Fuel and Hire Cars

Those of you who use Pisa airport, and need to return a hire car full of fuel, will know that the Api petrol station (when open!) is very expensive.   

Recently we hired a car in Marseilles (France!   ) and there they required not only the car to be returned full of fuel but also we had to produce a receipt from a petrol station no more than 10km from the airport.   

Has anyone come across this requirement in Italy yet?    

ghiro wrote:Those of you who use Pisa airport, and need to return a hire car full of fuel, will know that the Api petrol station (when open!) is very expensive.   Recently we hired a car in Marseilles (France!   ) and there they required not only the car to be returned full of fuel but also we had to produce a receipt from a petrol station no more than 10km from the airport.   Has anyone come across this requirement in Italy yet?    

They use some sort of meter to check fuel levels so they would know without the need for a receipt.  There's no petrol station within 20km of Fiumicino airport approaching from the south - if anyone knows of one, maybe off the raccordo, let me know please) so there's no way you can return with a full tank.  That allows them to fleece tourists with an admin charge for filling up.  At Ciampino, however, there's a petrol station just outside the airport, so it's never an issue.

Neil, this might be of some help... Car hire LINK

Wow you're good Steve!    

ghiro wrote:Wow you're good Steve!    

Thanks Ghiro, but not really..... I just use Google and the trouble is that there is so much (lots of itrubbish) being added to the web it will become difficult to get good info... What I don't know is if that particular garage(s) exists, is cheap or even still open.... However I did see another result that pointed to the same info... Best check before you leave the airport if you can...  

stevegwmonkseaton wrote:Neil, this might be of some help... Car hire LINK

Lovely link, have saved it thanks!  

stevegwmonkseaton wrote:Neil, this might be of some help... Car hire LINK

That is very helpful, Steve.  Just what I needed!

Ghiro, I'm astonished at the requirement to show the receipt like that. Did they explain the reason for it? I've certainly never come across that anywhere in Italy. Is it simply because fuel gauges can be deceiving?

I understand that some people, when coming south towards Pisa, actually fill the car up at (the cheaper) Versilia services - and the fuel gauge still shows 'full' some 30km later on arrival at the airport.

Perhaps this is what they're trying to stop in Marseilles?