Milan is both an independent travel destination and a starting point for getting around Northern Italy. For example, Milan is located rather close to lakes Garda, Como, Maggiore, the Dolomites, in addition, from Milan it is convenient to get to such top Italian cities as Venice, Turin, Brescia, Verona and Genoa. No surprise, car rental in Milan is a very popular option among the travellers. Let’s explore helpful tips for renting a car, plus some driving rules and scenic routes.
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Car rental in Malpensa airport
Car rental in Milan
Milan, being the largest city of Northern Italy, is annually visited by a huge number of tourists from all over the world. In the surroundings of the city there are two airports called Malpensa and Linate. 60 km from Milan in the town of Bergamo there is another international airport called Orio-al-Serio and used by low-cost airlines.
I have travelled a lot along the roads in Europe so I can confirm they are pretty much comfortable and it is often the fastest way to get to the desired destination. Plus, you can conveniently and safely move around the Northern regions available from Milan as the road connections are highly-developed here. After some research, I decided to put together information I have previously found out and create a complete guide on how to rent a car in Milan to travel around Northern Italy.
It is not surprising that with such a variety of touristic routes, the question of how to get around is very popular among travellers. There are many options, including public transport, taxis, and car rental. The last option is especially relevant for independent travellers, since public transport, despite its development, does not always have a convenient schedule, and some objects are not accessible by public transport at all.
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Car rental offices
You can find rental offices everywhere in the city, including such areas as Largo Augusto, Assago, Limito De Pioltello, Lorenteggio, via Carnia, via Spezia, via Di Novergo and others, as well as at the central railway station, where as many as 13+ more rental offices are open. You can compare car rental conditions from various rental companies via specialized booking services:
Discover Cars is a service for searching, comparing and saving on car rentals;
Economybookings is a service for finding cheap car rentals around the world.
I would recommend comparing both services as they have a decent search with a lot of useful filters to sort the results as you may need. Via online services you can book a car in advance. In that case the time for registering a car for renting on the spot will be reduced. In order to find the most suitable option in terms of price and quality, you can check the offers on all the listed services for comparison.
The registration procedure in short
The set of documents for renting a car in Milan is standard and does not differ from other European countries. It includes a passport, a driving license and a bank card. The registration on the spot takes, on average, no more than 20 minutes (if booked in advance). All you need to do is to choose a car, sign a rental agreement, take out insurance and pay for the service.
As far as I know, car rental in Milan or at the airports is a very common option. It is in demand among those tourists who have a driver’s license. Getting around Northern Italy by car is quite convenient. There is an extensive network of highways and duplicate rural and urban roads of excellent quality. Thanks to a car, you can get to even the most remote corners of Italy, for example, to the mountains, where there is no railway and only road serpentines are available for getting to.
Car rental in Milan – prices and companies
Car rental in Milan is one of the popular tourist options, so rental offices can be found in many places in the city. To rent a car in Milan, you need to have a passport, an international driver’s license and a bank card to pay for the services. Please note that in addition to the rental cost, deposit is also blocked. The cost of deposit varies depending on the class of car.
The deposit is a kind of a guarantee in case of unforeseen circumstances such as accidents, fines, maintenance, etc. Blocking a deposit is a common practice of rental offices around the world. You must have sufficient funds on the card for deposit. Usually, if unforeseen circumstances do not occur, the deposit is unblocked and returned to the card within 2 weeks to 1 month after the car is returned.
Reliable rental companies also offer to register an insurance. You should not neglect road insurance, because getting damaged while driving in Italy is not that difficult, given the narrowness of city roads and parking problems.
The list of companies
Based on my research, rental companies operating in Milan include Dollar, Thrifty, Maggiore, Locauto, Budget, Goldcar, Sicily by Car, Hertz, Enterprise, Europcar, Rhodium, Avis, Sixt, WinRent, Keddy, InterRent, FireFly and some others. Rental prices start from 15-20 euros per day. You can find a car for renting in Milan in any class, be it a mini, economy, compact, medium-capacity, family car, minivan, SUV, cabriolet, sports car, etc.
