Europcar Reviews

I wish there would be a way to select no star at all! I booked twice with Europcar and twice this company has been dishonest. The first time by charging me when I was covered by the insurance and the second time with false advertisement and blackmail. I was quoted a price for an upgrade that I paid and received a "so called" final invoice after the trip. Months after the fact they tried to charge my credit card without my knowledge. After blocking access to my card I received a letter for fees they had forgotten to add to the "final" invoice which made the true final bill costing 40% more. The letter implied I was the one who forgot to pay the fees when I had actually paid the invoice as asked. To keep a long story short, the word "customer" means nothing to them. They just use all the tricks in the book to make you pay more and if they could, without your knowledge.

I'm currently in the process of a lengthy back and forth with EuropCar and it's been painful to say the least. Let me start out by saying that I actually had a positive experience three years ago and up until I got home from my trip to Denmark recently on 5/31/19, I thought it was going to be another great experience. A few days after I got back home to the States I noticed over $900 of a charge on my credit card that looked really strange from Avis (EuropCar arranged it through Avis).

I have booked the car via www.rentalcars.com, it was stated that the total cost is AUD438.53. I paid this full amount on 18 November 2018. The booking was for late March Paris pick-up, early April Bordeaux drop-off. Yet, I was additionally charged by Europcar AUD119.37 on the 2 April 2019, upon the drop-off. At that time I realised that on the contract with Europcar (which is completely in French) there are additional charges of 6 euros for environmental contribution and 79.26 euros for aller-simple (one way?). I was disputing these charges as I paid the total quoted and requested amount upon booking, at the time I correctly booked for different drop-off location so it was known, should have been included in total cost, and therefore there should be no additional payments of any sort.

When I rent a car, I take pictures of the car before and after. AFTER I got home from trip abroad I got a letter and email stating that there was damage to the underside of the car. I provided pictures of the car that I took before and after WITH pictures of the tag. They denied my pictures saying there was no pictures of underneath the car. First of all, who takes pictures of the underneath of cars and second they refused to provide pictures of the undercarriage before I rented the car. I believe this is a total scam for foreign renters; they never checked the undercarriage when I returned it, wouldn't provide before pictures of the rental with the tag, they wouldn't provide pictures after the rental with the tag.

Updated Review on 10/28/2019: When picking up my pre-selected car at the Europcar counter in Dublin, Ireland the desk agent offered me a diesel car saying that it would save me money during our trip. He never mentioned that although I would save a few dollars on fuel, I would be charged an additional 20 Euros a day for the diesel rental. I missed this on the contract. On the next leg of our journey in England, I finally noticed the additional charge. I contacted Europcar the next day after returning the car in Ireland. I was told there was no phone number for their customer service department and given an email address. I sent an email that day and received a response the next day asking for additional information. I provided the additional information and didn't hear back for weeks. I emailed two or three more times with no response.

Rented a vehicle in France in June 2019. The first vehicle we were given had 4 bald tires which I didn’t notice until the 2nd day, contacted them for replacement. At first they said they had nothing for us, when I pressed them they came up with an option but we had to drive an hour to pick it up. Then when I returned to the US I ended up being charged additional fees in excess of $300. Took me 3 emails to get them to respond. Half was for a supposed upgrade. We ask for to an automatic, never happened, we were driving a standard. (Only request I had was for a safe vehicle.) And half was for 47 liters of fuel. I returned the car 3/4 full as that was the level it was at when we picked it up and I was told directly from the person we got the vehicle from that I only needed to return it 3/4 full. Do not trust this company! I will never rent from them again due to unsafe vehicles and overcharges.

We booked an auto 4x4 from Lyon airport and they tried to fob us off with a non 4x4 car telling us that it was 4x4. The lady was blatantly lying through her teeth. She tried to constantly oversell an upgrade and told us that the car we had booked was not available and to come back a few hours later (even though we were there at the allotted time). After an hour they agreed to provide the car booked but the lady was so rude. She kept telling us we had not paid for ANY insurance but we actually had agreed to a EURO 2k excess. She kept saying we needed to use our own insurance. We had to ask another staff member to clarify the insurance. The whole service was the worst we had EVER experienced! Just appalling - no other words.

We used AutoEurope to rent a car from Salzburg to Vienna. They used Europcar to supply the vehicle. Now they are trying to charge us for tire and rim damage we did not do. At pickup the car was parked so close to the wall, for no given reason, and the scratches didn’t even show. My husband works on cars and quickly pointed out to them at drop off the scrapes were oxidized and obviously old. The drop off attendant almost seemed to know what to look for, he went straight to the tire even though it was a dark garage. We asked for the car records because we are now wondering how many people before us have already been billed for this damage. We paid for full insurance, no deductible, but apparently there is a deductible on tires. The whole process was very suspect. We will not rent from them again.

After reading all these reviews, it's very unfortunate that so many other people have experienced a similar terrible story as mine. I wish there was a lawyer out there to represent us all because the injustice is appalling. These instances are not mistakes being made by the company, it's very obvious that it's 100% intentional. From start to finish, there was error after error made (throughout reservation process, at the counter picking up car, returning car) and lack of phone customer service has proven that the company is completely corrupt and inept. I was charged over 350 euros for a ONE DAY CAR RENTAL after being quoted an initial price of 60 euros. There was no damage done to the car or violation of policy, and worse yet, absolutely no explanation. Please never do business with Europcar. You will save yourself lots of frustration, headache, and money.

Hey. We hired the car from Rentalcars and the car was booked through EuropCar. We paid the full amount in advance. When we reached the Europcar station, they told us since we are late our car for which we had paid in advance has been already given to someone else. We have to pay 120 Euros more to get a new car. We asked them that we has paid for the car in advance and should not be treated like this. We asked them if you have already given our car to someone else you should return our money and we will take bus. They refused to give us our money back and neither the car. We asked them to change the dates from 3 days to 2 days so that we are paying less but they refused to do that either. Worst experience, I have hired car from other service providers in the past like Thrifty, etc. but never had such a worst experience. People should not use EuropCar for any of their bookings.

Rented a car from the Madrid airport branch, drove it for over 1,700 km without accident or incident. When we received the car, there was no attendant to do a walk-around the car to record existing damages, as is common practice. So we took pictures of several very visible pre-existing scratches and dents on one side to avoid being accused of being responsible for them. When we returned the car, to our surprise we were charged almost 400 Euro for other very minor scratches which were actually so insignificant that we had failed to noticed them upon taking the car.

I was charged 556 Euro for repairing a tiny scratch near the rear boot, which I am not even sure that it was my fault. The invoice (or should I call it the invoice 'reminder' as the invoice never came in before I ask) came in 2 month later. If you rent with them, be ready to be ripped-off. In their terms and conditions (pointed out by their customer service when asked why I should pay something that is not my fault), you are liable to pay up to 900 Euro REGARDLESS if it is your fault or not. If your car had a single tiny scratch even by finger nail, you will be charged ridiculous amount.

We prepaid for a car that should be ready for us at 8:00am on May 26th, 2019 at the airport in Acapulco. They had no cars at that time luring us that some cars would be returned soon. Around 9:00 am they acknowledged that the earliest car they expect back will be around noon. We asked for money back. After talking with the agent on the site and with someone on the phone we were assured that the refund would be made the next business day, what was Monday, May 27, 2019. More than one month later that refund still has not been done. Our emails have not been returned. None of the phone numbers listed on the Europcar allowed us to reach a service representative there. Looks like some of these phone numbers are disconnected.

The only issue we had was with CDW, a miasma of risk and insanely high charges through their captive insurance carrier, AIG. We booked our car and CDW through EXPEDIA; however, we were informed that Europcar DOES NOT ACCEPT insurance purchased through EXPEDIA. According to the agent at Europcar, EXPEDIA knows insurance they sell is not honored in Dublin but they sell it anyway. In order to leave the car hire agency with some confidence that we were not "on the hook" for life, limb, liability, and the entire car... We paid AIG over 300% more than the phantom insurance coverage from EXPEDIA. EXPEDIA is refusing to refund the charge for the phantom insurance they provided. Caveat emptor. The people at Europcar, Dublin, City Center, Spencer Dock were courteous and efficient and they provided an adequate car for our three week trip.

An unpleasant customer experience from Europcar. I needed to rent a vehicle to visit my dad who is severely disabled with Parkinson's and who therefore requires the constant care provided by a care-home some 200 miles away from me in Kent. I hired a 4 door GM sedan to make the trip, which happened to coincide with the hottest two days of the year last week.

Pure poison. Car was nice, and no issues. First inkling was some extra charge at the airport because our reservation was still two hours in the future. No big deal, but they forced a different rental of a more expensive car for about 100 Euros more. Walking through the garage we saw dozens of the smaller car we rented. But was glad we got the huge Fiat.

Regular customers of this company but recently got a 40 pounds charge called an admin fee for a parking ticket we had no idea we had received. It is in the the contract but as not informed of the infringement until 11 weeks later meant hard to appeal and fine 50 pounds. Very money grubbing company and no importance but on loyalty or customer satisfaction.

We rented a small car from Europcar for three days from Nice airport. We got to desk and did all the paperwork and added my 23 year old daughter on as a driver. The person from Europcar NEVER said a word about the additional costs. When final bill came we got charged 10 Euros a day for additional driver and on top 40 Euros A DAY for my daughter!! So the final bill for three days was double what the original bill was. A COMPLETE RIP OFF and I will never ever use them again!!

Worst experience at Europcar Milan. We paid for zero excess - they handed us the keys to a vehicle and told us they didn’t need to do a walk around because of it - fair enough. When we returned the vehicle they pointed out a small scratch to the alloy (which was actually already noted on the check-in form!!) and proceeded to charge “damage admin fees” despite us showing the form and refusing to be blamed. They also charged us an extortionate one way fee (almost 70 Euro more than they should have). One month ago they told us by email it was incorrect and would be refunded and yet we have not heard from them again. We are currently looking into our legal options to recover these fraudulent charges. Do yourself a favour and do not ever do business with a Europcar.

I prepaid a car rental on the Europcar website. One week before the hiring period, I cancelled the reservation. According to Europcar policy clearly noted on the booking confirmation, if cancelled more than 48 hrs in advance, the whole payment is refunded. One month after noticing that my payment hadn't been refunded, I contacted Europcar via their website, the same I used for my reservation and cancellation. However, instead of being refunded, I got charged the same amount again! Since then, I have opened a claim with my credit card company, which fortunately is very good with assisting customers, but as far as Europcar is concerned, I would not recommend them, and advise everyone to stay clear of them.

This place is a scam. I got charged €711 for some scratch that I certainly didn't do. They sent me some very blurry photos and claimed there was a scratch. When I asked for some better quality photos they ignored the message and sent me the invoice instead. First car rental experience, definitely the last one with these guys.

I rented a car from Europcar UK in Belfast for one week. The car was fine, like any other hire car. The trouble started when I was wrongly charged for £4.94 for 4L of fuel that the tank was apparently short when returned. Despite me filling the tank before leaving for the airport (I have proof of this action in my bank statements) and also checking the gauge when I dropped it off.

Reading other reviews I see that I am not the only one who has been ripped off by Europcar. My husband and I filled the car up 3.8 miles from Heathrow (I have a receipt) when we returned the car. After asking twice, we were told (twice) that everything was fine and there were no problems on the return. Then I get charged GBP27 for refuelling the car. I am furious and after using this company on several previous occasions I will never touch them again with a barge pole. This is a dishonest practice. As I live in Australia, there's not a damn thing I can do about this fraud and I will have to remain out of pocket. Nice way to treat pensioners Europcar - I hope you're proud of yourselves.

