Car Rental in Amalfi Coast (2026) - Driving Guide & Best Rates
Explore the Amalfi Coast at your own pace with convenient car rentals, find the best deals to visit impressive beaches and top hotels along Italy's well-known.
Driving Requirements
LEGAL REQUIREMENT: EU/EEA licence holders may drive in Italy on their home licence with no additional document. Non-EU/EEA visitors, including travellers from the US, UK (post-Brexit), Australia, and Canada, are legally required under the Italian Highway Code to carry a valid IDP alongside their national licence. Obtain one from your national automobile association before departure. The IDP must conform to either the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna Convention. Check which version your country issues.
LEGAL: The minimum age to drive a car in Italy is 18. RENTAL POLICY (varies by company): Most rental companies set a higher threshold of 21, 25; some will rent to drivers aged 18, 20 or 21, 24 but apply a young-driver surcharge that can be substantial. Age minimums and surcharge structures differ between providers, confirm with your chosen company before booking.
LEGAL REQUIREMENT: Every vehicle on Italian roads must carry RC Auto (Responsabilità Civile Auto) third-party liability cover, which rental companies include in the base rental price by law. RENTAL POLICY: Companies also offer optional Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), theft protection, and Super CDW to reduce or eliminate the excess liability. Basic CDW typically leaves a significant excess. Check whether your travel or credit-card insurance already covers this gap before deciding whether to upgrade.
RENTAL POLICY, not a legal requirement: Nearly all rental companies require a major credit card (not a debit or prepaid card) at pickup to place a pre-authorisation hold against the excess liability. Hold amounts vary by company and vehicle category. A minority of providers accept debit cards under stricter conditions or with a higher deposit, check the company's terms directly.
Italy drives on the right. Right turns on red are not permitted. At uncontrolled intersections, priority goes to traffic approaching from the right. For the Amalfi Coast specifically: virtually every town along the SS163 operates a ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato) restricted-traffic zone enforced by cameras, entering without authorisation generates fines that typically arrive weeks after your trip with no on-the-spot warning. The SS163 coastal road is extremely narrow with limited passing places. During peak season, local bus and ferry services or a private driver are often more practical than self-driving.
Helpful Tips
Picking up at Naples International Airport (NAP) is the most practical option when flying in. Take the A3 autostrada south to Salerno before joining the SS163 coast road, which lets you bypass Naples city-center traffic and ZTL restricted zones entirely. Some travelers prefer a Salerno city pickup instead, cutting the drive to the coastal section significantly.
Photograph every existing scratch and dent on the vehicle before leaving the lot, because the SS163 is narrow enough that wing mirrors and door panels face real risk from passing coaches and stone walls. Full CDW coverage with zero excess is worth serious consideration here regardless of what your credit card's rental insurance claims to cover, as some card policies exclude damage to tyres, the undercarriage, and roof.
Google Maps is generally reliable for Amalfi Coast roads. But download the area for offline use before you arrive since mobile signal drops in several mountain sections. Routing apps occasionally suggest shortcuts on unmapped or extremely steep inland tracks. If a suggested road looks implausible on the satellite view, trust that instinct and stick to the SS163.
Fuel stations on the SS163 itself are scarce, so fill up in Salerno or Sorrento before descending onto the coastal road. Always choose a full-to-full rental contract over a prepaid-fuel option, and carry some cash for self-service forecourts since not all Italian card readers reliably accept foreign-issued cards.
Paid parking with blue-line markings dominates every coastal town, and spaces fill fast. In Positano and Amalfi town itself, use the designated car parks on the approach roads and walk in rather than circling the historic center. If your accommodation offers parking, book it explicitly at reservation time, as hotel parking on the coast is scarce and rarely held without advance confirmation.
Driving Warnings
The towns of Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello all enforce Zona a Traffico Limitato (ZTL) restricted zones with automatic camera systems, entering without a resident permit generates a fine that rental agencies typically pass on with additional administration fees, often arriving as a surprise bill weeks or months after your trip.
The SS163 Amalfitana is in many places barely wide enough for two small cars; SITA Sud buses operate frequently on this road and, due to their size, effectively command priority at blind hairpin bends, oncoming drivers are expected to reverse to the nearest passing bay and wait.
During peak summer months the SS163 typically operates under traffic-management measures that can include alternating one-way flow or time-based restrictions on private vehicles. These rules change annually, so verify current conditions with the Regione Campania or your rental agency before driving in July or August.
Italian law requires every vehicle to carry a warning triangle and a reflective safety vest, and, critically, you are legally obligated to put the vest on before exiting the vehicle on any road or highway. This applies to rental cars, and traffic police along the coast do conduct roadside equipment checks.