Car rentals and driving in Italy – Tips

• Posted on: 13th May 2025
• Posted by: David Matthew

A precious boot shaped country that houses some incredibly beautiful landscapes, food that is now renowned world over and people that choose to prioritize living a simple life over the modern madness ; Italy. Located in the middle of the Medditerranian Sea, Italy sees a majorly temperate seasonal and medditerranian climate. Italy is a dream destination for a large amount of people, that travel great lengths for this Roman land.

The country is the fifth most visited place in the world with an average footfall of 50 million each year. The GDP of the country depends massively on tourism and rightly so. People travel to Italy for the food, the language and culture, fashion, architecture and art. Italy will make you fall in love with it even a single visit. Italy is home to 50 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, out of which quite a few happen to be entire cities , such as Verona, Pompei & Siena etc.

For centuries, tourists have flocked to the warm Italian countryside for vacations and business. The floating city of Venice, the architectural delight of ancient rome and the exquisite fashion. If you are planning a visit to this land of Pizzas, fine wine and finer couture, there are a few handy tips that may save you a lot of hassle.

Why renting a car for Italy is the best option ?

Renting a vehicle to travel through the country of Italy is probably the best way of traveling if you wish to explore the beautiful country. Booking a car allows you to choose a vehicle based on the amount of luggage you have, the number of people traveling and extra amenities. The rental vehicle allows you to scurr through the country at your own whim and fancy. No boundations of time or haggling with taxi drivers for prices.

Imagine driving around the Italian countryside with the warm sun, the breeze and finding a small cafe with a sweet setting. Ordering a pizza in the heart of Naples or enjoying a wonderful trip around Florence , or stumbling upon a winery in a small village in Tuscany is probably how one must spend their time in Italy.

• Manual or Automatic Cars for Italy

  Renting a car is the right choice for you if you wish to travel through areas that are not accessible via public transportation. If you are used to driving a manual car then hiring one would be the right choice, otherwise sticking to the automatic is probably the better option. The roads and the traffic of Italy can require a little getting used to.

• Diesel Cars or Gas Cars for Italy

  Renting a Diesel Car may prove to be a better choice as diesel is cheaper than normal gas. There are both self-serve and serviced gas stations in Italy.

• Smaller Cars over Luxury for Italy

  Italians have a knack for smaller cars. Most of the family vehicles are likely to be Fiats and small compacts . Driving on the smaller streets and lanes, the choice of a smaller cars actually makes much more sense and therefore renting a smaller and compact car for Italy would probably be the right choice. Incase you wish to travel in a minibus etc, be sure that you know your way around small dead-ends and lanes.

Top airports in Italy that you can travel through

There are a lot of well kept airports spread throughout the Italian lands and here are a few that you may want to consider when planning a trip. Most airports also have stationed rental car desks within or around the airport compound, which makes the pickup very easy. The perfect ride that you choose will be waiting for you as soon as you land, if you make a prior booking.

Car Rental at the Airports in Italy

As is aforementioned the rental car companies have their rental desks at the airports or nearby areas. Booking a car prior to the visit also allows you to bag a cheaper and better deal with the rental companies.

Driving a Rental Car in Italy : Handy tips

• The minimum age for driving in Italy is 18.
• The minimum age for renting a car in Italy is 21.
• Documents required for driving around – Driving Licence, Passport, IDP, Insurance & Registration.
• Emergency Numbers – 112
• You drive on the right side of the road and overtake on the left.
• The Italian drivers tend to be impatient but as long as you keep on track and don’t hinder anybody else’s driving it should be okay.
• Drinking and driving should be avoided at all costs, for the police may take a random search as and when they want.
• The signage on the roads can be hard to follow as they are placed at unexpected places. Carrying a map or GPS services will be very handy if you are new to the place.

Driving in Italy is one of the best trips you can treat yourself with. There are a lot of things you can do when in Italy. The Roman food, the architecture, the warm southern sun and fashion will have you wanting to be more roman than you are. The famous Dolce far Niente way of life , that is so popular with the Italians is an exquisite way of spending some downtime with your folks.