Sicily by Car deposit, debit cards and cover: rental guide

Sicily by Car is the rental company many travellers meet first in Catania or Palermo. How big is the Sicily by Car deposit, which card does the desk accept, which cover option suits the trip, and where is the car after landing? This guide answers each question from Sicily by Car’s own terms, FAQ and office pages.

We checked every rule on 2 October 2026, and the facts table below again on 6 October 2026. Conditions can change, and a booking made on another website can carry its own terms, so your booking confirmation always comes first.

Sicily by Car rental: key facts from the official terms

Who is Sicily by Car?

Sicily by Car was founded in 1963 by Tommaso Dragotto and describes itself as one of the leading operators in short-term leisure car rental. It has 60 rental offices in Italy, a fleet of about 18,000 vehicles and a listing on the Euronext Growth Milan market of Borsa Italiana. Abroad, it operates in Spain, Portugal and Croatia through subsidiaries, in Albania and Malta through franchising, and in France, Austria and Montenegro through commercial partners.

Its administrative office is in Carini, in the province of Palermo. On the island, Sicily by Car lists desks at five airports (Catania, Palermo, Trapani, Comiso and Pantelleria) and offices in Palermo, Trapani, Cefalù, Termini Imerese, Messina, Milazzo, Giardini Naxos and Siracusa.

The standard rate includes unlimited mileage unless stated otherwise, VAT, a reduction of the damage and theft charges, the airport or downtown surcharge and vehicle preparation. Fuel, fines, the optional protection clauses and extras such as child seats come on top.

The Sicily by Car deposit: amounts and card rules

At the desk, the main driver leaves a security deposit as a pre-authorisation on a credit card in his or her own name. The rental information sets out the details:

• The card must be a physical international credit card: American Express, Visa or Mastercard. Digital cards are not accepted.
• Debit and prepaid cards only work for the deposit through the Debit Package described below. Cash and cheques are not accepted.
• The hold is the rental cost, if you have not prepaid online, plus a fixed amount per car group.
• Keep your PIN at hand, because the bank may ask for it.

The fixed amount goes down when you add Car Protection Plus or Super Gold Protection:

Vehicle	Without extra cover	With Car Protection Plus	With Super Gold Protection
Standard car groups	€200	€100	€100
Vans (groups G, U, GW and UW)	€1,000	€400	€200

Sicily by Car’s FAQ says the deposit is unblocked immediately when the car comes back with a full tank and no damage. The rental itself can be paid with a credit, debit or prepaid card, online or at the desk. Only the guarantee needs the credit card. Our guide to the deposit and excess on a rental car explains how holds and excess relate in general.

Renting with a debit or prepaid card: the Debit Package

Travellers without a credit card can still rent with Sicily by Car under its separate debit card terms. On this route the Debit Package is compulsory; it includes Car Protection Plus, Pai Plus and Road Assistance Plus.

The terms list the cards that qualify, whichever bank issued them: Mastercard Debit and Prepaid, Maestro, Visa Debit, Visa Prepaid, Visa Electron, V Pay, PagoBANCOMAT, UnionPay debit and prepaid, and JCB debit and prepaid. Each card needs a chip and a PIN and must show an IBAN; if it does not, you provide the IBAN at the start of the rental.

Car groups on the debit route	Deposit on a debit or prepaid card
A1, B, C, D, EEN and M1	€300
EES, H1, HW, J1, JW, N, S, SW, BF, KF, FF, CF and EF	€500

Here the amount is charged to the card together with the deposit. After the return, Sicily by Car pays the deposit back within 6 working days to the account whose IBAN and BIC you provide, minus a small service charge. The package is offered only for the groups above, and the final handover is at the desk’s discretion, so make sure the card has enough funds.

