Car Rental at Rome Ciampino Airport (CIA): No Deposit, No Credit Card and Full Insurance

Rome Ciampino is the city’s low-cost airport, 15 km south-east of the centre, and car rental here works differently from most Italian airports: there are no rental desks inside the terminal. For one week in November we found 557 offers from 27 companies. The big brands and Locauto work from car parks at the airport entrance, a short free shuttle ride away, while a group of local companies sits about 2.5 km away and picks you up by van. This guide to car rental at Rome Ciampino Airport covers the 13 companies we recommend, all rated 8.0 or higher, which of them take a debit card, how to reach each desk, what the deposit will be, what a rental day costs in each month, how one-way rentals to Naples and Bari work and how to drive into Rome without a ZTL fine. Every company was checked against its rental conditions in October 2026.

Data last verified: October 2026. Written by Simas Krasaitis, founder of Autorentwiz and former head of car rental at ADCRent.

Short on time? The key facts:

• No desks in the terminal: 7 of our companies work from the rental area in the car parks at the airport entrance, about 450 m away, with a free shuttle from Arrivals. The other 6 are off the airport and send a shuttle when you call
• No deposit: Locauto (only a symbolic 0,01 EUR card authorisation), with a debit or credit card, in the airport rental area
• Debit cards: Locauto (no deposit, only a 0,01 EUR card authorisation), Alamo and Enterprise (500 EUR), SIXT (about 490-600 EUR on small cars), Dollar and Hertz (700 EUR) and Centauro (990-1,500 EUR, or 40-276 EUR with its own cover)
• Credit card only: Sicily By Car, GaldieriRent, Last Minute Rent, U-Save, RentSmart24 and Optimo Rent
• Revolut and other online-only bank cards: none of the 27 companies at Ciampino accepts them. In our search, Automania at Rome Fiumicino Airport had deals with no card and no deposit at pick-up
• Opening hours: Dollar, Hertz and U-Save close at 18:00 (Dollar and Hertz at 16:30 at weekends). Centauro works 07:00-23:00 and holds your car for 12 hours
• Prices: February is the cheapest month (about 14 EUR a day on average), July the most expensive (about 33 EUR)
• One-way: Alamo was the cheapest to Naples and Bari and charged no fee at the desk. Locauto, Sicily By Car, Hertz, Dollar, Centauro and SIXT charge about 88-150 EUR at the desk. To Rome Termini, Locauto, Sicily By Car, Alamo and Enterprise charged no one-way fee
• Free consultation: message us on Messenger and our car rental experts will compare all 13 companies for your dates, card and landing time. You get the same discount as when you book through our search

We analyse every supplier at every airport, because each branch has its own process: the same brand can run a smooth pick-up at one airport and a slow one at the next. At Ciampino, 13 companies passed our check, all rated 8.0 or higher by verified renters. Seven of them share the rental area at the airport entrance, from Locauto, SIXT and Sicily By Car to Alamo, Enterprise, Hertz and Dollar. Of the customers who asked us about Ciampino and named their card type, 56% had only a debit card, and here that is easier than at most Italian airports: Locauto asks for no deposit, only a symbolic 0,01 EUR authorisation on a debit card at pick-up. To compare Ciampino with other Italian airports, see our car rental in Italy page.

Company	Rating	Hours	Card	Deposit	Travel abroad
Locauto	8.9	08:00-23:00 daily	Debit or credit (not Maestro)	No deposit (0,01 EUR card authorisation)	29 countries, free
Sicily By Car	8.8	08:00-22:59 daily	Credit only	200-390 EUR on small and medium cars, up to about 1,480 EUR on big ones, 100 EUR with its own cover	19 countries, free
Dollar	8.7	08:00-18:00, weekends 08:00-16:30	Debit or credit (not Maestro or Visa Electron)	700 EUR plus a fuel deposit	13 countries, 30 EUR
Hertz	8.4	08:00-18:00, weekends 08:00-16:30	Debit or credit (not Maestro)	700 EUR	15 countries, 30 EUR
SIXT	8.4	08:00-22:00 daily	Debit or credit	300 EUR on a credit card, about 490-600 EUR on a debit card for small cars	17 countries, 50 EUR
Alamo	8.3	08:00-23:00 daily	Debit or credit (not Maestro)	500 EUR	29 countries, free
Enterprise	8.3	08:00-23:00 daily	Debit or credit	500 EUR	29 countries, free

