Italy traffic rules and self driving car rental tips

Italy traffic rules and self driving car rental tips | QEEQ

The complete Italy driving and rental guide

Its excellent road conditions and highway network makes Italy an ideal country to discover by car. Here is a brief guide we have prepared to help you ease your trip.

Speed Limit and Traffic Signs
Driving in Italy is on the right-hand side of the road and you should overtake from the left. Horns must be used in moderation, and honking is prohibited in built-up areas unless there is an emergency. Dipped headlights must be used on two-lane motorways at all times.
- Speed Limit
  Speed limits for cars and motorbikes (vehicles with engine size over 150 cc) depend on the types of roads, and are of:
  
  - 50 km/h (31 mph) in urban areas
  
  - 90 km/h (56 mph) on minor out-of-town roads
  
  - 110 km/h (68 mph) on major out-of-town roads
  
  - 130 km/h (81 mph) on motorways.
  
  In the event of rain on snow, the limit is lowered to 110 km/h on motorways and 90 km/h on trunk roads.
- Traffic Signs
  Traffic signs in Italy follow the general European conventions and can be basically sorted into four types: regulatory signs, warning signs, information signs and direction signs.
  
  Regulatory Signs
  Italian regulatory signs mostly feature a circular shape, with some exceptions.
  Give Way Stop and Give Way Stop, Pay Toll Stop, Police Roadblock No U-turn No Overtaking Maximum Speed 30 km/h
  
  Warning signs
  In Italy, warning signs are in regular triangular shape with red border and white background.
  Uneven Road Pedestrian Crossing Ahead Wild Animals Level Crossing With Barriers or Gates Ahead Level Crossing Without Barriers or Gates Ahead
  
  Information Signs
  Italian information signs are usually rectangular with blue or brown background.
  Tunnel Hospital First Aid Youth Hostel
  
  Direction Signs
  Direction signs in Italy feature a rectangular shape with different background colors to indicate the type of road that is being directed to, which is: green for motorways, white for urban roads and blue for the others.
  Motorway Direction Primary or Secondary Road Direction Urban Area Direction
Seatbelt and Child Safety
- Seatbelt Laws
  All passengers both in front and rear seats are required to wear a seat belt in Italy. Failure to do will result in a fine from €40 to €70.
- Booster Seat Laws
  Regardless of the weight or age of the children, all children under 150cm must use a UN R44/R129 approved child car seat.
Parking, Fuel and Toll
- Parking
  · Permitted Parking
  
  Parking spots in large cities in Italy can be difficult to find. Try to look for paid parking signs and parking metres to pay and park properly.
  
  White lines on the parking lots mean free parking. In many towns, free parking is allowed in certain time frames and is indicated by a parking sign nearby. You will need to display a parking disc behind the windshield. However, in big cities like Florence, free parking spots are for residents only. In Rome and Milan, such parking lots may be free and open to both residents and tourists as long as you follow the instructions of the parking signs.
  (Image from cinqueterreinsider.com)
  
  Parking in yellow zones is only permitted for taxis, official vehicles or disabled people who have a disabled permit or a European Blue Card.
  
  Parking places with pink lines or a pink parking sign are used to serve expectant mothers and women with infants for both residents and short-term visitors. Although local police cannot really check whether these parking spots are taken by particular drivers, most Italians still respect the rules and will not take up these spots unless there is an emergency.
  
  · Paid Parking
  
  In most Italian cities and towns, blue lines indicate paid street parking. Follow the parking signs to pay and park within the permitted time frame. If no dispenser machines can be found near the parking areas, try asking the tobacco shop or news stands nearby.
  (Image from arizaisaretleri.com)
  
  · Forbidden Parking
  
  In Italy, parking signs feature some words telling you when and where to park.
  
  Accompanied Italian wordings -- “Passo Carrabile” means you are not allowed to park at all times.
  
  Otherwise, certain time frames will be provided together with the “No Parking” and parking signs to indicate prohibited and permitted parking time.
  
