Off on a road trip to Sicily for a few days? Here’s how to rent a car in Sicily!
Sicily is the largest island in Italy and the Mediterranean Sea, with a surface area of 25,709 km² (2.5 times the size of Gironde), 5,032,818 inhabitants and two of Italy’s ten largest cities (Catania and Palermo). Although there is a network of public transport (buses and trains), renting a car in Sicily will make it much easier to get around. To visit Sicily freely, however, beware: driving on this island is a real sport, and so is avoiding scams from unscrupulous rental companies.
When we think of Sicily, we think of sunshine, beaches, warm crystal-clear waters, hikes on Mount Etna, exquisite culinary specialties, incredible historical and cultural heritage, partying in Catania, grandiose landscapes… We rarely think of possible car rental scams. And yet, many tourists – far from being isolated cases – have the unpleasant surprise of losing a few euros at the rental company (or after returning the vehicle). Here are our tips for renting a car in Sicily: companies to avoid, those to favor, driving, etc.
Renting a car in Sicily: requirements
To rent a car in Sicily, you’ll need to be at least 21, sometimes 25, and provide proof of identity and a driving license in your name. There will be a charge for an additional driver. You’ll also need to present a credit card with sufficient funds to cover the excess and security deposit.
The rental company will also take an imprint of your card so that they can withhold a deposit, which is either cashed and returned when you return the keys, or blocked on the account during your stay. Please note, however, that there is one small nuance that can be costly: while our French banks often issue a « debit card », Sicilian rental companies often require a « credit card ». This is indicated on your bank card.
Car rental in Sicily: compare rates
Photo credit: PxHere
As you can see, car rental scams in Sicily are legion, but not all of them are crooks, and they mainly happen because of travelers’ naivety or lack of information. Please note that rental agencies will be more expensive at airports (Catania and Palermo) than in city centers or other secondary towns (Trapani, Syracuse or Messina). There are many rental agencies to choose from: Rent a car, Autonoleggio, Locauto, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Noleggiare, Sixt, Sicily by car, Win Rent, Target Rent, etc.
We recommend that you select your dates and type of vehicle on an online comparator, such as Rentalcars, which is the reference, but note that the cheapest is not necessarily the best! Make sure you have the right deductible and insurance, because a fender-bender, a scratch or even an accident can be very costly if you don’t take out any insurance at all. Rentalcars allows you to filter results by type of payment card used.
Find out about car rental companies
During our trip to Sicily in the summer of 2018, we fell victim to a scam with the rental agency Sicily by car and we advise against renting a car in Sicily from this company. On the comparator, this agency advertised competitive and advantageous rates. However, when we arrived, we had to pay a €270 surcharge on the grounds that we had a « debit card » and not a « credit card », and that we had to pay the insurance associated with the card, which had supposedly been decided internally.
On the other hand, although our pre-reservation contract stipulated that the deposit would be blocked on the card, the rental company proceeded to debit it: nothing serious on the face of it, but this can cause the bank to exceed the limit for withdrawals and payments, and block all transactions, which can obviously be very damaging, especially when traveling. As a result, the car cost us €636 instead of €365. However, we had rented several vehicles on the island of Tenerife in the Canaries (Spain) with the same card, without any inconvenience: not all rental companies are crooks!
Taking stock
Once you’ve received the car keys, it’s essential to take a look around the car to check for any visual defects that may have been omitted from the contract. If it’s daylight, we advise you to take photos to protect yourself against any bad faith on the part of the parking attendant.
Choose the unlimited mileage option
It’s important to check the mileage package, as exceeding it can be very expensive, even on an island like Sicily. Choosing unlimited mileage allowed us to cover over 1,000 kilometers with complete peace of mind, without fear of being overcharged.
Check fuel option
Rental companies sometimes offer their cars with the option of « full tank to be returned empty », « full tank to be paid for on the spot », « return at the same fuel level » or « pick-up and return with a full tank ». This last option is the most advantageous, as you only pay for what you’ve used. Also, it’s difficult to return a vehicle with the same level of fuel: either there’s too much or too little, and the customer risks losing out in both cases.
Driving tips in Sicily
Driving and renting a car in Sicily is fine, but you need to be on your guard: Sicilians are sporty and confusing to drive. They love speed, honking their horns and don’t seem to know how to use blinkers. So you often have to force your way through a crossroads, always be careful (scooters, pedestrians, cars, buses, trucks in every direction) and check your blind spots.
Beware of the zona trafico limitato (limited traffic zone) signs in town centers: the fines – over €100 -, which can be accumulated if you cross this zone, could be sent to the car rental agency in Sicily, which will charge them to your credit card after your return!