Rented a car from Europcar at the Heathrow location through Auto Europe LLC for a recent trip to the UK. When we got to the location we had to wait for over an hour to get our car. This rental was fully paid for prior to our trip with full insurance. We took possession of the car, which was brand new, and had no problems for the entire two weeks we were in the UK. The problem came in upon our return to US and seeing that I was charged an additional $400.00+ for special insurance and an extra day.

Perfect...but. Booked a van from Treviso airport to cross over to Slovenia. Clark never mentions anything about border fees. We bought vignette from Autostrada for cross border pass. On checking my account back home I noticed a 50 euro debit charge for the border fee. Another hidden cost without notice. That is why they ask to have the visa full I suppose to debit at their free will. Pissed me off, wouldn't have minded If were told!

After confirming my reservation for a car in France I booked hotel and Disneyland tickets and they sent a email on the morning of my rental to say the type of car I chose wasn’t available and to call. After paying for everything upfront with no cancellation or refund they tell me they have no cars. I explained my situation and lady said “Too bad. Go to another company“. I later checked the same exact location and they had the original car I chose for 3 times the price! Shame on them. This was my fourth time renting from them in Europe. Stay AWAY!!

Got charged 100 Euros just for filling up a tank. They hide the fact well that they charge double the fuel price per liter if you don't fill up the tank. They never offered me to take the car for another day because the cost was the same. Location was bad to find a fuel station in the city of Leipzig. The car was a booking for a VW Golf specifically but they gave me a Seat. Because I needed the car, I signed the paper that said that I received the car I booked. Fraud right in your face and they continue to operate in Germany with impunity.

I returned a car early because the tire had a bubble in it and we needed to do a 4 hr drive and was unsafe. We took the care to Pisa airport and they swapped a car for us but gave us a downgrade as that what was only available. Whilst swapping cars the attendant wouldn’t give me the key with all our luggage in it and I said I was not going to leave the car with all our luggage/passports/camera, etc. in it unattended. She abused me and stormed into the office where she gave the keys to the front desk. I then got the swapped car and was transferring my luggage only to be abused by her again! Appalling customer service and I won’t use Europcar again. They can get stuffed!

Europcar Rome are unscrupulous thieves. In 2018 my son and I hired a car from them for a few days. Upon returning the car Europcar Rome noted a few pre-existing scuffs and demanded additional payment. We explained that the damage was preexisting, refused to pay extra for this scam and approached the manager. Upon explaining the situation to him he personally noted no further payment was required in his own handwriting on the invoice. Six months later a debt collection agency is demanding payment of $AUD 600+. Do not deal with this company. They will 100% rip you off.

After 1 month and a half of being charged a second total insurance, despite repeating that when the seller asked us if we wanted it and we told him not because we already had one paid with the rental company, he filled in the data and we He said it was for the one we already had (let's swindle in the face) and the answer they give me is that they will not return AN INSURANCE THAT NOBODY HIRED BUT WAS CHARGED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT IN THE CONVERSATION.

I had a confirmed reservation, however when I went to the counter I was told by the agent that he could not rent me the car! That’s it — no reason whatsoever, no explanation! I have been a very active and loyal client for over 20 years and also hold the Privilege Elite Card (good for nothing, since I never, ever get upgraded). Three days later I was charged 95 euros for NO SHOW, What a FRAUD, not only did Europcar caused me a big problem but it also had the guts to desperately try to rip me off 95 euros! I immediately reported this abused charge to AMEX which was extremely helpful and nullified the transaction! The very same day I also wrote to EUROPCAR customer service.... and still waiting for an answer! EUROPCAR NEVER, EVER AGAIN!

I have been renting for ten years from this company. They always have car shortage and provide less than safe cars to their client. Highly not recommended. I have a membership with them, which after a certain number of rentals you qualify for upgrades. They never honored the upgrade claiming they have a shortage of cars. And it's never guaranteed according to them?? What's the point of having a reward program if you are not going to offer it?? Rip Off!

SCAM ALERT!!!! Do NOT use Europcar. 15 miles outside the airport, I filled up the tank at a gas station. Then, I drove to a 2nd location 1 mile from the airport and filled it up until it would not fill up anymore, just to be sure it was 100% full. The line was at the FULL mark. The lady I returned the car to said everything looked great. Europcar charged me $10 for gas a few days later. This is a SCAM they do to get more money out of their customers. I have photo evidence that I filled up the tank, and Europcar didn't care. TOTAL SCAM. Will tell everyone I know never to use Europcar.

Europcar dirty tricks, beware. Hired a car last month from Charles de Gaulle Airport and when I went to pick it up I was advised the model selected was not available and was offered an automatic instead of manual with a surcharge of 180 Euro which I agreed to. When I got to the car I realised that it was not an automatic as promised but I was still charged the surcharge. It took 12 days and numerous emails/phone calls to be reimbursed the 180 Euro only to discover that at the same time as the reimbursement was been processed my account was debited 331 Euro for some damage to the car. No details about where or what the damage was supposed to be.

I booked through Holiday Autos, and prepaid a $236.31 fee for two weeks, that was supposed to cover everything. Their agent asserted there was a mandatory additional insurance fee and refused to rent me the car without my agreeing to pay over $400 extra. I refused, and instead rented a hotel room, took the train, and rented a car from another company for the return to the airport. I have since established that the prepaid fee included the coverage, and I should have been charged nothing extra. Europcar now asserts that the agent merely offered the insurance as an option, and that I refused the car for no good reason: my word against theirs. That is an absurd assertion, further undermined by lots of reviewers with similar experiences. I have been subjected to extortion and lies from this company, and will never use them again.

Rented from Europcar in Italy. Had to wait at the train station for 3 hours for the pre-paid reservation. Returned the car before hours due to an early flight (scheduled the early return with them). We were charged 60 euro for < 1 gallon of diesel, and of course, nothing we could do about it since we had left Italy already. Will never use Europcar again.

All good until I experienced a punctured tyre. Initial call to Europcar was good, they told me they'd get back as soon as they could let me know what action they'd be taking, which they did. I was told they couldn't get anybody to me for 24 hours, despite being only 15 miles from Hull city center. They could however arrange for somebody to transport the car if I was happy to pay for the service. I wasn't. They Eventually got somebody out to me the next day, unfortunately as Europcar had removed the locking nut tool from the car the tyre company couldn't get the wheel off to change the tyre.

Take my advice. DO NOT USE EUROPCAR. There was ZERO damage to my car and they are claiming a 2 cm mark on the bumper is there. They took a picture and it is literally just dirt, if anything at all. I also took a picture and have uploaded it here. See anything? Yeah neither do I. I have read that there is a kickback for reporting damage to their employees, of course there is no way I can confirm this. But it makes sense, because when I dropped the car off the guy was downplaying it like, "Yeah I see a little something there and we have to document it, but it'll be no big deal." That is so that you feel comfortable signing and agreeing to it of course, as I was in a rush to get to my next destination.

We rented a car with Expedia for an Italy trip. When we arrived, the Europcar employee who attended us was impolite and aggressive - Europcar didn’t give us the car we had booked, arguing we didn’t have an international driving license, we had to book it with another company which costed almost three times the price we had agreed with you. The real fact is the price was very cheap, and they could rent it more expensive.

I have been renting from Europcar for 10 years now and have the Gold Elite status. This review sums up my experience with them: Similar to other reviewers with a Europcar status I am never offered any benefits or upgrades. I kid you not, in 10 years and holding both the Privilege Executive and Privilege Elite statuses I was not once upgraded for free. When I do find it in my heart to request the complimentary double upgrade they so advertise as a benefit I am always rudely reminded that upgrades are only dependant on availability and they simply never have any; period. I am then also always offered a paid upgrade on the spot to a much more expensive category and expected to pay the sizeable difference. The staff will make it sound like they are doing you a huge favour, going out of their way and offering you a very special rate that you really shouldn't reject.

I've used RentalCover.com for full 0 deductible insurance with no problems in Europe with other car rental co's. Europcar at Glasgow Airport refused this coverage on Apr.25-'19 & referred me to P-8 of their 24-page Terms & Conditions book that says 'we do not accept the transfer of personal car insurance policies or the cover provided by any 3rd party purchased online'. Europcar's far inferior insurance with a $2000 (CDN) deductible cost 3 times the cost of RentalCover's & doesn't cover tires & windshield damage unless you pay even more!

We prepaid $600 for a car in Geneva. Car was too small so we agree and signed for additional $800. We were on vacation so we didn't want to lose our vacation time. We returned the car on time. It was inspected in front of our entire family and they said, "You are good to go." We returned to our horror that they had charged us $2000 more on our credit card. They did not notify us of anything, no email, no justification, just unauthorized charges.

I have rented from Europcar a couple of times; always from their Edinburgh office. Each time there has been problems because they try to force me to pay for CDW insurance through them. I have CDW through my insurance company and have always taken care when I rent online to make it clear that I do not need CDW. Last June, the manager at the desk was very confrontational and put a hold on my credit card for the insurance. Later an agent called and confirmed that my rental agreement showed that I did not need to pay the CDW and they released the hold.

I reserved through Hotwire. My Saturday flight was cancelled and I tried to change my reservation for the next day. The telephone number on my printed confirmation directed me to a number that only operated Monday - Friday. When I arrived at the rental location no assistance was offered. I was told to call a different number and was told that it was too late to honor my confirmation. They directed me to Avis, two shuttle rides away. This was after waiting a hot hour for assistance from the Europcar staff. I walked next door to DOLLAR, I was in and out in 10 minutes. Rented a car for $11 per day, used my Amex insurance and was very happy. DO NOT BOOK THROUGH HOTWIRE. DO NOT USE EUROPCAR. GO TO DOLLAR.

Picking up the car was no problem. I was asked if I wanted full coverage on the vehicle, I responded that I did and that I opted for this (and paid for) at the time that I booked the rental. I was given the keys and off I went. When I returned the car, I was not given an invoice and since I was concerned about getting to our flight on time, I didn't ask. Once home, I saw that there were significant charges to my card. Charges that I could not explain. I called and asked that an itemized bill be sent to me via e-mail. I was told that it wouldn't be a problem. Five calls later, and mind you I have to pay by the minute to make an international call, I still haven't received the invoice leaving me to question what it is that they are hiding?!

What company would: Provide dirty cars on pickup? Charge you an extra cleaning fee for the privilege of receiving a clean car? Charge you without consent for additional insurance, despite alternative coverage? Hide it's customer services contact details? Promise a 7 day response to issues (bad enough) but take weeks to respond to urgent issues? Debit instead of credit you for errors? Yup... Europcar. Cheaper than most, worse than all.

I rented a car for 1 day in Frankfurt airport. I used to rent cars in Europcar but from this moment I’ll never do this anymore. And I’ll not recommend my friends and colleagues Europcar company. What happened was that during return of the car, the guy who checked the car told that he saw some ash on the driver’s window. There was no any ash and no damage at all. I don’t smoke at all and nobody smoked in the car during my rental. After that 10 days later I received a bill with 200 EUR fine for nothing. The car was not soiled at all and I consider Europcar actions as a fraud.

I book a car for a day trip from Waverley Station, Edinburgh. We went there by bus and arrived at the station about 5 minutes late from the agreed time. The lady at the reception did not even smile and told us that she will give the car to someone else if we are late. I understand that there they can hold off a car for only a certain amount but she did not have to be rude about it! Thankfully the manager handled our case and he was friendly and kind.

