Locauto car rental reviews: deposit, debit cards and cover

Locauto is the Italian rental company you meet at the desks of Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa, Catania, Palermo, Naples, Olbia and many other Italian airports. Travellers who read Locauto car rental reviews before they book usually want to know: is the company established, does it really take no deposit, will a debit card work, what does the cover include and where is the car after landing? This guide answers each question from Locauto’s own conditions, FAQ and office pages.

We checked every rule on 30 September and 1 October 2026. Locauto states that some conditions can differ when you book through an intermediary, so your own booking confirmation always comes first.

Who is Locauto?

Locauto Rent (LocautoRent S.p.A.) was founded in 1979 and calls itself the largest 100% Italian company in short-term rental. It runs more than 100 offices at airports, railway stations and city centres, and rents vans as well as cars.

Is Locauto owned by Enterprise? No: it is a fully Italian company, and since 2013 the exclusive partner for Italy of Enterprise Mobility. Through that partnership, Locauto’s international rentals page books cars at more than 9,500 locations in over 90 countries and territories. Our Enterprise guide covers that brand itself.

Locauto car rental reviews: what travellers value

When customers are happy with a Locauto rental, they mention these points most:

• Friendly, helpful staff at the desk and in the car park.
• A quick pickup and return.
• Clean, recent cars. Locauto’s own FAQ says its cars are normally new and in excellent condition.

Two of Locauto’s own policies also keep the counter simple: no security deposit on cars, and debit cards accepted for most car groups.

Where Locauto operates: airports, stations and city offices

Locauto’s office map lists desks at 27 Italian airports, from Aosta, Turin and Trieste in the north to Lamezia Terme and Reggio Calabria in the south. On the islands it covers Catania, Palermo and Trapani in Sicily and Olbia, Alghero and Cagliari in Sardinia.

Railway stations are the second pillar, among them Rome Termini, Rome Tiburtina, Naples Central, Venice Mestre, Verona Porta Nuova and Civitavecchia, the port town where many Rome cruises dock.

Locauto also runs Elefast, its own app: at offices such as Rome Ciampino and Milan Linate, a car booked through Elefast is collected straight from the car park, without a stop at the counter.

Rates and cover: basic rate, Smart Cover or Don’t Worry

Every Locauto car carries third-party liability insurance, which the General Rental Conditions put above the limits set by law. With the basic rate, you remain liable for an excess if the car is damaged or stolen. Locauto’s FAQ names two packages that take it away:

• Smart Cover eliminates your liability for damage to the bodywork, glass, windows, tyres and wheels, and removes the theft excess. Because it covers named parts rather than every kind of damage, the conditions still list the group’s damage excess next to it.
• Don’t Worry eliminates all liability for theft and damage, mechanics and interior included, and adds Accident Protection and Roadside Plus.

Under the Special Rental Conditions, the maximum daily charge for groups A, B, C and E is €20 for Smart Cover and €25 for Don’t Worry, rising with the car group up to €48 and €60 for group K. These amounts exclude 22% VAT and the 20% airport or railway fee. You can add either product on Locauto’s website, in its app or when you collect the car.

Have your own excess policy? Locauto’s FAQ says it applies only between you and that insurer; towards Locauto, the rate and protection on your contract decide your liability.

Excess per car group, and the Campania and Apulia rule

Locauto sorts its fleet into lettered car groups, and the group decides the excess. The Special Rental Conditions set these amounts for the basic rate, plus the regional theft excess that remains with cover:

Car group	Damage	Theft	Theft in Campania and Apulia	Campania and Apulia theft, with Smart Cover or Don’t Worry
A, B, C, E	€1,200	€1,800	€3,600	€1,800
D, M, G	€1,500	€2,000	€4,000	€2,000
F, R, S, W	€1,700	€2,200	€4,400	€2,200
L, T, P, J	€2,000	€2,800	€5,600	€2,800
K	€3,600	€3,600	€7,200	€3,600

Elsewhere in Italy, Don’t Worry brings both excesses to zero. In Campania and Apulia, the regions around Naples, Salerno, Bari and Brindisi, a separate theft excess applies: double on the basic rate, and still the amount in the last column with either product. Collecting in Naples or Bari? Ask at the desk which theft excess is on your contract. See our excess and deposit guide for the basics.