Company	Rating	Hours	Card	Deposit	Travel abroad
GaldieriRent	8.7	08:00-22:00 daily	Credit only (not Amex)	600-1,000 EUR, 100 EUR with its own cover	7 countries, 48.80 EUR
Last Minute Rent	8.5	08:00-22:00 daily	Credit only (not Amex)	600-1,000 EUR	7 countries, 55 EUR
U-Save	8.4	08:00-18:00 daily	Credit only	900 EUR	7 countries, 150 EUR
Centauro	8.3	07:00-23:00 daily	Debit or credit (not Amex or Maestro)	990-1,500 EUR, 40-276 EUR with its own cover	4 countries, 98 EUR
RentSmart24	8.2	08:00-22:00 daily	Credit only	650-750 EUR	19 countries, 85.40 EUR
Optimo Rent	8.2	09:00-21:00 daily	Credit only (not Amex)	750-950 EUR	10 countries, 140 EUR

Locauto stands out: it asks for no deposit on any car class, only a symbolic 0,01 EUR authorisation on a debit or a credit card at pick-up. Alamo and Enterprise block 500 EUR, Dollar and Hertz 700 EUR, and SIXT 300 EUR on a credit card or about 490-600 EUR on a debit card for small cars. Three companies drop to a very low deposit when you take their own zero-excess cover in the price: Centauro to 40-276 EUR, and Sicily By Car and GaldieriRent to 100 EUR. Dollar and Centauro also take a separate fuel deposit at pick-up, which you get back when you return the car full and show the receipt.

There are no car rental desks inside the Ciampino terminal. The airport’s rental area is in the car parks at the airport entrance on Via Mameli, about 450 m from the terminal, and a free shuttle runs from Arrivals. According to the Aeroporti di Roma car rental page, Locauto, Alamo, Enterprise, Hertz, Dollar and Sicily By Car are in car park P8 and SIXT is in P6. You return the car to the same car park.

GaldieriRent, Last Minute Rent, Centauro, RentSmart24 and Optimo Rent work from Via Luigi Bandini, about 2.5 km south-east of the terminal. In their pick-up instructions, you leave the terminal, walk past car park P3 to the petrol station between car parks P3 and P4 and wait at the shuttle point there. GaldieriRent, Last Minute Rent and RentSmart24 use the ParkinGO shuttle. Call the number in your booking voucher when you have your bags, because the van comes on request. U-Save works the same way from Via di Fioranello: call when you land and wait on Viale R. Ferrario inside the airport area. On the way back, the shuttle takes you from the office to Departures, so leave at least 30 minutes for the return.

Autorentwiz tip: if you land late or have small children with you, choose a company in the rental area at the airport entrance. The shuttle there runs from Arrivals, while the off-airport companies send a van only when you call. With a debit card, Locauto in car park P8 is the simplest choice: no deposit (only a 0,01 EUR card authorisation) and open until 23:00.

Most companies work until 22:00 or 23:00. Dollar and Hertz close at 18:00 on weekdays and at 16:30 at weekends, and U-Save at 18:00 every day, so they suit only daytime flights. Centauro opens at 07:00 and holds the car for 12 hours after the booked time. Sicily By Car and Optimo Rent hold it for 2 hours, U-Save for 3 hours, and most other companies for 59 minutes. Centauro also asks for a return flight or train ticket covering the rental dates. Add your flight number to the booking, and if you land later, change the pick-up time before you fly.

