Renting a car

[Jenna1983]

I've searched threads, but I haven't found much information regarding Super CDW, which seems to lessen your liability from x to either substantially less in excess or $0. However, other than Hertz, I cannot seem to locate these "fees" for companies like Budget, Avis. Has anyone had experience with these companies while traveling/renting in Italy?

 

We are renting a car for a 24 hour period as we are going from Florence to a very small town around 2.5 hours north for an entire day/evening Train travel is unfortunately not an option for the destination.

 

This is the last thing I need to nail down before we leave in 33 days and it's causing the most anxiety! :(

[Hlitner]

I've searched threads, but I haven't found much information regarding Super CDW, which seems to lessen your liability from x to either substantially less in excess or $0. However, other than Hertz, I cannot seem to locate these "fees" for companies like Budget, Avis. Has anyone had experience with these companies while traveling/renting in Italy?

 

We are renting a car for a 24 hour period as we are going from Florence to a very small town around 2.5 hours north for an entire day/evening Train travel is unfortunately not an option for the destination.

 

This is the last thing I need to nail down before we leave in 33 days and it's causing the most anxiety! :(

 

Italy is somewhat different with rental car insurance because of some of their national laws. Most major credit card companies do not provide any CDW coverage in Italy (and Ireland). The rental car agencies have various types of coverage and it always seems to be changing. There are also some third party companies that provide zero deductible options and options will often show-up if you try to book through major booking companies such as Orbitz. So you need to shop around by doing some faux bookings (do not finish the transaction) with the car company, Orbitz, Expedia, etc.

 

For longer term rentals (3 or more days) there are other options through major condsolidators such as Autoeurope and Kemwel.

 

Hank

[CathyCruises]

We generally rent from Europcar, have you tried them?

 

Hank, I wasn't aware that Kemwel only worked for longer rentals. We've used them a lot but since we never rent for a short time, I never paid attention. Is that a firm rule? Might be worth the OP checking out.

 

Our last rental, albeit in France, was with Avis through Kemwel. I read the fine print on each of the options and Avis was the best for multiple reasons, like no additional fee for picking up at a train station, whereas some companies charged €25, etc. They upgraded us to a wonderful car with 7 kms on it so we were very happy, especially since we'd only paid about $200 for a two week rental!!!

[Jenna1983]

I've looked at standalone excess policies but forbid something happen I don't want to deal with a secondary. I would prefer train travel but it's not possible. Lol.

 

I may rent from hertz because they list their super CDW fees, whereas, Avis is a total unknown. They're who I generally prefer here in the U.S. Too.

[shorefolks]

One problem particular to Italy is the mandatory theft insurance which may or may not be included in whatever coverage you get. Before you make a reservation, be sure to verify that with a representative. I have had it almost doubling the quoted price.

Edited August 21, 2015 by shorefolks

[euro cruiser]

Yes, the consolidators generally require a three-day minimum rental. On a couple of occasions when I only needed a car for a day and a half or two days I got the three day anyway because it was cheaper than renting directly for only the time I needed. In both cases I simply returned the car a day before the contracted date and there was no issue with doing so.

[Jenna1983]

One problem particular to Italy is the mandatory theft insurance which may or may not be included in whatever coverage you get. Before you make a reservation, be sure to verify that with a representative. I have had it almost doubling the quoted price.

 

 

 

Yup. Basic CDW/Theft is included in the quote. It's the additional super ones I was looking at pricing.

 

The consolidator required three days.

[slidergirl]

I did my one day rental through Hertz. I did Rome to Florence 2 years ago.

I have never heard of a Super CDW. I just took the standard insurance. Where did you see this Super CDW pricing?

[John Bull]

Yup. Basic CDW/Theft is included in the quote. It's the additional super ones I was looking at pricing.

 

The consolidator required three days.

 

To clarify - you're looking for add-on insurance to cover the CDW excess?

ie to give you zero liability for any damage?

It's a very good idea, because the usual CDW excess is quite heavy - up to 1000 euros. And because when you collect the car you don't have to go over the car with a fine-tooth comb to note every little scratch, dent, cracked lens, & upholstery tear to ensure that you're not penalised for pre-existing damage - this can happen because of a poor pre-collection inspection, and with some smaller agencies I suspect it's a deliberate ploy to extract money. It also makes the return quick & painless - you don't have to wait for the checkers to go through a rigorous inspection before they clear you.

 

I vaguely recall having the same problem in getting a price for insuring the excess - "It's charged locally, the premium varies from depot to depot, they'll tell you the cost when you collect the car".

 

You can get zero-excess over the internet from a third party & it costs peanuts. I've done it a few times & it cost under $5 for the day. Of course you're not going to know the car registration number etc when you take out that insurance, but there's no need.

The big downside of using a third party is that you will have to pay for any damage up to the quoted excess, and then re-claim it from the third party.

Not total peace of mind (I can't comment on their payment of claims cos I've never had to make a claim), but cheap and a lot better than no excess cover.

Here's a typical provider from googling "car hire insurance excess cover" (from my UK computer).

https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/car-hire-insurance-products.html

 

JB :)

[Jenna1983]

Thanks, John.

 

I do want total peace of mind and I know Hertz lists the costs as 40€, which isn't the best but it's not horrible for total peace of mind. We are splitting the cost of the car with someone else for the day so it's no big deal on that. I saw Avis listing costs but it's not very helpful. I may reach out to their number.

[Jenna1983]

Note- I spoke w/ Avis and for a Mercedes GLA (automatic) the SuperCoverage (it reduces excess liability from 1500 euro to 0 euro) is 25,5 euro per day. Cheaper than Hertz and for peace of mind, much easier to do through the company than secondary!