24/05/2026
Top 10 Tips for renting a car in Italy (from someone who rents cars in Italy all the time)
1. Get the smallest car you can. Extremely narrow roads and tiny parking spots will have you regretting a bigger car.
2. Pick up your car at the airport (even if you’ve been staying inside the city) Airport pick ups = more car availability + puts you directly onto the motorway, avoiding the stress of driving in the city. Same with returning your car - make life easy for yourself.
3. Manual transmission = less expensive than automatic. And especially if you will be driving to hill towns you need the extra control a manual gives you.
4. Always get Super Cover Insurance. Rental car deductibles are high - often more than €3000. If anything goes wrong you’ll regret having to pay them.
5. You MUST have an International Driving Permit.
Get pulled over without one and you’re in trouble. Get into an accident without one and you’re in big trouble.
The insurance company can - and probably will - void your coverage.
6. Don’t leave any belongings visible inside a parked car. And never ever leave your car parked with your luggage inside.
7. Learn Italian road signs before getting your car. From ZTLs to speed traps, mistakes get costly, fast.
8. Learn the color coding for parking spaces -> avoid big fines.
You need to know which colors mean paid parking, which are free parking and which are resident permit only.
9. Don’t drive inside towns & cities. From ZTL fines to one way streets and impossibly narrow streets it’s not worth the drama.
Park outside the city walls and walk on in.
10. Keep coins / cards handy for toll booths. Most take credit cards most of the time, but still have cash with you just in case.
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Driving in Italy
Renting cars in Italy
