Car Rental at Genoa Airport (GOA): No Deposit, Full Insurance and Debit Card Options

Genoa Airport (GOA), also called Cristoforo Colombo, is about 7.4 km west of Genoa, and the SS1 road takes you into the city with no toll. For one week in November we found 501 rental offers from 19 companies here, and 58% of them were automatics. All 15 companies we recommend have their desk at the airport, most of them in the arrivals hall of the single terminal, and none of them uses a shuttle. Eleven of the 15 accept a debit card, including Locauto, which asks for no deposit, only a symbolic 0,01 EUR authorisation at pick-up. This guide to car rental at Genoa Airport covers each of the 15 companies we recommend, debit and Revolut cards, deposits, full insurance, prices by month, Genoa against two other airports, and what to know before you drive into Genoa, out to Portofino and the Cinque Terre or onto a ferry.

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:

• Desks: all 15 of our companies are at the airport, and none uses a shuttle. Most desks are at the arrivals level of the terminal. Ecovia and Autovia list their desk in a car rental center on the airport road, so check the desk address in your voucher
• Debit cards: 11 of the 15 accept them: Locauto (no deposit, only a 0,01 EUR card authorisation), Maggiore (200 EUR), Flizzr and SIXT (about 440-451 EUR), Alamo, Enterprise and National (500 EUR), Dollar, Thrifty and Hertz (700 EUR) and Keddy (800 EUR)
• No deposit: Locauto (only a symbolic 0,01 EUR card authorisation), with a debit or credit card. Maggiore blocks 200 EUR on a debit card and Sicily By Car 200 EUR on a credit card, on small cars
• Revolut or no card: none of the 15 companies accepts cards from online-only banks, and we found no deals without a card at pick-up
• Opening hours: 7 of the 15 desks work until 23:00, and Sicily By Car until 22:59. SIXT, Flizzr, Dollar, Thrifty and Hertz close at 20:00 on weekdays, and SIXT and Flizzr at 18:00 at weekends
• Ferries: Keddy, Enterprise, Dollar and Hertz do not allow their cars on a ferry. Most of the others allow it, some only with written permission or a fee
• Prices: November is the cheapest month (about 20 EUR a day on average), July the most expensive (about 44 EUR)
• Free consultation: message us on Messenger and our car rental experts will compare all 15 companies for your dates, card and landing time. You get the same discount as when you book through our search

At Genoa, 19 rental companies are rated by verified renters at this airport, and all 19 had offers in our November search. To make our list, a company needs a rating of 8.0 or higher from verified renters at this airport and a separate score of 8.0 or higher for its staff here. Fifteen companies passed both, and all 15 had offers in our search. Budget and Europcar are rated 7.9 at Genoa, Avis 7.7 and Drivalia 7.6, so they are not on our list. Thrifty (1 review), Enterprise and Flizzr (2 reviews each), Hertz (4 reviews), and SIXT and Dollar (7 reviews each) have few reviews here, so their ratings can change quickly. That leaves 15 companies, and 11 of them accept a debit card. Our car rental in Italy page compares Genoa with the other Italian airports.

