Sicily (Palermo, Catania, Trapani) car rental without credit card and deposit? How to rent a car in Sicily?

Is it possible to rent a car in Sicily without blocking the deposit on the credit card? Yes of course! It is not as easy as in Majorca (as I wrote in the entry: Car hire without credit card and deposit - Majorca, Spain) but possible. However, before we get into the details of rental offers, you need to be aware of a very important thing.

Driving a car around Sicily

Get ready for adrenaline! It doesn't matter if you are a driver or a passenger. Emotions are guaranteed. In Italy, the nonchalance with which drivers treat the rules is well known, but what is happening in Sicily passes the human concept. Road signs are probably only used by tourists here, thus introducing chaos to the actions of the locals. It would occur to the village that someone seeing the sign "STOP" or "give way," or slow down (horror), would stop before the intersection. Expect that you will miss the left side with very surprised eyes. Anyway, often locals seeing that the car is from the rental company immediately know that you will slow down "STOP" before the intersection and immediately, preventively make a dodge to the left and rush sharply ahead.
Another example is even more interesting. Imagine you are driving through Palermo on a wide one-way road that has 3 one-way lanes. You drive politely in the middle lane and ... suddenly you see the guy 200m stop in front of you in the same middle (!!!) lane. He puts on emergency lights and goes to talk to a friend who is standing in front of his stall, trading some crap on the pavement. The car centrally collapses the middle lane. In panic I run away from the belt and brutally force priority on the guy on the left. I barely made it. I hear the horn behind me! But no! It's NOT ON ME !!! The guy behind me with a bored face probably didn't even register that there was a threat. Normally, someone (or me) just cut himself into centimeters, with a snout in front of the mask ... a normal matter. Sicily! Who, then, trumpeted ??? This is another friend from the car left. Because this trumpet is customary in Sicily greeting is! The type on the sidewalk delighted, waved a friend's hand, smiled and it's fun. I just dropped out.
After a while I was braking at breakneck speed because - this time in front of my mask - someone was escaping from the belt next to me. Wonderful! I thought: I'll hug him, what! The horn screamed furiously and everyone around… accepted my greeting, blindly waving his hand in a friendly gesture and smiling! It turned out that I am a pretty cool guy! I barely arrive and greet everyone on the street. Charmingly!
The whole works on the first kilometers after picking up the car on the way from the airport. I quickly realized that I was in an alternative world of traffic and from now on my eyes will be in the ass. And I swear there is no colored plot here.
You will come across such things for sure. They will not miss you. You just drive there and after 2 days you won't even be surprised when, waiting for the van for the exit from the roundabout, it turns out that the van that has entered the roundabout in front of you will not leave it at all. The guy just stopped at the roundabout and just started selling melons and watermelons straight from the car. At the roundabout !!! Me pier ... And that one lane is blocked? There is also a second… 😀


### important fragment of the text added in 2021, during the pandemic ###

Beware of pandemic car rental prices !!!

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned car rental prices upside down. The increase in car rental prices is huge. Official announcements say that the price increase is due to the need to maintain high sanitary standards. In my opinion, the strict sanitary requirements do not justify such an increase in the cost of car rental. What kind of growth are we dealing with? The 5-day rental I did during my trip just before the pandemic cost me less than EUR 70 (with full insurance). Today, for exactly the same rent, I see prices in the range of 400 - 450 EUR. Horror! Why is it like that? I am convinced that the rental companies compensate for a smaller number of customers with a higher price. One rental must now "compensate" for the reduced demand.

Is there a way to get high prices during COVID-19?

I have re-analyzed the offers of a dozen of the best car rentals and a few of the best price comparison websites. I found one common denominator. In fact, the prices are very high all the time, but drastically falling (by 50% or even more)just before the planned departure. The lowest prices are more or less 5-10 days before the planned departure and they drop to around 50 EUR for one day of rental, with full insurance option. Any price at this level or lower should now (especially in the summer season) be considered attractive (of course if applies to rental with full insurance). Advance booking 1-5 days is very risky and prices in such short notice often (although not everywhere) increase again.

Such price behavior in 2021 does not guarantee that the situation will repeat itself in 2022 and in the following years. So let's observe price changes yourself and choose the best time to book.

The offer of the rental company I chose and described below is still the best, but unfortunately it is more expensive than it was.

From comparison websites, I recommend that you look for two: Discover Cars - [click] and Rentalcars - [click]. They have wide offers, and at the same time have signed contracts with various groups of rental companies. Thanks to this, you check various offers from different groups. A particularly interesting alternative is here Discover Cars - [click]because it has contracts with many local, small rental companies. It is possible that some local promotion can be scored. The other comparison engines are practically a copy of what you will find in Rentalcars - [click].

All the other comments and advice that I have included later in this post still apply, so it is obligatory to read the rest. You will find my complaints there that 50 EUR a day is expensive, but I would like to remind you that this was related to the situation before COVID-19. We currently have a different situation.

### end of the fragment added in 2021 ###

Car rental in Sicily

The above introduction was made for a specific purpose. This goal is to convince you to rent a car from full insurance package (called SCDW for short). In Sicily, the likelihood of catching even an accidental scratch is definitely higher than elsewhere. You can drive carefully and just be unlucky, and it's not difficult in Sicily. By the way, I think that car rental companies should be obliged to rent cars only in a package with full insurance. Unfortunately this is not the case. For this reason, it is worth paying attention to the amount of deposit required (we will return to this topic later in the article).
A common practice in car rental policies is:
- very low price of the basic variant (to attract a customer, the offer is then at the top of the search results)
- high amount of the security deposit on the credit card (if it turns out that in practice such a large deposit on the card cannot be assumed, the customer is forced to take out full insurance, which causes a decrease - even to zero - of the security deposit on the card).

I found myself in such a situation when renting. I forgot that I used to pay for something with a credit card some time ago and when renting a car, it turned out that I lack the balance to set up a security in the rental (just part of the balance took the payment I forgot). So I bought full insurance on the spot to reduce the deposit amount (the required deposit for this option was falling from EUR 800 to EUR 100). It took place in Sicily. Finally, it turned out to be good, because as I described above, after a few moments I thanked providence for having full insurance.

A bit of peace on the street in Palermo, Sicily

Rent a car without a credit card and a deposit

Network rentals practically do not offer such a possibility. Recently, however, there has been some progress in this matter and a well-known rental company Centauro - [click] started to provide such a service in Italy, including Sicily (this option is called "Premium"). At the moment, it offers very decent prices and I must admit that the offer looks very interesting, and by booking in advance you often get an automatically added discount. Side Centaur is available in several languages, so when you go to their website, change the language to the most convenient for you.

The Centauro offer is also available through the car rental price comparison website DiscoverCars - [click]. Anyway, I recommend comparing the offer also in DiscoverCars, because often in the comparison engine the same offer is even slightly cheaper, and by the way you will compare it with the offers of other car rental companies.

Car rental offer from Centauro, at Palermo airport, for 7 days (May 2023), with full insurance and no deposit. Price below 50 EUR per day looks really good!
The rental conditions in the Premium option are simple, clear and transparent: no deposit and full insurance

Offers from other rental companies

Of course, the above offer may not suit you, or you do not have time to wait for an answer, or simply the rental company does not have free cars in the period you are interested in (which is highly likely with demand in the season). You can take advantage of one of the other rental offers. There are many offers. Total I found 24 various rental companiesthat provide car rental in Sicily, with pickups in different cities: Catania, Palermo, Trapani. I reviewed all offers in terms of the requirements for credit card deposits, insurance and personal participation in the event of an accident or theft. I systematized the collected information in the form of a table so that it would be easier to choose the most interesting offer. However, before I present the results table, I need a few words of explanation about the data that is in it.

What is a credit card deposit?

deposit is the amount that the rental company blocks on the credit card. This amount does not disappear from your card. It's still there, but is not usable.

