Planning on renting a car abroad during your next vacation? I’ve got tips based on my recent triumphs and failures.
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After all, international car rentals can be a nightmare to navigate. First, you need to make sure you have the right credentials—do you need an international driver’s permit, for example? Second, you need to avoid getting hit with secret add-on fees. Third, you need to figure out which insurance coverage to go for—and avoid being overcharged, especially in Europe.
In short, renting a car abroad can quickly become expensive, and contracts often come with murky fine print.
I’ve got a few insights that will set you up for success. They’re based on my recent experience in Palermo, which was a rollercoaster of car rental trials.
After arriving at the airport, my partner and I faced a three-hour wait at the car rental desk. It didn’t look like a bad day, either; three different rental companies were splitting a single kiosk, creating an hours-long line and confusion.
Rather than lose hours of our vacation, we skipped out and went to one of the empty car rental kiosks. There, we booked a new vehicle with a company we knew and trusted.
It turned out to be a fantastic decision. One that came with a great car and a better insurance policy for a lower price. One that had us protected when a tire went flat and stranded us at our gorgeous villa rental.
Here’s what you can learn from my experience renting a car abroad. In this case, in Sicily.
5 lessons from renting a car abroad in Sicily
Lesson #1: Know your rights when it comes to insurance, add-on fees, and more
Every country (or region, in the case of the EU) has different consumer rights when it comes to car rentals and insurance policies. The vast majority of countries require the car rental company to provide a basic insurance policy, meaning you don’t need to pay extra for a more expanded policy. (Unless you want to, of course.)
I suggest taking a fine-tooth comb to insurance policies to figure out what they cover and whether you want to pay for the coverage. Usually, that decision is based on how comfortable you feel behind the wheel and what the local driving culture is like. In Sicily, it’s not for the faint of heart.
In addition to insurance, look closely at policies for drivers under the age of 26 and fuel coverage. You might be charged an arm and a leg if you don’t refuel before returning the car. The same if you’re covering a driver who’s 25 or under.
Lesson #2: Plan your insurance around your journey
I highly suggest making that final insurance decision based on your trip’s overall vibe. Will you be covering large distances? The farther you drive, the more likely something is to go wrong. What about off-roading? If you think you might encounter backroads that aren’t paved, consider going for that boosted coverage. If local drivers are a little too crazy for your comfort, plan for that, too.
When my partner and I realized we didn’t want to wait three hours at the car rental counter, we headed to a rental kiosk without a line: Sicily by Car. We paid around $400 for a six-day rental with full insurance coverage—which would have cost us around $800 at our original rental company.
In the end, we went for full coverage because it was so cheap. It must’ve been some kind of good karma because, for the first time in my travels, I actually needed the insurance. Our rental was at a gorgeous villa in Lascaria, accessible only by winding, pot-hole-ridden roads.
We woke up one morning to realize our car had a flat tire. Thanks to our fantastic coverage, someone came to the villa and popped on our spare tire. We could have done it ourselves, but we figured we’d rely on a professional who could have it sorted in minutes. (Which they did.)
Lesson #3: Consider your options—don’t just book a familiar company
You’ll notice many American companies, from Budget to Hertz to Avis, operate internationally. You might be wooed by the familiar name, which makes sense. However, I’ve usually had better rental experiences with local companies. In this case, Sicily by Car.
Don’t book with the first familiar name you see. Do some research and look for reviews from other Americans—they’ll point out any unfair fees or issues.
Lesson #4: Research your rental center
Just like I encourage you to research the company that you’ll rent from (in the context of that specific place), I also encourage you to figure out where to rent. Some companies charge more for picking up and dropping off at airports, while a rental office in town might be much cheaper.
In the case of my trip to the Palermo Airport, a little research would have clued me and my partner into the fact that the rental kiosk where we were supposed to pick up our keys is regularly packed on weekends. For hours on end.
Lesson #5: Go with Sicily By Car if you’re in Italy—and know that Booking.com has your back
If you’re going to rent a car in Italy, I highly suggest looking into rentals from Sicily by Car. It’s the second time that I’ve rented a car from the company; both experiences have been great.
But I also want to shout out Booking.com, where we booked the original rental. We called to let them know that we needed to cancel our original rental right around the time we were supposed to pick up the keys. We explained the insanely long wait, then agreed to receive a refund that we could use for another car rental on Booking.com.
In total, we were on the phone for around 20 minutes before the entire situation was resolved, meaning we left the airport without any more fuss. That’s very impressive for a third-party booking platform, in my opinion.
