8 Tips for Renting a Car in Italy

I have now rented a car several times in Italy. Despite booking the smallest automatic car available, I end up with SUVs. So, I feel very American driving around these quaint hilltop towns and get completely overwhelmed about finding parking. But even in the most stressful situations—like going the wrong way in Volterra and having to back down a narrow one-way street with no backup camera—I remind myself, “You’ve got full insurance!” (See tip #4). 

On a couple of trips, I’ve been fortunate to have friends with me to help me navigate, but the other times I’ve been alone. You can do it! 

Here are my tips for navigating the car rental process in Italy.

1. Get an international driving permit.

To rent a car in Italy, you need an international driving permit. If you’re from the U.S., you obtain one of these through AAA. You will need to get passport photos taken, complete the application, pay $20, and voila! You have an international driving permit. It will be valid for one year after it’s issued (the issue date will be the travel date you enter as your first date abroad).

2. Do NOT forget your regular license.

After a two-hour wait just to pick up my prepaid rental car at the Florence airport, I finally arrived at the desk. There was still another 10 to 15 minutes of paperwork ahead of me, and I couldn’t help but eavesdrop and watch other customers as they approached the desk. Learn from their mistakes, please. 

A young woman was traveling with her parents, and the rental agent asked for her license. She gave him the international permit, and he said, “I need your regular license.” The blood drained from her face. “I don’t have it,” she said.

“I need your regular license, or I can’t rent you the car,” he said.

“We did not need it at the last place we rented from, she countered.

“It’s required,” he said, matter-of-factly. 

“That’s not what our travel agent told us,” she replied, on the verge of tears.

“I can’t rent you a car without your license, madam,” the agent said.

This woman had been in tears earlier in the afternoon upon the realization that we were all looking at a two- to three-hour wait to pick up our cars. She was having a terrible day, and this was the straw that was going to break the camel’s back. Fifteen minutes later, as I made my way to my car, she was on the phone with the agent in tears, trying to find a solution. 

I have always been asked to show both my U.S. license and international permit, so be prepared!

Sometimes you just need to take a road trip!

3. Rent directly from the rental car company.

Okay, on this “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad (car rental) day,” I learned another lesson by watching fellow customers have a miserable experience. Again, after waiting over two hours to pick up the car they already paid for, two early-twenty-something women, maybe sisters or friends, arrived at the desk with their printed confirmation. The agent looked at it. 

“Your reservation was for 11,” he said. It was almost 3:00 in the afternoon.

“Yes, but we’ve been waiting.”

“How long have you been waiting?”

“Two, two-and-a-half hours,” they said.

“So, you arrived at 12:30 or 1,” he said,

“Yes.”

“We can’t hold a reservation if you arrive after your pickup time,” he said. “You should have called to let us know you are late. We can’t hold a car for you.”

My heart dropped for them. 

There was more back-and-forth and he said, “There’s nothing I can do. It’s not our reservation. You rented from this other company,” and pointed at the paper. “You need to call them.”

Again, I left as one of the young women dialed customer service from the third-party rental. I have no idea how that turned out.

I know you will likely find better deals on third-party sites, and I can’t speak to the experience of using one when traveling in Italy, but I don’t recommend it. I have rented directly from the companies each time, and after witnessing what others have gone through with third-party rentals, I can’t recommend it. 

4. Get the (full) insurance policy directly from the rental company.

I thought my CapitalOne Venture Card would serve as the insurer on my car rental, but upon calling the customer service number and reading the fine print, Italy is excluded from the list of countries that the card covers. It’s my understanding that to use your credit card as insurance, you decline all other insurance offered by the rental company (which I normally do in the U.S.). But, in Italy, rental car daily rates include some insurance, so you can’t technically waive the insurance, which then negates the credit card benefit. 

I called CapitalOne twice to ask about this, and the first time, the agent told me to decline coverage and use my card, but upon a call to the concierge services number, the automated message about car insurance stated that Italy and one other country (that now escapes my memory) was excluded from this benefit. I encourage you to read your card’s terms and conditions as well to understand if there are limits or restrictions to this benefit.

Please note that the daily rate for insurance can be just as much per day if not more than the actual cost of the rental car. I opt for the full-coverage option that covers damage to the tires and windshield as well. I need to know that I can run into a medieval wall, back into a lamppost, or get scratches from another car that I’ve parked too close to and not have to worry about a thing on the back end. For me, peace of mind outweighs five or ten euros a day. Now, keep in mind that even with full coverage, if you cause damage to someone or something else while driving, that’s on you.