My HORRIBLE experience with a Europcar rental. We recently rented a car from Europcar in Mendoza Argentina. My reservation was for a Citroen Picasso, but they did not have that. They set us up with a Toyota Etios, but it had four bald tires and I refused as it was unsafe. The replacement was a bottom-of-the-line Renault Logan, (for the same price) with tires only slightly better. I should not have taken the car, and warned them that no other company would rent a car with such dangerous tires. 50 miles away we had a blowout on a rear tire and then a flat on the front.

Easter Holidays plan was entirely destroyed by Europcar Manchester Piccadilly Station office when they denied to give booked car for confirmed booking giving the reason that UK Driving licence issued less than 1 year and Europcar does not consider Indian Driving Licence which I represented them which is written in English and issued by Regional Transport Authorities/Offices (RTA/RTO), India 7 year back. Europcar did not refund money as well saying that this booking is done through CarRentals.

Second time used this location. First time ok. Second, disaster and never again. Closed on Sundays so have to post key through letterbox. Had issue with them placing 3 pending deposits of £250 on my credit cards due to a card machine error. That was sorted with a call. 2 days after the rental was finished received an email saying car had been returned damaged. Knowing this was untrue and that I had parked the car directly under a cctv camera in the car park I contacted them. They claimed a tyre had been slashed. Do you really think your customers slash tyres???? What if I was to say to you 2 days after having the hire it was damaged? Would you believe me? No! So why would I believe you!!!!

I'm dealing with this crazy company for almost a year now. First they added some charges to my bill, which I disputed straight away, but they charged them nevertheless. Then I blocked this transaction at my bank, which resulted in the fact that they finally reviewed my case and refunded half of the amount. However that amount also included a full insurance, which I never disputed. I did not ever realise what happened, but half a year later I got a request to pay 800 EUR for some damage. Now I'm disputing this charge again as I did have an insurance which I never asked to cancel. I am not very sure what kind of people are working in their customers service and what is it for, but more unhelpful car rental company I never came across in my life.

Avoid at all costs. Had a hire car for 2 weeks while our car was being repaired after being hit by one of Europcar's customers. 2 weeks later, the car was collected without notice. Key was handed over, nothing was signed which I thought was unusual, although the Europcar employee seemed in a hurry. 5 days later, we received a letter in the post stating there is damage to the car. We then realised this supposed new damage was actually pre-existing and we had timestamped photo evidence of this. They insisted the Europcar employee who collected the car had pointed out the damage to us and that I signed for it. Why I would sign for existing damage? I would not. That makes no sense to me but to them, makes total sense.

I contacted Europcar four times over a period of ~6 weeks requesting information about a recent car rental. Using different Europcar email addresses I never received any answer (besides the automatically generated Acknowledgment notification). Very disappointing!!!

On a recent trip to Australia I rented a car from Europcar in Cairns, for 13 days, to drive to Brisbane. Unfortunately we were stranded 5 days later in Townsville (when it was declared an emergency area due to flooding and we were escorted to the airport by the army). Subsequently, I arranged to return the car in Townsville and fly to Brisbane where I would rent another car. Per Europcar's policy, I paid in full for the first 13 day rental. I also paid in full for the second 9 day rental. However, I was assured by the Europcar rep. that my Visa account would be credited for the difference. Now I'm getting dinged for "additional charges", which coincidentally amounts to EXACTLY the same amount as the difference they owe me... $800.00 AUD. Trust me, YOU DO NOT RENT A CAR FROM THESE PEOPLE. THEY ARE CRIMINALS!

EUROPCAR the WORST hire company you are ever likely to come across. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. You pay extra for 'Model Choice' car that apparently guarantees a specific car, but then apparently it doesn't guarantee anything, it's just a scam. I cancelled prior to the 48 hour cancellation period and was even told in writing I would not be charged a fee, and still they charge me £45!! Phone lines on hold constantly, no one wants to help. AVOID THIS COMPANY.

DO NOT RENT FROM THIS COMPANY. CRIMINALS!!!! I don’t even write reviews ever!!! Rented a car online for 166. I mistakenly put in wrong time as my flight landed later that day and had to change the time. When I called customer service lady acted as though she was being helpful. A minute after the call I received an email with my final receipt. Car went up to $400 with stuff she added without my consent. I asked the guy at the O.R. Tambo about the extra charge and told him to remove. He couldn’t. Said there’s nothing they can do. Guy said deposit was $1500, that they would hold in my card and return once I return the car!!!

Booked online a hire car from Dublin airport with Europcar, my boyfriend was 2 days away from being 25, said while booking online when we had entered all of his details that there would be an extra charge for drivers under 25 which we though was fair, so Europcar accepted the booking (knowing his age because we had to enter his details) and we prepaid for it, only to get to Dublin and the guy at the service desk literally said "you're not 25 can't help you" and then was already looking behind us to serve the next customer, wouldn't even entertain us however on their own site said there would be an additional charge, what is the point in saying that, allowing someone to book and pay in advance to be turned away at the door, absolutely disgraceful customer service, we had no other alternative.

Six months after having rented a car at Salalah Airport, Oman, we started getting supposed traffic fines charged to our credit card without any substantiation of claims made by Europcar. We paid the first fine, as we were away from home, and didn’t feel like fighting the charge. But then, one week ago, we got another email from the said company saying we received yet another traffic ticket. It turned out that they had charged our credit card C$53.60 ten days before they even bothered to send the email. We called our credit card company, and they immediately reversed the charge. They said they recognized the charge as fraudulent! Worst car rental experience ever! If I could give it Negative 5, I would!

This company gave me a Rav4 SUV instead of the Fiesta I rented, that is the lone good thing. Upon returning the car, I was informed by the Hotel (where the rental company rents their office space from) that they would become available to drop me off at the airport in about 1 hour; can you imagine going to a different country and being told not only are the rental people not there, they will not be there until an hour later?

Our Euopcar rental car was returned undamaged directly to a Europcar agent in the Europcar Christchurch airport parking lot. After thoroughly inspecting the car, the agent told us all was fine and that we could leave. When asked for paperwork, the agent said there was none, so we took him at his word and left. Two days following our rental we received a final invoice from Europcar showing a zero balance. Then four days after we returned the car, we were sent a photo of the car dated THREE DAYS following our return, claiming that we had damaged the car, and insisting that we pay for it. Of course it is the agent's responsibility AT THE TIME car is returned to identify any damage and notify the renter at that time, just as it is the renter's responsibility to identify pre-existing damage to the car before leaving the lot with the car.

As it has been 44 days of still trying to get these people to return the 250 deposit they owe. I have sent 20 emails, been into their branch, gone on resolver-and still after 44 days they have not dealt with it. They even added a false charge of 85 for non-show to return vehicle - when keys were handed into branch. Just looked at the reviews here and I can see it is a regular thing. Someone needs to investigate this company.

We hired a car from Granada train station. The car had to be collected from a dark underground car park half a mile from the Europcar office, where it was impossible to inspect the car properly. We did our best and took photos. After two days of completely incident free driving, we returned the car to Granada airport. The girl in the office walked straight up to the car and without a moment's hesitation put her hand under the nearest corner and announced that she could feel a scratch.

We hired the car from Edinburgh airport March 2016. Collected it late at night (little lighting). On first viewing we spotted no damage. It was only the next morning that we spotted multiple scratches / marks / small tire damage on the car. We tried several times to call customer service to report but no luck as we were out of signal range - hence took photographs. On returning to the airport on Sunday night - the "operative" on duty went straight to the damaged tire before speaking to us telling us it was our fault. We argued - I explained - showed the photos. Only to be told I would be charged. I told him that I would dispute any charge and he wasn't authorized to put on my Amex.

Amazing, we get home from our trip, and after a few months they start hammering us with mail, and emails about their "audit" and say we owe them 120$, as they'd charged us incorrectly for insurance. Though I'd sent them several emails about us not needing any insurance, they never replied, and just threatened collection. Don't rent from them!

We were scammed by them in Spain. Cost us $2300 Canadian. Do not deal with them. Our travel agency tried to help but did not get any help from them so they now refuse to use them for their customers. They are criminals.

Make sure you check the car when dropping off and make sure you drop it off direct to Europcar! Also take pictures of every angle of the car and make sure they are date stamped. I’ve been charged for damage that occurred after I returned the car to the garage who gave me the car whilst mine was being fixed. Even though I returned the car to them they did not return it to Europcar for 8 days later and I have been held responsible for those days and the damage that occurred during that period.

INSANE and RIDICULOUS - YOU CHARGED ME MORE THAN 1500 Euros for a small dent cum scratch. FOR THIS AMOUNT I CAN GET A USED CAR IN NETHERLANDS which is definitely one of costliest country in Western Europe. I will spend another 1500 Euros but I will make sure I win this battle because you are just ripping off customer. NOT AGAIN - LOW GRADE CLAIMS SERVICE - THEY DO NOT INFORM YOU - JUST SWIPE YOUR CREDIT CARD.

Europcar charged me the cost of the aerial of the car which was missing from the beginning of the rental. I explained the car radio had not worked all the way through but this is a scam to get some margin back. Stay away from them.

I have rented a car from London to Liverpool Airport on 5 February 2019 from Europcar. I have booked 2 car seat. When I picked up the car there was only 1 car seat. I had to wait more than an hour for another car seat. Because of this, I can not get to Liverpool right on time and our family miss to enter the Liverpool stadium where we have purchased tickets online.

I have rented a car from Frankfurt. I returned to Dusseldorf Airport. I have driven 550 km but company claims to be 2135 km. 261 euro was collected my credit card. Stay away from this company. They are not honest.

I rented my car and insurance package through Easyrentcars.com, however upon landing at Shannon airport I was told my insurance was not accepted by Europcar, Axa insurance. I was also told the car would not be released to me unless I bought their insurance but not to worry because I could get my original Insurance cost refunded through Easyrentcars. I was not refunded one single penny and Europcar basically said because I bought their insurance and signed they would not refund me either. They are modern day rip off artists and demand money after you disembark from a long flight. Do not use this company!!!

We used Europcar in Portugal in September 2018, as it was recommended to us by our travel agent. We had to pay 700 euros as a deposit, which would be refunded to us on the return of the vehicle. There was no damage to the vehicle recorded when we returned the vehicle, but up till today, we are still waiting for a refund, after continual queries to Europcar via our travel agent in South Africa. On numerous occasions, they informed our travel agent that they have either made the payment or will be making it soon, but no payment has been forthcoming yet. Any advice on the way forward will be appreciated.

If there was a choice to select 0 stars this was gonna be my selection for this company! They think that they can play with people and steal money from them with their way which is by changing the rates at the last minute. This is a very big company and I didn't expect this unprofessionalism from them.

This company runs an elaborate fraud. I am surprised that they have not been prosecuted. Rented prepaid in Aug 18. Now in Feb 19 charged my card for different items and sent me a letter for yet a different charge. Obviously attempting to extract funds but surprised that UK government does not audit them.

We rented from Rome airport and had the car a month. Four months after returning it they are trying to extort us for US $450 for damage to the rear panel of the car. Fortunately we had taken photos which prove the damage was there. I suspect they have attempted to charge others for the damage before and after our rental. They also have charged us "administration fees" for handling supposed violations we received while driving. Had we read the reviews posted, we never would have rented from them, so hopefully we can save others from their scams.

We from Australia, rented Europcar in London in April 2018. In Feb 2019, receive invoice from collection department mention we have 650 pounds outstanding for 60 days! Send the invoice to my email (my name to book), invoice charge to my hubby (he is the driver), but the invoice shows actual driver is another different name! When we call to Europcar UK, they told us a few details about this rental which definitely nonsense answer! The rent was January 2019. Rented in New Zealand. It is a company account, that's why they charge after rent.

