kat12

We're thinking of renting a car for driving in Tuscany. I've seen some past posts here regarding insurance. What should we be sure to get with the rental? Any advice, please? Thanks

crckwc1

I don't know of any American credit cards that will insure for driving in Italy, so you must purchase at least the minimum required insurance from the rental agency. I would purchase everything they offer -- collision, liability, medical, theft -- everything. They may offer different levels of deductibles, so you can decide how much you will pay if there is an accident. For me, having full coverage buys peace of mind if nothing else.

J62

A common piece of advice here on Fodors is to rent through a consolidator such as autoeurope.com or their affiliated co kemwel.com. Neither rents cars directly, but rather brokers deals through the big rental car companies like Hertz, Avis, and Europcar. They also include insurance in the quoted rates, and, at least with AE, you are quoted and pay in USD. That saves any Forex fees which can range from 1-3% depending on the credit card you use.

kat12

Thanks. American car rentals try to tack on extra fees that you may not need because you can use your own auto insurance. It makes sense to purchase the coverage in Europe. I was just wondering if anyone had personal experience in this area to share. Thanks for the responses!

ira

Hi kat,

Italy requires that you purchase CDW from the rental agency. This comes with deductible.

There is also super CDW, which provides for zero deductible.

ira

>It makes sense to purchase the coverage in Europe. <

Not all countries.

In most others, you are better off declining CDW and using the insurance from your credit card company.

Michael

Try Economycarrentals. Its price includes all insurance with no deductible.

colduphere

The more I read abour car rental insurance the more I am confused. As I understand my VISA card's insurance it does not cover third party liability. Autoeurope offers up to $85,000 third party liability insurance in Greece, where we are going. $85K sounds laughingly low and could leave a person incredibly exposed. Other rental car companies offer unlimited third party liability. I must be missing something.

kat12

Thanks, Michael. I will check out Economycarrentals.

Rick Steve's book mentions credit card insurance, but he cautions that the rental company can place a hold on your car, and can do so up to the full value of the car. In case of damages, it can take a long time to resolve the issue. He suggests that you contact your credit card company regarding their policy. I'll look into it.

I'm having a hard time with this one piece of the trip. We're using the train for the rest of the two weeks. But we wanted to see some of Tuscany, so we planned a short trip from Florence to Montalcino from Saturday to Sunday in late September, then on to Rome. I have driven in Italy before, but most recently it was when I bought a car in Germany and drove it in Europe before shipping it home.

Problems getting a Sunday drop off. I'm reluctant to use a drop off box and prefer turning over the car to a real person. I think my best bet is to pick up the car in Florence on Saturday AM, and I can do a Sunday drop off before taking the train to Rome. Autoeurope won't accept my itinerary either because they need a 3-day rental or don't have a Sunday drop off. Florence will take my 1-day request.

Does this sound like a reasonable plan? Any other suggestions? We're going to do a quick tour of Montalcino with maybe one winery tour or two. Hotel will arrange for a tour.