One weekl before we leave for our Italian holiday. Very excited.

We have hired and paid for car rental through Hertz for our stay in Sicily. Pick up Palermo and drop off Catania.

I intend to buy insurance when we collect the car.

I understand this is likely to be expensive but also thought I read somewhere that in the event of damage to the car then it is easier to deal with through the companies local insurer, repairer etc.

I think this also means that I would not have to leave a 1600€ security deposit?

Do I have any of this right?

Thanks for your help.

Kym

I'd rather buy the insurance now.
It is my understanding that it is more expensive at desk when you retrieve the car.

It happened like that last time : desk asked me 200 € for an insurance that still had a deductible of 250 € whilst I had paid 66 € at reservation via the site. No deductible.

(Was in Slovenia though.)

Thank you. I get a little confused with some terms. I think deductible is what Australians call excess.

I guess what I am trying to avoid is the €1600 security deposit.

I guess I'm assuming the car will get scratched and I want to be covered for that....or worse. That is not a statement about my driving!!

Just a heads up that if you haven't done this already, you should be dropping the car off at the Catania airport even if you intend to stay longer in the city. Don't drive into the city, not just because it is difficult, but because of safety concerns involving theft. Keep your doors and windows locked in the area of Catania. Sorry to be a bearer of nervous-making warnings, but there have been incidents of bag-snatching out of vehicles, even with the drivers inside them.

Kym
I think Excess and deductible means the same.
We call it 'franchise' in french if it helps - and yes it means in case of problem the renatl company can take from your preauthorized amount 1600 €.

Which means that your creditcard limit takes these 1600 e into consideration.

I have one card with a limit to 5000 € for example, it means the card will block after I spend 3400 e since rentalcompany has a hold on 1600 €.

Thanks Sandralist
Yes we are driving to the airport to drop the car off before flying to Rome.
Kym

I know that there is a liking on Fodor's for apocalyptic warnings about theft and scams, but I doubt if there is any car currently available from a hire company that is not fitted with a system of automatically locking the doors after it reaches a certain fairly low speed and keeps them locked until the occupants decide otherwise.

Our twelve-year old Renault Clio is fitted with such a system.

I'd also ensure a gap of at least a car's length ahead of you in all city jams. Nothing beats a bike mugging like the ability to move/crush . When I used to get "safe-driving" training as part of my job this was standard planning for Sicily. Also park with the rear up against a wall as it makes access for the thief harder while you can drive away forwards from an uncomfortable situation more easily than backing out of a parking space. (not saying any of this will happen, but planning is planning)

("franchise" is a faux ami) as it means something very different in English.

In the Uk you can buy full insurance covering theft etc for about £24 for 365 day cover. Might be worth checking in Oz for any such special deals.

Generally (how I hate that word) I'd do the deal through a company like Kemwel or autoeurope. I have no idea if Hertz in Sicily is part of the Hertz group or a franchisee (as in English) of Hertz. K & AE cut through the chaff and cover you a lot for numpties at the pick up point.

Do take photos of the car when you pick up and give back, plus the fuel meter on pick up and return, with the engine running. Saves all those "extras". Check your contract is for return tank "full" or "empty" and if returning on a Sunday that there is a fuel station you can access and your card will work in any automatic system.

Speed cameras and car restricted zones( not sure if there are any in Sicily but you google and check. If you get one (or more) you will get hit by the governmental fee and the agency fee, so avoid.

Watch out for card payments in Oz dollars or Euros, you want Euros, but the trader benefits if you chose dollars.

Great advice there from bilbo and I'd just like to reinforce one of his points. Take pictures of the hire car from all 4 angles and take a careful note and pictures of any existing marks, no matter how trivial, already in existence. Get the people on the desk or in the parking area to confirm any marks at all.

There's usually a form with a diagram of the car given to you with your contract, to enable any marks, dents, scratches etc to be noted. Make sure you use it. If they see you taking pictures, it can deter any arguments later.

<<I intend to buy insurance when we collect the car.>> Since you already prepaid, are you sure that some CDW is not already included? Or are you saying you want to top this up so the excess of EUR1600 is reduced to zero? If so, you might not be able to purchase this in advance and I would certainly pay this additional when I pick up the car.

In addition to checking marks, dents and scratches on the bodywork, check the windscreen for cracks and stone chips and have those marked on the damage report.

Thank you all for your replies and guidance.

I just know everything will be fabulous.

Kym

Thanks again for all your help and advice. I spoke with Hertz rep and Collison cover is included and I can buy insurance to reduce excess to zero in Palermo. Will cost about €200 for six days hire. I'm happy with that.

You can arrange your own cover through a handful of dedicated insurers that are separate from the rental company with much lower rates (around £15 for a long weekend of 3-4 nights and £40 for a year round policy in the UK for example).

However these usually have limits on the cover, say up to 6K, which will be fine for most minor accidents, but perhaps not for prestige vehicles nor the complete write off of any car.

The in-house insurance always costs a lot more but if you buy one of the top level packages you quite literally just hand the keys back and walk away, no matter what state the vehicle is in, zero excess and no involvement with the claim paperwork. Avis prestige/select vehicle full cover is usually about £18 a day.

It depends on your risk aversion level and whether you can cover any shortfall yourself as to which you buy (or whether you gamble and take no additional cover whatsoever). Tbh the latter seems a bit foolhardy when driving in a unfamiliar country and possibly on the wrong side of the road too.