Which Tuscany Car Rental Is Actually the Best? (+ Florence vs Pisa)

Tuscany is arguably Italy’s best region to explore by car — which is exactly why I bought a small property in a medieval village here myself.

Three airports serve the region — Florence, Pisa, and, perhaps surprisingly, Rome Fiumicino — and which one you land at can change your itinerary and your budget more than people expect.

Here’s who to actually book with, and which airport fits which trip.

Best suppliers across all three airports

Full transparency: No car rental companies paid, sponsored or endorsed to be included in this guide.

At Florence, my top pick is Locauto — one of the most reliable local operators in Italy, with a genuinely rare zero-deposit option and no pressure at the desk. The office is a two-minute shuttle from the terminal.

Sixt is the global alternative at Florence: the same standardised process you’d expect anywhere, usually priced above Locauto, but worth it if you want the extra peace of mind.

At Pisa, Centauro is my first choice — a Spanish operator with a strong Italian footprint and a clean, efficient pickup process. Sicily by Car is a close second, well established nationally, with no hard sell on insurance and a fast drop-off if you’re cutting it close on check-in.

At Fiumicino, it’s Centauro again for the same reasons, with Automania as a solid alternative if the price or dates work out better.

I always love to mention names; however, quality shifts fast across Italy’s rental market, and a handful of operators specifically have built reputations for the kind of pickup and drop-off tricks covered in my car rental scams guide.

That’s why I only book through DiscoverCars — it works like Airbnb for car hire, rating every operator 5 to 10 based on completed rentals rather than open reviews like Google Maps.

I filter above 8, sometimes 9, and book early. Tuscany is one of Italy’s most competitive rental markets, and cancellation is free up to 48 hours out, so there’s no cost to locking in a price now.

For the basics of renting anywhere in Italy — documents, age limits, what to expect at the counter — I’ve covered that in my guide to renting a car in Italy.

Florence vs Pisa vs Rome: which airport actually fits your trip

Florence Peretola (FLR) sits about 6 km from the city, with pickup quick and straightforward. It puts you at the geographic centre of the region — Siena is about an hour south, Chianti under an hour, the Val d’Orcia around 1 hour 45.

It’s well served by British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, and Vueling, with routes to and from London especially strong. It’s the natural choice if you’re combining the city itself with the kind of countryside route I map out in my Tuscany road trip itinerary.

Pisa Galileo Galilei (PSA) is the region’s busiest airport and one of Ryanair’s Italian bases, which usually keeps both flights and rental prices lower than Florence. The terminal is close enough to Pisa’s own city centre to almost walk, and about an hour by road or train from Florence.

Pisa makes the most sense if you’re skipping central Florence and heading toward Lucca, northern Tuscany, or even a Cinque Terre day trip — and if a cheap Ryanair or easyJet fare lands you there anyway, the savings on both the flight and the car usually add up.

Rome Fiumicino (FCO) is the one most people rule out immediately, and shouldn’t. Some of Tuscany’s most striking landscapes sit in the south of the region, closer to Rome than to either Tuscan airport.

The Val d’Orcia — a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape since 2004 — is under two hours from Fiumicino, and the Etruscan cliff town of Pitigliano isn’t much further. Even Siena is a manageable drive from Fiumicino if you’re flying long-haul into Rome anyway.

Rome doesn’t make sense if your itinerary centres on Florence itself, Lucca, or the Cinque Terre — the drive from Fiumicino runs 3.5 hours or more with no real payoff. For that itinerary, stick with Pisa or Florence.

Public transport in Tuscany can technically link Florence, Siena, and Pisa together, but it strings together a much slower version of the region than driving does.

Wherever you land, the appeal is the same: this is a region built for a Tuscany road trip, not a fixed base with day tours bolted on.

Insurance: not optional in Tuscany’s hill towns

Full coverage matters more here than in most places — you’ll be navigating narrow village streets and tight medieval parking, and scrapes happen easily.

A scratch or dent at drop-off runs the same 300 to 500 euros here as anywhere else without cover.

Your credit card or travel insurance might already include car excess cover — check the number before relying on it. Mine sits at 700 euros, which is useless for anything minor.

Counter insurance at 30 to 50 euros a day is rarely worth it, and it doesn’t always include tyres and rims.

I add full coverage through DiscoverCars at booking instead — 8 to 10 euros a day, zero excess, roadside assistance and tyres included, all sorted before I land.

Sorting out the car insurance before the holiday is certainly my first tip of the many I have when renting and driving in Italy. Organising your road trip well in advance and booking accommodations weeks in advance when travelling in summer is the other important one.

Quick recap

• Pisa is the budget pick — cheaper flights, cheaper rentals, best for Lucca, northern Tuscany, or a Cinque Terre day trip.
• Florence puts you at the centre of the region — best if you’re combining the city with a countryside route.
• Rome Fiumicino is worth considering for southern Tuscany — the Val d’Orcia and Maremma sit closer to Rome than to either Tuscan airport.
• Locauto (Florence) and Centauro (Pisa and Fiumicino) are my consistent picks.
• Take full insurance, and photograph the car thoroughly at pickup.