StCirq

According to this it is, at least in Italy:

http://www.autostrade.it/en/autostrade/servizi.do

or this:

http://www.drive-alive.co.uk/fuel_prices_europe.html

or this:


http://goitaly.about.com/b/2012/02/1...italy-2012.htm

caroline_edinburgh

OK, we'll ignore all our experience & the fact we actually live in Italy, then.

NeoPatrick

caroline, with all due respect are you suggesting all those websites linked are incorrect with their current prices? We just got back from a week's driving in Italy and we couldn't help but notice prices -- diesel was shown to be lower on every sign at every gas station we saw. I'm not sure where you buy your fuel, but it must not be an stations that display their prices out front?

But if you are reserving a car and specifically request diesel it always seems to be more expensive to rent than one that isn't. I'd think you'd have to drive a LOT to make the savings on fuel mean anything at all. One year we did go with a diesel for a three month rental in Europe with AutoFrance -- but we drove a LOT -- and think we came out a little ahead.

Mimar

ticadonnita, don't forget to get an International Driver's Permit, required in Italy, along with your home driver's license.

ticadonnita

Yes, we are going to do that once we get to Miami as we live in Costa Rica. I was told we could go to any AAA and do this for about $15-$20 without even being a member. I do still have my Florida Driver's License in addition to my Costa Rican, but my husband only has his Costa Rican. Hope that won't make a difference.
Has anyone driven a 206 Peugeot 4dr. sedan in Italy?

StCirq

ticadonnita, I think you still don't understand that the chances of you getting a certain model of car are practically zilch, so it doesn't matter who's driven what, really. AutoEurope, and car rental companies, contract with you for a certain CLASS of car, usually designated as A, B, C...or subcompact, compact, luxury or whatever. The never actually contract with you for a certain model. You might, on occasion, get the actual car the agency showed/described to you, but you cannot expect to get anything other than a car about that same size, with about the same amount of trunk space, with the same number of doors, etc., so fixating on a particular car is likely to be a waste of time.

chartley

The Peugeot 206 went out of production several years ago. Peugeot have been through the 207, and now offer the 208 model, so any rental car is likely to be a 207 or 208.

To the best of my knowledge (I live in the U.K.), it is only available as a hatchback, with either 2 or 4 passenger doors, although there is the 207SW which is an estate car.

Don't forget that you hardly ever the exact model you ordered, unless you are on the leasing scheme.

NeoPatrick

I agree with that StCirq, but I must admit that our recent rental was for a Fiat 500 or similar and sure enough what they gave us was a Fiat 500. And sometimes they might even give you a choice of cars when you arrive.

StCirq

Yes, I've occasionally gotten the exact car (got the Peugot 208 we were offered in France last month and loved it!), and we've also MANY times been upgraded at no extra cost to a bigger car. It's probably happened on about 50% of our rentals.

Michael

I've driven the various versions of the 200 series Peugeot with manual transmission. I generally rent that size car, so I had no problems with it. However, this summer I had smaller cars when ordering the within the same size range (a Nissan Micra and a Hyundai i10). If size is an issue, you may want to upgrade to one size larger.

Shanna

Hello. I rented from Hertz at Milan airport and was asked what I wanted in terms of insurance. I took the full package just for the peace of mind. Expensive, yes, but I wasn't anxious about driving. Took pictures of the really small Fiat before I left the lot. It was fine for two people but not much room for luggage so the back seat was full of my suitcase and carryon. My sister's suitcase was bigger than mine by just a bit and it took up all the "trunk" space. But the Italians are skilled drivers. I don't get the sense that South/Central Americans are exactly skilled so much as wild, but I've never had that experience so can only guess. However, I didn't feel in Italy that I had to drive anywhere near as defensively as I do in the states. That's not to say it isn't a challenge and it does require all your attention, esp in cities. Actually, I found it to be exhilarating. But I like to drive.

The_lonely_traveler

I would scale up a bit. A Fiat 500 is much too small for anything but doing short distances in the city without any luggage. The 206/207/208 is a fair bit larger, about the size of a VW Polo. Note: the 208 is 5 inches longer and 3.5 inch wider than a 206 so there's quite some difference between the generations.

I drive a Citroen DS3 myself (same size as the Peugeot 208) and I easily drive it all across Europe. These things are no "traveling limousines" but especially in the smaller cities in Italy they are great.

Just make sure you don't get a too small engined car. Peugeot now offers a 3-cylinder 1 liter engine as well as 4 cylinder 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 liter engines. They also have a 1.4 and a 1.6 liter diesel (eHDI). The small petrol engines (1.0, 1.2) and the smallest diesel (1.4) are to be avoided - they are dangerously slow.