gensuki

My husband and I are going to Sicily in mid-September. We’ve rented cars in Europe before but was concerned about what I was reading on the internet about car rentals in Sicily. First that in Italy buying their CDW is mandatory. Second, that rental companies will charge you a lot for a small ding or pebble, which most insurance does not cover.

Can you car rental-savvy folks help me with these questions?

• Credit cards warn that you must decline the rental company’s CDW. If it is mandatory in Italy, does this mean credit card car rental insurance won’t cover Italy?

• I’ve read that it is best to rent with Auto Europe which has cheap rates for rentals and for super coverage, which includes coverage for tires, windshield, etc. This is apparently something not covered by credit card insurance. However, Auto Europe is a car broker so it is a middleman. My concern is if I have an accident and rental company and Auto Europe will ping pong me between them. Any thoughts on this? I’ve read horror stories about AE but also read glowing reviews. Seems like if there is a claim to make, you have to pay the rental company and then try to get your money back from AE.

• It looks like Hertz has super coverage but I’m not sure if it includes damage to rock hitting windshield or it dinging the body, undercarriage, roof, tires, windshield, windows, interior, and side mirrors. Can you take a look at this and give me your opinion of whether it does or not: https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/reservat ... OAG=FCOT50 I might be hung up on the term collision damage thinking it means damage originating from a collision as opposed to any damage like a rock hitting windshield.

Because Sicily has narrow streets and apparently crazy driving, I would like the peace of mind that comes with being completely covered. Hertz will be most expensive with the super coverage costing more than the car rental itself (see photo). Auto Europe is much cheaper but the horror stories put the fright in me. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

Hertz invoice for Sicily

AutoSlash

Basic CDW, TPW (theft coverage), and liability is included by law on all rentals in Italy. That means that regardless of which site you book through, the insurance will already be priced into your rental. You can, of course, opt for SCDW, but for many people, that's more coverage than they want/need--especially if they have credit card coverage in Italy as well. It all depends on your comfort level.

As for your credit card coverage, there is no way to opt out of the coverage since it's mandatory by law, so the credit card company can't expect you to do so. If your particular credit card covers you in Italy (and not all of them do), then you should be fine based on our experience.

With regard to minor dents/dings, etc. it's always a good idea to make the rental company note every single dent/ding/scratch on the paperwork before leaving the lot and taking your own smartphone pics/videos of the condition of the vehicle at the rental lot. While these sort of scams are not common, and even less so at the major rental companies, better safe than sorry. I personally have rented numerous times in Italy from various well-known companies and never had a single issue.

I hope this helps. Have a great trip!