Where do I fill up before returning the car?
pie-NO — stress on second syllable. res-ti-TUI-re — stress on third syllable.
On the way back to the rental office when you need to top up the fuel.
'Fare il pieno' (to fill up the tank) is the standard Italian phrase for refuelling completely. 'Prima di restituire' (before returning) specifies the timing. This is important — returning a car with less than a full tank incurs expensive refuelling charges.
C'è un distributore vicino all'ufficio del noleggio?
Is there a petrol station near the rental office?
Ask before your final drive to the rental
Quanto gasolio devo mettere?
How much diesel should I put in?
Fill it completely — 'faccio il pieno' means fill to the top
Ho fatto il pieno — ecco lo scontrino.
I filled up — here is the receipt.
Keep the receipt as proof of the fuel level at return
Italian petrol stations (distributori) near major car rental offices know that rental customers frequently come to fill up before return — they are experienced with this. Keep the receipt showing the pump reading and timestamp — this proves you filled up within the correct timeframe. Some rental offices check that the fill-up was done within 10km of their location.