Car hire Sicily: Catania or Palermo airport, deposits and tolls

Car hire Sicily makes sense on an island where the big sights sit far apart: an active volcano in the east, Arab-Norman Palermo in the north-west and a string of baroque towns in the south-east. Most trips start at one of two airports. Catania, at the foot of Mount Etna, is the gateway to the east and south; Palermo serves the capital and the west. According to Catania Airport, the two cities are 209 kilometres apart, so where you land shapes the whole holiday.

This guide covers what happens after the baggage hall: where each company meets you, which card the deposit needs, where you pay tolls and when the ZTLs are switched on, plus three road trips. Every rule was checked on 13 October 2026 against official sources: the companies’ terms, both airports, the cities, the motorway operators, GOV.UK and Italia.it, the Italian government’s tourism site. The companies write their terms for direct bookings, so for a Vrooem booking your voucher has the final word. Our guide to renting a car in Italy covers the mainland.

Do you need a car in Sicily?

For anything beyond Palermo and Catania, yes: the places most visitors come for lie on mountain roads and in small towns.

UNESCO’s list shows the spread. It describes Mount Etna, listed in 2013, as the highest Mediterranean island mountain and the most active stratovolcano in the world. The eight Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto, listed in 2002, were all rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693, and they range from Catania to Noto, Modica, Ragusa and Caltagirone. Arab-Norman Palermo, listed in 2015, takes in the cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale as well. From Catania, the airport lists Taormina at 51 km, Syracuse at 60 km, Ragusa at 104 km and Agrigento at 168 km.

Catania or Palermo: which airport suits your trip?

Fly into Catania for Etna, Taormina and the baroque south-east, and into Palermo for the capital, Monreale, Cefalù and the west. For a round trip, land at one and fly home from the other: Record Go’s Catania page offers a one-way hire to Palermo, and with other companies you check that your search accepts a different drop-off.

	Catania (CTA)	Palermo (PMO)
On Vrooem, search of 13 October 2026	Locauto, Record Go, U-Save, OK Mobility	Locauto, Record Go, U-Save
Distance to the city	about 6 km	about 35 km, on the A29
Best for	Etna, Taormina, Syracuse, Noto	Palermo, Monreale, Cefalù, Trapani
Toll roads nearby	A18 to Messina	A20 to Cefalù and Messina
Toll-free motorways	A19, Catania-Siracusa	A29, A19
Desk in the terminal	Locauto	Locauto
Other companies	short walk to a car park	shuttle from the departures area

Car hire Catania airport: one desk inside, three a short walk away

At Catania, Locauto is the only one of the four with a desk in the arrivals hall. Record Go, U-Save and OK Mobility work from car parks next to the airport, so plan on a walk of a few hundred metres with your luggage.

Company	Where to go	Hours	Returning
Locauto	Desk on the ground floor of the arrivals terminal, just past the sliding doors; cars about 100 m to the right	08:00 to 23:59	Ground floor of the P4/Rent-a-car multi-storey, also when the desk is closed
Record Go	Walk about 100 m right along Via Fontanarossa, past Terminal C, then the footpath behind car park P4 to the “Parking Vip”	08:00 to 22:00	After hours: keys in the box by the staircase, parking ticket on the dashboard
U-Save	Same VIP car park, about 300 m from the airport: past Terminal C, follow the signs	On your voucher	To the same office
OK Mobility	Airport car park a few minutes’ walk from the terminal	Shorter in low season; earliest and latest slots for confirmed bookings only	To the same store

Note that private cars may not use the Arrivals lane.

Car hire Palermo airport: arrivals desk or a shuttle to Cinisi

At Palermo, Locauto has its desk in the arrivals hall. Record Go and U-Save work from offices in Cinisi, on the SS113, and collect you by shuttle from the first floor.

The airport says the rental desks are in the arrivals hall, with the rental car park opposite. Company by company:

• Locauto. The desk is straight ahead as you come out of the arrivals gate on the ground floor. Cross the internal airport road to the car park. Open 08:00 to 23:59 every day; to return, follow the “Car Rentals” signs.
• Record Go. Go up to the first floor, the departures area. The shuttle bus meets you in front of the central gate. Open 08:00 to 22:00, with a key box for returns after hours.
• U-Save. Call the shuttle number on your voucher after landing and wait on the first floor of the departures hall, near the San Lorenzo cafeteria.

The airport is about 35 km from Palermo along the A29. Staying in the city first? The railway station is beneath the terminal, with daily trains.

The deposit and the card

Your card can rule a company in or out. Locauto and Record Go take debit cards with conditions, U-Save requires a credit card in Italy, and OK Mobility accepts debit only with its own full cover.