The most convenient petrol station is inside the airport area, on Viale Leonardo da Vinci between car parks P3 and P4, on the way to both the rental area and the shuttle point. Google lists it as open 07:00-19:00 every day. If you return later in the evening, the IP station on Via Gaetano Spada in Ciampino, about 1 km north of the terminal, is open 24 hours. Fill up, keep the receipt and return the car during office hours if you can, so an agent checks it and signs it off.

Yes, and Ciampino is one of the easier Italian airports for it. In the rental area at the airport entrance, Locauto asks for no deposit, only a symbolic 0,01 EUR card authorisation, while Alamo and Enterprise block 500 EUR, SIXT about 490-600 EUR on small cars, and Dollar and Hertz 700 EUR. Off the airport, Centauro accepts debit cards with a deposit of 990-1,500 EUR, or 40-276 EUR with its own cover, and the deposit must be paid with the same card. Sicily By Car, GaldieriRent, Last Minute Rent, U-Save, RentSmart24 and Optimo Rent take credit cards only. The card must be a physical Visa or Mastercard in the main driver’s name, with the number printed on it. Maestro is refused by Locauto, Alamo, Hertz, Dollar and Centauro. Read more in our guide to car rental in Italy with a debit card.

None of the 27 companies at Ciampino accepts cards from online-only banks such as Revolut, Wise or Monese: all of them list these cards as not accepted in their rental conditions. Most of them also refuse prepaid cards and cards in a phone wallet such as Apple Pay or Google Pay. In our search there were no deals at Ciampino where no card is needed at pick-up. If Revolut is your only card, order a physical debit card from a traditional bank before the trip, or let a travel companion with such a card be the main driver, because the card must be in the main driver’s name. With a debit card, Locauto in car park P8 then asks for no deposit, only a symbolic 0,01 EUR authorisation at pick-up. If you cannot get another card, look at Rome Fiumicino Airport, about 30 km west of Ciampino: for the same November week, Automania, rated 8.5 by renters at Fiumicino, had deals with no card needed at pick-up and no deposit, from about 140 EUR for 7 days. You pay for the rental online, and you remain liable for damage up to the excess, 1,500 EUR on the cheapest deal. Rome Termini station had no such deals in our search.

Locauto asks for no deposit: it makes only a symbolic 0,01 EUR authorisation on your card at pick-up, it accepts debit cards, and it works from car park P8 at the airport entrance. The lowest deposits at the other companies come with the company’s own zero-excess cover: Centauro then blocks 40-276 EUR, and Sicily By Car and GaldieriRent 100 EUR. These packages cost more per day, so compare the full price. Our guide to saving money on car rental explains how to weigh the deposit against the price.

Full coverage bought online with your booking is the cheaper way to cover the excess, and the company’s own cover at the desk is the most expensive one. Every rental price in Italy includes basic insurance with an excess: the amount you pay if the car is damaged or stolen. In our search the excess at Ciampino was about 1,900 EUR on a typical offer and up to about 2,900 EUR on bigger cars. With full coverage the deposit is still blocked: you pay for any damage first and get the money back afterwards. The desk cover removes the excess directly and lowers the deposit. If you already have full coverage, you can decline the desk offer. Film the car at pick-up and at return, as we explain in our car rental pick-up tips. If a dispute starts, message us with the contract: we support you before, during and after the rental.

Across all offers, car rental at Rome Ciampino Airport costs about 24 EUR a day on average over the year: about 14 EUR a day for February pick-ups and about 33 EUR a day in July. January and November are almost as cheap as February, while April, June, July and August are the dearest months. February comes out about 40% below the yearly average. Most rentals here last 5 to 7 days.

Average price per day across all rental offers at Rome Ciampino Airport by pick-up month, October 2026 data. Prices change daily.

Season	Months	Average per day	What to expect
Low	February, January, November	about 14-16 EUR	The lowest prices of the year, with mild weather for sightseeing
Shoulder	March, October, September, December	about 19-24 EUR	Good value, and December rises around Christmas
High	May, April, August	about 27-28 EUR	Easter, spring city breaks and summer holidays
Peak	June, July	about 30-33 EUR	Book early, automatics and 7-9 seat cars go first

These are the lowest daily prices we saw for each car type. A small SUV cost about the same as a medium car, and automatics started only a little above manual cars in most classes. 7-9 seat vans are rare and expensive here, so families who need one should book early.