Example:
Suppose you have a credit card with a PLN 3000 limit. You rent a car from the rental company, and in the conditions of the rental there is information about the deposit in the amount of 500 EUR. You pick up the car and the rental company will deposit a deposit on the card, in accordance with the EUR 500 contract. Your card still has 3000 PLN but 500 EUR * 4,3 = 2 100 PLN is blocked and as long as the blockade is not removed, you cannot use these funds. PLN 900 is available to you.

If you had a plan to pay with the same card for a hotel that costs PLN 1500, for example will not succeed. The deposit will be removed at the earliest about 24 hours after the return of the car, and often it takes even more than a week. It is worth remembering and it is best to pay for other obligations to have a different (debit) penalty or a correspondingly higher limit on your credit card.

What is the deposit on the credit card for?

In this way, rental companies protect themselves against dishonest customers. If the customer does not fulfill the terms of the contract, the costs associated with it rental deducts from the deposit. Suppose you are 8 hours late with returning the car. The agreement provides for an additional fee. The rental company may charge a fee from the deposit regardless of your will.
Another example: you picked up the car with a full tank of gas and returned it with an empty one. The rental charges the value of full refueling and the additional service cost. It now comes out more or less as if a liter of fuel cost 2 EUR. So e.g. the 50 L * 2 EUR / L = 100 EUR fuel tank. That much more or less disappears from the deposit. Examples can be multiplied (scratches on the car, broken mirror, broken glass, damaged upholstery, etc.).

Own contribution and car insurance

In addition to the deposit, which is blocked directly on your credit card, renting a car involves taking on yourself liabilities with so-called own contribution.
Own contribution applies to:
- destruction or damage to the car
- car theft

Each rental has its own amount of own contribution. Separately for destruction and separately for car theft.
This is the cost that you agree to pay the maximum if one of the above events occurs.
The assumption is that if the costs resulting from the removal of damage are greater than the own contribution you assumed in the contract, you are only liable up to the amount of your own contribution, and the remaining costs are covered by insurance.
Currently, practically all rentals include the cost of this insurance in basic vehicle price (the cheapest one you see on the throne). This insurance is mandatory and applies to all rented vehicles.

Vehicle damage insurance - CDW

This is it basic insuranceto which the vehicle is covered (often on the website of the rental company is called Full Insurance, which can be misleading, I feel allergic, it is common practice). The practice of calling basic insurance full is probably intended to suggest to the customer that at a similar price he is purchasing a better insurance package. Then the offer seems more attractive, but in fact it is not. So let's check if the insurance called full insurance is insurance CDW or actually full (SCDW - about which I will write a little below).
I did not find an offer where the insurance would be subject to a surcharge. Everywhere it was at the basic price of the vehicle.
CDW is an abbreviation of the English name Collision Damage Waiver. Having this insurance limits your liability for damage to the amount of your own contribution.
However, if it wasn't too colorful, it would be from this insurance are off the most common: windows, tires and chassis. There may be more exclusions. This means that if, for example, during a collision the damage touched the elements that are excluded from insurance, then for their repair you will pay extra.
Of course, if the event was not your fault and you have a police report for it, then the rental company he has no right to deduct any money. Then the offender pays.

IMPORTANT!
If you have been driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, no insurance works. You pay the full amount of repair costs.

Theft insurance - TP

It is an insurance which in the event of the theft of a vehicle limits your financial liability to the amount of your own contribution.
The name of the insurance is short for the English version Theft Waiver.
The cost of this insurance is included in basic vehicle rental price.
I did not find an offer where the insurance would be subject to a surcharge. Everywhere it was at the basic price of the vehicle.

Full damage insurance - SCDW

This type of insurance totally or partially bear your responsibility for car damage and that is real full damage insurance.
The name comes from the English version: Super Collision Damage Waiver.
In most cases, your liability after purchasing this insurance is reduced to zero, less often to a symbolic amount of around 100 - 500 EUR (depending on the brand and price of the new vehicle).
Rentals, which basic insurance is called incorrectly (or intentionally) full, are called this type of insurance: All Inclisive, Super, All Protection ... etc.
When booking on the site Rentalcars, you can buy full insurance with every rental SCDW. However, you should be aware that this is the insurance you buy in Rentalcars, not at the target rental company. What does it mean? This means that if there is damage or theft to the car, the rental will download from your account the amount up to the amount of own contribution, and for the return of this amount within the possessed you must apply to Rentalcars.
If you want to take out full insurance SCDW directly in the rental, you have to do it on site, when renting. You will then avoid any possible withdrawal of your own deposit from your account and claiming a refund from the insurer. Unfortunately, most rental companies even on their own websites do not allow you to buy this insurance online and you have to do it on the spot when picking up the car. For this rental prices through Rentalcars are lower than directly on the rental site, so anyway it's profitable make a basic booking through Rentalcars.
I checked the cost of buying full SCDW insurance at several rental companies. On average, it is a cost of EUR 30 for basic car models. The detailed amounts are given in the table below.

RentalCost of SCDW [EUR / day]
Greater34,30
Hertz36,60
Reviews32,00
JoyRent21,00

Travel Insurance - PAI

Often, when renting, insurance for people traveling with a rented car is also offered. It has nothing to do with the car itself, it only applies to people. If you buy insurance for yourself before traveling, you do not need it.
The abbreviation comes from the English name: Personal Accident Insurance.
This insurance is often included in the package with SCDW.

Comparison of car rental offers in Sicily

In the table below I have listed the rental's requirements regarding the amount of the deposit on the credit card and own contributions in the event of damage and theft. I ranked them in order from lowest to highest deposit.
By clicking on the name of the rental company you are interested in, you will go to a search engine in which you simply enter the place of pickup and date. This way you will get car rental prices only for this rental, without unnecessary offers from other companies. In addition, going down the page you will learn the reviews and opinions of other customers who used the services of the selected rental company.
It should be noted that the values ​​in the table apply to version loans with basic insurance. By choosing and buying full insurance (SCDW, in the form of: All Inclisive, Super, All Protection ... etc.), all amounts related to your liability (deposit and own contribution) drop significantly, sometimes even to zero.
I will give a specific example below.

RentalBail
(deposit) [EUR]
Own contribution
Damage [EUR]
Own contribution
Theft [EUR]
Maggiore - [click]12010001900
Hertz - [click]20013002000
Avis - [click]25010001900
Budget - [click]25012202318
Alamo - [click]50012001600
Autovia - [click]50013901500
Ecovia - [click]50013901500
Enterprise - [click]50010001600
Europcar - [click]50010982086
Locauto - [click]50010001600
Firefly - [click]60016001600
JoyRent - [click]60015001800
Noleggiare - [click]60013001600
Dollar - [click]70013002000
Thrifty - [click]70013002000
Sicily By Car - [click]80010981708
Italy Car Rent - [click]90015001500
InterRent - [click]95011001100
Sixt - [click]100010001900
TargetRent - [click]100016951830
Centauro - [click]105010501650
Goldcar - [click]110011002500
Rhodium - [click]110011002500
Green Motion - [click]120012001200

Please note that the values ​​given in the table concern car rental in Sicily. Renting in another region or another country may affect the level of required deposit and the amount of own deposits. I expect it may be lower in other countries. Especially where compliance with traffic regulations is more serious 🙂

Search results extension

Suppose you searched the database for the rental company you were interested in (you clicked on the company name in the table above and the search engine opened. You entered the name of the city where you want to pick up the car and completed the pickup and return date of the car). The obtained result turned out to be unsatisfactory or there were no free cars and at the indicated time you want to expand your search results. It is very easy!
In the left panel, described as "Supplier Name"Are the names of companies in which they are within this period there is a slow caro and the price of the cheapest option.
The position of the panel on the search results page is indicated by the arrow in the picture below.

Check the name of the next rental shop in the table above and mark it in the left panel. Finished!
You can select more than one name and compare prices only for those rentals that interest you (as in the picture below).

What would I do?