Company	Rating	Hours	Card	Deposit	Ferry
Sicily By Car	9.0	08:00-22:59	Credit only	200 EUR on small cars, 1,000 EUR on a Mercedes Vito	Free, written permission
Locauto	8.8	07:30-23:00, Sunday 08:00-23:00	Debit or credit (not Maestro)	No deposit (0,01 EUR card authorisation)	Free
Keddy	8.8	08:00-22:00, Saturday 08:30-18:00, Sunday 08:30-13:00 and 14:00-18:00	Debit or credit	800 EUR	Not allowed
Alamo	8.4	07:30-23:00, Sunday 08:00-23:00	Debit or credit (not Maestro)	500 EUR	Free on the Toyota Aygo offer we checked
Enterprise	8.4	07:30-23:00, Sunday 08:00-23:00	Debit or credit	500 EUR	Not allowed
SIXT	8.4	08:00-20:00, weekends 09:00-18:00	Debit or credit	About 451 EUR on a Fiat Grande Panda, about 691 EUR on a Volkswagen Caddy Maxi	50 EUR, written permission
Dollar	8.4	08:00-20:00, weekends 09:00-20:00	Debit or credit (not Maestro or Visa Electron, credit only on a Ford Kuga)	700 EUR, plus a separate fuel deposit	Not allowed
Ecovia	8.4	07:30-23:00	Credit only (not Diners)	750 EUR, 950 EUR on a Volkswagen Caravelle	Free, written permission
Flizzr	8.3	08:00-20:00, weekends 09:00-18:00	Debit or credit (not Maestro)	About 440 EUR on a Fiat Panda, about 691 EUR on a Volkswagen Caddy Maxi	Free, written permission
Autovia	8.3	07:30-23:00	Credit only	750 EUR, 950 EUR on a Volkswagen Caravelle	Free, written permission
National	8.3	07:30-23:00, Sunday 08:00-23:00	Debit or credit	500 EUR	Free
Optimo Rent	8.3	09:00-21:30	Credit only	750 EUR, 950 EUR on an Opel Astra or Peugeot 308 SW	Free, written permission
Thrifty	8.3	08:00-20:00, weekends 09:00-20:00	Debit or credit (credit only on a Ford Kuga)	700 EUR	30 EUR, one day’s notice and written permission
Hertz	8.2	08:00-20:00, weekends 09:00-20:00	Debit or credit (not Maestro, credit only on a Ford Kuga)	700 EUR	Not allowed
Maggiore	8.2	07:30-23:00	Debit or credit (not Maestro, Visa Electron or JCB)	200 EUR	Free, written permission

At Genoa, Locauto asks for no deposit, only a symbolic 0,01 EUR authorisation on a debit or a credit card at pick-up, on every car we checked, including the 9-seat Volkswagen Caravelle. Maggiore blocks 200 EUR, also on a debit card, on every car we checked, from the Fiat 500 to the Peugeot 5008, but its excess is high. Sicily By Car blocks 200 EUR on small cars and 1,000 EUR on a Mercedes Vito, on a credit card only. With a debit card, Flizzr blocks about 440 EUR on a Fiat Panda and SIXT about 451 EUR on a Fiat Grande Panda. Alamo, Enterprise and National block 500 EUR, Dollar, Thrifty and Hertz 700 EUR and Keddy 800 EUR. Dollar also blocks a separate fuel deposit.

Ecovia, Autovia and Optimo Rent block 750 EUR, and 950 EUR on bigger cars, on a credit card only. On the Volkswagen Caddy Maxi, SIXT and Flizzr block about 691 EUR. For the ferry, Locauto and National allow the car on board for free, and so did the Alamo Toyota Aygo offer we checked. Sicily By Car, Maggiore, Ecovia, Autovia, Flizzr and Optimo Rent allow it for free with written permission. SIXT charges 50 EUR and wants written permission, and Thrifty charges 30 EUR and wants one day’s notice and written permission. Keddy, Enterprise, Dollar and Hertz do not allow ferries.

Genoa Airport has a single passenger terminal, and the Genoa Airport website lists the rental desks at the arrivals level, on the ground floor. Locauto, Alamo, Enterprise and National are right outside the Arrivals Gate, on the left. Sicily By Car is in the arrivals hall. SIXT is in the arrivals hall, right in front of the exit, and you collect Flizzr cars at the same SIXT desk. Dollar, Thrifty and Hertz ask you to follow the car rental signs, and Keddy is also in the terminal. Optimo Rent shares the Autovia desk in the arrivals hall. A Maggiore representative contacts you before you arrive with the details for collecting the car.

