kiwinz

A question I have, is it better to use www.autoeurope.com or go to hertz or europcar, prices all similar.

I am not use to continental cars, what size and type is recommended for 2 to drive from Sorrento to Tuscany and around Tuscany hill villages? any types not recommended?

HappyTrvlr

Auto Europe is a broker and they will stand behind you if you have any problems. They have charts giving car sizes for number of passengers, pieces of luggage. Go to their website and then call their 800 number if you are unsure. They are in Portland, Maine. We have used them for many car rentals in Europe. Most rental cars are Manual, stick shift. If you want an automatic you will pay a lot more.
Driving around Tuscany is like driving around Vermont, rural,with many lovely places to stay and dine. You will drive on tne Autostradas between Tuscany and Sorrento, similar to the interstate highways in US.

michelhuebeli

If you at all consider driving way out in the country and also in small towns, go for a small car, roads and lanes and alleys can be narrow. These days the small cars have a lot of zip, so you'll keep up on the Autostrada, no worries.

Also be extra careful about driving in towns large and small, read up on the ZTL - zones with limited traffic (usually only for locals if traffic is allowed at all), where at certain restricted times during the day and on certain days a camera will zap your license plate. Months later you get the bill or a notice that a fee plus fine has been charged to your credit card, and there is nothing really you can do about it (many have tried, few have succeeded...).

StCirq

Use AutoEurope. Get a small car. It will almost assuredly be a manual and a diesel. Pack light and don't ever have luggage visible in the car when you stop. If going to Italy, stay out of ZLTs or be prepared for fines in the mail that have accrued interest long after you receive them.

We live in France and drive a Renault Clio, a small car that's plenty big enough for two who pack light and need to be able to maneuver in small villages with narrow lanes (like plenty of places in Tuscany).

Michael

<i>It will almost assuredly be a manual and a diesel. </i>

If planning to do a lot of driving, make sure that it is a diesel. If using Autoeurope, the contract code should include the letter D when describing the type of car. My past experience was that the diesel rental was somewhat more expensive than the gasoline rental. My recent experience for renting cars this spring in Denmark and Germany is that I was not given a choice of fuel, and I suspect that the cars will have gasoline engines.

ribeirasacra

you can not be guaranteed which engine you will have.
Even the brand or model will not be known until you are at the pick up point.

WoinParis

I always request a red car.

As said You will be given a car in a category. You will be told what kind of fuel it uses.
For 2 take a small car. A fiat 500 suffices and is fun.
Ask for an automatic if you can't drive manual. And ask for a GPS or beat take yours from home.
And learn the basics. I don't know if you are also driving in the wrong side but we stay on the right side. If you rent a manual the clutch will be on your right arm - I hate the clutch on the other hand...
We have speed cameras. They have ZTL in the center of towns (zona traffico limitasomething) - no car zone.
Tolls on highways - have always seen manual booths but in case have a credit card that works in Italy and some euros.
What else ? Don't drink and drive ;-) don't know what you savage guys do down there ....

NYCFoodSnob

Smaller cars are much easier to navigate if you decide to drive near or in a city center. ZTL zones for many cities are nothing like Florence. In many cities, even Orvieto, the ZTL only covers a few streets.

You <b>will not</b> always be told what kind of fuel to use by your rental agent. It's <b>your responsibility to ask</b> as the renter. It's important to learn certain words in Italian.

There are many times when your category of car will run out by the time you reach the counter. Your agent will search to find you a different car. Some offices have counters inside airports, and then you go to another counter when you get inside the garage. In the shuffle, agents often forget to provide crucial information about the vehicle you drive off with. If you ask about gas along the way, some agents will simply tell you to ask the garage attendant, because the agent doesn't know the answer or that info isn't handy. Then, you get to the garage and find out there is no garage attendant.

Many gas stations in Italy do not have human beings to assist you. Everything is automated, including the car wash. Many gas stations will not accept your American credit cards, no matter what kind they are. If not, you have to guess how much gas you need and put in that amount of cash. If you overpay, you need to pay attention to make sure the ATM style machine gives you a receipt. You get only one chance to click "yes" that you want a receipt, but you need to understand the question in Italian. If you don't get a receipt, you lose your chance at getting change or a credit towards another gas visit. If you do get a receipt, and your goal is to use the credit or pick up your change, you need to find out when a human being employee is supposed to visit the gas station. It's all very complicated these days, and tourists who don't know the drill, leave behind a lot of money for gas that rightfully does not belong to the gas station owner.