I'm not saying that my choice is the best, because everyone has their own priorities, but I think that these few sentences can help you make your own choice.
Below I have described the way I selected the offer in 2019. Then the prices were a bit lower (now unattainable), but I leave the description, because it illustrates well how to get to the best offer. Today I would start my search with an offer Centaurthen i would check it out DiscoverCars and finally (if I considered it necessary) I would verify it on Rentalcars.
Who knows, maybe the rental offer described below would be the best again? I do not exclude. However, it is always worth checking and not overpaying.

Sicily By Car rental

After delving into the topic, the choice fell on the rental: Sicily By Car - [click]. In the basic version of the rental, their offer does not shine with attractiveness (it can be seen in the table above, where I compared the basic rental offers of all rental companies), but in the variant with full insurance the situation is radically positive.
As one of the few in Sicily offers on Rentalcars version of the loan with full insurance. On Rentalcars this offer is visible with an additional description in a separate frame: "The price includes AC and theft insurance with zero own contribution". The offer looks like the picture below. The note you are interested in is indicated by the red arrow.

An offer with full insurance must have an additional description similar to that

This is the rental offer for 4 days. So the price for one day is 59,87 PLN (!!!). Calculated in euros, this gives a price 13,7 EUR / day. Compared to the offer I mentioned above for EUR 50 per day, you can see the gap between these two proposals.

WARNING!
In the search results you will also find cheaper offers from Sicily By Carthat do not have this description. These are offers that we are not interested in because they require a large deposit on the credit card and have a high own contribution. Looking through the offer database, look for the offer with the annotation as above.

Direct rental on the rental site

I also checked the price of the same rental option, but directly on the site Sicily By Car. It seems that the rental company has a sales policy, which is supposed to lead to ordering via a price comparison site, because directly on the rental site, renting comes much more expensive.
The same car class, the same date and the same rental conditions directly on the site Sicily By Car, would require payment of EUR 81,06 (i.e. over 22 EUR more expensive), exactly as you can see in the picture below.

Offer directly on the Sicily By Car website

The sales policy through Rentalcars comparison engine is not particularly surprising to me. Offer Sicily By Car compared to other rentals it looks very favorable, and the traffic generated by the price comparison website, which operates in several dozen languages, is incomparably larger than the website of a single rental.

There are no perfect offers

Of course, as you can guess, the offer Sicily By Car there are no pluses. It also has minuses (two minuses) that you should be aware of. Let's take care of them.

Credit card
Rental requires a credit card. Fortunately, virtually any traditional credit card is able to meet the requirements set by the rental company. Due to the fact that we have chosen the option with full insurance, the deposit will be created on the card by the rental company will only amount to EUR 300. This is a limit that is generally available to anyone with a credit card.
I consciously accept this requirement. It is not high and I can handle it.

Own contribution
It is true that the information next to the rental offer clearly says that "the excess is zero", but Sicily is such a specific place that this provision applies to Sicily only partially. In case of car theft in most parts of Italy, our liability is indeed EUR 0, but Sicily is an exception. Our participation will be minimal but greater than zero. It will amount to EUR 200.
OK then let's count.
Instead of 50 EUR (when renting without a credit card) I will pay for the day 13,7 EUR in Sicily By Car. I have a discount of EUR 36,3 daily.
Renting a car for a week I save on the rental price 7 * 36,3 = 254,1 EUR.
Even if they stole my car (and that would be an unlucky bad luck), I will pay 200 EUR with my own contribution, which means that I will get cheaper by EUR 54 than renting EUR 50 a day.
This example clearly shows how the rental price is EUR 50 / day absurd. For a rental to make sense at this price, they would have to steal this car from me twice 😀

Information on these two restrictions can be found on the information card related to this rental offer, the screenshot of which is given below. I have highlighted the records that interest us in red.

Rental in Sicily has different rules than in most of Italy.

I have noticed other weaknesses of this offer. And as I mentioned earlier, knowing about these two drawbacks, I consciously choose this offer. At the moment I think it is unrivaled.
But remember that Rental offers are constantly changing. Each rental company has a separate pricing policy and undertakes competitive activities against others. Just because Sicily By Car was the best at the moment does not mean that it will be the best forever.
It is worth browsing the database Discover Cars i Rentalcars. In my experience, it's best to focus on offers that have additional information that the offer includes full insurance with zero own contribution. Such insurance reduces the amount of the deposit, sometimes up to EUR 0. Then you don't even need a credit card to rent (making a deposit on EUR 0 does not make sense). In this case, thanks to the offer with full insurance, the value of the deposit in Sicily By Car declined z 900 up to EUR 300.
In addition, deductible in the case of theft fell from 1700 EUR up to EUR 200 for Sicily and in most of Italy up to EUR 0. Own contribution in the event of a road collision fell from 1100 EUR up to EUR 0.

I rented a car according to my own directions. How did it go?

There is no better method than to check everything in practice, preferably on your own. Following the rules I described, I rented a car for myself in Bari. I did exactly as described above, step by step, identically.
Do you want to know what came out of it? I described everything in a separate entry, publishing copies of booking documents, booking confirmation, car pickup, copies of documents from the rental company on site, in Italy. I carried out the final settlement with a description of when and how the deposits were opened and released, and what downloads were made. Full photo documentation and a whole lot of practical tips. Juicy and dripping with specificity entry.

Be sure to read: Bari - Italy: Rent a car without a credit card and no deposit?

You know everything

Now that you have full knowledge about rental options, how to read offers and verify their profitability, all you have to do is look for the best offer for you and visit, explore, explore in the warm Sicilian sun.
You already know the way to search the database and filter the results to the offers you are interested in, so let's do it!

Car rental link: car rental in Sicily - [click]

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Pozdrawiam




105 comments on "Sicily (Palermo, Catania, Trapani) car rental without credit card and deposit? How to rent a car in Sicily?"

  • o
    Direct link

    And this Sicily By car rental car has its own insurance does this rental car insure in this special offer?
    Pozdrawiam

    Reply
    • o
      Direct link

      They have theirs. This is the offer with insurance provided by the rental company.
      You have them in the price directly from the rental company.
      The insurance, which Rentalcars offers in addition, is no longer needed for anything here.

      Reply
      • o
        Direct link

        Do you recommend renting via rentalcars or directly from Sicily By Car?

        Reply
        • o
          Direct link

          I see no difference but the price. I will be renting myself soon and if this price relation in favor of Rentalcars is maintained, I will take it through Rentalcars.
          Choose the option that suits you best.

          Reply
          • o
            Direct link

            I just checked, Sicily is almost 2 times more expensive than rentalcars, but there is full insurance, which includes mirrors, wheels, everything. greetings

          • o
            Direct link

            In my opinion, the record you are talking about (regarding responsibility for mirrors, wheels, chassis) concerns the AC insurance option in the CDW version (as indicated in the visible record).
            This version of the rental gives us SCDW insurance and for this version of the insurance I do not see a record about any liability.
            In common sense, if the 200 EUR is the responsibility for car theft (the whole car disappears), it is difficult for the damage of the wheel to be higher than for the loss of the entire car.

  • o
    Direct link

    Hello, I found the article (very nice and specific) after booking through rentalcars: a car for 5 days in Sicily By Car for PLN 127! The total cost with a special insurance offer - as at the beginning of the article (PLN 300 deposit) unbelievable and a bit stressful will everything be as described? Departure to Catania in a few hours and I will check this rental (opinions differ) After returning, I will let you know how it went 😉

    Reply
    • o
      Direct link

      The price is shockingly low. Check well to make sure you have the promotional option with full insurance selected. For full insurance alone, they should add you around EUR 8 per day to the basic price.
      ...
      Out of curiosity, until now I came in and checked on rentalcars ... and in fact there are offers with full Citronen C1 insurance for about 150 PLN for 5 days of rental !!! Well, I will be waiting with interest to learn how the loan went.
      And one note: the deposit is 300 EUR, not 300 PLN.
      Good luck and have a nice time!

      Reply
    • o
      Direct link

      I'm going to Sicily in over a week, I'm also thinking about renting a car. I am asking for the opinion of Mr. Zbyszek, how did everything go with car rental by Sicily By Car? What deposit, what own contribution? What fee?