Sneaky. Charged me 48 pounds 8 MONTHS after renting. I rented a Europcar via a third party. When I picked up the car they made me pay for a bunch of additional things I didn't want. Then I get an automatic charge on my credit card 8 MONTHS after renting the car. They said they forgot to charge me for something. Well, of course, how can I verify any of this. I didn't keep my paperwork from 8 months ago. A reputable company would have taken the small loss (if there was any, I can't tell) and moved on. Bad practices lose customers.

FRAUDSTERS! SCAM ARTISTS! Reserved a car in Cuernavaca Mexico with this shady company. When I went to pick up the car they would not rent it to me unless I bought all kinds of unneeded insurance from them. I had already indicated that I need the Supplemental Liability coverage since US credit cards are not accepted in Mexico for that coverage. But US credit cards do cover all the CDW related coverage. In the past I never rented from these guys always going with their much better competitors but none of them had an office in Cuernavaca. STAY AWAY FROM Europcar if you know what is good for you!

This company Europcar tricked me into signing for SCDW. On arrival at their desk Dublin Airport I was asked about insurance. I told the man at the desk that I had taken out my own excess insurance & I showed him the insurance policy but he still insisted I sign the form. No mention it was for excess insurance. When I returned home I noticed in very small print SCDW. I had to Google this to know what it was. I have contacted Europcar on several occasions since but no chance of my money back. Beware of this company & Don’t sign unless it is all explained to you.

Warning to anyone thinking of booking a Europcar rental on line. I wish I'd read this website first, I see this scam is a common experience. I searched via a company called Auto Europe, needing to pick up a car in Cambridge for 6 days. The Europcar daily price was fine, about USD$30 a day. BUT - when I arrived at the depot, Europcar required me to pay for insurance cover - at a staggering 150 pounds, ie 50% MORE than the actual rental. They told me the Auto Europe website stated this fee. I checked later - not true. This is simply a classic scam. Europcar extracts money for nothing, once you have committed to the contract. I set out my complaint in writing to Europcar. I have just heard back from Jeanilyn at Europcar that because I signed for the car, the charge stands. I will start escalating by submitting a complaint to the UK consumer protection authority, and see how I go.

Hired a Fiat 500 from these people in France. Car was hidden under snow, woman at desk had a face like soured milk and despite returning the car with a topped full tank of petrol, received an invoice taken from my credit card for 9 litres of fuel and a refueling charge, all for me bothering to look after their dirty car and filling the tank. I will never hire from these people again, anywhere in the world.

Hired a car at Liverpool. Airport staff member could not be bothered coming to it with me. It was dark and raining. I noticed damage over the back wheel. Went back and told him. He wrote it on my agreement. Took it back 2 days later. Again staff couldn't be bothered looking at it. A few days later a notice of damage is sent to me (back end of the car near to what I had reported and unless you got on the floor it would not be noticeable). This was highly likely done at the time of the undocumented damage and I would definitely know if I had done it... They have refused to get into conversation with me. Every time I email they just send a copy of the terms & conditions. They have now sent an invoice for £298. I am disgusted... Never ever hire a car from this company.

Unethical behavior by Europcar in UK. I rented a Europcar through a third party and went to collect the car from the Bournemouth office. I was told by the Europcar agent that I could get a cheaper car by booking direct with Europcar. The third party booking stated no cost for cancelling. The Europcar agent phoned the third party and I cancelled the booking. The Europcar agent rebooked the car and before I paid again I asked him to show me on the computer that the third party booking had been cancelled. He told me Europcar had the money from the third party and assured me that Europcar would refund the payment by the third party to myself. The third party subsequently refused to refund my booking because it was cancelled on the day of booking and Europecar refuse to help me. So on the advice of a Europcar employee I have paid twice for a rental car. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY.

Europacar will force you to buy their insurance even if you have already prepaid on other sites or have a credit card that covers insurance. I rented a car and prepaid $78 for it and paid another $33 for insurance. At the counter they refused to give me the car unless I paid them another $100 for insurance. They would not accept my credit card cover unless I gave them the entire policy from the credit card company- who carries that anyway??? DO NOT RENT FROM THEM. THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF.

This is the worst company I have ever come across. Do NOT hire a car from them. I had thought ours was an isolated incident, however, having read the posts here I can see that this is their modus operandi. My husband and I hired a car in the summer and as the office was closed, we had to use a drop-off service. We left the car in perfect conditions and took photos of the outside of the car as proof of this. The next day we get an email saying everything is fine and we owe them nothing. Four days later we get a strange email saying they could take up to thousands of euros of our card for damage to the car. They gave no more explanations at this time.

Early January I booked a car via one of the many web crawlers with Europcar Cancun. As I am renting very regularly in Europe I have my own DWL insurance (on a yearly basis) which is valid worldwide and saves me quite a sum in premiums. It only implies a more expensive guarantee blocked on my card. (Which is returned in case of no damage.) Europcar Cancun implied my own DWL insurance was only valid with a handwritten and signed copy of the contract. As most paperwork now comes through the internet I could of course not provide this signed document. Furthermore they demanded an extraterrestrial deposit of 10000 USD (in Europe maximum 2000 USD).

I would never use UK Europcar Liverpool… I would never use UK Europcar Liverpool airport car hire depot again. Having travelled from New Zealand via Northern Ireland I had to wait over 90 minutes for my car to be cleaned prior to travelling south. I was not advised about the prepay system for crossing of the Silver Jubilee Bridge and on my return home to N.Z. I unexpectedly received a fine of GDP20 plus an additional demand from UK Europcar GDP40 (administration fee.) This information arrived by normal post and took weeks to get to me.

Booking and delivery of car was alright, but they charged us a month after the rental; claiming that the traffic police in Italy charged us! They charged 85GBP for admin!!! We are not even sure that there is a traffic charge. There is no telephone for customer service and emails are replied badly. AVOID this company.

I rented from the Calama El Loa Airport office. Upon pickup everything was fine. I had a agent who spoke English and briefly checked the car and marked down a few spots. Upon return it was a completely different story. The same agent who check me out, claimed he no longer spoke English and marked down three damages to the car which were definitely there before. He then asked me to sign paperwork that I had damaged the car and threatened to charge my card for damages in full if I did not sign and agree that I had made the damages.

This has been the worst experience in my life from all companies where I have ever rented a car. I made the booking online and got the price for a 7 day rental. I decided to go with a more expensive Mercedes c300 sedan. After waiting for over 1.5h in line to get to my car, I was rushed through the process, and end up getting a Mercedes Hatchback, being told it's what they have. I decided to agree, even though this was not what I expected. In the register I was told that if I return the car earlier, my daily rate will be recalculated and I will be entitled to a refund. I rented the car in Melbourne, and returned it in Sydney. Since I had arrived to my destination earlier I decided to return the car one day earlier, to get some money back. I return the car, and are told by the guy that final invoice will come and that all should be good. Imagine my surprise when I end up paying more for 6 days than I was supposed to pay for 7 days.

We hired a VW Passat or "similar" online for a "guaranteed price" of £1200. We did not take out any extra insurance as had already bought comprehensive travel insurance. When my husband arrived at the Europcar depot at Heathrow he was offered the choice of two cars. Neither was a Passat so he assumed the two models offered were "a similar" car. The man never told him that the Kia Sportage was £335 dearer than the car we'd booked. My husband was given the keys and signed for them without reading all the fine print on the contract. After all, who would after having just got off a 27 hour flight from the other side of the world, and we'd already been guaranteed a price by email.

Terrible. FRAUD ALERT. THESE PEOPLE AT EUROPCAR KEEP CLIENTS' CC DETAILS THEN BILL YOU A FEW MONTHS LATER for processing alleged PCN. These people keep your credit card info to bill you much later for processing alleged PCNs. They messed up my credit card. I had no balance owned on my credit card. Europcar charged my CC a fee of £40. When I called them to ask them what was that about, the lady agent could not even tell me. She said it was tax for having hired a car a couple of months ago. Didn't make sense to me that Europcar bill their clients tax 8 weeks after the hire. Then the agent did not know what to say when I told her it made no sense that tax was charged 2 months after having rented and returned the car in perfect condition.

I booked an Alfa-Romeo Stelvio few weeks in advance from Geneve Airport, French section. Then one week before the rental date I was contacted by an agent who told me that this particular car was broken and he offered me few options from which I had chosen VOLVO XC90 with winter tires for 700 Euro more and even received the confirmation from the agent by e-mail.

Europcar Heathrow Airport - Hired a car. Are now being told that I damaged a tire when it is clearly evident from the noted existing damage to the rim and photos they provided that the tire damage was existing damage that occurred when the rim was damaged. No mention of the tire damage they noted on return was made to me when I returned the car. Extremely unprofessional, and what appears to be targeted claims of damage to customers that do not take up the sales pitch for pay additional insurance. Appears from other review this behaviour is not isolated to this depot. Customer Services have been very slow in responding and powerless to rectify an obvious issue.

Be very careful as they took double payments from my bank only to say system error and take up to 10 days to refund. Then the same thing happens the following week later. Only found out when bank called me to say other payments have bounced due to it. Bad customer service and sell you anything just to make a sale upgrades then hammer you with upgrade daily charges. Need to be very clear when upgrading people cause you don’t find out till later, branch and invoice are 2 diff apartments regardless of what branch tells you invoice will charge whatever they like. Be very clear when you hire...

Ordered a manual car online, they said they had one in stock and took the money. Got to the airport only to be told they don't have any manual cars and they admitted that they only say they do just to get the order!! Refused to give a $2000+ refund despite lying just to get a sale. They said offering an automatic was like for like and that was their excuse for not refunding the money. MAYBE THERE WAS A REASON FOR ORDERING A MANUAL CAR!!! Would never use this bunch of thieves again!!!

I hired a car 2 months ago and have been dealing with the claims department since. A dreadful experience, very poor customer service an unfair claims of damage to the vehicle's windscreen. 2 months on they charged my credit card over $420 to replace a windscreen due to 'damage'. 3 very minor marks that they claim impair the driver's vision, these marks are less than 2mm in size and are not in the driver's vision, they are not chips or indenting the windscreen in any way. Their inspection personnel also drew circles on the windscreen to try exaggerate the damage but the photos clearly show no marks within the circles drawn. VERY POOR PRACTICE! They also won't provide evidence of the windscreen replacement as it's obvious they are billing customers for replacements and not physically replacing the windscreen.

My advice is not to use this company, they will rip you off every way they can, going through their Customer Service department is a nightmare and a complete waste of time. I rented a vehicle from their Exeter branch at the Airport on 7th December 18 for 3 days. I purchased the basic package online but after doing this I read their feedback which scared me so I cancelled the basic package and made a second booking for their premium package which states covers all extras including damage caused to vehicle. When I picked the vehicle up on the 7th December the male behind the counter gave me two forms and told me to sign both without explaining to me what they were. I read the 1st form which was my rental agreement which I was happy with so I signed it.

Rented a car for four days. Systems went down. Was told to hold on to car and payment till New Year’s Eve from branch manager then get a Scrooge snotty woman ring me up and tell me car was going to be reported stolen. What for you idiot? Listen to your managers and do your job properly. Waste people waste service and definitely waste car rental. Rip off for prices and worst service. Go to Enterprise. They’re polite and well better. Europcar needs to be in Europe not UK. Get out.

In Madrid airport 20 EUR premium location fee was applied. Such useless "extra" service was not ordered, however company has no duty to inform you upfront that you using expensive extra service. They are fine simply charge it afterwords... Why to waste time... I just surprised why airlines does not do similar with a business class. Multiple attempts to clarify and solve it peacefully - FAILED. They clearly stated - It's MY fault.

