The road accident that occurred at dawn on Sunday 16 November 2025 in viale Fulvio Testi, in Milan, has put the spotlight back on the rental market. But there is often lightness around supercars. A rapidly growing sector which also presents several less clear points regarding short-term sports car rentals. We talked about it with Pietro Teofilatto, director of the Tax and Economy Area of Aniasa
A carousel of images, a series of benefits from an economic point of view (for example payment without a credit card and the clause relating to no scoringwhich allows the operation to be carried out free from any possible financial analysis) and, despite the few contacts available, the certainty of rapid times for the activation of the rental contract: this is how it was proposed online, in some specialized groups present on the main social networks, Mercedes G-Class 63 Amg Stronger Than Time Edition was destroyed in a collision with one Opel Corsa occurred around 6.30 am Sunday 16 November 2025 in viale Fulvio Testi, a Milanin which a 19-year-old boy lost his life, Pietro Silva Orrego. An exclusive model (the list price starts from 208 thousand euros), equipped with an engine V8 from 585 HP which, according to some findings carried out by our editorial staff, would be available to a Lombard company specialized in the rental of large-engined cars (several have also been used for the music videos of some well-known Italian rappers), commercial vehicles, private jets and yachts. With investigations into the collision still ongoing, some doubts still remain about the nature of the rental contracts being offered, often via virtual channels. We spoke about this and the situation of the sector in the Peninsula Peter Theophylactdirector of the Tax and Economic Area of Aniasathe National Association of the Car Rental, Sharing Mobility and Automotive Digital Industry of the system Confindustria.
Teofilotto, net of the ongoing investigations which will still have to clarify many aspects, from the first moment it emerged that the Mercedes SUV involved in the fatal collision which occurred on Sunday 16 November 2025 in Viale Fulvio Testi in Milan had been rented.
“This fact is a cause of great pain for everyone. Dying like this is the stupidest thing.”
An episode which, in part, brings to mind the dramatic accident of 2023 in which young Manuel (a five-year-old boy) lost his life in Rome, in the Casal Palocco neighbourhood. In that case there were some members of the group driving a rented Lamborghini Urus TheBorderline (a collective of YouTubers involved in challenges and social challenges), led by a 20-year-old boy. In your opinion, nothing has changed since then?
“At the basis of many reasons which obviously concern the conduct of the vehicle, I must say that regarding rental, there is the need to observe some regulations. The Lamborghini probably could not have been allowed to drive to those young people (at the time Matteo Di Pietro, the young man who was behind the wheel of the Urus, was 20 years old, ed), while in this case we still don’t know for sure how things went. But there are some very clear principles.”
What documents must a person interested in renting a car present?
“Let me say, first of all, that in this case the reference is represented by the Civil Code, with the classic diligence of the good father of a family, therefore a sort of general principle of the famous careful behavior of responsibility on the part of both subjects, both the rental company and the driver of the vehicle. What is most important at the time of signing the rental contract, rental companies must ensure certain aspects concerning the driver. The first is to be able to verify a regular identity document, therefore including the indications relating to residence. This also for the possible re-notification of Highway Code sanctions. And then, obviously, a valid driving license is needed, which is clear and free from tampering. It must appear that the driver of the vehicle actually has the driving license. I don’t think this is the case, but there are particular situations in which additional documents are required”.
How and by whom is this data processed?
“At the same time as the vehicle is delivered, the rental company has the obligation to indicate all these coordinates to the Ministry of the Interior. In fact, since the end of 2023, the system has come into force Cargos (Car Renter Guardian Operation System, ed) activated for anti-terrorism purposes conceived at the time of terrorist acts carried out on board coaches, vans and other road vehicles, which obliges the rental company to communicate the contracting party’s data through a codified telematic standard available on the Ministry of the Interior website. Instantly, when the latter signs the rental contract, his data must be communicated to the Ministry of the Interior, for a series of steps which implies diligence and responsibility when I rent a vehicle”.
In the various announcements, published on social channels, relating to the rental offer of the Mercedes G-Class 63 Amg Stronger Than Time Edition SUV involved in the road accident in Milan, there was specific talk of no scoring, payments without credit cards and other clauses probably proposed to make a possible negotiation easier. In a constantly growing and expanding sector, what are the limits within which one must operate to respect the parameters established by the laws in force?