If the price of renting a car is low, then the deposit amount is usually quite large. This amount of money will be blocked on the card as a deposit in case of damage to the car. You can avoid this by taking out full insurance; A standard insurance covers your expenses in case of an accident, but only above the deductible amount called franchise. You will have to pay the franchise. The amount of the deductible in case of an accident is specified in the contract, please pay attention when signing; A full insurance usually covers both the franchise and the deposit. It also covers damage to glass, mirrors, tires, wheels, etc. (exact conditions are specified in the contract). Traffic violations (fines issued) are NOT covered by full insurance! The cost of full insurance is daily and, accordingly, depends on the number of rental days.
Briefly about the deposit, franchise, insurance:
Car rental in Malpensa airport
Malpensa Airport is the largest air hub not only in Italy, but also one of the largest in Europe. The airport’s annual passenger traffic amounts to millions. Tourists, arriving at Malpensa airport, go to various destinations in Northern Italy. For trips they often use a rented car as the most convenient and fastest means of transportation.
According to my research, at Malpensa Airport, 23+ more suppliers, both international and local, have offices. Among them, in particular, there are such well-known ones as JoyRent, Ecovia, Locauto, Sicily by Car, Goldcar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Rhodium, Maggiore, Budget and many others. It is better to choose reliable and well-reputed rental companies to avoid further problems during the rental period.
The cost of car rental in Milan in Malpensa Airport
The cost of car rental in Milan at Malpensa airport starts from 15-20 euros per day. There are small, medium, large, station wagons, premium cars, minivans, and SUVs to choose from. In total, the number of rental cars at Malpensa Airport is more than 400 units.
If you book a car in advance via online booking platforms, then additional options often include free cancellation and changes to the order 48 hours before the rental start date, coverage in case of theft, and coverage in case of accidents (above the sum of franchise). You can do your own search for finding the best car option to rent at the airport:
Please note that it is customary to return the car with a full tank of fuel. Otherwise fines may be charged from the notorious deposit that was blocked on your card when you rented the car. You can choose a car with or without air conditioning, with a manual or automatic transmission, etc.
I did some research and discovered that the rental offices are not located in the airport building, but next to it. You can get there by special free shuttles that run from the airport to the rental offices and back. This is quite convenient, because, when returning the car, you can also take a shuttle to your departure terminal.
Car rental in Bergamo airport
Often, tourists, visiting Milan, fly not to Malpensa airport, but to Bergamo airport. The distance between Bergamo and Milan is about 80 km. As a rule, various low-cost airlines land in Bergamo.
The following car rental companies operate at Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport: Alamo, Autovia, Avis, Budget, Ecovia, Enterprise, Europcar, Firefly, Hertz, InterRent, Keddy, Locauto, Maggiore, Sixt, Thrifty and many others. The cost of renting a car starts from 15-20 euros per day. You can choose a car from a huge number of small, medium, large, premium cars, minivans, and SUVs. You can compare offers from all suppliers at once on the following online services:
Discover Cars is a service for searching, comparing and saving on car rentals;
Economybookings is a service for finding cheap car rentals around the world.
I can totally recommend both online services mentioned above. In my opinion, they have a very convenient search with a lot of useful options.
Some rental offices are located outside the main airport building. In that case tourists are invited to take advantage of a free shuttle transfer to the rental offices. The other part of the companies is located right in the arrival terminal. When pre-booking a car in advance, services such as free cancellation and changes to the order 48 hours before the rental start date, coverage in case of theft, and coverage in case of accidents are provided.
Why is it better to book car rental in Milan in advance?
Milan is a top tourist destination in Italy. Millions of tourists visit it every year. It is not surprising that car rental in Milan is in great demand here. By booking a car in advance, you guarantee yourself the availability of the class of car you need and at the most reasonable price. Renting a car on site almost always costs more than when booking in advance.