Company	Debit card accepted?	Hold on basic cover	Hold with the company’s top cover	Released
Locauto	Yes, Visa, Mastercard, Amex or UnionPay, except groups L, T and K	None on cars, just a 0.01 euro pre-authorisation	None	Nothing held
Record Go	Yes, Visa or Mastercard, but no prepaid; Amex only with Total Comfort	900 euros for most Mini and Economy cars, up to 1,800 euros for Premium	0 euros with Total Comfort	Up to 30 calendar days
U-Save	No: physical Visa, Mastercard or Amex credit card, valid 2 months past the return date	Basic 900 to 2,000 euros (Plus 300 to 500)	Premium Plus 150 to 250 euros	Usually 5 to 15 days
OK Mobility	Only with OK Premium Cover; otherwise a Visa or Mastercard credit card	By car group, see your voucher	See your voucher	14 to 31 days

At all four, the card must be in the hirer’s or main driver’s name. Also note:

• Brokers. Record Go says intermediary bookings come with basic cover only, so at the desk you choose between Total Comfort and an excess hold. Locauto says some conditions can differ for intermediary bookings. Read your voucher.
• Fuel hold. Record Go’s Italian terms add a 150 euro pre-authorisation for fuel.
• Excess. On Locauto’s basic rate, groups A, B, C and E carry 1,200 euros for damage and 1,800 euros for theft. The doubled theft excess in Locauto’s terms applies to Campania and Puglia, not Sicily. Record Go’s basic excess runs from 1,300 to 2,200 euros, U-Save Basic from 1,200 to 3,000 euros.

See our guides to deposit and excess and to Locauto for more.

Licence, age and the rules of the road

GOV.UK says a UK photocard licence is enough to drive in Italy, a paper one may need replacing or an IDP, and hire companies often set stricter rules. U-Save exempts UK licences from its permit rule; Record Go wants a licence held for a year. Locauto (groups A, B, C and E), Record Go and U-Save rent from 19, with young driver fees up to 24.

On the road, you drive on the right. Italia.it lists the limits: 130 km/h on motorways, 110 on main roads, 90 on other roads outside towns and 50 in built-up areas, or 100 and 90 if you have held your licence for less than three years. Dipped headlights stay on outside built-up areas, the alcohol limit is 0.5 g/l (zero for new drivers), and in a breakdown you wear a reflective vest and place the triangle at least 50 metres behind the car. Phones are hands-free only.

See Palermo and Catania on foot and keep the car for day trips. Stay off dirt tracks: Locauto holds you liable for damage on unpaved roads and Record Go forbids them, so ask your agriturismo whether the last stretch is tarmac. Note that a new Italian Highway Code went to the Council of Ministers on 13 October 2026; the ministry says it aims to recover unpaid fines from foreign drivers, with no start date given yet.

ZTLs in Palermo and Catania

Palermo’s central ZTL runs on weekday daytimes, with extra night hours at the weekend. In Catania, the ZTL and the pedestrian areas around Via Etnea apply around the clock and are camera-controlled.

Palermo. Hours from the city’s ZTL portal:

Days	1 May to 31 October	1 November to 30 April
Monday to Thursday	08:00 to 20:00	08:00 to 20:00
Friday	08:00 to midnight	08:00 to 20:00 and 23:00 to midnight
Saturday	midnight to 06:00 and 20:00 to midnight	midnight to 06:00 and 23:00 to midnight
Sunday	midnight to 06:00	midnight to 06:00

A day pass exists, but the city stresses that a pass bought online must always be activated, by text, in the PalerMobilità app or on the portal; with a foreign number, use the app or the portal.

Catania. Under the rules of AMTS, the city’s mobility company, the ZTL around Via Sant’Agata and the pedestrian areas of Piazza Duomo, Via Etnea up to Piazza Stesicoro, Piazza Bellini and Via San Giovanni Li Cuti are in force 24 hours a day, every day. A hotel inside the zone can register your plate so you can unload luggage on arrival and departure days, for up to 12 hours.

Elsewhere. We found no current official hours for Taormina, Ortigia or Cefalù. GOV.UK notes that ZTL signs usually show the letters in black on yellow and that cameras record cars passing them; give your plate number to any hotel inside a zone. The fine reaches the rental company first: Record Go charges 40 euros for the legal service it adds, and U-Save an administration fee.

Tolls: the A18 and A20 charge, the A19 is free

Tolls apply on the A18 Messina-Catania and the A20 Messina-Palermo, both run by the Consorzio per le Autostrade Siciliane. The A19 Palermo-Catania, the A29 from Palermo airport and the Catania-Siracusa motorway belong to ANAS and its toll-free network.

• How it works. On the A18 and A20 you take a ticket on entry and pay on exit, in cash or by card according to Italia.it; Telepass users take the yellow lanes.
• To Cefalù. From Palermo you switch from the A19 to the A20 and pass the Buonfornello toll barrier.
• Unpaid toll. You get a non-payment slip; the consortium lets you settle it without extra costs within 15 days.
• Toll device. Locauto’s Tollpass (17.50 euros a day, before VAT and surcharges) covers motorway tolls only, not parking or ZTLs.
• Roadworks. ANAS is upgrading the A19’s bridges, viaducts and tunnels, so allow extra time.

Three Sicily road trips

Distances from Catania Airport and Italia.it.