Locauto deposit and debit card rules

The rules fit in four points:

• Cars: no security deposit. Locauto only places a €0.01 pre-authorisation to register the card. Its Zero Security Deposit terms cover bookings on its website, app, call centre or at its offices. Vans carry a €500 deposit, or €100 with SecurVan or SuperSecurVan.
• The card: a physical Visa, Mastercard, American Express or UnionPay card in the main driver’s name, showing that name and the full card number. Credit and debit cards are both accepted.
• Debit cards and the top groups: the FAQ requires a credit card for groups L and T, and the Special Rental Conditions add group K. These are the three groups with the highest minimum age, 27.
• Not accepted: Maestro, prepaid and reloadable cards, digital cards such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, and cash.

The card needs enough available limit for the rental price if you did not prepay, plus any services you add at the desk. Booked through a third party? Check the deposit line in your confirmation. When a block is placed, Locauto releases it within hours of closing the contract, though banks can take days, sometimes weeks, to free the money.

Age, licence and documents

Minimum ages depend on the group: 18 for AEV, BEV, BY and CY; 19 for A, B, C and E; 21 for D, M, F and G; 25 for P, R, S, W and J; 27 for L, T and K. Drivers aged 19 to 24 pay a young driver fee of €22 a day, before VAT and fees. There is no maximum age.

Licence rules also depend on the car. Locauto’s FAQ asks for a licence held at least one year for the Mini category and three years for most other categories. Drivers with a licence younger than 36 months can book groups BY and CY at the Locauto Young rate.

At pickup, bring:

1. A driving licence valid in Italy. A licence issued outside the EU, or written only in Cyrillic, Hebrew, Chinese, Arabic, Korean or Japanese characters, needs an international driving permit or an embassy translation; notary and private agency translations are not valid.
2. An identity document with your address details, plus your passport if you live outside the EU.
3. The payment card described above.

Additional drivers must be present at the desk, meet the same age and licence rules, and cost €7 a day.

Fuel, mileage and the extras worth knowing

Locauto delivers cars full and asks you to return them full. If you do not, it charges the missing fuel plus a €35 service fee, before VAT and fees. With the Prepaid Full Tank option you return the car at any level; unused fuel is not refunded.

Online rates normally include unlimited mileage; rentals over 27 days can carry a limit. Other details, all before VAT and fees:

• Tollpass: a toll device at €17.50 a day, which Locauto describes as unlimited motorway use with tolls included. Without it, you pay at the booth in cash or by card.
• One-way rentals: €60 within mainland Italy and to or from Sicily, €500 to or from Sardinia.
• Travelling with a pet: the “Bau the way” option costs €34.66 per rental.
• Winter: snow chains are included in Locauto’s web rates in the months when winter equipment is required on many Italian roads.
• Other countries: Locauto cars may be driven in every EU country at no extra cost, and also in Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Driving anywhere else is not permitted.

ZTL zones and traffic fines in Italy

A ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato) is a limited traffic zone, usually in a historic centre. Italy’s official tourism site, Italia.it, tells drivers not to enter at the times shown on the signs.

In Florence, according to the city’s official tourism site, gates read every plate, and an electric sign shows green when access is allowed and red when it is not. The zone applies Monday to Friday from 7:30 to 20:00 and Saturday from 7:30 to 16:00. From the first Thursday of April to the first Sunday of October, a night zone also runs from 23:00 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 03:00 the next morning. Staying at a hotel inside the zone? Give your vehicle details to reception or the hotel garage on arrival, and they pass them to the Municipal Police.

Locauto’s FAQ explains what happens with a fine: the authority sends it to Locauto as the owner, Locauto passes on the driver’s details, and a penalty from the Special Rental Conditions can apply. The safest plan is to park outside the historic centre and walk in. Our guide to renting a car in Italy covers ZTL signs and tolls in more depth.