      Reply
    • o
      Direct link

      Can you ask for feedback on how the rental went? 🙂 Unfortunately, both on Polish and foreign forums, I found a lot of opinions that at the time of returning the car there was no one to check the potential damage, and after returning to the country, people blocked 300 or even EUR 1100 for alleged damage (tires, scratches) and the lack of a full tank, obviously not providing pictures of the actual state. I would be very grateful for describing your rental experience 🙂

      Reply
      • o
        Direct link

        I gave the car back an hour ago. The gentleman checked the fuel level (the return was supposed to be with a full tank), checked for damage inside and looked at all the windows.
        I had insurance for everything, so no stress. He accepted the car without comment, signed the acceptance protocol, gave me a copy of the protocol and that's it.
        I am now waiting for a deposit of 200 EUR to be returned.

        Reply
  • o
    Direct link

    Hello, will you just have a regular visa or MasterCard debit card?

    Reply
    • o
      Direct link

      The deposit must be credit. Debit will not pass.

      Reply
  • o
    Direct link

    A great summary. Thanks to the article, I have a car for a week for ~ PLN 300 and not, as I planned, about 700 with insurance from rentalcars.

    Do you know what about snow chains, are they really needed in Sicily? SicilyByCar does not have them included in the rental price ...

    Reply
    • o
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      Janusz
      SicilyByCar chains cost 50 EUR once for the entire rental, regardless of the length of the rental. They are paid locally and cannot be paid by Rental. When I was taking a car in Sicily in winter, no one in the rental company even talked about it and I drove without.
      Ask on the spot at the rental company, because I know that there were some changes to the regulations and not all of Italy are needed.

      Reply
  • o
    Direct link

    Please write how the rental of cars from Sicily By Car ended, I am also inclined to choose their car for 6 days - Catania, in the option with full AC and own contribution of EUR 300, but there are so many bad reviews (additional charges after a few months after rent, micro-damage to glass and interior that are not covered by insurance) that despite the good price I do not know whether to take a risk.

    Reply
    • o
      Direct link

      I booked for 7 days in February. After my return, I will describe it. I assumed that since no one came back with a negative opinion, it means that there was nothing to come back with, so it was okay and they forgot about the topic.
      Anyway, I will describe the topic in February.
      The charges a few months after renting are usually traffic fines. After the offense, the police report to the rental company and the rental company provides the driver's details. For providing the driver's data, a fee of EUR 40-60 is charged at EACH rental company, regardless of insurance. Most have no idea about it and write about burdens adding a conspiracy theory to it. I don't believe in stories about damage charges after a few months, especially with full insurance.

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        On hot. Today in Bari I picked up a car booked in Sicily By Car as I wrote in the article.
        Everything I wrote about proved successful in practice. The lady at the airport confirmed that everything is correct and the car is fully insured (without wheels, windows and chassis), and the deposit is only 300 EUR. Exactly as I described.
        The funny thing was that Sicily By Car was the only car rental company lined up with it. The rest is empty. A dozen or so positions and everywhere empty. Only here was full of people. So I had to wait about half an hour to collect the keys. Later, after my return, I will post pictures of this funny situation 🙂
        I put a photo on the Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1054098608308852&id=800279323690783
        Having the insurance option indicated by me in the article, the Lady will offer you (or manage yourself) an extension of the insurance for wheels, windows and chassis for EUR 7 a day. Then you have everything insured to the maximum. I was happy to pay the EUR 7 extra (for 7 days I got EUR 49). I am completely at ease. Additionally, the deposit in this option dropped from 300 to 200 EUR.
        For another EUR 5 you can buy 24 h Assistance, for which I thanked you.
        When choosing a car, when booking online at Rentalcars, I chose the smallest and cheapest car (PLN 230 for 7 days). I got an almost new, much more comfortable Dacia Duster, with a diesel engine and a mileage of 26 thousand. km, equipped with navigation with the Polish language 😁.
        Nobody pays attention to the chains that are obligatory in winter. Maybe I was the only one this season to ask about it. Italians don't care, if not even deeper….
        The lady noted that due to the full insurance, no inspection is needed when returning the car.
        I think that's it. I still recommend Sicily By Car. I believe that this is the best offer at the moment.

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        How did you have such prices in June, they wanted a minimum of EUR 100 per day, sometimes more. 124 a day with full insurance is sick

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          We had such, because these were the prices back then. What is happening now is a shock. For now, the only way I have found to reduce the price by 50% or so is to book in advance.
          I described it in a short update insert, in the content of this article, marked with the following heading: ### an important fragment of the text added in 2021, during the pandemic ###
          Search the text for this passage.

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    Please kindly suggest where to choose insurance for mirrors, windows, chassis, which is not included in this offer by the special Sicily by car rental company. I do not see such an option in the rentalcars.com offer after entering the offer of a specific car with this special offer.

    Do you think it pays off? Would the cost of any defects not covered by this AC be up to the amount of the deposit / own contribution, or could it be higher? Thank you.

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      Windows are mainly associated with possible break-ins into the car. I try to leave my car in the hotel parking lot. Additionally, I do not leave anything on top of the car. It gives me peace of mind when it comes to destroying mirrors and windows.
      Chassis - is related to the fact that you do not drive off-road, on gravel, rocks, racing. Some people rented cars to race on dirt roads, so I only drive on normal roads and that's enough 😃.
      I did not buy this type of additional insurance. So I won't help.

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    Hello, I have a question, if I rent a car at the airport in Catania, can I return it at the airport, eg in Palermo? Regardless of what kind of rental is it?
    Best wishes
    PS: great and helpful article 👍

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      It is not possible everywhere, and where it is, it is usually associated with an additional fee. Usually it is several dozen EUR (from 40 EUR up, even up to 100 EUR). The exact price for this service must be checked in the regulations of the specific rental company.

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    Welcome back.

    I found something else like this:
    by the site https://www.autoeurope.pl
    you can borrow from the "dollar" rental company without own contribution at a good price (in my case 90 euro for a week "economy") from what I see snow chains also included in the price, but the description is not very clear.
    At least 0 own contribution.

    Does anyone have any experience with the "Dollar" rental?

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    I plan to borrow a car in Sicily in late June -early July. I checked Sicily By Car on Rentalcars and the price for a week is almost PLN 1. This is much more than what is on offer above. Where do you get such a low price from? best regards

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      I see the price per week (from June 29 to July 5) from Palermo airport, with FULL Sicily By Car insurance, Citroen C1 car: PLN 727,55. This is about PLN 100 a day, i.e. less than 25 EUR / day.
      In the summer season, prices are much higher everywhere than in winter. For less than EUR 25 per day, in summer and with full insurance it probably won't be cheaper.

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        It is interesting to compare the offer to what I see at the moment - for the period of 6 days 02.04/05.04-1/740 (collection during the day, return in the evening) CXNUMX in Sicily by car costs XNUMX in the mentioned insurance option.
        I have also observed that overall prices are rising in the following (warmer) months and falling when I search in March, even though lead time is getting smaller.

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          The closer to the summer season, the more expensive it will be. During the season, everyone has a "harvest" and their hands are full, and the prices are more than 2x higher than now.

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    Indeed, when I filtered the search results by clicking Sicily By Car, I got the lowest price of about PLN 750 (although other similar ones are even for 1500 or more. I don't know what's going on because the cars look similar.)
    He flies to Catania on June 30 and I borrow a car from there. I only have one experience with renting a car abroad. It was in Marseille. I paid less than PLN 700 per week plus full insurance purchased at Rentalcars, about PLN 200 or 300. On the spot, it turned out that I got a beautiful suva with navigation, which I did not expect.
    I have a question:
    Is it better to book a car now or wait? Can the price go up, or even right? Are they not pushing up prices, hoping that people will book earlier and then lower the prices when they have something left?
    Pozdrawiam

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      Wait or book? That is the question!
      I can't predict it.
      In the off-season there is a chance for reductions. I wouldn't count on that in the season. The risk is high. I have not seen any rental companies wage a price war for a customer in the season. There are too many takers.