Cover options: Car Protection Plus, Pai Plus and Super Gold Protection

Every rate includes third-party liability cover and a reduction of the damage (CDW) and theft or fire (TLW) charges, so your liability per event is capped at a level set per car group. Sicily by Car points out that these reduction clauses are a contractual service, not an insurance policy. On top of the standard cover you can choose:

Option	What it adds
Car Protection Plus	Removes the damage charge for the bodywork and the theft or fire charge, and lowers the deposit
Pai Plus	Covers windows, windscreen, tyres, underbody, roof and soft top, plus personal accident insurance for the driver
Super Gold Protection	Combines both, adds mechanical parts, vandalism and damage to or loss of keys, and lowers the deposit
Road Assistance Plus	No towing charge after an accidental breakdown or accident damage

Some items stay with the renter under every option: upholstery and interior parts, accessories, documents, number plates and the safety kit. Damage from driving on unpaved roads or from vegetation is excluded too. If you prefer an excess policy bought at home, read its wording before you travel, and keep in mind that without Car Protection Plus or Super Gold Protection the higher deposit applies.

Fuel: full to full or the Prepaid Fuel Option

Sicily by Car hands over the car with a full tank, meaning the gauge at 8/8, and the standard rule is full to full. If the tank is not full at return, you pay for the missing fuel plus a refuelling service charge. The fuel price is updated in the first week of each month, based on the average motorway prices published by Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT).

The alternative is the Prepaid Fuel Option, which you can only add at the desk when the contract is drawn up. Its cost depends on the size of the tank, and the settlement depends on what you bring back:

• A full tank (8/8): the option is not charged.
• At least 6/8: you pay the missing fuel and the refuelling service instead.
• Less than that: the option is charged, and unused fuel is not refunded.

A fully electric car goes back at 100 percent or at the charge level you received, with a 15 percent tolerance. Our fuel policy guide compares the common fuel rules.

Age, licence and documents

The standard age range is 23 to 82. Younger drivers can rent selected groups with the Young Driver supplement: groups A1, B, C and M1 from age 19, and a wider choice of small and compact groups, including D, J1, N, S and SW, from age 21. Some larger groups and vans require 25, and the general conditions mention 27 for a few groups.

Every driver must have held a licence for at least 1 year and 1 day for most small and compact groups, and 3 years for the others. Bring the original licence (digital licences are not accepted), valid beyond the return date, plus an original identity card or passport. Licences from EU countries, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, San Marino, Turkey and Algeria need no International Driving Permit, as long as you also carry a valid passport. Other licences need a permit, and a licence in non-Latin script needs a translation by the embassy or consulate.

Up to three drivers can share a rental. More in our guides to young driver fees and documents for renting abroad.

Catania and Palermo airports: where to find the desk

Directions and hours from the office pages, as shown for the week of 2 October 2026:

Airport	Where the desk is	Desk hours	Returning after hours
Catania Fontanarossa	In the signposted car rental area next to the arrivals terminal, a few steps outside the main doors	08:00 to 23:29	Park in a Sicily by Car bay, leave the keys and a copy of the contract in the key box
Palermo Falcone Borsellino	Inside the arrivals terminal: leave the baggage hall, walk straight on and the desk is on your right; the car park is about 50 metres in front of the arrivals entrance	07:30 to 23:29	Key box for the keys and a copy of the contract

Palermo airport is about 30 kilometres from the city. You can collect there and return to the Palermo city offices in Via San Lorenzo, Via Napoli or at the harbour without a supplement; other offices carry a one-way fee. Trapani, Comiso and Pantelleria have their own airport desks.

Late flights, closing time and returns

• Add your flight and mobile number to the booking. The desk then follows your flight and keeps the car. Without them, the car can be released after 2 hours.
• Arriving after closing time: airport offices wait up to 2 hours after closing, and a pickup after closing carries an out-of-hours fee.
• Returning late: you have 59 minutes of grace, counted from your actual pickup time. After that, an extra day is charged.
• Using the key box: the car remains your responsibility until staff check it in, and the rental information mentions an out-of-hours fee, so return during opening hours where you can.
• Priority Check In: an optional service to skip the regular queue; families with children can ask for the family line.

