Rome Car Rental Guide
The current page informs you of the car rental possibilities in Rome. It also strives to introduce the traffic regulations in Rome and give you some hints for travelling and renting a car.
Rental Traditions
Driving restrictions
The minimum age of a driver is 18 years. Children from 4 to 12 years of age must use special restraints. It is compulsory for all passengers to use seatbelts. The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.8‰.Driving is on the right. You have to use headlights from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise and also under bridges and in tunnels. Foglights may only be used in case of poor visibility.
While driving, you may only use a mobile phone if you have a hands-free system or speakers.
If you violate the law, the police are authorised to remove your driving license and collect fines on the spot. In case of a foreign-registered vehicle, the police can collect ¼ of the maximum fine on the spot. In order to avoid car thefts, the police are increasingly checking foreign-registered vehicles. To pass the check, the driver of the vehicle must present the documents of the vehicle and also their personal identification documents. If it is a borrowed vehicle, a written permission from the owner has to be presented.
On the whole, cars are parked on the right side of the road. In a Blue Zone (Zona Disco), when parking from 9 am to 2.30 pm and 4 pm-8 pm Mon-Sat (except holidays), your vehicle must display a parking disc. There may also be Green Zones (Zona Verde), where parking is forbidden from 8 am to 9.30 am and from 2.30 pm to 4 pm on weekdays.
In Rome, a sign “Zona tutelato” indicates that parking is forbidden from 7.30 am to 6.30 pm on weekdays; if you are violating this law, you may even be imprisoned.
Speed limits:| Area | Limit |
| Expressways | 110 or 130 KM/H |
| Outside the City | 90 KM/H |
| In the City | 50 KM/H |
Emergency Numbers
Police: 112
Ambulance: 113
Fire 115
Road Tolls
In order to enter a motorway, you have to obtain a ticket and pay when exiting the motorway. You can pay in cash or with a Viacard, which is accepted on all routes except the A18 and A20.
Some useful expressions for tourists travelling in Italy
Car - automobile
Car rental – affitto di automobile
Road – una strada
About Rome
The prosperous Vatican, the Colosseum, the Forum – Rome is a breath-taking and eternal city. It reflects its history with its every cell: visit the Etruscan tombs, imperial temples, churches and towers and feel the culture of the city embracing you.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do? Yes, you should savour the culture, but also leave time for hedonistic pleasure and enjoy life like the Italians do – the delicious food and wine, bright sunshine and friendly people will definitely make you recall the trip years later.
Area: 150 sq km
Population: 3.8 million
Country: Italy
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1 (Central European Time)
Telephone Area Code: 06
Monetary unit: Euro