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    You write "This version of the rental gives us SCDW insurance and for this version I do not see any liability record." Meanwhile on the website under "Sicily By Car rental conditions" it is clearly written in the subsection "Optional insurances and reductions available on site" which follows: "Optional insurance (SCDW) reducing liability (own contribution) lowers the driver's liability in case the rental car is damaged." - since it is optional, it seems that you need to buy SCDW insurance for an additional PLN 50-60 per day (in offers with an indication of AC it is not visible, as it has already been rightly noticed, but it is visible in offers of the same cars without this note). As far as I have read, it can only be purchased on site, but I will be grateful for a confirmation after your visit in February (if you are flying in the first half of the month - I'm going in the second).

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      Yes, these are the standard formulas that Rentalcars generates. Optionally, it means that if you have purchased this option, the subscription from this option works, not the basic one. By purchasing the Special Offer, you are purchasing optional SCDW insurance (as if you would do it on the spot in the rental company, because this is the full-insurance version of the rental) and you don't have to buy anything else on the spot. Exactly with such records I borrowed, for example, in Majorca and Spain, and this is how it worked. At Sicily By Car, I pick up the car from my reservation on February 10, so of course I will write what and how.

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        I understand the logic of the argument and hope that it will work out like that (on the other hand, the inner voice finds a catch in suspiciously low prices). If you had time to share your impressions on this issue before February 16, I will be in time and obligated. For my part, I can add that a debit card was sufficient for the payment so far - although the rental company swears that it does not accept debit cards, on the other hand it also mentions the raised digits on the card (mine has a convex and clear inscription "debit", more than no problem). I wonder if it will also pass on the spot.

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          When paying via the Internet, every card, even a flat one, passes for the rental, because it is a regular payment. However, when setting up a deposit (i.e. blocking funds, not payments) at the rental company, only credit facilities. Here there will be a deposit of 150 EUR and upon receipt, the card that you say "debit" will not pass. Have a credit card with you, because it will be a problem.
          I will try to write in the comment how it went on February 10 in the evening after the delivery.

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            Everything went well? The expected February 10 has come.

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            Yes. I just covered everything in one of the comments. I have literally finished. Search the comment.
            The description is long, so it's easy to find.
            If there is a problem, let me know, I will paste it again.

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    The deposit seems to be 300 euros, but this is a detail - I will have credit, of course (they do not accept cash either). With the debit card, it's a curiosity, as previous car rentals didn't require it. So we are waiting for an account of how it went.

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      Can anyone confirm if the car started to accept cards usually (convex but not credit)? According to their terms and conditions on their website, you do not need the Penal Code if you take out full insurance. Anyone check it out?

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    Will a rental through a comparison engine, broker, e.g. RentalCars with full insurance, reduce the deposit that we have to pay to the company?

    Does only buying insurance directly at the rental company reduce the deposit?

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      If it is insurance from Rentalcars it will not reduce your deposit. However, if it is insurance included in the content of the offer on Rentalcars, as "Special Offer", then it reduces, because it is insurance purchased directly at the rental company.

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    If he rents through Rentalcars, for example in Sicily by Car, and I have the note "The price includes AC and theft insurance with zero contribution." Does this mean they are getting their insurance from Rentalcars, the broker? Are you from Sicily Car ??

    I have a question where to check the exact conditions of this insurance? Does it include mirrors and wheels, and if they are damaged what is the maximum amount to pay? Please help

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      Then it is insurance from Sicily by Car and as standard, as almost everywhere, it does not cover wheels, mirrors and windows.

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    Hi! Great article, helpful for travelers like ja- once a year, but on their own 🙂
    I am asking for advice - is the option company: Autovia, full insurance (Damage to car- covers bodywork, glass, tires & more, covers all costs - theft, towing, key loss) - what is the so-called SCDW option? Thank you 🙂

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      From the description it looks like it does.

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    Great post. Lots of information. But I am "confused". This is the first time I'm renting a car, I don't have a credit card. I realized that I absolutely must take out full insurance. And I don't think there is a credit card option on rentcar. I think the only option for me is AutonoleggioOne. Have you heard something about this company (opinions differ)

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      AutonoleggioOne - after reading the offer and completing all the rental steps (except the payment), they want EUR 7 + EUR 280 for a car wash for the cheapest car for 10 days with full insurance ... it's fast. The deadline in February, which is winter. A real price massacre on the customer.
      With insurance Maxi-Kasco insurance deposit on the credit card is EUR 1850 !!! Full-Kasco insurance deposit is 600 EUR !!.
      Neither of these options is encouraging.
      No, I will not recommend this offer with a clear conscience.
      I am not encouraged by any option

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    Hmmmm, will it be possible to rent a car with my daughter's credit card and I will drive? The daughter does not have a driver's license, but has a card and the same surname. How do you think?

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      There is such a possibility. An appropriate surety transferring the responsibility from the driver to a third party is signed on the spot, although it is not always possible and not always free of charge.
      Usually, when they require a deposit, they also require the driver to be the owner of the card.

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    Hi, I wanted to share my experience after returning and renting a car. As I commented earlier, I decided to borrow via autoeurope.pl. Rental "Dollar”- 88 euro per week from Catania, economy category (full insurance). Importantly - by borrowing through autoeurope.pl In most rental companies, we have the option to choose the option with full insurance (directly from the rental company).

    As for the rental itself: Fiat Panda, condition OK. Importantly, it is borrowed at Hertz. And the contract is made with Hertz. The deposit of 200 euros, however, what is very important: the insurance according to the information in the window covers mirrors and tires. The only thing they offered me was Super Assistance (if I needed help changing the wheel). Also for this price (88 euro) we have the full SCDW option with mirrors and windows. I definitely recommend full insurance. The risk of damage with the local driving style is high, to say the least.

    Unfortunately, the price does not include snow chains. (extra € 5 per day). I had to sign a declaration that I was informed about the obligation to have these chains on some roads. I was on Etna and the chains were not needed (but they are required by law so we risk a fine). On site you can buy chains as if someone wanted for several dozen euros (generally cheaper than renting).

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      Janusz, thanks for the opinion!
      It will be useful to others.

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    I confirm everything written in the topic about driving in Sicily. Stop in the middle of a busy street on or in which lane because you have to read the newspaper or write a text message. Shock! Although we have not seen accidents here, maybe there is a method in this madness. Rather hard without a car.

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    Great article. I have a question whether such a description means that the car has SCDW insurance? The price is about PLN 1582 for 11 days in the season.
    Fiat 500L or similar Special Offer
    Premium package: The price includes AC and theft insurance with zero contribution, windows and wheels.
    What do you think about Leasys rental? You all recommend Sicily By Car. Thank you for the information.

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    IN LIFE, but NEVER IN LIFE, do not take a car at Sicily by Car.
    The contract says that EVERY, literally EVERY DUPEREL processed by them costs you 61 EURO. As it turned out, I have already paid 121 EURO for rent.

    Where do these fees come from?
    Well, ok. My fault that I did not notice that in "my" street you can park for free, and two places further there is this fee. I come back, behind the glass, EUR 18,10 fine, if I pay up to 5 days. As it was the last day of my stay, I already paid with the Revolut card from the airport.
    Sicili by Car informed me by e-mail about the fact that they received a ticket (the driver was not in the car), I have to pay (which I have done a long time ago), and they charged my card with the amount of EUR 61 for opening the envelope with the ticket.
    Today my blood flooded me when I got another letter after six months that I crossed a bridge with limited traffic on some monitoring in Syracuse. Everyone went there, but probably only the locals could. Take it somewhere, read it while you drive, as you ride in a column in a crowded town and everyone hangs over you.
    Another mandate, EUR 58,10 plus Sicily by Car its further EUR 61.

    I don't want to write what's on my lips, because the comment will fly out, but today I stopped regretting the cheaters. I will even be glad if they get this miserable company because of the lack of tourists and hopefully soon.