Ecovia and Autovia list their desk in a “car rental center” on Via Pionieri e Aviatori d’Italia, the airport road, and not in the terminal. Because Optimo Rent places the shared Autovia desk in the arrivals hall, we could not confirm where these two companies hand over the keys. Check the desk address in your voucher before you land. No company we recommend at Genoa uses a shuttle.

Autorentwiz tip: we have too few Genoa requests to give figures for this airport, so this tip uses all our customers. Of all our customers who name their card, 58% have only a debit card, and 15% more have both. At Genoa 11 of our 15 companies accept a debit card, all of them at the airport. With a debit card, Locauto takes no deposit, only a symbolic 0,01 EUR authorisation, and Maggiore blocks 200 EUR. Sicily By Car, Ecovia, Autovia and Optimo Rent take credit cards only, and they had some of the cheapest small cars in our search. Check the card section of the rental conditions before you book, or send us your dates on Messenger and we will check it for you.

Seven desks at Genoa open at 07:30 and close at 23:00 every day: Locauto, Alamo, Enterprise and National (from 08:00 on Sundays), Ecovia, Autovia and Maggiore. Sicily By Car works from 08:00 to 22:59 and Optimo Rent from 09:00 to 21:30. Keddy works from 08:00 to 22:00 on weekdays, from 08:30 to 18:00 on Saturdays, and on Sundays from 08:30 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00.

SIXT and Flizzr work from 08:00 to 20:00 on weekdays and from 09:00 to 18:00 at weekends. Dollar, Thrifty and Hertz close at 20:00 every day, and open at 09:00 at weekends. These five suit only daytime flights. Sicily By Car, Autovia and Optimo Rent hold your car for 2 hours after the booked time, Dollar and Keddy for only 29 minutes, and most others for about an hour. Add your flight number to the booking.

The IP station on Via Pionieri e Aviatori d’Italia, the airport road, is open 24 hours, and Google Maps gives about 2.2 km and 6 minutes by car from the airport. Two Q8 easy stations, on Via Borzoli and on Via Multedo di Pegli, are also open 24 hours. The Esso on Via Cornigliano is listed as the nearest station on some sites, but Google Maps showed it closed until 07:00 when we checked on a weekday night, so do not count on it for a late return. Fill up before you return the car, because most rental conditions ask for the same fuel level you started with, and the refuelling charge at the desk is much higher than the pump price.

Yes, with 11 of the 15 companies we recommend, and all eleven have their desk at the airport: Locauto (no deposit, only a 0,01 EUR card authorisation), Maggiore (200 EUR), Flizzr (about 440 EUR), SIXT (about 451 EUR), Alamo, Enterprise and National (500 EUR), Dollar, Thrifty and Hertz (700 EUR) and Keddy (800 EUR). Sicily By Car, Ecovia, Autovia and Optimo Rent take credit cards only. Dollar, Thrifty and Hertz also take credit cards only for the Ford Kuga.

At the desk you need a physical debit card in the main driver’s name, and all eleven accept Visa and Mastercard debit cards. Locauto, Alamo, Flizzr and Hertz do not take Maestro, and Dollar and Maggiore refuse Maestro and Visa Electron. SIXT, Flizzr and Hertz ask for a card with chip and PIN. In our search the cheapest car with a debit card was a Toyota Aygo at Locauto from 139 EUR a week, and the cheapest automatic a Volkswagen Polo at Locauto from 151 EUR. Our guide to renting a car in Italy with a debit card explains what the desk checks.

None of the 15 companies we recommend at Genoa accepts cards from online-only banks such as Revolut: all of them list these cards as not accepted. Keddy names a “Revolut Credit” card among the credit cards it accepts, but the same conditions refuse cards from online-only banks, so do not rely on a Revolut card there either. We also found no deals at Genoa with no card needed at pick-up. To rent here, you need a card from a traditional bank in the main driver’s name. Prepaid and virtual cards are also refused by most of our companies.

