Rental car in Europe and CDW

[mez]

The post on the windshield caught my eye. I will be traveling to Italy this summer. I am debating whether to purchase the additional optional super cover Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)from Hertz ( No deductible ). My VISA credit card says they will cover over the deductible in my case $1300.00 if the basic Collision Damage Waiver is purchased.

from Hertz on super cover:
If you opted for, or if your rate includes Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Theft Protection (TP), you may also wish to purchase an additional protection, "Super Cover", to waive your already limited liability in case of damage to, or theft of the Hertz vehicle, its parts and accessories, including those losses resulting from collision, vandalism, theft or attempted theft, provided the vehicle is used in accordance with the terms and conditions of the rental agreement.

The Super cover CDW cost is more than half the rental of the car. Any one have experience in renting in Italy? Thanks.

 

[SonofJoe]

I hired a car in Italy several years ago. The car had a prang and in retrospect, I wish I'd paid for the CDW. Do bear in mind that in Italy, a car isn't just a car, it's a fully armoured fighting machine and every road is a racetrack!

These days, when I order my rentals I go through a broker called Auto Europe...

https://www.autoeurope.co.uk

They're actually an American owned outfit and they're both cheap & efficient (especially if you happen to have an accident as I did last year). The add-on cost of a full CDW rental isn't that hard on my wallet (but expect to pay more than you would in the US).

 

[Vuflanovsky]

I never made it further south than Milan but with limited experience in Italy, I would say that if you're driving in a touring fashion ( driving the peninsula-suffering the crazies who pass two and three cars at a time on a two lane curve ) versus connecting the dots/day tripping but otherwise traveling by train, I might opt for the additional coverage.

In England, I blew out a tire clipping a roundabout and destroyed the side mirror of a parked car in Bath when the street suddenly became "medieval" ( one and a half lanes ) in less that 20 feet. Having said that, I would probably stay with the standard coverage as I found that the size of the rental car made more difference in preventing issues than probably anything else. You don't mention your itinerary but unless I was spending more than half the time driving I might view that Super CDW amount as excessive versus the standard coverage.

 

[555]

Haven't rented but driven thousands of kilometers there.never had a fender bender. Are you used to drag racing from light to light? Scooters, mopeds and the like, you will leave in the dust until the next light where they ride around you and wait in front for the light to change. Repeat. It is important to get a good position on the grid. Enjoy. I do.
Crosswalks are highly respected especially in cities. I'm not kidding!
Don't leave anything in view to raise curiosity of ne'er do wells. That's my biggest concern. Someone breaking a window for your pack of Mentos. Always lock your car.
You will have a great time. People are great. Food is awesome. Drivers are very consistent, adapt to their flow and you will have fun. Ferrari has a nice museum...just sayin'

 

[ctrcbob]

I NEVER rent. I lease.

I always lease from RenaultUSA.com

I always pick up my car at CDG Paris, but it can be picked up in many locations all over Europe.
ALL insurance included.
No VAT (tax).
You can drive it anywhere in Europe (although I limit my driving to France, Italy, and Belgium.
I always order a manual transmission.
Brand new car. When picked up, my cars never had more than 12km on the clock.
Car registered to me an my Florida address. Purchased back when I fly back to US.
I've leased for as little as three weeks and as long as seven weeks.

Rental companies (Hertz and others) don't want you to know about leasing. AAA don't want you to know. Travel agents (are they still around) don't want you to know.

What I do is I first go to RenaultUSA.com and pick my car and dates. Then I phone them In New York City (number in the website) tell them what I want. They send me the paperwork. I normally pay in full although most people make payments.

Car comes with only 6 liters of gas so I stop at the closest gas station. (But what the heck, the lease is much cheaper than a rental.

Lastly, I've NEVER had a problem with RenaultUSA.com since I started leasing with them since 1989.

 

[dishdude]

I always have when renting overseas.

 

[ragtoplvr]

this is why I take my camera and take a picture of every part of the car, where i agent can see me..Bring it back and photo it Never had an issue..

 

[Popsy]

Very interesting solution !
Downside is you get a Renault, I guess?

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: Popsy
Very interesting solution !
Downside is you get a Renault, I guess?


or a Dacia!

 

[Lolvoguy]

I also considered leasing over renting when in Europe, but for a week or less (our usual rentals) it was cheaper to simply rent.

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted By: ragtoplvr
this is why I take my camera and take a picture of every part of the car, where i agent can see me..Bring it back and photo it Never had an issue..


Have you rented in Europe? I've rented in Germany and France for business. Never had an issue but both times returned the cars to the airport where there was no one to receive the return. Just park the car wherever and leave the keys in the drop box. I'd have been worried if it was a personal rental that someone dents the car after I park it and I'm held responsible.

 

[Donald]

Check with your own insurance company also. It may be covered, maybe not. Never hurts to ask.

When I worked for IBM we always rented from Hertz never purchased any insurance but the contract IBM had said Hertz pays for all damage. The contract was worth so much, Hertz went along.

Once in Italy renting from Hertz, they did not have the Fiat I had rented so I was upgraded to Ford Escort. Upgraded to Escort. What a joke.

Most rental cars in Europe are standard transmission.

 

[mez]

I found rentalcars.com to offer good deals with full CDW from Europcars rentals. I need to investigate whether its worth renting from a third party to save $$ or directly from Hertz. Anyone have experience with retalcars.com when booking a rental car?

 

[mez]

double post.

 

[javacontour]

I rented in Italy in 2012. Can't remember if I got the CDW or not. Got my car at the EU Airport in Rome after three days there for a week in Tuscany and a Weekend on the Amalfi coast. Turned my car in at the city center of Florence. No drama, no fees, but hard to locate. Wish I had chosen the airport there as well for ease of access.

Italy was like Germany with less lane discipline. However, I didn't try to drive in Rome, just smaller towns like Pisa, Maranello, etc.

Lived in Germany for three years, so I wasn't too concerned. Rome is not for beginners, so if you are planning to drive there, don't.

Originally Posted By: mez
The post on the windshield caught my eye. I will be traveling to Italy this summer. I am debating whether to purchase the additional optional super cover Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)from Hertz ( No deductible ). My VISA credit card says they will cover over the deductible in my case $1300.00 if the basic Collision Damage Waiver is purchased.

from Hertz on super cover:
If you opted for, or if your rate includes Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Theft Protection (TP), you may also wish to purchase an additional protection, "Super Cover", to waive your already limited liability in case of damage to, or theft of the Hertz vehicle, its parts and accessories, including those losses resulting from collision, vandalism, theft or attempted theft, provided the vehicle is used in accordance with the terms and conditions of the rental agreement.

The Super cover CDW cost is more than half the rental of the car. Any one have experience in renting in Italy? Thanks.