Europcar Southend on Sea Robbed Me. I wasn't aware of 'Consumer Affairs' when I was robbed by Europcar, but now I am, I thought it only right to share my experience with anybody that is thinking about using them. I hired online a budget priced car from Europcar's Southend on Sea branch in the UK. The receptionist politely told me that I could reduce my insurance liability by paying 14 pounds extra, which I agreed to. What she didn't tell me, was that it was 14 pounds A DAY. I had the car for quite a while and it wasn't until I looked at my bank account when I found out about the robbery. Some might call it a scam, but it's good old fashioned theft in my book.

Not even 1 star... Not recommend at all. Liars - TRUST abusers. Horrible customer service. Nasty advisors... Waste of money... Waste of valuable time... I have given half tank but had to return in full due to the filthy lie of the tank being full... But faulty gauge. That was not true. The tank was half. Complaint gone through after months chasing for each penny I paid finally agreed to refund... Next day I received admin charge letter for traffic PCN which they believe was applied correctly. This was not clear in terms and condition that there would be admin charge for any kind of PCNs. They only mentioned parking ticket or/and speed fines (plus admin charge). A lot of hidden charges there for you. DO NOT HIRE A CAR FROM THEM.

In preparation for a 3 week trip to UK I booked online with Europcar to hire a VW Passat from Europcar Heathrow with delivery of the car to Terminal 2 for us to collect and paid GBP 824.20. When we arrived at the Europcar desk at 0630 we found the desk unattended and a sign to use the provided 'Courtesy Phone'. I did so and there was no answer, just a recorded message saying that the courtesy phone line was unattended and to leave a message. We walked around the terminal for 80 minutes looking for assistance and returned to the Europcar desk several times but there was never anyone there.

Europcar is a total scam. They quote one price, and then when you get there they add a "24% surcharge" on the rental, miles and everything else. But if you are going at a holiday time all the other company's car will be booked, and now you are screwed. Then on top of this their service sucks, and they just tell you more lies. This is exactly what happened with my car rental with them in Alice Springs, Australia. Avoid these lying thieves. They are the worst!!!

Disappointed again with Europcar. Bristol Horfield branch. I’m a Privilege Elite VIP member though I never receive any benefits. On the whole Europcar are more expensive than their competitors but I have used this branch as they are close to my house. Booked my car on their app last week and turned up today at 9:50 am to collect my car. The representative again said they could not give me any upgrade. The first car had lots of dents and wheel damage. It was also completely frosted up and therefore illegal and dangerous to drive.

We prepaid for our rental for pick-up at the Lisbon airport through a third party website, expecting that this was the total cost we would pay, except for tolls, which we knew would be an add-on. We had never rented from Europcar before, but they were the cheapest and it was my understanding that they were a reputable company. Upon returning the vehicle, we were shown a chink in the windshield about the size of a pinhead, that we had not noticed. Whether it happened during our rental, I can't honestly say, except for the fact that it was barely noticeable even after being pointed out to us. We later received a damage charge of 181 Euros plus a "damage administrative fee" of 30 Euros. We all know that repairing a windshield issue of that size would cost a mere fraction of that amount. Also coming later was a "premium location" fee of 25 Euros, the latter certainly not expected since we had prepaid for the rental.

Many hidden costs and unsafe car. Overcharged of 250 AUD - Had booked through rental.com. Paid $326 sgd and on the day of arrival at Europcar. Staff was pushy with many extras like child seat. Duped me in paying extra for child seat. The Australian law states 7 and over don't require child seat. My Child was over 7 years with this uncomfortable seat. Car was faulty and no road assistance provided after calling Europcar. Car nearly broke down causing stress to the family. No proper checking system for the car when taking over. The cars are placed in dark areas making it difficult to justify for any faults found. Overcharged with hidden costs with no explanation. First and last rental with Europcar. Staffs have no integrity.

We rented a car from Europcar directly at Bristol Airport. On the sheet we received it stated that the front alloys were damaged. I checked and saw the damage BEFORE we left Bristol. On our return the inspector pointed out the damage to the alloys. I told him that was already there when we hired the vehicle. He claimed that only one side was damaged when we received the vehicle. Long story short they charged my credit card for the damage which was clearly not caused by me. I am currently taking advice from my legal adviser but I will not be using Europcar again and would advise others to be careful of this company.

Be careful. They will steal your money!! This company is a serious insurance fraud!! When I picked up a car from the airport (Bari Italy) no one check the lock from the driver side. I did not check it because the car have remote control, and I never used a car lock during my trip. Then when I was giving the car back your employee looked at the car and the first thing he did was opening the car door by the key. Who does that??! He said that the lock was damaged. This damage had clearly happened before my rental. I did not check the lock when I was picking car from company and I didn't pay much attention to it.

I had the misfortune to book a car through a third party online with Europcar/Keddy at Southend Airport. We arrived at the Europcar desk to find a heated argument going on between a customer and the agent. When my turn came I handed over my paperwork and the agent then started to give me the hard sales talk about upgrading my car. I declined his offer but he kept on telling me he could do me a great deal. I declined again telling him if I had wanted a bigger car I would have reserved one.

We arrived at Gatwick airport exhausted and just waiting to proceed to our destination after hiring a car. WE had prebooked our car through Carflexi and taken out an insurance policy which we prepaid in full. We were met by a smiling Kim ** at the front desk of Europcar. After trying to butter us up she said all was well but she could not accept the prepaid insurance through Carflexi. She recommended that we take out the premium plan with her as the policy with Carflexi was invalid. We should then try and get our insurance back from Carflexi.

We rented a car in Rome to drive to Florence. As many people know there are designated areas in Florence that you are not allowed to drive in unless you have permission. The catch is all of the rental car return facilities are within this area that you are not to drive in unless you have permission. We knew this when we rented the car and Europcar told us, "No problem. We will make sure your plates are covered for the day you want to return." NOPE. One year and 6 months later I get a bill in the mail for 120,11 Euros. Oh, you say that is too long - time has expired. Nope, they decided (conveniently) that the ticket process started March 8, 2018 - so they have until March 8, 2019 to send me a ticket. Not from the date of the violation - just whatever date they choose. It is a complete and utter scam, but what else do you expect from a government like that of Italy. Do not believe anything that Europcar tells you. In fact, just stay away from them.

It is worth paying just a little extra to avoid these guys in the UK. I arrived 90 minutes early to pick up a car at Luton Airport and they told me that they did not have a car for me. I said I will wait until I was meant to land and they said they still would not have a car for me. They said they could get me a car but not the type I had booked (4 months prior!!!). So they put me on a Fiat 500 and charged me twice as much as the price that was booked. Unbelievable. When I dropped the car at Heathrow they told me they could do nothing about the price being charged as Luton was separate from Heathrow. This would never happen at Hertz or Avis or Budget or anywhere else. Be very cautious.

We rented a car through Europcar in Italy in October 2018. It took us over one month to get credit for charges that they added on that were not even correct. They wrote down my husband’s birth date wrong and we were charged 75 EU for young driver surcharge, he is 62 yrs old, then they charged us 35 EU and 28 EU for gas and fill up fee, we got the car with 1/8 of a tank of fuel missing, we returned it that way. Then we were charged for a GPS for 8 days when it was already included in the original contract. We got some monies back, after more than one month of going back and forth, but we did not get a refund on the GPS charge.

Hello. Recently rented a car from Europcar and had a slow leak on one tire. As we left the facility I keep it aired up and upon return I was told that I needed to pay for a tire when all it had was a nail. I notified the attendant of the slow leak and we actually saw the nail on the tire. I drove 10000 kilometers and filled up three times. I could have them send a road service at any time but it was not significant and would have put a new delay on my trip. I tried calling them and they have no customer service.

We hired a car from Vienna airport in September 2018. Luckily before we took off we checked the car for any damages and noticed considerable damage to the rear and side of the vehicle which was not mentioned in the paperwork. We took photos of the car and went back to the office to inform them about damages. They added these to the paperwork and we took the car.

For my husband birthday party, I reserved a 9-seater van from Europcar branch in Mulhouse airport long before the actual date. We were planning to go around Switzerland with our friends. I got the confirmation and everything was ok. The money was deducted from my account and I planned accordingly. Suddenly one week before the actual date, I got an email from Europcar that "We are sorry to learn that your travel plans have changed and that you had to cancel your car rental reservation"!!! I didn't change my plan and certainly didn't cancel my reservation!! They hold me on long phone calls and waiting and at the end, they say there is nothing they could do and they don't have the car!! The customer service was awful... I cannot find any other car within a week and even if I find sth I have to pay more... This is unacceptable...

I rented a car in Venice Italy In October 2018. I chose this company as they seemed to have the car I wanted to drive. I booked the car online in Australia. I specifically asked for a medium size car preferably the Alfa Giulietta. The booking was approved on the basis of this car. I dealt with a staff in Venice, an older lady, who wanted to give me an old car, a station wagon and then an old Audi also much larger than what I had booked. After being told that the car was not available a younger staff said that it was available. I was given the runaround for almost 1 hour and then charged extra for road assistance as I was told the car did not have road assistance which was also false. I was not offered the 20% discount if I used a specific credit card.

We have hired twice before with Europcar from provincial French airports with no trouble at all, the cars were even upgraded at no extra cost. This year we rented from Barcelona airport and paid in advance. On arrival at the counter the agent first tried to get us to upgrade the car for more than twice what we were already paying. We said no. He pressed us on and on with ever decreasing amounts until we eventually agreed at a fifth of what he wanted at first, just to get away as we had a 2 hour onward journey and had just come from a 2 hour flight. He reminded us that 800 euros would be ring fenced on our credit card in case of damage, we were aware of this. He asked us to sign another form which had an amount on it which at a distance looked like 800 euros, we signed it.

I rented a Skoda car from Europcar at Munchen Hauptbahnhof on 30th September 2018. The staff handed the receipt of €99 to me, which I gladly signed. I opted to pay in cash but the staff firmly told me that they only accepted credit card payment. When I received my credit card statement, I got the shock of my life. I was being charged €280 instead. I've emailed the customer service 3 times but they didn't even bother to reply my emails. This is obviously a con job!!! I will never rent a car from Europcar ever again! Those people are professional scammers!

Recently, I made a booking to hire a Mercedes C300 and I entered my card details while booking. It was confirmed. When I went there at Europcar Darling Harbour 20kms away from my house, after changing train and taxi. They told me I can’t get a car because I don’t own a credit card. I was left there hanging and I had to pick my guest from the airport. I was ready to pay $2000 deposit on my debit card and offered them 2 other debit cards, Medicare and license (my card was approved while making a booking). The staff is extremely rude, incompetent, not at all helpful. I had the worst experience in the history of car hire.

I rented a car, in the U.K. through Europcar/Easyjet online, in advance. On arrival at their depot at Nice Cote d'Azur Airport, having had to queue for almost an hour to see an agent, I was shocked when the young blond female agent blithely told me that the online insurance that I had taken out was insufficient, and that I would have to pay an additional insurance tariff of approximately 32 Euros a day. I demonstrated that there was nothing to suggest on the online application that there would be an additional charge. She was having nothing of that, advising me that I simply now had the choice of two tariffs, needless to say, enthusiastically advising me to opt for the more expensive 'comprehensive' tariff. This bumped up the initial online charge of approximately 190.00 GBP to just shy of 400.00 GPB - for a six day rental of a modest Renault Clio!

Being charged by Europcar for an alleged scratch to Car after the vehicle was returned to the Exeter Airport site after a two day hire period - they never provided details of the vehicles condition (checklist) when we picked the vehicle up and didn't come out to check the condition of the vehicle (checklist) when we dropped the car off. We know for a fact there was no damage to the car when we left the vehicle in the designated place. Guess I should seek legal action against the company as I am not prepared to pay for damage which we did not do.