At Genoa, Locauto asks for no deposit, only a symbolic 0,01 EUR authorisation on a debit or a credit card at pick-up. All 30 offers marked as no deposit in our search were from Locauto, right outside the Arrivals Gate. Among companies that take a deposit, the lowest is Maggiore at 200 EUR, with a debit or a credit card, but its excess is up to 3,294 EUR on an Opel Corsa. With a credit card, Sicily By Car blocks 200 EUR on small cars. With a debit card, the next lowest after Maggiore are Flizzr and SIXT at about 440-451 EUR, and Alamo, Enterprise and National at 500 EUR. Our guide to saving money on car rental shows how to weigh the deposit against the price.

At Genoa the excess, the part of any damage you pay yourself, was about 1,500-2,600 EUR on standard cars at most of our companies in our search. Locauto had the lowest standard excess, from 1,200 EUR, and Keddy was next at 1,300 EUR. The highest were at Maggiore, which blocks only 200 EUR but has an excess of 1,952 EUR on a Fiat 500, 3,294 EUR on an Opel Corsa and 4,758 EUR on a Peugeot 5008. Sicily By Car goes up to 2,684 EUR on a Mercedes Vito. You can cover the excess in two ways.

Full coverage added online when you book costs less per day, but the desk still blocks the normal deposit, and if something happens you pay the company and claim the money back from the insurer. The company’s own cover, sold at the desk, costs more but removes the excess on the spot. If you already bought full coverage, you do not need the desk cover as well. Our pick-up tips show how to film the car and what to check at pick-up.

The rules below come from the rental conditions of the 15 companies we recommend, for small cars unless we say otherwise, and the conditions of your own offer are what counts at the desk. All 15 accept only a physical licence, not a digital one. Send us the driver’s age on Messenger, and we will check which offers allow it.

• Minimum age: 18 at SIXT and Flizzr. 19 at Ecovia and Autovia, and on small cars at Sicily By Car, Locauto, Alamo and Maggiore. 21 at Keddy, Enterprise, National, Dollar, Thrifty, Hertz and Optimo Rent. Most companies want the licence held for at least 1 year, Optimo Rent for 2 years, and Keddy, Alamo, Enterprise and National for 3 years
• Bigger cars: compact cars such as the Volkswagen Polo or the Audi A3 need 21 at Alamo and Locauto, and so do the Opel Corsa and bigger cars at Maggiore and the Cupra Leon estate at Sicily By Car. The Volkswagen Caddy Maxi van needs 21 at SIXT and Flizzr, and the 9-seat Volkswagen Caravelle needs 25 at Locauto. Locauto wants the licence held for 3 years from the Polo up, Maggiore for 2 years from the Corsa up, and Ecovia for 3 years on the Caravelle
• Young driver fee and maximum age: a young driver fee applies under 25 at most companies, under 23 at Sicily By Car and under 26 at Optimo Rent. The conditions do not state the amount, and our search was for a driver aged 30-65, so the prices in this guide do not include it. The maximum age is 74 at Optimo Rent and 82 at Sicily By Car, and Ecovia and Autovia charge a senior fee over 75
• EU or EEA licence: Italian law requires no International Driving Permit (IDP). A licence issued in an EU country is valid anywhere in the EU (Your Europe), and none of our 15 companies asks for an IDP with an EU licence. Their conditions do not name licences from Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, so with one of these, bring an IDP
• UK licence: with a photocard licence you need no IDP to drive in Italy (GOV.UK), but Sicily By Car, Locauto, Autovia, Optimo Rent and SIXT still ask for one from drivers who live in the UK. The conditions of Flizzr give no UK rule. With a UK licence, Dollar asks you to bring your DVLA check code
• Other licences from outside the EU: Italian law requires an IDP or an official Italian translation with the licence (Art. 135 of the Highway Code), so bring an IDP. Hertz and Thrifty accept licences from some countries without one, such as the USA, Canada and Australia, but we still advise the IDP because of the law. Alamo and SIXT ask for an IDP with any licence not printed in the Roman alphabet
• Extra documents: Dollar, Thrifty and Hertz ask for your return flight ticket at pick-up, and Ecovia for your flight details. Locauto asks for proof of your home address, a local address and a phone statement