In addition, without a reservation, you may encounter a situation where all the cars of the class you need will already be taken apart. In that case, you will have to rent a car in a more expensive segment. To my mind, the optimal period for booking a car is at least 2-4 weeks before the expected travel dates.
Driving rules in Milan
Driving rules in Italian cities, incl. and Milan, are similar to international ones. There should be no misunderstanding of road signs. A much more complex issue is parking. In Italian cities, with their narrow streets, finding a parking space can be pretty difficult. Most often, you can leave your car either in paid underground parking or in specially designated areas.
Generally, it is a bad idea to park in the historical center of Milan. It is very difficult to find a free space there. In addition, to enter the historical part of the city you will need to pay an environmental fee and stick a special sticker on your front window. In this regard, in my point of view, it is better to leave the rented car outside the city center.
Petrol Stations and speed limits
They are refueled in Italy with gasoline with an octane rating of 95 or 98, as well as diesel. In addition to gasoline, you will also have to pay for travel along the toll highways. In total, there are about 80 toll roads in Italy (travel through tunnels is also paid). The payment policy is as follows: at the entrance to the toll section, you need to take a ticket, and when leaving, pay it in cash or by card at the automatic machine or at the cashier. The cost varies depending on the mileage.
There are ways to avoid toll roads, for example, to use duplicate roads that pass through rural areas. The speed on such roads is slightly lower (on average, 20 km/h lower), but this will help you avoid driving on toll roads; in addition, the advantage of choosing duplicate roads is that you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the colorful Italian countryside.
My tips on how to book car rental in Milan in advance via online services:
1.On the start page of any online service, you must fill in the search data, including such information as place of picking up and dropping off, the travel dates, the exact time of your arrival. If you wish, you can pick up a car in one place and return it in another. This option is relevant if the route of your trip does not involve returning to your original location. Many international rental companies have offices in different Italian cities and even outside of Italy, so you can try this option, if needed.
2.On the results page you will see available offers from rental companies for your dates. The list will be sorted by price from lowest to highest. Here you can apply additional filters, for example, select the supplier company, car class, mileage and fuel conditions and some others.
3.Each offer has its own rental conditions; you can view them by opening the appropriate tab. On the tab you will see the following information: what documents are needed for registration, what bank cards are accepted for payment, what are the conditions for fuel and mileage, insurance conditions, the cost of the deposit, etc.
Booking Stage
4.Having chosen the option that suits you best, go to the booking page. Here you will need to fill in information about yourself, including your last name, first name, telephone number, email address, flight number and time of arrival. Here you can add additional options, for example, a child seat, a navigator, a trunk, a second driver, and extended insurance and some others. Payment is made by credit card fully or partially.
5.After payment, a voucher will be sent to the specified email address. It must be printed and presented at the rental office (or presented via smartphone). You will fill out a rental agreement, obtain insurance, and receive the keys on the spot. On average, the entire procedure of car rental in Milan takes about 20 minutes (if booked in advance via online services).
In conclusion
Car rental in Milan is often not only a convenient, but also a necessary option, especially if you plan to travel outside the city. Some places in Northern Italy can only be reached by car; public transport is not always available everywhere.
As I see it, the convenience of car rental in Milan is that rental points and offices can be found in every district of the city, as well as at the airports, be it Malpensa airport, Linate airport or Orio al Serio airport in Bergamo. The cost of renting a car is also one of the cheapest in Italy and starts from 15-20 euros per day. Considering all these advantages, a rented car is not only convenient and often fastest way to travel around, but also in terms of money, may be the cheapest one.
Take a note! When going on a trip to Italy, do not forget to take out travel insurance, which is useful for receiving a tourist visa and for solving emerging medical problems when travelling in another country. You can purchase insurance via online services, for example, via EKTA and others. You can choose from different modes, including quiet, active or extreme rest.
Photo above the article: Jorge Láscar
Julia is an experienced traveller, BA in International Relations and Languages and true lover of planning trips in advance. Learn more about the author…