  Parking illegally in Italy will result in a car clamping or towing away as well as a fine.
- Fuel Prices
  The average price for gasoline price in Italy was 1.57 Euros per litre in January 2018, while diesel was 1.44.
- Toll
  Tolls are only required when driving on most of the highways. Highways in Italy are marked with the letter A followed by a number in a green octagon.
  
  When entering a toll road, you will receive a ticket from a machine with a sign “Bigliette” standing nearby. Keep this ticket carefully when you are on the highway.
  
  When you reach the exit, lanes marked by different colours mean that there are different ways to pay, namely: Telepass, credit card or cash.
  (Image from euractiv.com)
  
  Telepass is an electronic toll device connected to your Italian bank account, allowing you to pass through without stopping and serving very much alike with the Electronic Tolling System you may find in other countries. It most suits the local drivers.
  
  To pay by credit card, you should provide the ticket you have collected at the entrance and insert it into the auto-collecting machine and then pay with your credit card.
  
  Have a look at this local highway site to calculate the toll fees you may be charged with in Italy.
  
  Note that if you fail to pay the toll in Italy while driving a rented car, the authorities will pass on the infringement information to the car hire company, which will usually add some management fees. However, as not every car hire company can pay your unpaid tolls on your behalf, you are sometimes required to pay for it on your own on the local highway website by entering the notice number. And you are always welcomed to contact QEEQ’ 24/7 customer support team to assist you with this matter.
Traffic Violation
- DUI Laws
  In Italy, drink driving will be treated as severe infringement. The BAC for regular drivers is 0.05% (50mg per 100ml). Breaching 50mg and to 80mg per 100ml will result in a fine between €500 and €2,000 as well as a 3 to 6 months' licence suspension. From 80mg to 150mg, the fine will goes up and from €800 to €3,200, with 6 to 12 months’ licence suspension, or even up to 6 months imprisonment in extreme circumstances.
- Traffic Fines
  Receiving a speeding ticket can be quite often especially for international travellers or short-term visiting drivers. Speed cameras are set up in many places, in big cities as well as small towns, and it is very easy to miss the notice that you have entered into a 50km per hour zone.
  
  Speeding fines in Italy depend on the amount you are over the speed limit, ranging from €41 up for 10km/h to €828 for more than 60km/h. Paying within 5 days after the citation is issued can result in a 30 percent discount.
  
  Note that if you are renting a vehicle in Italy, the unpaid speeding infringement information will be passed onto the car hire company by the authority. In this case, the car hire company will charge you for an additional administrative fee if it is eligible to collect on behalf of the authority.
  
  · The Limited Traffic Zones
  
  Most of the central areas in major Italian cities and towns have Limited Traffic Zones (called Zona Traffico Limitato or ZTL in Italian) for which entrances are usually marked with no vehicle traffic signs and supplementary signs explaining the times of the ban and which categories are excluded. The entrances of the ZTLs are mostly located at crossings, traffic lights or roundabouts and monitored by cameras that register the transiting vehicles.
  (Image from internationalgarage.com)
  
  Use the above sign as an instance. This sign indicates you are not allowed to drive into this area between 7:30 to 19:30 from Monday to Saturday. The crossed hammers on the sign mean these restrictions do not apply on Sunday and holidays. Driving and acting on a safe side is always recommended if you are sure about what exactly the sign indicates.
  
  Fines will be incurred when failing to follow the regulations of the ZTLs and the amount of fine can range from 50 to 150 Euros, varying by city.
  
  To avoid ticketing from the ZTLs, we would recommend the following measures:
  
  - Park your car outside the historical centre of Italian cities and use the public transportation to get there.
  
  - Get a passing certificate from a grocery store and send your plate number and identification number of the passing certificate to the Provincial Office of Motor Vehicles (Ufficio Provinciale della Motorizzazione Civile, UMC) via mobile messages. Each passing certificate costs €5 and is valid for one day.
  
  - Find the “ZTL Parking” lot after entering the ZTL within 20 minutes and your plate number will be taken off the record automatically or manually (note the parking fee is costly).
  
  - Go to the hotel’s front desk and ask them to help to take off your record from the policy if you are staying in a hotel within a ZTL.
  
