. One of them, perhaps, is the most striking experience, traveling by own or rented car. Today we will share with you all the important information on how to properly rent a car in Italy for a trip, and what difficulties you may encounter when choosing this path for yourself.

How to rent a car in Italy

The first thing that makes travelers think about renting a car and exploring Italy on their own is the ability to choose any route and the absence of any restrictions. You go wherever you want, choose only interesting cities and sights.

Renting a car here is quite easy. There are a lot of companies that offer rental services both for a day and for a longer period, up to a month, so that you can find exactly the car that suits you. It is possible to rent a car right at the airport, however, it is best to order a car in advance, even before arrival.

It is worth noting that if you book a car on the website of the airline whose services you use during the flight, you can save a lot – most air carriers cooperate with local rental companies.

Most often, the rental conditions imply the delivery of a car in the same city where you took it, but if you search carefully, you can find more convenient options.

The cost of renting a car in Italy, when it comes to economy class, varies from sixty to eighty euros per day.

The most popular car rental service is RentalCars.com. You can choose a car, book and pay for it directly on the site, and when you arrive, it will be waiting for you right at the airport! Here are just a few of the current offerings:

What you need to know about traveling in Italy with a rental car

There are several important points that should not be missed if you decide to go on a trip in a rented car.

Firstly, there are speed cameras on all highways that monitor speeding by drivers. You can drive on freeways no faster than at a speed of 130 km / h. It is very important to understand that each camera captures a violation regardless of the others. That is, if you drive faster than the norm through four surveillance cameras, all four will record a violation, and you will be required to pay four speeding tickets at once.

Secondly, insurance coverage is extremely important. Do not be stingy – it is best to take full insurance, since it is almost certain that you will not be able to return the car to the company safe and sound. The antenna will definitely break off somewhere or “out of nowhere” a scratch will appear on the side door. So, it is best to think about it in advance and take out full insurance.

As in any other trip, you should make a clear schedule, taking into account a couple of days “in reserve”, in order to make sure that you have time to return the car on time. Unforeseen things often happen, such as repair work on the tracks or even the closure of any paths.

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Major Italian penalties and violations

In addition to speeding cameras constantly watching, there are a few other important points that you should be aware of.

The blood alcohol content must not exceed half (0.5) ppm. If you are not yet 21 years old, then no alcohol in your blood at all.

For speeding no more than ten kilometers per hour from the norm, you will have to pay 40 euros. If the excess is more serious, that is, more than sixty kilometers per hour, then the fine can reach three and a half thousand euros.

Fines of up to 90 euros are issued for incorrect parking, and for talking while driving on a mobile phone, the local police can issue you a fine of six hundred euros. By the way, you can talk while driving, but only with the help of a mobile headset.

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How much does fuel cost in Italy

An important issue is the cost of gasoline and diesel fuel. At the moment, gasoline prices are in the range of one and a half to two euros per liter. Cheap gasoline in Sicily and in the southern part of the country. At the same time, it is best to focus on gas stations in cities, and not on highways, since gasoline is much more expensive at gas stations outside cities. We are talking about a few tens of cents, up to half a euro.

However, the most economical way to travel is by car with a diesel engine. Diesel fuel is 20-30 cents cheaper than gasoline.

At the same time, prices for gasoline and diesel are, on average, more expensive than in the rest of Europe. So, for example, in Germany, the average cost of gasoline is only 1.5 euros per liter.

Among other things, in Italy there are two types of gas stations: Self and SerV. The first ones work in self-service mode. The cost of fuel can be found by looking at a special scoreboard at the entrance. The refueling process itself is quite simple – you insert the desired banknote into the machine, insert the gun with a hose into the car's tank, after which refueling is carried out exactly for the amount that you deposited.

The second type of gas stations is distinguished by the presence of a refueller. Payment can be made in a variety of ways, including cash and credit cards. True, gasoline is often more expensive at such gas stations than at Self dispensers.

So, if you want to save money, plan your trip by car taking into account the location of Self gas stations.

And to plan in advance a transfer from any airport to the hotel or other place you need, the online booking service Kiwi.Taxi will help you. What it is? This is a comfortable car, the driver of which meets you with a sign right at the exit from the airport and takes you carefully and accurately to your destination. No need to look for a car and spend your nerves negotiating a price, the whole process takes a couple of minutes, and you can pay for the trip right on the site.

Toll motorways in Italy

As in the entire territory of the European Union, there are a fairly large number of toll roads that are distinguished by increased comfort. In total, if you have the desire to drive around the country using exclusively toll motorways, then the western part of the country from top to bottom will cost you about sixty euros, and the eastern about seventy.

The process of checking into a toll road, in principle, is quite standard. First of all, you need to drive up to a special machine that has a button. Press the button, after which the machine will give you a ticket, which you need to pay in the window. Both cash and bank cards are accepted as payment.

Some vending machines literally work in automatic mode – payment is made immediately, as when buying a drink in a regular city coffee machine. So, prepare small bills and change in advance.

There are practically no toll roads in the southern part, but when crossing to Sicily, you will find both paid and free motorways – you can literally travel there as your heart desires. The only mandatory toll road is in the north – the fare is only 10 euros.

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Italian parking spaces

When traveling around Italy with a rental car, it is important to always remember about parking spaces. So, when checking into a hotel, even for one night, you should definitely indicate that you need a free place to park your car.

Just staying in the city, it is worth knowing where you can leave the car. Parking spaces are divided into three types. Marked in white – free, blue and yellow – paid, with special tickets. There are parking lots where only residents of a certain building or employees of an institution located nearby can stop. There are special signs next to them. However, during the high tourist season, many cities make blue parking spaces also free. However, how the situation is in the city where you are staying, you need to clarify.

Paid parking is quite expensive. So, in just one hour of downtime, you will have to pay about three euros. A day will cost you twenty-five euros. There are no parking attendants (only scammers and migrants from African countries periodically try to profit at the expense of unknowing tourists), all parking tickets should be obtained through machines installed nearby.

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Why choose a car for a trip to Italy

In general, traveling around the country in a rented car is pleasant and comfortable. You can create a completely unique schedule for visiting various places, resorts and attractions of the “Italian boot”. At any time, you can just turn off somewhere and go in search of adventure. You don’t have to burden yourself with just one place of residence, which will also significantly reduce expenses during your vacation.

So if you really want to get to know Italy better, traveling by car is a good way to do it.