Europcar- NEVER AGAIN. We had booked with Europcar Cambridge UK for a 1 day car hire in Sept 2018 and had paid in full at the time of booking in June 2018. When booking we put an estimated pick up time of 8am. On the day we were held up a little and arrived at 9.45am, only to be told that because we were more than an hour late, our booking was cancelled as a “no show”. How does it matter what time we arrive given we had paid in full 3 months prior? The Europcar lady- one of the rudest people I have ever dealt with in my life - refused any reason and insisted the 1 hour rule was part of their conditions - even though unable to show us where. She then insultingly offered a new rental at a significantly increased price, which we declined. Thanks Europcar for ruining the day we had been so looking forward to. To anyone considering using Europcar- BE WARNED!!!

Europcar Complaint. Basically I have two issues being; 1 - Being charged for a 2nd driver when told by Europcar I wouldn't be. Facts A - I hired a car with my father as the main driver and my mother as the 2nd driver. I called Europcar to see if I could be exchanged with my mother as the 2nd driver at no additional cost. I was told by Europcar I could. -FACT B - I along with my parents I went into a Europcar branch. Again they confirmed that I could exchange with my mother at no cost. We duly exchanged as 2nd driver. - FACT.- C- Europcar didnt exchange driver but charged for an extra drive. I emailed to explain but they refused to reverse the charge.

I picked up Europcar at Skopje international Airport and dropped it off at Athens International Airport. 3 weeks later I came back to Australia. I have received an invoice 236 Euro charged as “missing documents fee”. They checked everything and said everything ok when I handed in a car. But they sent a 236 Euro invoice 3 weeks later. I contacted Europcar at Skopje to find out more details but received an email back saying “This case is closed. No more discussion”. **... Never ever use Europcar again. Never ever...

Do not rent from this Europcar period. They are a complete scam. I have rented from them on three occasions. Two were through a tour company. All three times they charged my credit card for some bogus damage. The last time this was the explanation for $210 charge. "Paint Mag Wheel. Slight Touch up only." Really? Are you kidding me. They claim that there is a slight scratch on a mag wheel and the real joke is that they touched it up. Seriously!!! There was no damage any of the three times but since these are all used cars it's really easy to find some small thing. Especially on the wheels. On one of the occasions they claimed a nick in the tire.

This was the first time using Europcar. I arrived at the London Heathrow location to wait for almost 45 minutes while agents just sat around. When called I was informed that Europcar did not allow 3rd party insurance as provided by Orbitz. After a 15 minute phone call with Orbitz they refunded my prepaid insurance. Europcar then offered me insurance for 3 times the amount I had originally paid. They offered me the pick of vehicle to reconcile the inconvenience. The lot person was useless. Had a lot better experience with a competitor on a prior visit, I won’t be using Europcar for my future car rental needs.

I rented a car on August 17 at Liverpool Airport. My friend paid Merseyflow the toll that night and the morning of the 20 August after the return of the car. We supplied Europcar with receipts for same. 150 Euro was taken from my account for alleged nonpayment of tolls despite providing proof. No receipt for this payment so called on my behalf to Merseyflow was ever forwarded to me. Surprise surprise. I am supplied with meaningless platitudes each time I contact them. They have 1500 such cases to deal with but managed to get my credit details pretty quickly. They tell me they will have a resolution within 7 days. They must be operating on a very different calendar. That was 2 months ago. Never ever will I rent from them again. Stop sending me promotional material Europcar. Europcar charged 80/150 already mentioned for deductions from my credit card. No such thing as customer service. More like customer disservice.

In June of 2018 I returned my car rental to Europcar in Kelsterbach Germany. The car was inspected by an employee and a return receipt was signed and given to me. The employee then drove me and my family to the airport in the same car. 5 months later, in Nov. 2018, I was stunned to receive a letter from Europcar telling me that I owe them 1600 Euro in damages! Luckily I keep all my paperwork and can prove that the car was returned in satisfactory condition. I believe they waited 5 months because they think most people will discard their paperwork and receipts after a short while. Now I can dispute them when they try to defraud me. I've rented cars all over the world and have never had to deal with such obvious criminals. I've filed a complaint with the United States FTC and can only hope that there's enough people ripped off by Europcar that something will be done about it. Until then, AVOID Europcar!

This was the cheapest rental car company in Italy. But wow, do they make you pay for it. Two months after we rented the car, they charged our credit card for unsubstantiated "damage." Our credit card company settled the charge, however, they still sent collection agency letters to our home with triple the charge of the "damages." Worst way to treat customers ever. Worst experience with a business ever. Totally immoral.

Do not hire from Europcar! They have ripped me off for £625 worth of damage for a bumper scratch (passenger side) which was found upon returning a car at Dublin airport. The damage was not caused by me but the agent attempted to justify himself by highlight how easy it is to cause such damage without me realizing at the time. Funny how he walked straight to the area of damage when greeting us from his little cabin! Awful, criminal and all relevant authorities have been made aware of this disgraceful business model the company put into practice. AVOID!

Do NOT rent a car from Europcar! Sadly, I'm not the only victim. Everyone on here is experiencing the same type of extortion. They are on a mission to extort tourists. Long story short, I returned my car at Milan airport. The customer service made a false claim that I damaged the tire! First of all, there was no damage on the tire and second, whatever he found, was not caused by me! Also, after I returned the car, they charged me for fuel despite the fact I returned the car with the same amount of fuel at the time of pick up. They charged me over $455 for a tire that had already over 25000 kilometers and fuel!

I returned a car to Heathrow and after careful examination by the return agent he assured me there was no damage (and there was not). A week or so later I get a notification that the car had a large scratch that would have been grossly obvious if it had in fact been present at return. The dishonesty of this firm is especially clear since the photo they sent me showed a car of a different color than the one I rented! They have ignored my protests. Don't be lured into doing business with this despicable company just because they have a slightly lower price than the others. You'll be sorry in the end.

At pick-up, Europcar advised me of a scratch on the right front door. On checking the car, I found no scratch there but there was scuff on the same side rear wing. Mistakenly, I decided I could trust Europcar and did not stop to report the discrepancy. On return, the assistant noted the scuff (calling it a scratch, which it was not) and I had to sign the form but I added a note of explanation. I am charged £472 which I cannot avoid. This is for damage which is slight and not caused by me. I would give 0* if it were possible. Conclusions: (1) Check car very carefully before departure and don't rely on good faith. (2) Avoid Europcar.

We got a car in San Jose Costa Rica thinking location was at the airport, turned out we had to wait 20 minutes to get picked up and shuttle about 15 minutes from the airport to get the car. Once there we paid an extra $175 for 4 days of insurance coverage which was ridiculous but we had been told to fully insure the car as US insurance policies don’t cover you abroad (we have AAA). When we returned the car they charged us an extra $65 for some city tax. Extra fee which had never been discussed with us at time of rental. Don’t rent from this company. It’s overpriced and the car drove so slow had barely any horsepower, but worst of all they are shady and trap you into fees you’re unaware of until you return the car. Nasty company!

I re tied a car from Europcar. I believe the car was defective to begin with. They claimed had burnt out the clutch. I do not think so. Because I needed to continue my vacation in Portugal I really was not able to contest their claim of $1000 damage. I am very disappointed.

We used Europcar last year, at the Frankfurt airport. The wait at counter was less than 40 minutes, we received our car. No issues. Unlimited miles, we enjoyed the car. Returned it, no issues. We were charged the exact amount that was on the online reservation. Not one penny more! Honest service. I don't know why we used AVIS this year, but they really scammed us. I would recommend Europcar to anyone! Avoid AVIS at all cost!

I thought this was a reliable company! BIG MISTAKE! I rented a car in Ibiza in August, using my Irish card. Yesterday I had been charged for 'someone' scammer who used my card to rent a car in the UK. Your card details are never safe with them! When you contact them in Ireland, I have been informed that is not their business and ask to contact UK. When contacting UK I have been informed to contact the company in Spain! So, as you see the company is not a trust company at all! Big Deception EVER!

We also had a very bad experience with Europcar in May. We rented a car for 3 weeks in Italy. Auto Europe was the broker and we would never rent through them again, nor directly from Europcar. We ended up paying close to $400 dollars extra for adding an extra driver for 5 days and a third driver for 7 days. We tried to clarify what the cost would be for each additional driver with Europcar when we added each driver. They quoted inaccurate information for each.

Booked a car for 9am. 9:30 still no car. Rang and said it’s 7 mins away. 40 mins later the guy finally arrives, grunts and leaves. I then checked my bank and they have taken £650 as a hold. I rang and he accused me of lying, then he checked and said it’s an error and I would have to wait 7 days. When I asked who to complain to as this was not acceptable he just laughed and said himself and nothing I could do about it.

Rented a car from Marseille airport. Car fine but debited three times on my debit card. After much arguing was credited some of the overcharge. However more than two weeks after raising a case and four weeks since the rental period the outstanding refund has still not been made. UK customer services just say it must be resolved in France.

Absolutely ridiculous. They pressured me into signing that the car was okay "to save time". Then they charged me almost $400 for a 9 mm scratch on the bumper, after returning it. Less than one cm long, minor scratch, and on the bumper, no car company expects that level of inspection before renting a car. This is price gouging. They don't expect to make money off the rentals, they make them by making up new fees afterwards.

I booked Europcar in Czech at a much lower than other offers. I was surprised how much lower the offers were, but I still booked. The rental was fine until the return. A small chip was found on the front wheel by the Europcar agent. He advised me that there may be a slight fee for damage. I had to sign a form to complete the rental. 3 months later without any invoice sent to me, I find a charge for 100 EUR for the damage. I disputed the charge and Europcar told my credit card company that the wheel needed to be replaced. The chip was smaller than a two pence. Even though I paid extra for the insurance, the "wheels" are conveniently not covered. Beware - cheaper is not always better. I never experience this with Hertz.

Renting a car in the UK from far away in Canada can tricky, and when our flight was delayed we ended up missing the car we reserved. The staff at Europcar quickly found us another car, with an upgrade to automatic and SATNAV at a reasonable rate. Our next challenge was a flat tire on our way from the airport. After a bit of a scramble to find the right size replacement (no spare) our family and car were carried to over to local family and the next morning we were all fixed up. The staff at Manchester, the truck driver and tire repair mobile were all very helpful and friendly. We enjoyed the car very much and had a wonderful vacation. After returning home we were informed there would be no charge to us for the tow truck or tire repair. Thank you Europcar, we will be back to rent again!

We hired a car from Europcar from Glasgow airport from September 24th until October 7th, 2018. We had prepurchased comprehensive insurance but on arriving to collect the car were told they don’t accept third part insurers policy (I have since discovered this is completely false and my insurance policy was completely legal) and unless I paid £44 per day for comprehensive insurance they would not give me a car. I had just completed a long haul flight and decided to take their insurance... I needed a car...and fight it when I got back. Thank god I had the funds. I then went to get the car a blue Vauxhall Mokka and had been told at reservations it has a small dent on the right side. I didn’t check it as I was tired and drove to my accommodation.

I booked a car well in advance online and paid the amount quoted. Before I left to Catania I checked I had everything and the requirements for the car rental. It says on their document bring 3 things: ID, drivers license and the CARD YOU PAID WITH. Well, I paid with a Mastercard prepay and have never had a problem with other companies, for example, Cicar in the Canaries.

