Expensive to rent car??
 

<BR>First time in Tuscany. We fly to Rome and take a train to Siena or Florence. Is it expensive to rent a car for a week roughly??

Roughly ... no, not at all. Provided, that is, you make arrangements in advance before you go. From the US we've most often found Auto Europe has good deals, but it's always worth calling around as prices are very competitive and always in somewhat of a state of flux. <BR> <BR>twenj

No one can really say what " you' call expensive. I find that car rental is worth every penny we have ever spent , you can see so much more and enjoy it at your leisure, no concerns about catching the last train or bus back. Try autoeurope , I find most people on this forum swear by it , though I got a better price directly from Avis this year, try them all ,all you are spending is a little bit of your time. Don't forget it is sometimes cheaper to rent for 7 days than for less. Just kep asking questions of the rental agent.even 1 hour over pickup and drop off makes 7 days

Been renting from AutoEurope, through "Rentvillas.com" for years and they always have by far the best rates. Best of all, their rates are all inclusive and carry zero deductible in case of a problem. Have fun!

Tom, <BR>"Expensive" is a relative term, I guess. Auto rental in Italy is higher than Belgium or Germany, for example, due to a high non-recoverable Value Added Tax of 20%, compared to the 7% of Switzerland and due to the mandatory insurance requirements of Italian rental agencies, requirements that aren't covered by the insurance offered by major credit cards. Nevertheless, an auto is the only way to explore Tuscany. Check all of the major rental companies including AutoEurope and Kemwel; they all have websites.

Check more than one agency. We found a $1100 spread for one week's rental between two companies. Made no sense. Anyhow, we paid about $430 for a week, unlimited milage and "toss and walk" insurance. I think that included the upgrade to a 14 hp motor (no gas, no guts). In a pinch you can call the US 1-800 numbers from Italy to arrange a car, but far easier to sort it out before you go.

just received a quote from auto europe for a car rental in France which included all the optional insurance. According to the "fine print" the collision damage waiver includes a non waiverable deductible of approx.$425USD, and a non waiverable deductible of approx. $830 USD for thdft of vehicle coverage. <BR>I believe someone mentioned zero deductibles being available. Am I reading this wrong or have you all had the same experience?

We spent about $230. (US) for 10 days. We rented from AutoEurope in Florence and turned it in to Sorrento. They gave us a great 4-door Alpha Romeo, it was a blast on the winding Tuscan roads.

You might try Europe by Car. I got a good deal from them in Germany, where, I might add, car rental is much cheaper than in Italy. Also, you should know that cars with automatic transmissions are much more expensive than manuals.

Just returned from 15 days Britain/Italy/Switzerland. Flew British Air and rented (in U.S.) from Avis. Had car for 10 days (Italy/Switzerland) <BR>Had a hatchback Fiat with A/C, radio and stickshift--total bill (with all insurance) was $487.00 <BR> <BR>If you fly Brit Air, use Avis--deals are great

Tom, Your rate will vary greatly depending on size, model, transmission. <BR>Insurance is mandatory in Italy and the rates are higher than most of Europe. Try to get a compact with stick shift and it will not be too bad. Go to www.autoeurope.com for the best rates.

Hi, <BR>Just got back from 3 weeks in Italy last night. We rented a 4 door Alpha Romeo (156?), AC/ standard, diesel for two weeks- unlimited milage- pick up in Rome dropped at the airport in Milan. The cost- about $1300 CANADIAN- given the US dollar relative to ours, American costs would be just over half that amount. That rate was all inclusive: insurance and CDW. We did have to pay road tax -a nominal amount for a maximum of 6 days ( I think). We picked up the car at Avis at the Termini station to save the extra costs related to airport pick up. it was also closer to our hotel. Despite our all inclusive rate (purchased thru AAA- Holiday House was the carrier I believe) Avis tried to suggest that we owed more money for the drop off in Milan, that we were picking up the car one day early (not true). A quick review of our voucher made the agent relent. We did have to pay an extra 72.000 lire for fuel which was a surprise with a promise that it would be refunded when the car was returned. We were told to return it with a full tank. We did not do so given the amount we had already paid for fuel. We had no problem dropping the vehicle at Malpensa airport. <BR>Be careful with the size of the vehicle that you rent. We are a family of two adults and two children 7 and 10. The trunk accomodated two standard suitcases and 3 carry on bags. One other bag had to go in the back seat between our children- not really a problem, but just not the most comfortable way to travel. Be sure of the luggage capacity of the vehicle before you rent! Diesel is also more economical than gas and is readilly available.

just booked an alfa 156 thru autoeurope...316 for 7 days (right now they offer 10% off thru online booking)...pick up downtown milan, drop off at malpensa...half of what autoeurope offered.

Tom, <BR>You'll pay a fortune if you don't make arrangements in US before you go! I've had good luck in the past with Kemwel, but last year when we were in Italy we got a great deal through the Avis website. If you pay for the rental online using a card such as American Express Gold or Platinum, you won't have to get the "mandatory" Italian insurance as you are already covered by the credit card company. This saved us major bucks! Be sure to print a copy of your contract and take it with you. When we returned our car in Rome, they tried to charge us about 4 times what we had arranged (due to the insurance), but we persisted, spoke directly with the manager, had our contract with us and prevailed. We had a small car with manual transmission for 9 days with unlimited milage and we only payed $140 US total! Good luck! Have a great trip.