Car rental in Milan

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

Italy has standard speed limits for all vehicles:

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

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

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

• a white stripe means anyone can park free of charge;
• a blue stripe means the parking zone is not free of charge;
• a black and yellow stripe means that parking is not allowed (these zones are meant for taxis, buses, etc.);
• a yellow stripe means that the area is for local residents only;

Tourists using car rental services in Milan can park their vehicles in the free white zone or the paid blue zone. White zones are usually found at large shopping centres and supermarkets. The parking time here is limited and displayed at the 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 windscreen. The parking ticket can usually be bought at newsstands, vending machines, or from attendants 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.

In addition, you can always use paid car parks. The cost varies and often depends on the parking time - the longer you park, 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 being moved.

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

Filling stations in Italy sell unleaded petrol (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.

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

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 motorway section (mountain or plain);
• the company managing the road (if there is more than one, the cost of each section is calculated separately).

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

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

To enter the centre of Milan on weekdays from 07:30 to 19:30, you need to buy a permit, which gives you the right to an unlimited number of entries and exits during the day. Its cost depends on the emissions level of the vehicle. In addition, 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 restriction most often applies during weekday working hours. If your hotel is located in such an area, you should first give reception the details of your vehicle.