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Community question

Is a credit card required for car rental in Italy?

Theme: Life in Italy · from messages of 2022-2026

In short

For car rental in Italy, a credit card is usually required, but some companies accept debit cards.

What the chats answered

In most cases, a credit card is required for car rental. Some rental companies may accept a debit card, but it will be more expensive due to full insurance.

Some participants report that rental is possible with a debit card if it has the required amount. However, this depends on the company.

It is important that the card is in the name of the renter. Without a name on the card, rental companies may refuse to rent, even if the booking is paid.

Some companies, like Localauto and Europcar, may accept debit cards, but conditions can vary. It is advisable to check in advance.

Built from 65 similar questions and 16 answers across 3 chats; retold and anonymised, disagreements kept as a spread of opinions.

Where to verify

The current procedure is set by your comune or the office running the service; the answers above are community experience from different years. Short curated answers on the theme - FAQ: Life in Italy.

Related questions

This retells what chat members wrote; it is not official information and not legal advice.