Rented a car from Europcar (through the Icelandair booking process and an intermediary called rentalcars.com) in June/July of 2017. Found a great rate for our 10-day trip and had zero problems during the rental. When we dropped the car off, the check-in person noticed a scratch on the driver's side front panel that was genuinely a mystery to us. I drove the car the entire time and didn't bump or scratch anything, so it left me wondering if it had been there all along and I just didn't notice- or maybe someone ran a key across it when I was parked (but I was always in private or secure parking)? I don't know.

Booked through a 3rd Party (EasyCar.com) Never again! Was forced to pay additional £20/day for insurance we did not need. Tried to cancel the insurance but I was not given the option by Europcar customer services, found out weeks after that this should have been possible at any rental depot. Also hidden extras in the small print for premium location and license fees. Admittedly I could have spotted these, but there was nothing in the contract stating taking additional insurance with Europcar was mandatory! Never in my life have I been presented with such charges. £410 in extras on a $310 rental.

I rented a car from Europcar in Liverpool for a week in August. Pick-up was straightforward, car was clean and was the car group I had booked. During my rental a timber delivery truck driver scraped the back end of the car. The car was unoccupied and parked at the time of the accident. There were three witnesses, one of whom "found" me and explained what had happened. I worked hard to get the contact details of the driver, the owner of the delivery truck, the insurance broker, insurance company and the three independent witnesses. I provided all this information to Europcar by phone and email.

We were on our honeymoon and rented a car from Europcar to be returned in Rome, Italy. We arrived on time with 3/4 of a tank full and advised that we would be happy to pay for the fill up cost. I gave the Europcar staff my card and he said, "It is expensive so you can fill up first and return the car" - As we returned it on time, for us to leave and come back would have us come back after the rental return time, so we asked if there would be extra charges. He said, "no, no problem" and went on to tell us where the closest petrol station was. We filled the car and returned straight after, gave him the keys and with a smile he said Goodbye with a smile.

Based on horror stories below, was very skeptical about renting a car here. But budget was a key concern and I decided to take the risk, knowing that I sure as hell better not ding that car. A tall order, for an American driver in tiny French towns. However, my manual Fiat 500L was bumped to an automatic Citron SUV (the 4 of us with luggage were very happy - again, we were going budget), handled well, and had no problems with pick up or drop off. Would recommend.

Arrived from the USA on Saturday 22nd September with my credit card and pre-paid rental voucher issued by EasyCar.com. EuropCar stated my reservation didn't include insurance and I must purchase it from them, at an extra cost of more than 250GBP for the 10 day rental. MORE than the cost of the rental itself. I provided the agent with my Amex card and showed him that my booking was covered by insurance provided by Amex. He looked confused/frustrated and then said, "This card doesn't match the card on the booking, and can't be used to guarantee the insurance cover".

We booked and paid a deposit for a 2 week holiday in July. When we waited at pick up point for over 3 hours, made several calls from our phone and phone at airport, a shuttle bus arrived to take us to the off airport car rental. When we arrived along with 10 other people we were told there were no vehicles available. We then had to get a taxi back to the airport and had to pay twice the price we had been quoted for a much smaller car with Thrifty. The service attendants were rude and after many emails, asking for a refund, still nothing. This was a con from the beginning, as they had no cars at all. Should be banned.

We used the internet to hire a car in Berlin and drove to Paris. Our contract specifically states the "Price includes... Premium Location Surcharge... One-way charges…" We checked upon collecting the car in Berlin that our price included these two charges. We have the contract on file. Three days after leaving the car in Paris we were charged another Euro2000 for one-way and Euro546 for premium location. For months we emailed Europcar and telephoned its customer service (who acknowledged the issue) but Europcar simply has never replied. We have tried several contact points inside Europcar, who listen but we have never got an explanation. Europcar's Customer Services UK which handles these issues will not receive/accept our emails. Like a wall around.

I rented a car from this company and upon returning the car I got charged 56£ for a quarter of a tank of petrol, which is more than the car itself as it cost me 40£ to rent the car. This just doesn't make sense and I was overcharged. I complained and was asked if I wanted to be contacted by the manager. I said yes and a week later still haven't heard from them yet. Please avoid. This company is disgusting and extort their customers. Stay away. Avoid. Use other company.

Hired a car in Norway, during the time I did pick up a small (5cm x 2cm) scratch on the edge of the door. Was told that this would have to be paid for out of deposit. - Fair enough, but I was expecting maybe a £100, based on it just needing a small edge buffing and a small respray. On returning to UK been presented with a 14100NRK (£1400) repair bill for the a complete two door bodywork, undercoat, re-spray and lacquering - which is totally unnecessary and an extortionate amount. As this is more than excess they are doing me a 'favour' of keeping the full 95000NRK (£950 + deposit) excess. The local centre was adamant that the quote they got for cost repairs was from an honest third party. They are simply quoting extortionate repair costs in order to fraudulently retain any excesses. They are frauds and thieves. DO NOT USE THEM EVER.

During my London tour with family I booked Europcar 2 week earlier under confirmation number **. On the day of collection they refused to provide the car without any early notification. My whole family suffered on the road to search other car. I have to provide medication to my 2 year old daughter due to this incidence. For all those who love their family, don't ever think about Europcar. I think this company should operation ASAP, as they may be reason of harm any family badly with this attitude. Better to choose some good rent a car company.

Have been fined for using a bus lane while renting a Europcar vehicle. Penalty was 30GBP which I settled as soon as I received the notice. Europcar also charged me 40GBP for the admin charge: from 30GBP I ended up paying 70GBP! I appealed, followed the protocol, emailed their customer service, was promised a feedback within 7 days. 3 weeks later, still nothing! I called their customer service, had to wait 25 mins to get the call answer to hear that because I signed the rental agreement, I therefore accepted the charges coming with it. I mentioned my dissatisfaction, told them I would not go with Europcar anymore and would leave bad reviews. The operator did not care and did not do anything to help me. In summary: Europcar is using traffic violations to make extra money on TOP of its car rental business. Simply unacceptable to me. ‘Bad’bye Europcar.

I rented the car in Edinburgh Scotland and upon returning, the representative checked the car and there was no damages. 30 days later, I receive a claim for damages at an exorbitant price of 400+ pounds for scratches NOT found when the representative and I checked together. Disgusting and dishonest company. Customer services never replied no matter how many emails I sent. NEVER ever rent from this company! You're better off finding another.

I too am a victim of the Europcar damage scam. I rented a car in Bologna that had been booked and pre-paid in advance. I even signed up for their loyalty program and filled in all the information for a speedy pickup (supposed to be able to just pick up the keys and go without delay). It was a late flight and by the time I got through customs it was well after midnight. Fortunately the Europcar representative was waiting for me even though they officially close at midnight. Unfortunately I was charged a 30 EUR after hours fee. Not happy about it, but it does clearly state on their website there is a charge for after hours pickup/dropoff. So it is what it is. But none of my loyalty program speedy pickup stuff happened. It still took 15 minutes to do the paperwork for the rental and I had to provide all the information I had already provided.

Rented a vehicle from Glasgow airport, returned it at the appointed time, checked in with the attendant and signed off on their handheld machine. 4 days later start getting emails about the car not being returned and threats to call the police. 3 phone calls that I got the runaround and then miraculously it was found 5 days later and all was good. No apology, no explanation. Incompetence? Fraud? Who knows, they never provided any info. Never will use this company again.

I rented a vehicle through Rentalcars.com, which was delivered in Ireland by Europcar. The rental was paid in full for 7 days on a total of 450.00 US including the CDW insurance. Nevertheless, when I went to pick up the car, the clerk explained that the type of car requested was not available but he was able to offer a similar car, but diesel engine since he didn't have a gasoline. He started making numbers of the extras he will need to add, such as an extra charge for diesel, and extra charge for driving the car across the border to Great Britain and all was written in a small piece of paper with scratches and changes.

I arranged for full cost of rental car from Europcar before leaving U.S. - and confirmed before trip that I wanted a 5-door Hatch, automatic - I did not want additional insurance as I was fully covered by my personal carrier. When I got to Scotland - Edinburgh Airport was told they would upgrade to GPS for 20 GBP per day when in fact they gave me a huge Mercedes and told me I could not drive their car without their insurance to the tune of an additional $576 GBP - to boot when I had a blowout they took over 5 hours to replace car without a GPS. My experience with Europcar is that between picking up the car and returning it - there is bait and switch on the vehicle, coercion on the insurance and finally no attempt to correct less than honest practices. At all times I insisted I did not want a large vehicle as roads planned were narrow - going through 3 rental cars - 2 were large Mercedes and Volvos... like driving a tank.... at a cost of over $100 a day.

After renting a car from Europcar in Germany in May, we returned it to the carpark as instructed and handed in the keys. Everything was fine and nothing had happened to the car. THREE months later, we receive a notice in the mail that we were being charged for damage to the rear bumper and both tail lights had been broken. I will NEVER rent from this company again but if you do, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS insist that someone comes out and checks it over with you when you return it. I read other complaints but didn't realize how quickly this can happen!

A few days after returning a rental car in Ibiza, Spain, I received a bogus claim for "damages", which I contested. Then came bogus photos of the so-called "damages" and a huge charge on my credit card, about 4 times more than the week's rental charge (which I had of course already paid). Europcar refused my claim for a refund. TOTALLY DISHONEST! Never again will I use Europcar anywhere in the world.

I just read other people experiences here and I happen the same. When I pick up the car already found a lot of scratches on top. The staff confirm those a small issue and normal, so we didn’t challenge them that. When we return the car, because of weekend; we just put the key into their key box and park the car into their car parking. After few day we got the invoice €200 for those scratches. I took the video when I pick up and return car conditions. I sent the email said disagreed the charge. I 100% those scratches not did by us! But no one reply my email and debited my account. I share my experience to other, take care all small issue when you pick up. Seems this company using this kind of thing to earn more money.

Hired an automatic car from this company in Basel Mulhouse Airport in June. The form recorded a crack on the windshield. When I got to the car the entire windscreen was cracked, including the area in front of the driver, there were minor scratches on the rear bumper but my main concern was the safety of the windshield. I took photos of the windshield and returned to the desk. I was told they have no other automatics and they were aware of the crack and that it was safe to drive. I had no option but to take the car. On returning the car 4 days later I told them that I was unhappy about driving the car with a cracked windshield and I had to keep my speed down but they were not interested.

The problem was not with pick-up in Dinan, France -- that went fine, but when I dropped car at Rennes airport, there was no one to check the car. I dropped the keys at the desk inside the airport. When I later received an invoice, they said they had filled it up with an impossibly large amount of gas, charged me in Canadian dollars rather than Euros at a rip off exchange rate. The total charge had increased from 63 Euros to 162 Euros, and from $100 Canadian originally quoted to $254 Canadian. There is no one that has responded to my complaint. I am unhappy.

I rented a car with Europcar this past June. I was extremely hesitant to rent with this company as I had read many reviews regarding people who were charged for damages to a Europcar rental car that they did not do. I unfortunately found that this is a very sad and customary practice that Europcar does to foreigners. I waited over an hour, with 3 little kids, for a rental car at the Madrid airport. I had reserved a rental car for Terminal 4 but was notified that it was actually at Terminal 2 and that they needed to bring it to Terminal 4. When the car finally arrived I was completely shocked to find a vehicle that was covered with scratches and dents on all surfaces. I spent 10 minutes walking around and pointing out all of the scratches and dents to the representative. They ensured me that all important damage had been noted.

Csr developed a fault on a Sat afternoon. The AA came to fix after an hour on the phone to Europcar the AA were told not to fix the car (it only needed spark plugs) and to recover me to the branch which was 100 miles away. The branch was not open until the following afternoon or wait until Monday and change the car at the local branch. Arrived at the local branch Monday morning. No car available until the afternoon. Called customer services. They told me there is nothing they can do other than raise a complaint that will be dealt with in 7 days. So two days without a useable car thank you so much Europcar for your ** customer support.