And sometimes you get a parking lot with all kinds of space for the SUV you didn’t want…thank you, parking gods!

5. Download your maps before hitting the road.

I’m going to admit. I don’t always do this, but I want to kick myself whenever I don’t because I will find myself in a dead zone at some point. I’m renting a car to go a bit off the beaten trail, so why would I not download the maps to use offline? Google Maps allows you to do this, and I find this tutorial helpful.

You may not get the alternate routes or other options when you’re using your maps offline, but they will still get you from point A to B.

6. Beware of sticker shock!

The days of cheap rental cars are over, I think. Yes, the day rate on the rental cars may not be significant, but with the cost of insurance, an automatic car rental cost has been close to $100 per day (half of which is the cost of full-coverage insurance).

I only rent a car in Italy as a treat. There are some places I’ve wanted to visit where taking public transportation didn't make sense given my itinerary and timeframe, like visiting parts of Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and Piedmont.

It’s expensive. But it’s been worth it to me for the convenience. I also try to rent from reputable companies. I’ve rented from Noleggiare twice (one great experience in Bologna, one not-great experience in Florence) and from Sixt (great experiences in both Florence and Torino). Sixt was slightly more expensive per day, but the customer service and breeze of a pick-up process have been unmatched. No, I am not getting paid (or getting discounted/free rentals) to tell you this. 

The price of fuel in Italy compared to the U.S. is higher as well. So, factor that in when considering your budget for your trip and your rental car.

And be sure to read the fine print on cancellation policies. I like to spend a few euros more per day to keep the cancellation flexible.

7. Don’t expect things to happen quickly.

You read my comments earlier about waiting over two hours to pick up my pre-paid rental car, right? From my understanding, that is not an outlier event for some companies, especially during busy seasons. Just a few days ago, a friend messaged me that it took two hours to pick up her car at the Frankfurt airport before heading to the Christmas markets (you know, in one of the countries known for its efficiency). So, be prepared to wait.

I like to think of travel days as ones when you don’t have a hard timeline. Don’t plan anything based on the assumption that you will pick up your rental car quickly or that you will get to your destination without interruptions. Expect delays at every turn (and then you leave yourself open to being pleasantly surprised!).

8. Be friendly. (Bonus: Speak a bit of Italian.)

Back to the day when I stood in line with my fellow travelers for over two hours at the Florence airport (outside) to pick up our cars . . . here’s my third anecdote from situations I observed while waiting in line. Call me observant. Call me nosey. Either way, we all win from my not minding my own business.

I had watched a few people at the desk before it was my turn. They were cranky, complaining about the wait, and ready for a fight. Understandably so. It was a frustrating experience. However, the agents are just doing their jobs. The system failure is not their fault. Even though I was tired and frustrated, I decided to take a different approach. 

I know a bit of Italian, so I greeted the agent by name (since I read his name tag) in Italian and asked him how he was doing. He apologized for the wait and asked when I arrived. I asked if they still had automatic cars, and he said yes. “But, it will be an SUV,” he said. This was my first car rental experience in Italy, and I was not thrilled at the idea of an SUV. “Is it big?” I asked. “No, no, it’s not big. It’s comfortable,” he said. Y’all, this would have been comfortable for a family of four. Side note: I have always requested small cars and always received SUVs, so I think most of the automatic car inventory is SUVs.

Anyway, he was going back and forth between helping me and helping two Italian guys behind me who were very antsy because they needed a car to drive to Rome for an important sporting event, and they were cutting it close. The agent was highly invested in helping them. They had a printout of their reservation. The agent pointed to the paper. “This is for tomorrow,” he said in Italian. “25 May. Today is 24 May.”

Some fast-talking went on among the two friends and the agent. “Don’t worry. It’s okay,” he said. Within five minutes, those guys had their car. This is while I’m watching the friends who were “too late” and the renters without the original driver’s license jump through hoops. 

I’m not saying there’s a right or wrong here, in my experience, connection trumps efficiency, so play your cards right. I was friendly, did my best to speak in Italian, and had my documentation. I think the first two went a long way in getting me into my car and on my way to the Val d’Orcia with very little fuss. 

Montepulciano, you gorgeous reward at the end of a brutal travel day

Remember, you’re in Italy. Businesses don’t operate like they do in the U.S. so “when in Rome” or wherever you find yourself, show some kindness and patience, even if it’s been a long, frustrating day.

If you’ve rented a car in Italy, I’d love to hear about your experience and any dos or don’ts you’ve learned along the way!