  - Or just simply avoid the ZTLs by using Google Map or any other navigation soft wares.
Driving Licence and Age Requirements
To rent a car in Italy, the driver need to be in possession of a valid driving license and generally be held for at least 2 years.

All licences issued by the European Union (and Switzerland) are accepted.

Driving licences from non-EU countries are accepted if you have not been in Europe for longer than 6 months. If your domestic driving licence is not in English, an International Driving Permit (IDP/IDL) or an official translation in English is required together with your original driving licence.

The minimum age generally to rent a vehicle in Italy is 18 years old (age may vary by car categories and suppliers).

*IMPORTANT NOTE: Each car hire company has its own requirements. Please check Terms and Conditions of your hire car during the booking process.
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*Please be aware that rules are subject to change. QEEQ.COM will try the best to maintain the accuracy of this information.

Guest reviews

Sicily By Car
5 - "Estoy muy enfadado con el trato propocionado por Sicily By Car. En el momento de entrega del coche, me pusieron problemas para cogerme la tarjeta de crédito con la que pagar la fianza, diciéndome que estaba bloqueada y que no podían aceptarla (la tarjeta estaba en perfecto estado, y la he utilizado después de aquel momento, sin problemas). Como solo tenía otra tarjeta que era de débito, me obligaron a firmar un seguro a todo riesgo con ellos de 58,46€, negándose a cogerme si no la fianza con la tarjeta de débito, y por tanto negándose a darme las llaves o devolverme el dinero de la reserva. Una estafa (pues, insisto, aunque ya se avisaba de que si no se hacía el pago de la reserva con una tarjeta de crédito se podía concurrir en gastos, la tarje de crédito SÍ funcionaba y funciona)."
GOLDCAR
9 - "Yes the car was great and the rental staff were helpful "
U-SAVE
8 - "Schnelle und problemlose Abwicklung bei Abholung. Schwieriger wird es, wenn die Abflugzeiten außerhalb der Geschäftszeiten des Büros liegen. "
DRIVALIA
9 - "いい車を受け取りましたが、対応は悪かったです。予約していたにもかかわらず、予約がないの一点張りで、諦めかけました。結局1時間かかってレンタルが完了。"
Rental Plus
10 - "The car was perfect "
Sicily By Car
10 - "Excellent as usual"
RentSmart24
10 - "The counter staff was super personable and helpful and the car was surprisingly new and in great condition!"
Budget
10 - "Highly recommend Budget. Kind, easily useful service as well. "
Europcar
6 - "The car was good and everything was easy and quick"
Sicily By Car
10 - "All staff are a delight to deal with. "
RentSmart24
5 - "AVOID! my family and I arrived 1 hour earlier, and we informed RentSmart24 before. When we arrived to the shuttle pick up location, every time the shuttle driver told us to wait for the next shuttle. We called RentSmart24 few times, and they said that a shuttle will pick us in a few minutes. That whole thing took more than 1 hour! When we arrived it was late, after our expected car pick up time, there was one family before us, and since there is only one person in the reception, we were waiting another 30 minutes. Finally, getting the car! But wait, we booked 2 seats for 2 years old children so they took us to a kind of garage with 8 seats that none of them is good for this age, either 6 years+ or 1 year-. It was almost 12 am, we had to choose 2 seats and risking our kids! Thinking we were finished this whole nightmare, the reception guy don’t know how to install the seats, we need to do it by ourselves! Awful experience, the worst I’ve ever had with a car renting"
NOLEGGIARE
8 - "I would have been happier had we received the car we had ordered. But as mentioned, it all worked out well in the end. The counter customer staff was all hard sell on the extra insurance, though, and I practically has to be rude to get away from them. "
DRIVALIA
3 - "No, it did not. It did not have my vehicle and told me it could not help me. I had to argue over 20 minutes at the counter until they finally gave me what they believe was an equal vehicle. It's a shame it truly is a shame. The way they treat their customers?"
Rental Plus
9 - "R.A.S"
Maggiore
3 - "Unfriendly staff at car pick up, very smooth process and friendly staff at car drop off, bad condition of car"
RentSmart24
4 - "Instead of a Toyota Aygo X, a Fiat Panda was provided for rent, which is a completely different car. The Fiat Panda (hybrid) had low mileage but the whole body (especially the roof) was damaged. The windscreen washer tank was empty. I asked at the counter for a change of car and was ready to pay extra, but it was ultimately refused. The reason given was that there were no other cars available for hire. An employee of the rental company told me in a harsh manner that the only alternative for me was to cancel the rental and contact Customer Support. I was forced to accept a Fiat Panda, whose only advantage was its relatively low fuel consumption."
NOLEGGIARE
7 - "Staff was very particular of scrapes on the cars with other customers. We got out without too much problems. We video taped the condition of the car at pickup. "
Alamo
10 - "Thanks Filipo for all the help "
Sicily By Car
7 - "Customer service and road side assistance is terrible. "
Car Motion
10 - "Very quck drop off and refund on credit card!!!"
DRIVALIA