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      Your comment is valuable, but the fees you write about are collected by EVERY rental company!
      This is not a Sicily by Car invention. It is standard charge, which ALL rentals are charged.
      Your reaction is also typical of people who rented a rental car and broke traffic regulations in some way while using the car. I wrote about this in great detail in the article, Fr. renting a car in Italy, in Chapter "Credit card deposit lock". I sincerely recommend reading this text.
      Police zawsze asks the owner of the car (in this case the rental company) to provide details of the driver who was using the car at the time in order to be able to issue a ticket. For providing data to the driver EVERY rental company charges a fee (usually it is from 50 to 70 EUR). So we have a ticket to pay from the police and a fee to the rental company.
      You broke the regulations after renting a car in Sicily by Car, but in any other it would be the same and then a negative opinion about another rental company would probably arise.
      The overwhelming number of negative opinions about rental companies is the effect of breaking the regulations by the drivers themselves and the related fees.
      Pouring out frustration on the rental company is of course a relief, but saying that the rental company "X" or "Y" has deceived someone about this situation is a step too far.
      I know perfectly well what you feel, because a similar accumulation happened to me a few years ago during my trip to Spain. I broke the rules twice. Once I exceeded the speed on the motorway (the speed camera measured 110 km / h at the limit of 112 km / h), which resulted in a EUR 100 fine from the police + the rental fee (the name of the rental company does not matter, because as I said they all charge this fee). The second time the city monitoring registered that I crossed the line of the zone for traffic only for authorized vehicles: fine EUR 100 + fee to the rental company.
      Another thing is that sometimes I have the impression that the regulations, signs, and markings are so inconspicuous as if the local police or city budgets were geared to generating additional income from fines. Knowing this practice, I always look closely at road signs, park in designated places, and preferably in underground parking lots, and yet I have two such tickets.
      In sum:
      - no one deceived you,
      - you would pay this fee in every rental shop
      - I recommend reading the text in which I write in detail about this and other things related to car rental, listing the mistakes that are most often made by rental customers, for which fees are then charged. The text is about renting a car in Italy, but most of its content is universal. Read: Bari and Brindisi: car rental without credit card and deposit?

      Having several car rentals at Sicily by Car, I still say that this is a very decent rental company. I still recommend it.
      Yours sincerely, and as for the mandates (knowing this feeling) I am joining in pain!

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        And I also have a question regarding the seats.

        Being in Italy in February this year. I also rented a car from Sicily By Car. Everything is great, no problem, until here on June 5 I get an email from the company that I got a fine because in February I entered a restricted traffic zone. Therefore, the company will charge me 50 euros + vat (61 euros, just like Mr. Jerzy). Okay, I understand it too, made a mistake, didn't pay enough attention to the road signs. However, here are my doubts and questions (because this is my first time like this). The mandate was issued on April 6. On May 21, the police issued the appropriate document and sent it to Sicily By Car also on May 21. However, the company sent me this fine and document only on June 5, which made it impossible for me to pay the smaller amount of the fine (EUR 65) up to 5 days. Now, with the help of a friend, I found out that I can see this ticket on the Italian website of the local police. It says that I have to pay 20 euro by 89 July. I mean not me, because Sicily by Car is still on the ticket. This is where my questions come in. Do I now have to wait for the official police letter with my changed details? (I also know that the police sent a transfer form for my data from the company to the police). After all, the ticket is not (yet) in my name? And even if I do not have to wait for an official letter (because, for example, it will not change the amount for the fine), can I apply for a refund of the difference between the higher amount and the lower amount? (Since the company did not give me this mandate within 5 days?)

        I also take into account that the costs of the lawyers would significantly exceed the value of the mandate, as well as the nerves that I would have to chase with it, however I would not like the company to get away with it anyway. Unless I really have to wait now for the official police letter and from that date on, I have the option to pay less.

        I would be very grateful for your answer and advice on what I can do in this situation.

        I will also mention that I have been trying to reach the company since last Friday (June 5) and nobody answers, and I call a few times a day. They also do not reply to e-mails sent. (That's why I decided to ask the Lord what I can do in this situation).

        Thanks again and best regards!

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          I will describe how it was in my case,
          I committed the offense on January 31. I entered a restricted traffic zone within the city. City monitoring caught it and a fine was issued. I received a notification from the rental office about the transfer of data to the police by e-mail on May 8, i.e. over 3 months from the date of the offense. The notification contained information about the deduction of the fee for providing data to the police and the amount of the fine (EUR 90). It also contained information about the exact date and place of the offense.
          I decided that since the police asked for my data, they had to deliver a ticket to my data. So I did not pay anything and waited for the ticket to be served on me.
          The fine landed in my letterbox in July (i.e. after another 3 months). It was exposed to my details, not the rental company details. It contained information on how to settle it online (website address, identification data that must be entered in the title of the transfer, etc.), there was also information that if I pay within 7 days from the date of receipt of the letter, I can pay 50% of the value of the fine and it will be settled in full.
          The letter I received was not a registered letter and was normally thrown into the mailbox, so the 7-day date is rather contractual (it is not possible to indicate the exact day on which it was delivered to me).
          I paid the fine immediately, via the indicated website, in the amount of 50% of its original amount and that ended the topic.
          This is what it looked like for me.
          I cannot say whether this ticket in the police system was first issued to the rental company (as with you), and then after giving the police my data it was changed to my data. I just didn't even check it.

          Pozdrawiam
          Jacek

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    Hello.
    We are going to Sicily in September. A week of sightseeing and a week of lying on the spot. Thank you very much for the information on the rentals and compliance with the regulations.
    Could you please write a few words about what I read on Polish websites (and also on Italian websites, e.g. Visit Sicyly) that the Sicilian authorities, in order to start tourism, propose a refund of every 3rd night and free entry to museums and a refund of 1/2 of the ticket price for arrival in Sicily. They wrote something about vouchers on Italian websites, but no more details, and also on Polish websites. Maybe you know something about the subject? How is it done (in Ufficio municipale, hotel, embassy ???) Or maybe the hotels handle it themselves ???
    Second question: Could you recommend an inexpensive hotel, preferably directly by the sea, with a swimming pool and your own restaurant, where it would be only a lodging place for the first week and a good rest base for the second week?

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      Good morning,
      In the subject of surcharges:
      I did some research and I admit that there are no details about the surcharges. Any announcements at all, press releases that "the governor said" that "the Sicilian authorities are planning", but no particulars: what, where, how, who to apply to, how to apply. Thread.
      I give up. Maybe someone reading the blog knows something and will share?

      As for the hotel and accommodation. I thought about it for a moment and I will suggest one thing that we would like to pay attention to. We are constantly in danger of coronavirus and there is no need to be hysterical (on the one hand), but (on the other hand) it is worth limiting the risk. I would look for something that is not crowded. I would avoid large hotels with natural clusters of people. Swimming in a pool full of people may not be comfortable. So think about renting a hotel in the form of a holiday home with a swimming pool. There are 1, 2 or at most a few families in the holiday home. Some houses are rented exclusively to one family. It is safe and comfortable, and the bass is at your disposal only.
      You can find interesting rental offers in September in the area of ​​PLN 1200-1500 per week for the house.
      Here are some links to sample objects:
      - Bed House Floristella - [click]
      - Residence Baia Blu Falcone - [click]
      - Grand Hotel La Batia - [click]

      Of course, I do not know which part of the island you are flying to, so depending on your plans, you have to look for the location that interests you.
      When searching the offer database, use the menu on the left. I marked: "the base"And"domy wakacyjne". You can add other criteria as you wish.
      Do not use offers with a rating lower than 7.

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    Hey 🙂
    Great article, it lit me up a lot! He is flying with his daughter to Sicily in July, so it is known that the prices are much higher than those you wrote about. The cheapest option for 7 days is PLN 1349. Common sense tells me to book it relatively quickly, because the prices will go up rather than down 🙁 I think right? I was hoping to pay less 🙁 but I understand, eh ...
    Second question: I do not see offers from other companies with the option of full SCDW insurance, as in the case of the SBC recommended by you. Maybe they are marked differently? I would like to compare the offers ...

