Sixt
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Great experience - free upgrade to better car, friendly, efficient and reliable service
I’ve seen a lot of bad reviews here and approached car renting in Italy with some initial trepidation and bewilderment, but to be completely honest and fair to them we had a great experience with Sixt, and despite one mistake I think they should get credit where it’s due. I should note that we also played our part in the decisions we made and by driving responsibly and with respect for the vehicle and other road users. So perhaps I can offer a guide to the perplexed on how to do it. We rented an automatic car for a road trip from Venice to Palermo. I should note that we did it through AutoEurope, because we felt reassured that this broker would be able to deal with any issues that arose (more on that later), and they offered us a good deal with a free additional driver, as well as comprehensive insurance. Turned up at Venice Airport to be greeted by a friendly member of staff, who offered us insurance: “No thank you, got AutoEurope insurance.” “Okay, no problem. Sorry we don’t seem to have the car you wanted. SO I’M UPGRADING YOU TO AN AUDI Q2 [basically a mini-SUV with a ridiculously powerful diesel engine and reliable performance].” “YES PLEASE!” I sign the credit card block and the contract. Get to the car, check it for the damages registered on the electronic paperwork. Only one tiny scratch that’s already registered. The car looks beautiful, basically brand new, immaculately clean inside and out. But as the paperwork notes, the navigation system doesn’t work, there’s no SD card. My heart sinks. But wait, it’s even better - the car connects to Apple Play and to your phone seamlessly, navigation, music, everything! SI PERFAVORE! Avanti - off we go into the Italian countryside, crossing to Tuscany via Bologna and the Apennine mountains flecked with autumn colours and beautiful windy but well-maintained roads. We drive carefully, don’t break any laws, and somehow don’t get any scratches from the narrow village roads all the way from Tuscany to Sicily. The car drives like a dream, with the most advanced cruise control you could imagine, and the most comfortable ride. We park everywhere very carefully and try and store the car overnight in manned parking houses with camera coverage (although Southern Italy and Sicily felt much safer and secure than any of the things you’ve heard in the past). It cost a bit more, but gave us piece of mind. By the end of our trip we were happy parking on the street in Palermo and even there it was fine. Oh yes and diesel fuel is cheaper than petrol in Italy for some reason. Despite the big engine, the car manages 800km on one tank. Tip: when filling up, even at the self-service pumps, you’ll need to be assertive that you want to fuel up the car yourself or you might end up paying more for an attendant who tries to do it. We bring it back in one piece after 2,100km at Palermo airport, having fuelled it up to the brim just before. Friendly Sixt guy greets us, walks once round the car (we take our own pictures for assurance), sits inside and notes the mileage and condition of the car. “Perfect” he says, and we sign the paperwork. Nothing is taken from my credit card, no speeding fines, and I’m sent a receipt by post from Sixt to my home address with some sort of bonus voucher worth quite a few Euros. The only thing that didn’t go perfectly was a little mistake, when Sixt sent me the details of a customer behind me in the queue at Venice airport, who rented a car for a day - I was getting all their emails and was worried I was being held liable for their rental. I phoned up AutoEurope and asked them to sort it out for me (this is the added value of brokers). Next thing I know a Sixt manager in Italy contacts me and sorts it all out, confirms in writing it’s all fine and apologises for the mistake. Didn’t mire a great rental experience, but this explains why no five star rating. I am passing no judgement on other renters’ experiences, but this was ours and we honestly had the best time with Sixt - I hope this can serve as a useful guide to those who need it and provides a fair evaluation of Sixt in our instance.