8 - "I had time ago a bad experience with Drivalia, they gave me a car with a very old tyre, broken in the internal face, that was irreparable, and I was never reimbursed for the cost of a new tyre (used) that I had to buy. I gave them another chance, cannot complaint about the car, new, but the staff at the check in was apathetic, slow."
Budget
9 - "Crumpy, slow staff at the pickup. Quick, friendly staff at dropoff. "
Alamo
7 - "Can’t complain about the service . I would say it was good "
RentSmart24
9 - "Easy process!"
Thrifty
10 - "The only issue was the staff in the parking lot not understanding how the vehicle operated "
GOLDCAR
10 - "Kiváló üj autot kaptunk."
Record Go
9 - "Great FCO counter staff Carlos! "
NOLEGGIARE
8 - "They tried very hard to sell me extra insurance that was already covered. They were practically insisting."
NOLEGGIARE
9 - "Noleggiare, although very friendly, brow beat us into buying their additional insurance for 0 excess on the car. "
NOLEGGIARE
9 - "Si"
Felirent
6 - "Dear qeeq, I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with my recent car rental experience and to formally request a refund. I felt misled because the rental fee was automatically charged to my credit card (attachment TA_PdfFileTitle_20240929_124323) , yet upon arrival, the staff member insisted that I pay an additional fee of €211 (attachment Potwierdzenie transakcji 20240929_124357). While I appreciate the service and assistance provided during my rental, I cannot recommend your company due to this unexpected charge, which has left me feeling cheated. I kindly ask for a refund of the €211 charge and look forward to your prompt response. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Adam Sajda "
RentSmart24
10 - "Con la compañia todo correcto."
GOLDCAR
6 - "V dented car, a lot of scratches, all to be documented"
Dollar
9 - "O carro era otimo, nos atendeu muito bem. Mas nao gostei da cobrança em valor alto no meu cartao de credito no ato da locacao. Na semana anterior, alugamos pela QEEQ tambem, pela Budget, que opera com a Avis, e a cobrança foi muito menor que com a Dolar-Hertz. Outra questao quem com a Dolar-Hertz, o seguro AXA- QEEQ só funciona por reembolso, ou seja, voce precisa pagar qualquer extra e depois negociar com o seguro. Já com a Budget- Dolar nao, o seguro AXA-QEEQ cobre os extras automaticamente. Tivemos nosso voo partindo de Malpensa cancelado e tivemos que mudar o ponto de devolução do carro para Bergamo. Ligamos para a Hertz- Dolar em Malpensa que nos informou que nao poderia fazer a mudança! Fui num balcão da Hertz-Dolar em Verona e felizmente a alteração pode ser feita sem custo extra e facilmente. Mas foi um stress com o atendimento pelo telefone. Por fim, na devolução do carro em Bergamo, o funcionario recebeu o carro mas nao deixou 100% claro se estava rudo OK sem extras. Resumindo, nao pretendo alugar novamente pela Dolar- Hertz, e recomendo a Budget- Avis."
ACE
9 - "Needs to stay open later in the evening to cover late arrivals."
NOLEGGIARE
10 - "Car was new but we had to wait to complete the paperwork at the office then walk to the pick up point in the car park. Car was being washed and took 20 minutes to be delivered, Price was excellent. Staff helpful"
Felirent
10 - "Paid €10 for a car clean!"
Europcar
9 - "car was paid for prior to pickup. the lady at the counter told me it was 14€ per day for extra insurance but then ended up charging my card 35€ per day. there is also an additional charge for roadside assistance which i did not ask for but they placed in my bill. They also charged 169$ CAD to my card and i cannot find out what this charge is for since the car was paid for prior to pickup. "
Felirent
9 - "Easygoing"
Sicily By Car
10 - "All good"
Sicily By Car
10 - "Great as usual"
Sicily By Car
10 - "As usual no issues with the counter or car pickup and drop off process. Love dealing with these guys"
Budget
10 - "Bien"
GREEN MOTION
10 - "Muy bueno"
Sicily By Car
10 - "Great staff"
Sicily By Car
10 - "All good as usual"
Europcar
8 - "Had an awful experience with their roadside assistance and some of the customer service staff over the phone. Was not explained in a lot of detail how to use an electric car, despite letting staff know it was my first time. Was given a pamphlet, however the process of using the charging ports was horrible. Needed to ask for help on the street in Bologna as I was stranded for hours. Staff over the phone told me roadside assistance could not help me until the morning as nothing was available. Was told to 'ask someone on the street' for help, hung up on twice when I told them I did not speak Italian, and got told there was nothing they could do. I did speak to one man who was helpful (Vard), however the towtruck that was ordered for me did not come in the expected time slot, and I was only able to get the car working from kind strangers on the street."
GOLDCAR
5 - "Absolute shambles. Waited over 3.5 hrs to get the car. Long line, not moving, no cars, not much staff. After getting to the counter, had to wait another 30mins for my car as it wasn't there ? Resulted in me missing a paid activity which I.belieb I should be compensated for at the very least "
GOLDCAR
9 - "met expectations for the price "
NOLEGGIARE
9 - "I have tried to send the confimation to you seven times and all were rejected. You have the information you requested and this is bullshit to take up so much time. I should get the credit for the rental with QEEQ and if not will NEVER USE YOU AGAIN. "