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      Hello,
      Now that is very hard to predict. Currently, most travelers come to the conclusion that it is safer and more comfortable to rent a car than to travel by public transport (obviously due to the likelihood of contracting coronavirus). This is, of course, water for the rental mill, because while the freedom of traveling continues, they can count on a much greater demand for car rental than it has been so far. Logic dictates that the related price increase is very likely. However, it is difficult to predict how it will develop.
      It may well turn out that some people refrain from traveling at all and then the number of people willing to rent will naturally decrease. Depending on which way the situation unfolds, by booking now you risk that you may overpay, for example, PLN 300, but you have a guarantee that you will not pay more (which is also not excluded). In turn, while waiting, maybe in a week or two you will take out this offer a little cheaper, but it may also turn out that not at all. If you wait too long, it may be that in the most attractive rental company there is no longer a car on the date you are interested in and you will have to look for another, probably much worse offer from another rental company.
      The choice comes down to making a risk that you are able to accept more easily: overpay a few zlotys or can count on some savings at the expense of the risk of incurring even higher fees.
      As for offers with full insurance, most companies do not list such offers in the search engine and do it on purpose. You can buy an insurance package in virtually every rental shop, but you have to do it upon arrival, at the counter, on site. The possible cost of such insurance must be checked in separate regulations for each rental company. The mechanism works most often in such a way that when you arrive at the place you pick up the car and then it turns out that the one you ordered is not there, but you get a different, larger one in the rental price. It's nice, but if you want to buy full insurance on the spot, its price will not be what it would be for the smaller and cheaper car you chose originally, but for the new, bigger one. Buying a full insurance will therefore cost much more than it might initially seem. I know this mechanism, I used it myself once.
      For this reason, I prefer to rent immediately with full insurance, because I know how much I will pay and I know all the rules right away, and changing the car rental company to a larger one does not result in any additional costs for me. That's exactly what I had in February this year at Sicily By Car. I bought right away with full insurance. On the spot they changed my car to a bigger one and it didn't cost me a single zloty more.

      Best regards and happy rest!

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        Thank you very much for such detailed explanations! 🙂

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    Hello,
    I'm also going to Sicily at the beginning of July. I had to rebook my tickets (I had it for June 30 and they canceled it).
    I don't really know if they will recall me again, you never know.
    I am also looking for specific information about subsidies for tourists visiting Sicily and I found nothing. Or maybe someone knows something more ??
    So much talk and no details.
    Not that I was just going, but it would be nice to have something subsidized ... :))
    When it comes to cars, the prices soared, I booked in the LEASYS rental, also with full insurance (I would like to hear opinions about this company ...) for 1200 per week.
    Pozdrawiam

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      Hi. Could you have purchased full Leasys insurance online? I look at the offer, but I cannot see such insurance

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    The Leasys offer was the same as the Sicily By Car described above, ie with "AC and theft insurance with zero own contribution".
    What? There are no such offers anymore?

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    I noticed one more regularity. When I search for offers in advance (1-3 weeks), the price is very high, when I check the offer for tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, the price drops significantly (at least 30 percent). I will see if there will be the same regularity in July. best regards

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    Unfortunately, I have different conclusions. When buying plane tickets around January, the prices for renting a car at the beginning of July oscillated around 600-900 PLN. Currently, it's hard to find anything at the level of PLN 1200-1300. Also, the closer to the season, the more expensive it is. I booked the car through ryanair, mazda cx3 in italy rent car. It was almost PLN 1600 + PLN 380 full insurance. It turned out that the cost of the second driver is another PLN 150-200. A lot is done. The security on the credit card is PLN 6600. The information came to me after booking. Or I missed it at the time of booking. Another piece of information that I had to deal with after booking was the fact that the main driver, the person who booked the car, had a credit card. The assumption was that we were to use the co-driver's card. The final part was that the booking was canceled. Money back up to 7 days. I believe it will go smoothly because the booking was done by ryanair. A quick e-mail saying they'll take care of everything. Looking at the high costs of the largest rental companies in July, it may be worth returning to the turismo trapani offer or the Easy Trapani that you just found. I would like to add that after reading the reviews, we are only interested in full insurance. With full insurance, no deductible, the second and third drivers are free of charge, no mileage limit, no deposit and no credit card needed, approx. 400 e (approx. 60 euro for delivery to the airport in Palermo). I know, for someone who spent PLN 400 in February, the price may be an abstraction, but it looks like July has its own rules. I would like to add that the price in Easy trapani is about 300 euro. Similar conditions + free delivery of the car, and a 100-200 euro deposit depending on the car. Turismo trapani offers a convenient form - cash when picking up the car, in easy a 20% booking payment is required. As we are only arriving on Saturday 04.07, I can't say more. Best regards.

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      This year with car rental prices is getting a bit crazy, because everyone has rushed to car rental in order to avoid traveling crowded with public transport (for fear of the virus).
      And there was always drama in the season.
      Good luck!

      PS
      Out of curiosity, I checked the prices today.
      For the car with full insurance for 7 days,
      - booked at the last minute (for July): PLN 2800
      - booked with 1-month advance (for August): PLN 2100
      - booked 2 months in advance (for September): PLN 800
      - off season (October): PLN 650

      High season has its own rules.

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      Good morning, I am going to rent a car with easy trapani, do you recommend this rental company and do you think it is safe?

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    And I have been in Sicily since July 4, I took the car on July 6.
    It seems that the price I paid, PLN 1200 per week with full insurance and no mileage limit, is an extremely attractive price.
    I booked June 18 via Rentcars at LEASYS. The day before, the same car cost PLN 1000 under the same conditions. I got a bit confused, I thought "I'll book tomorrow" and I had to pay PLN 200 more.
    They took 300 euro from my credit card as a deposit.
    On the spot, instead of a small compact (as they called it) cars, they pressed a Fiat combi to me.
    Maybe someone would be happy, but not us. We are only the two of us and you can drive and park your small car everywhere. So we've been struggling with that big cow since yesterday. I recommend small cars, don't take the big ones.
    The most important thing, however, is to take full insurance.
    What is happening here is heavenly vengeance.
    I thought that Polish drivers drive terribly, but I have already changed my mind.
    There are no rules here !! I feel like in some other reality. Speed ​​limit? Try to drive slower, as the signs say, or at least something like that. You're going to get beaten up on all sides. They will pass you crossing a solid line, not only on the left but also on the right. Driving on a bumper? This is normal here. Priority at intersections? You better watch out, everyone squeezes in here without caring about the others. And they still honk because you cut them off (though you had priority). Riding on motorcycles or scooters is just hardcore. They appear out of nowhere, squeezing between cars, overtaking the third and every now and then. There are whole herds of them. And they honk all the time. You have to have eyes around your head.
    And on the expressway we met a parked car, it was standing without lights, partly on the narrow emergency lane, but most of it on the driving lane.
    Generally, you need strong nerves and full insurance to survive this.
    An extremely emotional experience.
    pozdrawiam

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    Valuable reading, thanks…. maybe you have experience with the return of the car in Sicily bycar at the airport in Palerm - the question is the plane leaves at 9.00 am, the rental is open on Saturdays from 8.00 there is a chance to return the car and not be late for the plane ... and all this in the middle of the 8.08 season
    thank you in advance for any suggestions
    pozdrawiam
    JacekH

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      The return usually takes no more than 3 minutes and is limited to a short inspection and signing one piece of paper. It takes place directly in the parking lot, where there is usually no more crowds. I would arrive several minutes before 8.00 and it should be ok.