“Here we have the Highway Code in which, in article 84 (rental without driver, ed) establishes what the rental contract is. Having said that, the context of Aniasa’s businesses presents non-codified but very precise standards. A good practice that we have always seen in this sector is particular attention towards the customer. If I (business, ed) I give you a good that has a value of 50 thousand euros, I can ask you for one or two credit cards to support the value of the good that I entrust to you, so it is good to verify the reliability of the contractor of a rental contract. This is what occurs in the associative context, we are talking here about multinationals that operate in the short and long term. A vehicle is not given to someone who can only pay the rent for two or three months and then disappears.”
What are the main critical issues you are encountering on this front on the Italian market?
“What we are seeing is that, at the same time as the rental boom at a national level, and therefore a growth in turnover, a greater number of vehicles in the fleet and an increase in rental contracts within the sector, there is also a proliferation of small micro-companies that carry on business for a short time and then disappear. The latter lease the vehicle without those conditions of diligence, in order to have an immediate profit. As mentioned, in this phase we are experiencing an increase of micro-companies at a territorial level which, by acquiring, we don’t even know how, this type of vehicle, then grants it too easily. I remember that it is still an asset which, beyond its value, can unfortunately represent an instrument of misfortune and pain for families and damage to the community”.
Another rapidly growing and constantly evolving system is that of Rent to rentthe sub-rental of a vehicle to third parties.
“We are talking about a system that has always been in use but which, obviously, must be codified. If multinational companies, with standards of safety, responsibility and ethics, called therefore an offer that is easier to use. Vehicles can be acquired in various ways which, consequently, are rented with great ease”.
What is the association doing in this regard?
“The enabling law for the division of the Highway Code provides specific regulations for infringements. So, in the specific case, if I take a rental vehicle, go through a red light, the infringement will not be noted but the report will be notified to the rental company and the latter will be obliged to communicate to the police headquarters the name of who was actually behind the wheel of the vehicle. Today, in the associative context, all regulatory references have been eliminated. An intervention by the legislator is necessary to ensure that ensure the flexibility of the use of the vehicle in compliance with the law. This provision, which must be implemented by June 2026, we will also try to regulate the case of sublease and to find a system so that this case can be regulated at a general level”.
In the case of the fatal accident that occurred in 2023 in Casal Palocco, some critical issues emerged relating to the age of the driver of the Lamborghini Urus. How is Aniasa operating on this front?
“The moment I verify at the counter that I am about to give an 18-year-old a vehicle that, for various reasons, cannot drive, I don’t have to complete the operation. Let’s say that, nowadays, on the one hand there is good rental, with full compliance with the law. We are talking, only as regards the short term, of 5 million annual contracts that concern Aniasa companies, as included in the annual report that is sponsored by the Ministry of Transport. In the latter, at 99.99% there is full compliance with the law. In other contracts (of which, clearly, it is not possible to make a definitive estimate or a percentage) it may happen that the law is not fully observed and that the various rules are disregarded too quickly”.
Not infrequently, however, situations arise in which the lessee is not the person who then gets behind the wheel of the rented car…
“There are situations in which the parent, relative or friend who signs the rental contract, therefore the responsibility lies entirely with him, and then gives the rented vehicle to a person who, perhaps for reasons of age, could not get behind the wheel of the same. Paragraph 5 of article 115 of the Highway Code speaks precisely of reckless entrustment, that is, I cannot give a vehicle to a person who does not have a driving license. Of course, when a company signs a contract with a person who possesses all the necessary requirements for the stipulation of the same, I cannot imagine that he will grant the driving to another person, but the contract clearly identifies the responsibility of the lessee”.
Imagining for a moment that you are a customer interested in renting a car, what advice would you give me for carrying out a transaction?
“Imagining being able to have a vehicle that costs fifty times as much at a reduced rent can certainly be tempting but it should also make us worry. Even the ease and excessive speed with which a contract is stipulated should raise doubts. From our point of view, rental companies carry out a whole series of information requests and checks on the reliability of customers. Reference to brands tested over the decades is certainly a guarantee of knowing the professionalism of the subject. Today rental is spreading quickly: even workshops, but above all dealers, offer services of this type for the purchase, leasing but also for rental. Therefore the presence of a person in the area for a long time or professional seriousness can also be a valid help in the choice, in order to be able to drive safely, with an efficient vehicle at the right cost”.
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