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Frequently asked questions

Q1.What is an insurance excess？
The excess is the amount you'll only be liable for in case of damage(under Collision Damage Waiver) or theft(under Theft Protection) of the vehicle.
Information about the excess will be clearly stated in the price inclusion when you reserve a car on QEEQ.
Q2. How can I add an addtional driver?
You are advised to make a request upon your arrival at the rental counter. Additional charge per day will incur unless '1 Additional Driver Included' is stipulated on the rental.
Please note that the same licence and age requirement applys to the additonal driver. The addtional driver is supposed to present the required licence document along with the main driver at pickup.
Q3.What if I want to pick up or drop off my rental car out of office hours?
QEEQ will show you the car offers available at your chosen time on the search results.
However, pick-up or drop-off out of general opening hours may subject to an extra fee unless self-service pick-up or drop-off is available.
After you reserve a car on QEEQ, we will inform you of specific policy of the car hire company by email.
Q4. Can I take the hired car to another country or cross border?
If you want to pick up your car in one country and drop it in another, your search results will show you cars you can do that with.
If you're planning to cross any borders during your trip, bear in mind:
1. You may have to pay more.
There are often extra fees, taxes or additional cover you'll pay at the car hire counter.
2.It may not be allowed.
Depending on where you're hiring, you may not be able to take your car to another country.
Please email us if you want to take your hire car into a different country during your trip, and we'll talk you through your options.
Q5. Can I pick up my car at one location and return it at different location?
Yes. You can pick up the vehicle in one place and drop it off in another. An ‘one-way fee’ will incur. Whether it is inclued in the rental price or what additional cost may arise will be clearly stated at the time of booking on QEEQ.
Please inform the car hire company of your drop-off location when you pick up the vehicle or contact them directly during your trip. You will find a phone number on the rental agreement you signed at pickup.