Across all offers, car rental at Genoa Airport costs about 37 EUR a day on average over the year. November is the cheapest month at about 20 EUR a day, 45% below the yearly average and 54% below July, and January is almost as cheap at about 21 EUR. July is the most expensive month at about 44 EUR, and June and September cost about 40 EUR. August, at about 33 EUR, costs less than June or September. The average rental at Genoa lasts about 6 days.

Daily average across all offers at Genoa Airport for each pick-up month, data from October 2026. Prices move every day.

Season	Months	Average per day	What to expect
Low	November, January	about 20-21 EUR	The lowest prices of the year
Shoulder	October, February, May	about 30 EUR	Good value outside the holiday weeks
High	December, March, August, April	about 32-33 EUR	December, spring and August
Peak	September, June, July	about 40-44 EUR	The most expensive months, July above all

These starting prices per day by car class come from the companies we recommend, in our November search. The lowest small car was a Fiat Panda at Sicily By Car, from about 109 EUR a week, and it takes credit cards only. With a debit card, the cheapest small car was a Toyota Aygo at Locauto, from about 20 EUR a day. The cheapest automatic was a Toyota Yaris at Ecovia, from about 134 EUR a week, also on a credit card only. Vans with 7 seats started at about 64 EUR a day with the Volkswagen Caddy Maxi at SIXT and Flizzr, and with a debit card, Locauto had a 9-seat Volkswagen Caravelle from 459 EUR a week. 58% of all offers at Genoa were automatics.

SIXT also showed lower prices in our search, on offers whose full rental conditions we could not read. We leave those offers out of this guide and use only the SIXT offers we could check.

Autorentwiz tip: Genoa is a ferry port for Sardinia, Corsica and Sicily, and the ferry rules differ a lot between companies. Keddy, Enterprise, Dollar and Hertz do not allow their cars on a ferry at all. SIXT charges 50 EUR and Thrifty 30 EUR, and Thrifty wants one day’s notice. Sicily By Car, Maggiore, Ecovia, Autovia, Flizzr and Optimo Rent allow ferries for free, but only with written permission. If you plan a crossing, choose the company for its ferry rule first and the price second, and get the permission in writing before you board. Send us your ferry dates on Messenger, and we will check which offers allow the crossing.

For a trip to Liguria, you can also fly to Pisa or Turin. By road, the city of Pisa is about 169 km from Genoa Airport and the city of Turin about 164 km. The biggest differences for renters are the price and where the desks are. At Genoa all 15 companies we recommend have their desk at the airport, most of them at the arrivals level of the terminal, and none uses a shuttle. Our guides to car rental at Pisa Airport and car rental at Turin Airport cover the companies there.

What we compared	Genoa (GOA)	Pisa (PSA)	Turin (TRN)
Distance to the city centre	about 7.4 km	about 2 km	about 16 km
Where the desks are	At the airport, most at the arrivals level of the terminal, no shuttles	In the rent-a-car building at car park P5, a 7-minute walk or a free shuttle	In the terminal and in the car rental area across the airport road, 2 companies by shuttle
No deposit with a debit card	Locauto (0,01 EUR card authorisation)	Locauto (0,01 EUR card authorisation)	Locauto (0,01 EUR card authorisation)
Average price per day in November	about 20 EUR	about 13 EUR	about 15 EUR
Yearly average per day	about 37 EUR	about 33 EUR	about 24 EUR

In our October 2026 data, Genoa was the most expensive of the three airports in November and over the year. At all three, Locauto takes no deposit on a debit card, only a symbolic 0,01 EUR authorisation. From Genoa Airport, Portofino is about 45 km away and the ferry port about 6 km.