Pickup at the ten airports where Vrooem sells Locauto

Directions and opening hours from Locauto’s office pages on 30 September 2026:

Airport	Where the desk is	Where the cars are	Desk hours
Rome Fiumicino	Open Tower rental area; follow “Car Rental - Open”	4th floor of Parking A	07:00 to 23:59
Rome Ciampino	Rental building, free shuttle from the terminal	Next to the office	08:00 to 23:00
Milan Malpensa	Terminal 1, floor -1; free shuttle from Terminal 2	Under the Sheraton hotel, 5 minutes on foot	07:00 to 23:59
Milan Linate	Ground floor, across the hall from arrivals	5th floor of car park P2, two minutes away	07:00 to 23:59
Catania	Arrivals, ground floor, just past the sliding doors	100 metres away, right of the terminal	08:00 to 23:59
Palermo	Facing the arrivals exit	Across the internal airport road	08:00 to 23:59
Naples	1st floor with the other rental companies	400 metres away, free shuttle	08:00 to 23:00
Bari	Opposite the arrivals exit	200 metres away, footpath	08:00 to 23:00
Olbia	Rental area a few metres from arrivals	Next to the office	08:00 to 23:00
Cagliari	Rental building across the road, 3 minutes on foot	Next to the office	08:00 to 23:00

For the return at Fiumicino, follow “Car Rental Return - Parking A-B-C-D”, take a ticket and drive up to the 4th floor. At Catania, the Locauto bays are on the ground floor of the P4 rent-a-car multi-storey.

Pickup and return checklist

1. Put your flight number on the booking. Locauto then holds the car for 59 minutes after your actual landing. After closing time, the out-of-hours service costs €30 plus fees and VAT, and the office can wait up to 90 minutes. Call the office as soon as you know you are late.
2. Read the check-out form. Existing damage is marked on it and you sign it, so that damage is not held against you at return. Add anything missing, then photograph all sides, the wheels, the windscreen, the fuel gauge and the mileage.
3. Know the measuring card. Locauto grades bodywork damage with a 10 x 5 cm plastic card. A single scratch under 5 cm on the bodywork is not charged; the exception is the roof, glass, mirrors, lights, rims and tyres.
4. Check the car together at return. Staff inspect it with you and you sign the Final Vehicle Inspection form. Under the General Rental Conditions, a customer who does not sign it gives up the right to dispute its contents later. Raise any disagreement on the spot, keep a copy and repeat your photos.
5. Returning after hours? Locauto’s FAQ says this is possible at all airport offices, and the car remains your responsibility until the office reopens. At Linate, arrange it with the office in advance.

Where you can book Locauto on Vrooem

In our searches on 30 September 2026, Vrooem showed Locauto cars at ten Italian airports: Rome Fiumicino, Rome Ciampino, Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Catania, Palermo, Naples, Bari, Olbia and Cagliari, with 14 to 15 car types each, from a Toyota Aygo or Fiat Panda to a Volkswagen Caravelle. Our location list also includes Locauto city and station offices in Milan, Catania, Olbia, Palermo and Bari. Before you pay, check the excess and fuel rule of the car you choose and compare Locauto with the other rental companies at the same airport. Every rental booked on Vrooem also comes with a free travel eSIM, handy for calling the office when you land.

Our verdict

Locauto is an established Italian rental company with more than four decades of experience and a wide network of airport and station desks. Book a group that fits your age and licence date, decide on Smart Cover or Don’t Worry in advance, return the car full and keep clear of ZTL zones.

Locauto FAQ

Is Locauto legit? Yes. Locauto Rent is an Italian company founded in 1979 with more than 100 offices. It is not owned by Enterprise, but has been Enterprise Mobility’s exclusive partner for Italy since 2013.

Does Locauto take a deposit? Not on cars booked through its own channels: only a €0.01 pre-authorisation to register the card. Vans carry a €500 deposit. For a booking made elsewhere, check the deposit in your confirmation.

Does Locauto accept debit cards? Yes, physical Visa, Mastercard, American Express and UnionPay debit cards in the main driver’s name, except for groups L, T and K. Maestro, prepaid and digital cards are not accepted.

What is the difference between Smart Cover and Don’t Worry? Smart Cover covers named parts and theft; Don’t Worry removes all damage and theft liability and adds Accident Protection and Roadside Plus. In Campania and Apulia a theft excess remains with both.

Sources

Checked on 30 September and 1 October 2026: Locauto: who we are, Locauto international rentals, Locauto FAQ, Locauto Special Rental Conditions, Locauto General Rental Conditions, Locauto booking terms, Locauto damage rate table, Locauto Zero Security Deposit, Locauto additional services, Locauto office map, the Locauto office pages for Rome Fiumicino, Rome Ciampino, Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Catania, Palermo, Naples, Bari, Olbia and Cagliari, Italia.it on driving in Italy and Feel Florence on the Florence ZTL.