Car hire in Milan from 12 eur a day

Penalties for traffic offences in Milan

When hiring a car in Milan, you should strictly adhere to traffic rules as Italy is known for its hash traffic laws and hefty fines.

Traffic offences and penalties

Speed limits

Italy has common speed limits for all vehicles:

• 50 km/h in built-up areas;
• 90 km/h for country roads;
• 110 km/h for high-speed suburban roads;
• 130 km/h for expressways.

Traffic cameras are often placed along roads to record all speeding incidents. Fines are automatically deducted from the offender’s credit card by the company providing the rental car at the airport in Milan.

Parking

Like in any large European city, Milan has problems with free parking spaces. All parking spaces are marked by different colours:

• white stripe means any one can park free of charge.
• blue stripe means the parking zone is not free of charge;
• black-yellow stripe means that parking is not allowed (these zones are meant for taxis, buses, etc.).
• yellow stripe means that the area is for the locals;

Tourists using car rental services in Milan can park their vehicles the free white zone or paid blue zone. White zones are usually found at large shopping malls and supermarkets. The parking time here is limited and displayed at relevant places. You can record your parking time using a parking disc (disco orario), which is sold at banks, post offices and travel agencies. To use the blue zone, you need to buy a parking ticket and attach it to the windshield. The parking ticket can usually be bought at newsstands, vending machines, or from persons working at the car park. They normally wear orange vests. Parking costs range from 1 to 3 euros per hour depending on the area and time of day.

Besides, you can always use parking services. The cost is different; it often depends on the parking time – the longer, the lower the hourly rate. When parking rules are violated, the offender’s vehicle may be towed to a car pound or the wheel locked with a device to prevent it from moving from the spot.

Permissible blood alcohol levels

The maximum permissible level of alcohol in the blood for driving in Milan is 0.5 ‰ or 0.00 ‰ for drivers under the age of 21 and with driving licence categories C, D, and E.
Exceeding these levels incurs fines and other penalties, including imprisonment:

Fuel cost

Filling stations in Italy sell unleaded gasoline (98 and 95 octane) and diesel fuel (Gasolio). Diesel fuel is cheaper but the cost of renting diesel-powered vehicles in Milan is generally higher.

Fuel prices in Italy are one of the highest in Europe:

It is only at motorways that you can refuel your car at any time of the day. On other roads, few filling stations operate on weekends and at night. You can pay for fuel through vending machines that do not accept foreign credit cards. Therefore, it is advisable to have enough cash. At the entrance to a gas station are signs indicating that the station is open (Aperto) or closed (Chiuso).

Toll roads

Using some roads and tunnels in Italy requires you to pay road tolls. The rate depends on several factors:

• the type of vehicle (classified based on its height and number of axles);
• the type of the highway section (mountain or plain);
• the company managing the road (if they are more than one, the cost of each section is calculated separately).

Fares on roads leading from Milan:

To enter an expressway, you need to take an entrance ticket (if any). It is prohibited to use the yellow stripes TELEPASS. Only blue and white stripes are available when leaving the motorway:

• blue stripes means self-service is available via Vitacard and credit cards;
• white stripes means self-service is available via Vitacard, credit cards and cash;
• white stripes with an operator means the gate is manned by an operator; Vitacard, credit cards and cash are accepted.

To enter the centre of Milan on weekdays from 07:30 AM to 19:30 PM, you need to buy a sticker, which gives you the right to unlimited number of entries and exits during the day. Its costs depend on the toxicity level of the vehicle. Besides, there is a limited traffic zone (zona traffico limitato) in the historic centre of the city, where it is prohibited to enter without special permission. This limit most often applies during working hours of weekdays. If your hotel is located in such an area, you should first tell the reception the details of your vehicle.