Etna and Taormina, two days from Catania. On day one, drive up via Nicolosi to the Rifugio Sapienza at 1,910 metres, which Italia.it calls the last point on the volcano you can reach by car or bus; a cable car continues to the Montagnola at 2,500 metres. Day two is for Taormina, 51 km from Catania on the tolled A18, where the regional tourism portal points to the Greek theatre and Corso Umberto. Park on the edge of town and walk in.

Palermo, Monreale and Cefalù, three days. Take the A29 from the airport into Palermo, leave the car outside the ZTL and spend day one on the Arab-Norman trail, starting at the Palazzo dei Normanni and the Palatine Chapel. Day two is a short hop to Monreale cathedral, 5 km from Palermo according to Italia.it. On day three, Cefalù is just over an hour from central Palermo via the A19 and A20; climb the Rocca, about 270 metres above the town.

The baroque south-east, three days from Catania. Syracuse comes first, 60 km away and partly on the toll-free Catania-Siracusa motorway; UNESCO describes Ortigia as the nucleus of the city founded by Greeks from Corinth in the 8th century BC. Spend day two in Noto, rebuilt on a new site after 1693, and Modica. On day three, Ragusa lies 104 km from Catania, and you can loop back via Caltagirone, another of the eight baroque towns.

Parking and petrol

Italia.it sets out the colours: blue lines mean paid parking, white free and yellow reserved. In Catania you can pay with the AMTS Smart Parking app, but AMTS notes its blue-line areas are unattended, so leave nothing on show.

Locauto, Record Go and OK Mobility (Catania) work full to full; U-Save asks for the same level you received. If fuel is missing, Locauto charges the fuel plus a 35 euro service fee (before VAT and surcharges), Record Go the fuel plus 24 euros, and U-Save 2.20 euros a litre plus 30 euros. Italy’s MIMIT ministry publishes station prices on its Osservaprezzi Carburanti portal.

Ferries, the Aeolian Islands and Malta

Record Go and U-Save do not allow ferries. Record Go’s Italian terms also forbid leaving the island where you collected the car, and a breach cancels its cover and triggers a penalty.

Locauto allows driving in EU countries, Norway, Switzerland and the UK, and charges 60 euros (before VAT and surcharges) for a one-way hire to or from Sicily, but its FAQ says nothing about ferries. We found no Italian ferry rule for OK Mobility. Ask either company before you travel. For the Aeolian Islands or Malta, leave the hire car in Sicily; our guide to car hire in Malta picks up from there.

When to go and when to book

For July and August, book early, especially for an automatic or a larger car. In winter, think about Etna. Last winter ANAS required snow chains on board or winter tyres from 15 November on stretches of the A19 and A29 and on mountain roads such as the SS120 dell’Etna e delle Madonie, marked by signs; the order for winter 2026 was not yet online on 13 October. Locauto hires out winter tyres for a daily fee.

Common mistakes

1. Following the satnav into a ZTL. Catania’s cameras work day and night.
2. Not activating a Palermo day pass. Until you do, it does not count.
3. Taking a debit card to U-Save. In Italy, it wants a credit card.
4. Forgetting an unpaid toll slip. After 15 days, costs are added.
5. Lingering outside Palermo terminal. An electronic system logs every plate, and cars staying over 15 minutes are fined.
6. Putting a Record Go or U-Save car on a ferry. Their terms forbid it.

Booking car hire in Sicily on Vrooem

In our search of 13 October 2026, Vrooem showed Locauto, Record Go, U-Save and OK Mobility at Catania, and the first three at Palermo. Each offer names its rental company before you pay, so you can check the rules above first. Sicily by Car, the Sicilian company founded in 1963, is not bookable on Vrooem; our Sicily by Car guide covers its terms. Every Vrooem booking includes a free travel eSIM, handy for calling the shuttle as soon as you land.

Sources

Checked on 13 October 2026: Locauto Catania airport, Locauto Palermo airport, Locauto FAQ, Locauto Special Rental Conditions, Locauto General Rental Conditions, Record Go Catania, Record Go pickup at Catania, Record Go pickup at Palermo, Record Go terms, Italy section, Record Go on intermediaries, U-Save Italy terms, U-Save Catania, U-Save Palermo, OK Mobility Catania, OK Mobility payment methods, Catania Airport car hire and by car, Palermo Airport car hire, by car, by train and controlled traffic zone, Palermo ZTL portal, AMTS Catania ZTL and pedestrian area rules, AMTS parking, ANAS in Sicily, ANAS on the A19, about ANAS, ANAS winter equipment in Sicily, Autostrade Siciliane on unpaid tolls, Telepass on the A18 and A20, GOV.UK travel advice for Italy, Italia.it on driving in Italy, Italia.it on the Rifugio Sapienza, Italia.it on Arab-Norman Palermo, Italia.it on the Rocca di Cefalù, Visit Sicily on eastern Sicily, UNESCO on Mount Etna, the Val di Noto, Arab-Norman Palermo and Syracuse, Your Europe road rules for Italy, new Highway Code, MIMIT fuel prices and Sicily by Car. Vrooem offer: search of 13 October 2026.