The SS1 and the Sopraelevata Aldo Moro elevated road take you from the airport to Piazza De Ferrari, in the centre, in about 10 km and 16 minutes in light traffic, with no toll. The A12 east to Camogli, Santa Margherita Ligure and the Cinque Terre and the A10 west to Sanremo and Nice are toll motorways. Taking the A10, Sanremo is about 138 km from the airport and the Promenade des Anglais in Nice about 187 km.

Nice is in France, so check the travel abroad section of your offer. Sicily By Car, Locauto, Keddy, Alamo, Enterprise and National allow France for free. Maggiore charges 28.80 EUR and requires its additional cover, Dollar, Thrifty and Hertz charge 30 EUR, SIXT and Flizzr 50 EUR, Ecovia and Autovia 100 EUR and Optimo Rent 140 EUR. Many of them also want written permission.

From 15 November to 15 April, ANAS requires winter tyres or snow chains on board on its state roads in Liguria. On the motorways the rule applies only where the operator’s order and the road signs say so. In our November search only 10 offers came with winter tyres, all of them at Sicily By Car, and none listed snow chains. Ask the desk before you drive inland over the Apennines on the A7 or the A26.

The ZTL of Genoa’s Centro Storico, the old town, is closed to cars every day of the year, 24 hours a day. Eleven electronic gates, for example on Via di Porta Soprana, Via Cairoli and Via Garibaldi, read every plate automatically. The Molo zone is also closed 24 hours a day, and Boccadasse, Vernazzola, Nervi, Rivarolo, Bolzaneto and Pegli have their own ZTLs. Rental cars have no special rule. Staying at a hotel in the old town? Guests may drive in to unload bulky luggage, but the hotel has to register your plate online within 48 hours, so ask the hotel before you arrive.

Every passage through a gate brings a separate fine. Check the current zones and rules on the Comune di Genova ZTL page.

Street parking on the blue lines is paid on working days from 08:00 to 20:00, and the rate depends on the zone. For the old town, use a car park outside the ZTL, such as Piazza Carignano, Via Carducci, Piccapietra, Park Mercanzia or the Porto Antico car park by the Aquarium.

Santa Margherita Ligure is about 40 km and 37 minutes from the airport on the A12, and Portofino about 45 km and 48 minutes. The only road into Portofino is the SP227 from Santa Margherita. The local authority has used a traffic filter at La Cervara on this road to stop queues forming to the car parks of Portofino and Paraggi. In summer, park in Santa Margherita and take the bus or the boat to Portofino, which both run often.

In the Cinque Terre most villages do not allow cars in, and parking in the villages is close to impossible. Park in Levanto, about 90 km and 1 hour 16 minutes from the airport, near the station, or in La Spezia, about 112 km and 1 hour 24 minutes away, at Park Centro Stazione next to the station or at Piazza d’Armi. Then take the train: from La Spezia it takes about 15 minutes to Riomaggiore and about 30 minutes to Monterosso, and from Levanto about 40 minutes to Riomaggiore. Up to 4 trains an hour run at peak times and 2 an hour in low season.

The ferry port is about 6 km and 11 minutes from the airport, with no toll. From Genoa, ferries sail to Olbia and Porto Torres in Sardinia (Moby, GNV and Tirrenia, about 10-13 hours), to Bastia in Corsica (Moby and Corsica Ferries, about 5-7 hours) and to Palermo in Sicily (GNV, about 18-21 hours). GNV and Tirrenia leave from the Terminal Traghetti at Calata Chiappella, and Moby from Calata Derna. Check in at least 1 hour 30 minutes before departure.

Before you book, check that the company allows ferries. Locauto and National allow them for free, and six others for free with written permission. SIXT charges 50 EUR and Thrifty 30 EUR, and Keddy, Enterprise, Dollar and Hertz do not allow them at all. Bastia is in France, so for Corsica the travel abroad rules of your offer apply as well.

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