Ferries and driving beyond Sicily

Article 2.3 of the general conditions and the rental information list where the car may be driven: Italy, France (including Corsica), Germany, Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Vatican City, San Marino, Monaco, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Liechtenstein, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Luxembourg, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. Crossing to mainland Italy keeps you inside that area. In any other country, the insurance and the protection clauses no longer apply.

Malta is not on the list, even though Sicily by Car has a franchise there. If you combine both islands, plan a separate car for Malta; our guide to renting a car in Malta covers it.

Driving on to the mainland? In Campania and Puglia, Car Protection Plus and the Debit Package do not remove the theft or fire charge, and with Super Gold Protection half of it remains. One-way rentals between offices are possible for a fee, with a separate rate for Sardinia.

Winter, country roads and fines

• Winter equipment: from 15 November to 15 April, snow tyres or chains are compulsory where a local ordinance requires them, which Sicily by Car notes can include the islands. Cars from Sicilian offices come without chains as standard, so request them if your route needs them.
• Unpaved roads: not allowed, and damage there is not covered by any option.
• Pets: only guide dogs and service dogs.
• Fines, tolls and parking: Sicily by Car notifies you of fines, unpaid tolls and parking charges from the rental period; its handling fee applies only to renters who are not consumers, such as businesses. Our guide to renting a car in Italy explains the ZTL zones in town centres.

Pickup and return checklist

1. Check the car before you leave the car park. Compare it with the check-out sheet and report anything missing straight away, because differences cannot be raised after signing.
2. Take photos of every side, the fuel gauge and the mileage, at pickup and at return.
3. Expect the group, not the model. If your group is not available, Sicily by Car provides a higher category at no extra charge.
4. Check the car together at return. New damage is valued with the SBC Damages Table, which you receive at pickup. Damage outside the table is valued by an expert and charged 5 days after you are notified; a dispute within those 5 days puts the charge on hold until the checks are done.
5. Raise questions within 20 days. Any claim about the rental must reach the head office in writing within 20 days after it ends.

Prepaid bookings made directly with Sicily by Car can be cancelled free of charge up to 48 hours before pickup, or 24 hours for last-minute bookings, by email to prenotazioni@sbc.it. Bookings cannot be amended.

Sicily by Car on Vrooem

Sicily by Car is not yet among the rental companies in Vrooem’s search results; we checked Catania again on 6 October 2026. That search, for a rental from 20 to 27 October, showed cars from Locauto and U-Save at Catania airport, and you can set their deposit, fuel and cover rules next to the terms above. Our Green Motion vs U-Save guide explains how U-Save works. Every rental booked on Vrooem includes a free travel eSIM, so you have mobile data from the moment you land.

Our verdict

Sicily by Car is an established Italian rental company with more than sixty years of history, a wide network across Sicily and detailed written rules, including a route for debit and prepaid cards. Bring a physical credit card or plan for the Debit Package, choose your cover before you fly and return the car full, and you are set for a relaxed road trip around the island.

Sicily by Car FAQ

How much is the Sicily by Car deposit? For standard car groups, the rental cost (if not prepaid online) plus €200, or plus €100 with Car Protection Plus or Super Gold Protection. With the Debit Package it is €300 or €500, depending on the group.

Does Sicily by Car accept debit or prepaid cards? Yes, through the compulsory Debit Package, for cards with a chip, a PIN and an IBAN. Without it, the deposit needs a physical credit card in the main driver’s name.

When is the deposit released? The FAQ says the hold is unblocked immediately when the car comes back full and undamaged. On the debit route, the deposit is paid back within 6 working days.

Can I take the car to the mainland or abroad? Yes, to mainland Italy and to the countries in the general conditions, such as France, Spain, Austria and Croatia. Malta is not on the list.

Sources

Checked on 6 October 2026 for the facts table: Catania airport office, Palermo airport office, car rental information and FAQ.

Checked on 2 October 2026: Sicily by Car about us, terms and conditions overview, car rental information, general rental conditions, debit card rental information, FAQ, additional services, offices in Italy, Catania airport office and Palermo airport office.