Eight of the 13 companies we recommend let you collect the car at Ciampino and return it at another office, such as Naples Airport, Bari Airport or Rome Termini station. You choose the drop-off location when you search, and the one-way fee is shown in the price breakdown of the offer. Most companies charge it at the desk: the price you see online includes it, but the offer lists it under “To pay at pick-up”, so that part is charged to your card when you collect the car. Alamo and Enterprise include the one-way cost in the price you pay online. The other local companies that pick you up by shuttle, GaldieriRent, Last Minute Rent, U-Save, RentSmart24 and Optimo Rent, had no one-way offers in our searches. Return the car during the opening hours of the drop-off office.

Company	To Naples Airport	To Bari Airport	To Rome Termini	One-way fee
Alamo	138 EUR	162 EUR	136 EUR	In the online price, none at the desk
Enterprise	181 EUR	220 EUR	147 EUR	In the online price, none at the desk
Locauto	190 EUR	190 EUR	102 EUR	About 88 EUR at the desk, none to Termini
Sicily By Car	232 EUR	245 EUR	119 EUR	About 113 EUR at the desk, none to Termini
Hertz	261 EUR	261 EUR	No offer	122 EUR at the desk
Centauro	262 EUR	262 EUR	187 EUR	150 EUR at the desk, 75 EUR to Termini
Dollar	286 EUR	286 EUR	No offer	122 EUR at the desk
SIXT	378 EUR	359 EUR	248 EUR	About 130 EUR at the desk, 20 EUR to Termini

In our search, Alamo was the cheapest one-way option to both Naples and Bari, and to Naples it cost about the same as returning the car to Ciampino. With a debit card, Locauto is the simplest choice: the one-way fee is about 88 EUR at the desk, and there is still no deposit, only the 0,01 EUR card authorisation. To Rome Termini, Locauto was the cheapest at about 102 EUR for the week, with no one-way fee. If you are flying home from the south, see our guides to car rental at Naples Airport and car rental at Bari Airport for the drop-off desks there.

The airport sits on the Via Appia Nuova, 3 km inside the GRA, the motorway ring road around Rome. The GRA connects to the A1 towards Florence in the north and Naples in the south, and to the A24 towards the Abruzzo. If the Abruzzo coast is where you are heading, flying into Pescara saves a drive of about 2 hours across the mountains, and our Pescara Airport guide covers the companies there. The roads are easy outside the city. What catches renters out are the restricted traffic zones (ZTL) in the centre: cameras record every plate, and the fine arrives weeks later through the rental company.

Rome’s historic centre is a ZTL from 06:30 to 18:00 on weekdays and from 14:00 to 18:00 on Saturdays, and again from 23:00 to 03:00 on Friday and Saturday nights. Trastevere, Tridente, San Lorenzo and Testaccio have their own ZTL hours, several of them in the evening. Rental cars have no permit, so the simplest plan is to leave the car at your hotel or in a car park outside the centre and use the metro or a taxi. If your hotel is inside a ZTL, ask it before you arrive whether it can register your plate. Check the current zones and hours on the Roma Servizi per la Mobilità ZTL page. A ZTL fine is usually 80-335 EUR, and the rental company adds its own admin fee.

Ciampino is the gateway to the Castelli Romani, the hill towns south of Rome: Frascati is about 10 km away, and Castel Gandolfo on Lake Albano about 15 km.

The Appia Antica park with the old Roman road starts a few kilometres north of the airport. Since 19 September 2026, its northern stretch is a ZTL on Saturdays and Sundays from 07:00 to 19:00, except in August: you can only drive in and out through the same gate, so park and explore on foot or by bike. The beaches of Ostia are about 40 minutes away, and Naples about 2.5 hours on the A1.

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