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    Mr. Jacek, are you able to recommend a rental car from 06.10-11.10 to be picked up in Catania? Dear everywhere 🙁

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      I checked. I found a Citroen C1 on this date with full insurance with zero own contribution for PLN 896 for 5 days at SicilyByCar.
      These are our times that it won't be cheaper for now 🙁

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    Hello Mr. Jacek!
    Full agreement on insurance against deductible. But in my opinion, it is cheaper to take out such insurance not directly from the rental company, but from an external insurance company - I use WWI (https://www.worldwideinsure.com). In August, I booked the car for 7 days in October via Goldcar and paid 70 € (there was a 30% promotion, but paid in advance) and £ 23,1 for additional insurance in WWI - a total of 425 PLN.
    So far, I have not had to use this insurance, so I have no opinion on how WWI works.
    Regards, Stanisław

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      Everything ok, but I have to point out one important fact. If you do not take full insurance in the rental company, you only have your own insurance (which can be even a few pennies cheaper), then the rental company treats such rental as rental without insurance, i.e. requires a credit card and BLOCKS the deposit on the card (on average around 1000 EUR) .
      If there is a crash on the road, you have to cover your own contribution from your own pocket and only then apply to your insurance for a refund of the excess.
      With this solution, you must have a large supply of cash on the card.
      If you choose full rental insurance, none of these inconveniences occur: zero deposit, zero down payment.

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    Welcome back :))
    I'm going to Trapani around October (maybe even ending) and I was very surprised by the price of the car (with full insurance, of course). Over PLN 4 in 900 days. Well, it's out of season ...
    I think this time I will use a local rental, maybe it will be cheaper ...
    I just don't know which one.
    Pozdrawiam

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    cool. everything is correct. only renting a car in Sicili by Car (by the way, I have rented a car many times from this rental in Portugal - everything was OK) at the moment it is PLN 2000 (trying to check the price 5 days before renting)! this is crazy !! and this is still kind of a "special offer". for such a price, there is no great offer…

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      Yes, the horror of car rental prices is in full swing

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    what are some eggs, 400 PLN for two days the cheapest offer? Massacre, I didn't expect that much ... I want to fly at the end of August.

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    I rented it for 14 days in September 2020 and the price with insurance was about PLN 2500
    Now I want to rent for 14 days in August and the prices do not go below PLN 5000
    I guess a change of plans after all ...

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      If you can make a change, this seems like a sensible option.

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    hello the question is about sucter and won't traveling around Palermo be too much of a problem for such a means of transport by hills, mountains etc? As you think ? I will add that we will be 2 people and the scooter will probably have a capacity of 125 or 150 cc?

    Pozdrawiam

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      There are no big mountains in Palermo, and the idea itself ... I don't know.
      Yes, it's okay to travel around Palermo, but somehow I can't imagine sightseeing.

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    Hello, I found such a rental company: tdsrent.pl
    As I have no rental experience and this is my first trip to Sicily, please take a look and rate it according to your rental experience. Thank you in advance. Departure - the first two weeks of October.

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      Unfortunately, I do not know anything about this rental and I have no experience with it. There are no regulations, contract templates, etc. available on the website.
      I'm sorry, but I will not advise you in this particular case.

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    Good day.
    Found on DiscoverCars an offer to rent a car from SicilybyCar with the annotation "zero deductible insurance". The question is whether this is the same offer as described with RentalCars (i.e. the insurance comes from SicilybyCar) or is it maybe DiscoverCars insurance and in case of problems I will have to jump out of the cash register and then claim a refund?
    What do you think?

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    Mr. Jacek, maybe you will find a moment to comment… I want to book a car on 17-24.11 for 4 people. I found a special Sicily by Car: Mitsubishi Space Star offer for PLN 1054. Is this rental company still recommended by the Lord? ..and is this choice a good one? I have doubts about insurance because I only find CDW and not SCDW? Is this insurance covered by Rentals or Rentals?
    Pozdrawiam

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      If there is only CDW, and there is no SCDW, you will have to pay extra for full insurance about EUR 20 / day. Prices fluctuate, but on average, this is how much the rental companies are taking at the moment for an additional fee for full insurance. Please check back on the website Discover Cars - [click]. They often have a good deal. Please search according to the method described in the chapter "Analysis of the offers"Eg in the entry about renting a car in Croatia. The search method is identical, the question of entering the relevant data into the search engine.

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    Thank you very much for your answer .. Indeed, I found an interesting offer on Discovers, but I have doubts about the text about the return for example for theft .. or is it only up to 3000 EURO?

    “When picking up the car, the car rental company will block the deposit on your card. If your car is damaged or stolen, you could lose this entire amount. However, if you have Full Coverage, we will refund you up to € 3000.00. Full Protection Explained "
    There is nothing in the explanations ...

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    We are going to Sicily in March and I plan to rent a car. The article clarified most of the issues for me, for which I thank you very much 🙂 Unfortunately, from what I can see, Sicily by car no longer has a special offer for full insurance and I wonder if you know what the amount of buying full insurance directly at the rental company when picking up the car looks like (i.e. in the option I book the basic option through rentalcars.com and buy SCDW insurance on site). What order of the surcharge should you set? I will be grateful for the tips 🙂

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      Full on-site insurance recently cost between EUR 20 and EUR 30 per day

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    Hello, I'm going to Sicily for a week trip and I have a dilemma when it comes to renting a car for a road trip. Which companies should you rather avoid and is the "no deposit" option so attractive? At the moment, the price of a car rental without taking a deposit is about twice as high. What offer can you currently try? Most companies either block about + 6000 PLN on the card or do not block them at all. There are no such rental companies where they offer a deposit of PLN 100-2000. Thank you in advance for your answer. Have a nice day 🙂

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      You have to choose from what is. Rental companies shape the offers and they do it in a very thoughtful way.
      A fully insured offer has always been and will be more expensive. The choice is simple: either we pay full insurance and have a comfortable situation at a higher price, or we do not pay and we must have a credit card with a limit appropriate for the deposit.
      Pozdrawiam
      Jacek

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    Unfortunately, I cannot recommend turismotrapani.com car rental company highly enough. We rented a small compact car for 5 days with delivery to Palermo at 16. The driver arrived at 17.30, explaining it with traffic jams 🙂. The condition of the car, unfortunately, was a lot to be desired. The heating was not working. In addition, the car was suffocating at low and normal revs. You had to gass all the time and put it only at high speed, which made driving it unbearable. After 5 days, the driver came to Palermo to get the car, but at a different address than we had given. Probably someone did not tell him that we changed the pickup address the day before, which made him late again. The only plus was that the gentlemen who dropped off and picked up the car were very nice.

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    Sorry to bother you and drill down on the topic.
    After reading the post and all the comments, I still want to make sure that renting a car from discovercars or rentalcars with the description "no down payment" means that they will not block me anything on a credit card that I do not have?
    The offer is like the Citroen example - AC Special Offer with zero contribution.
    They won't block anything?
    Do you need a credit card then?

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    The offer I am writing about, apart from the information about the zero own contribution, also has the entry "no deposit".
    So a credit card is necessary or not?

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    I strongly advise against 4Quattro, the worst experience I've ever had renting a car abroad

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    Good morning
    At the moment, both on Discovercar and Rentalcars, I cannot find Special Offers with Full Insurance for Sicily at the beginning of April from the rental company mentioned by Mr. Jacek Garncarczyk. Is anyone able to confirm how the recently purchased SCDW on their website worked? and After selecting SCDW on their website, is the deposit not blocked by the rental company at all, or is it at least reduced? When choosing the vast majority of companies, the deposit is PLN 13.600 (I don't even think I have such a limit). I found a Key'n Go offer with zero deposit, does anyone have experience with this rental?

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    Of course, it was about the Discovercars website. On the other hand, I found the Key'n Go no-deposit car rental with key collection in a locker on the Rentalcars website. It is the "daughter" of GoldCar. AC insurance (CDW) with an own contribution of PLN 0. Coverage of damages with zero own contribution (bodywork, windows, tires, etc.). How will insurance against damage or theft work then?

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    Good morning, on the Discovercars website you can book and cancel free of charge - at the same time you have to pay a certain amount at the time of booking. Does this mean that if I actually cancel 24 hours before, I won't pay? How is it actually?

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    Good day.
    I found a rental company that supports TDSrent in Polish at the website: tdsrent.pl
    Do you have any experience with her?

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      I saw it too, but I don't know it and I can't say anything.

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