I could go on, but who has time to write what is necessary to safely rent a car in Italy these days?

vincenzo32951

In several driving experiences all over Italy -- Veneto, AC, Puglia, Abruzzo, Tuscany -- I have never encountered a gas station that didn't accept my US credit card. Not saying they don't exist, maybe on back roads or in small towns, but not in my experience. Just tank up on major thoroughfares and you should be fine.

Dukey1

I'm Gold with Hertz but as a rule I use Autoeurope for car hires when I'm there.

Do be aware of all the insurance issues even of you do get a supposed all-inclusive insurance rate. You still may have to pay a sizeable deductible (which you can usually pay to decrease to zero) and even those all-inclusive rates may not cover damages to either the tires or the windscreen/shield.

I would also be aware of what, if any, insurance your credit card may provide and make sure it is primary rather than secondary.

Auto vs stick: I can easily drive both (if you do rent a stick make certain you know how to get the car into reverse before you drive off the lot; believe me, there's a story there which I won't bore you with) I usually go with an auto if I have a right-sided steering wheel since I do not like having to shift with my left hand/arm.

Diesel? Perhaps great if you can get it and are careful about fuel (usually the nozzles won't fit into a gasoline intake anyway or maybe it is the other way around but if you do make the mistake you can always have the car engine drained).

I'd pick something big enough to hold anything OUT OF SIGHT and also something that can go up any hills; sorry, not renting some teeny-weeny run by rubber bands in Switzerland.

Have a great trip.

bilboburgler

weekend access to fuel stations can be different from weekdays, important when bringing cars back at the weekend

GPS may well be set to "foreign", as well as understanding the main brake/foot brake, make sure GPS is in your language of choice

kiwinz

thanks for the comments. I am use to driving on the left side of the road and have driven manuals and autos. So driving on the right side will be a challenge. Autos are so much more expensive than manuals. In New Zealand autos are so much more common than manuals. Is a fiat 500 like a fiat bambino?
Cars are classified as mini, economy, compact, mid size. For 2 of us I think we will book a compact and use autoeurope as suggested.

NYCFoodSnob

<i><font color=#555555>"In several driving experiences all over Italy...I have never encountered a gas station that didn't accept my US credit card. Not saying they don't exist, maybe on back roads or in small towns, but not in my experience."</font></i>

Well, thank goodness I'm not being called a liar.

I worked in Tuscany twice in 2017. I spent a total of six weeks, driving between Florence and Rome. I had two different cars, one took unleaded, the other took diesel. Not one agent offered the type of gas info, and I forgot to ask. No problem, I know how to identify these things.

In total, I drove over 2400 kms. That's almost 1500 miles. I have documentation. I have the gas receipts and their locations. Three different gas stations in Poggibonsi, one of the few places to get gas around San Gimignano, did not accept my U.S. Visa cards. I have three cards, two with chip, one without. In a few cases, I took video of the payment process of the gas station's ATM-like machine. The same was true near Siena and Montepulciano. After awhile, I stopped trying. It wasn't worth my precious time.

Everyone's experience in travel is different, especially when you consider that most people on these boards travel for vacation with their family or their loved ones. I always <b>work</b> when I travel, so I offer a slightly different perspective.

I don't tell people what to do or what they will experience. I share my own experience. If a reader happens to encounter something different, fine. If a reader encounters the same experience I had, then he or she can think of me for helping in their research and preventing inconvenient surprises.

NYCFoodSnob

<i><font color=#555555>"Cars are classified as mini, economy, compact"</font></i>

These three are meaningless terms, except to the car rental company that is trying to secure your money. In most cases, if you select one of these three categories, you will get the car they give you, regardless of the car photo that lured you in to make the sale. Just don't expect anyone from the car rental business to tell you the truth about this. They get away with this merchandising tactic by stating, "We don't guarantee makes or models."

bilboburgler

yes the Bambino is a Cinquecento or 500. They update it often and now can be pretty nifty.

You'll have three types of road
Motorway, where it will be fine but not fast
Country roads where it will be happy
Towns; here roads are often very narrow with very tight turns. If you get to this situation you will be happy you had a small car

WoinParis

We just bought a fiat 500 actually. Quite a nice car.

Bedar

Just make sure that ALL your luggage will fit in the trunk. Leave nothing visible. We always use AutoEurope.

joannyc

My suitcase did not fit in the trunk of the Fiat 500 last year. And it was a pain in the neck to get it in and out of the back seat. It rode up front with me! 26" suitcase so not huge. Couldn't stop anywhere along the way since it was visible.

Michael

This is what the Fiat 500 trunk will hold:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7623094971409/

The suitcase are 23" tall.