Hire cars and ZTLs: what happens after the camera

The rental firm gets the notice, you get the fine

The camera reads the number plate and the council writes to the registered owner: the rental company. For self-drive hire, the Italian Highway Code makes the hirer liable instead of the owner (article 196). The rental firm therefore passes on the details in your contract, and you, as the named driver, receive the penalty notice.

Entering without authorisation costs €83 to €332 (article 7). Several camera-recorded entries into the same ZTL on the same calendar day count as a single fine (article 198); different days or different zones mean separate fines.

Why two letters arrive

The first comes from the rental firm: an email or letter saying an offence has been reported on the car and your details passed on, sometimes together with a charge to your card. Europcar, for example, undertakes to ask for the notice to be re-served on you, so you can pay the reduced amount or appeal. The second is the council's penalty notice, sent to your address, with the amount, date, time and camera gate (varco). That is the one you pay: the rental firm's letter is not a second fine.

Expect to wait months

The council has 90 days from the offence to notify the owner. Once the driver is named, a new period starts from the moment the authority can identify you: 90 days if you live in Italy, 360 days if you live abroad (article 201). Hertz itself warns that ZTL fines may arrive 'with considerable delay (e.g. six months)'. Notification costs are added to the fine.

Admin fees: what the rental terms say

In April 2024 Italy's competition authority (AGCM) ruled that the flat fee Avis and Hertz charged for each fine was an unfair term, and fined Avis €9 million and Hertz €1.65 million: passing on a customer's details is a legal duty, not a service. The Italian terms, checked on 22 October 2026:

• Hertz (terms dated September 2026): the fines administration charge 'will not apply if your rental is subject to the Italian Consumer Code'.
• Europcar (terms dated May 2024): €54.90 per offence, for non-consumer customers only; nothing for private hirers.
• Sixt (terms dated 18 September 2026): a fee for each request for driver details, only if the hirer is not a consumer.
• Avis: its country conditions for Italy still state €31.72 including VAT per fine, the €26 plus VAT that the AGCM challenged in 2024.

In practice, someone hiring privately for a holiday should not pay an admin fee to Hertz, Europcar or Sixt in Italy.

What to check in your contract

• Which terms apply: a booking made through a comparison site is still governed by the rental firm's Italian terms.
• Whether you are hiring as a private person or in a company's name: that decides the fees at Hertz, Europcar and Sixt.
• The line covering fines handling, in the contract or the attached price list.

The rental office is inside the ZTL

None of the rules of the 20 cities on this site says that a rental office registers its customers' plates so they can drive out. Avis only states that if the office is inside or near a restricted traffic zone, it will tell you when you collect the car. Ask at the desk which exit route is allowed; if in doubt, hire at the airport.

How to avoid the fine

Your hotel registers the plate

In 19 of the site's 20 cities, your accommodation can register your plate, hire cars included. Almost everywhere it must be inside the ZTL, and the deadline varies widely: 3 hours in Florence, the same day in Rome, Palermo and Reggio Emilia, 48 hours in Como, Ferrara, Lecce, Modena or Padua, 10 days in Turin. In Treviso, guests register the plate themselves, within 5 days. In Milan there is no hotel exemption for Area C: guests pay for the ticket. Give the plate to reception as soon as you arrive.

A car park that registers you, or one outside the zone

In Bergamo, Bologna, Florence, Modena, Naples, Padua, Pisa and Siena, a garage inside the zone can register its customers' plates; in Bologna and Pisa, entry is then free. Safest of all: park outside the zone and walk or take the bus.

A paid ticket, where one exists

Only 7 of the 20 cities sell visitors a way in: Bologna, Ferrara, Florence, Milan, Palermo, Parma and Reggio Emilia. The basic ticket ranges from €5 (Florence for transit only, Palermo, Parma for two hours; €2.50 in Palermo for a hybrid, LPG or methane car) to €20 a day in Ferrara (2022 rate). In Bologna, Ferrara, Florence and Parma it must be bought before the varco; in Milan it can be activated until midnight the next day, in Palermo until midnight the same day. Parma also sells an after-the-event regularisation (€15, until 23:59 the next day) and Reggio Emilia an online regularisation within 48 hours. Elsewhere, temporary permits (€102 for 24 hours in Rome) are reserved for specific cases.

A charge appears on your card

• Ask the rental firm whether it is an admin fee or a fine it paid itself, with the notice number, date, time and place.
• If it is an admin fee and you hired privately from Hertz, Europcar or Sixt, ask in writing for a refund, quoting their Italian terms. Hertz and Europcar also refund it if the fine is cancelled or is not down to you.
• If you had an authorisation (hotel, ticket), write with the evidence to the office named on the notice before paying.
• When the notice arrives, check that the rental firm has not already paid it, then pay within 5 days (30% off) or within 60 days at the minimum amount. Appeal to the Prefect: 60 days.