When we picked up the car, it was park in the dark open space, and it was freezing cold in Melbourne Avalon airport. The car is really dirty and dusty exterior and got rubbish interior. No one was available to help in that parking lot. When we returned the car, I told the person in charge to make sure everything ok before I leave. That guy told me it is fine and I can leave. Then a month later, Europcar sent me a notice that there was damage during my rental period. And they sent me a bill of AUD250. Despite my explanation, they rejected it. It is a real fraud and a rip off to customer.

We went to Europe this summer and had a wonderful trip... minus our experience with Europcar in Glasgow. We had great service at the one in Manchester, England, but in Glasgow it took an hour and a half of our day set aside to tour, and then they would not accept the insurance we had previously purchased. We had rented the car through Rentalcars.com so Europcar didn't feel responsible. But we know they work with Rentalcar all the time, thus they know that this is a problem and haven't done anything about it. We're sure we're not the only victims. The insurance we bought did ZERO good and then they charged us over a hundred dollars more to insure with "their" insurance before we could rent the car. It was so poor. They did it with a smile, but were very unsympathetic and dishonest.

This review is in response to a rental done thru Rentalcars.com for a Europcar rental in Seville Spain. We rented them through Rentalcars.com for pickup at the Seville airport. The rental company was Europcar. When we presented the reservation information the counter they acknowledged the reservation was with them and processed the rental. We ended up needing the car for an extra day so I called the number for their reservations in Spain. We were told it would not be a problem and they would add the additional cost of one day to the bill and the amount stated was agreed to. We turned in the car at the end of our trip with no further communication with Europcar.

We rented for a month and specified the countries we would be traveling. Paid extra "insurance stickers" for Italy and Czech Republic but they neglected to tell us Austria required a special sticker. When we returned we received a letter to pay 120 Euros. Could not pay with credit cards only wire transfer so add another $35... A week later Europcar sent another letter letting me know they would charge my credit car another 25 euros for the paperwork. Do not use this car rental company they are awful. Customer service means nothing to them. I gave them one star because I could not give them less...

Arrived Sunday T4 and only Europcar's desk manned. Requested a small car with GPS. Told that by renting a larger car with inbuilt GPS the price would be about the same. At pickup the operator loaded the first address. Once on the freeway we found the GPS would not work. Off to get a local SIM and used phone for the week. After complaining Europcar says we did not pay for GPS and so the inbuilt still needs a "chip" to activate it. Totally misrepresentation and complaints met with standard line you did not pay for GPS. Later to find when talking about this experience to our UK friends that Europcar are well known for this type of dodgy selling.

We rented from Europcar thinking it was cheaper. But they charged us 70 euro for franchise that they tried to force on us but claim that it's because the car was ultra dirty. Any excuse is good to overcharge. Do not rent from these crooks, they charge you fees for cleaning that their country has and calls it franchise. 70 Euro for some so called cleaning. After taking more than a month to find the reason... they steal and refuse to reimburse you. Better to go with real rent-a car like CarRentals. It's safer and better service and at least you won't get robbed by Europcar. They have a third party company receiving the cars and they charge whatever they want and Europcar send you the bill for an illegal fee of 70 euros. All because we are not from Europe they feel they can overcharge as we can't fight. They do not understand Canadians.

For me it was a very bad experience with Europcar UK. It was a rainy day, not so unusual. First we have to wait half an hour to get the car, but nobody was coming with us to the car. We found a small scrap in the tire. We go back and told the guy. But he was telling us that it’s too small to draw it in. When we return the car, we had to pay for the tire, because the scrap is now so big that you can get a new tire from the customer. Thank you, Europcar, that is the way you make your business? To keep things short, I will never ever rent a car from them.

Hired a car from Norwich airport and during this time someone opened their door onto the driver's side door of my rental. I accept this then becomes my problem as the car was gone when I came back and security footage couldn’t determine number plate. I was eventually harassed by Europcar for $850aud. A horrendous price for a 2 cm tiny mark on door, which could have been plundered out. They overcharged staring full panel bearing job along with respray, unbelievable. They threatened with more charges if I didn’t pay. As I am in Australia I felt pressured to pay, and then when I tried getting a receipt the employee had left the company - absolute rort.

Updated on 06/10/2019: I rented a car out of Dusseldorf last year. There was some surcharges to my credit card after I return the car. I wrote to my credit card company to dispute a few of the surcharges. It was later agreed that I will pay the surcharges except for one of them. So my credit card was then charged for the agreed surcharges. After a few months, Europcar send a letter demanding that I pay the outstanding surcharge. They even got a debt collector company to get me to pay up. I have explained several times this was already settled. I even got my credit card bank to verify and confirmed it was agreed with Europcar that I will not pay the other surcharge. I sent the debt collector the letter. But till now they still keep insisting I pay the surcharge. Unbelievable. I have since warned everyone not to ever use Europcar. It is a scam company.

Rented car in Ibiza for 10 days, when dropped back the staff member went directly to one car door and claimed damage. There was four of us returning car, not one of us could see any damage... argued for about 30 mins but they still deducted €600 from credit card. Never again, total scam of company.

We went to Italy for 2 weeks for our honeymoon and we had this drive of zipping around the Tuscan towns and hills in a little Fiat 500. As a result I looked online to find somewhere that would guarantee this model of vehicle. The only one I could find was Europcar. It was a lot more than we have ever paid for a hire car but, as it was our honeymoon, we wanted it to be right. To hire the car class I think was around £350 but it cost another £200 to guarantee that particular model, like a fool I paid it because as I've said, I wanted our honeymoon to be perfect!

Was a little worried when I read so many negative reviews about Europcar. We had a very good experience with them. Staff were polite. No hard sell. Car was almost brand new! So no need to have worried. Going on my experience with Europcar I would definitely recommend them and use again. We actually hired the car as part of an Easyjet package. :)

Hiring the van was no trouble and the staff were polite and efficient. However I paid for collection which was less successful. The staff failed to collect the van when specified on the booking, which led to several attempts where they either didn't bother to turn up as arranged or arrived early or late then immediately left. The mobile number used was off and the office was contactable. When I queried if I'd be charged for this - I was told no. This was however not true as I was billed several days later for an extra day rental and failed collection charge which I am still trying to recover. The complaints process is shocking and the staff on the customer services line are unhelpful. As such cannot recommend using the collection service as it turned out to cost £70+ and an undue amount of stress for something supposed to improve the experience. Very disappointing.

I booked a car through Europcar via Priceline on April 23rd, 2018 for a trip to Toronto on June 23rd. Two weeks before the trip, I got an email stating that Europcar overbooked my type of vehicle and to phone them to discuss other vehicle types. I phone the number immediately and told the guy about the email and that our trip was in two weeks. He told me they ran out of cars on that day (two weeks prior to our trip) but that we would be fine because our trip was on two weeks' time. When we arrived at Pearson Airport you have to get a shuttle train to Discount and then use a phone in the corner of the building (not easy to find all this out) and when I phoned the number, I am told that Europcar transfers their reservations to Discount but Discount didn't have either reservation for me.

This company is incredibly fraudulent. Not only did they double charge us for full protection on the car they then subtracted nearly 200 euros from our deposit. The car was in perfect condition! We have contacted customer service on numerous occasions and they either shrug us off, direct us to another department or fail to explain why this much of the deposit was taken. I have never experienced this type of customer service before from a car rental company - please avoid and stick with some of the other companies such as Avis, etc., I am warning all my friends and family. If you type Europcar reviews you will notice I am not the only one to have had this experience. Horrible experience and a really horrid end to a lovely holiday.

We booked a rental with Europcar (prepaid) to pick up at Malpensa Milan from 8am and we’re delayed on flights so arrived to collect car at 6pm, to be told they cancelled it as we were a ‘no show’. The manager told us then that a no show us only after 48 hours not 10. The girl at the desk said there was nothing she could do, for her bags and left as it was her home time. We stood there stranded, an hour's drive from our honeymoon hotel!!! We then had a manager who took two and a half hours to charge us for a new agreement at a higher rate. Finally we arrived at our honeymoon destination at 10.30 at night having lost our entire first evening of our honeymoon.

On October 7th 2017 we arranged & paid in full $716.75 for the rental of a car to be picked up from Europcar Gatwick airport on the 6th June 2018. On arrival at the rental desk, at no time was we offered or asked if we wanted to purchase extra insurance, had we been asked we would have declined as we already had full coverage for car rental with our travel insurance which is complimentary with our platinum credit card. The desk clerk asked for a signature to state we were taking the car & at no time was insurance mentioned by him.

What do I need to say? GDPR data breaches, filthy cars and refusal to clean or understand/No apologies, nothing. Terrible service and fake charges. Marco at Pescara made mistakes with me and the person in front, costing us an hour of our time and ruining the start of our holiday. Avoid him at all costs.

They know they are one star. On one hand, I see little value in adding an extra one star rating to the galaxy of the same. My experience is with the company sending an unsubstantiated invoice to a wrong address and then sending to a collections department. On the other hand, would this thread be interested in large numbers complain the UK Office Fair Trade, to try and end its trading?

I have never been so disappointed by a rental car company in my life. I will never and make sure my friends and family never rent from this company. Pre-booked a car, arrived early and no car was available, was constantly told 10 min more. An hour and 10 minutes later still no car and no answers to when we would get the car (another couple also waited an hour and were told to go get coffee and came back). A smaller car was returned and was basically told to take it or who knows when your car will arrive.

We booked car and insurance through CheapTickets and when we went to picked up car in England they said the insurance we bought won't cover the car and made us pay $924.99 USD or we couldn't get car. We will never rent a car from Europcar again ever and neither will our friends or family. We have opened case against them. They are a scam company. Don't rent from them. You will get ripped off.

I contracted with Europcar through Auto Europe for rental of a Mercedes Benz “C” Class Wagon or similar vehicle, to be available on April 27, 2018, at 11 am local time, at the Munich, Germany airport. Upon advisement of an earlier flight arrival by my travel agent than what was originally booked with American Airlines, I questioned her as to whether my car rental pick up time needed to be adjusted and was advised that car rental agencies have a 3-hour window on either side of the contracted pick up time for vehicle availability and that my new arrival time at Munich would not require a change in pick up time.

Ok after dealing with Europcar on several occasions and I must say very satisfied with their service. I have just had a completely different experience! Hired a car from Gatwick airport in late May for just short of 3 weeks, returning to Gatwick 4th June. On dropping the car back to Gatwick I was told 'all ok you can go' which of course we did, thinking no more of it... 7 DAYS later I receive an email stating damage to an alloy wheel, 150 mm scuff! And that they are charging £££s for!! So an inspection without me present??? Really!! Sorry but how do I know that someone (maybe staff) didn't do that after I dropped the car!! Understand all the hard sell of extra insurance at collection now and we all know what a rip that is!! Definitely will not use again... Not a very happy ex customer. Thank you!!

Europcar (Spain) held an authorization on my account for weeks after the car had been returned and the payment had been processed. When I raised it with them they said they can hold funds for up to 30 business days. Nothing I can do. Weren't interested in helping. I hired other cars in Europe, and the longest they held funds was 48 hours. Customer service in Europe was ok. Just Australia post rental sucked.

We rented a car online through the Ryanair website. We were surprised at the airport with a request for an additional $500 to cover insurance. The car reeked of cigarettes. A tire went flat 1 mile from the airport and they refused to help. I changed the tire and returned the car. Europcar refused to refund the rental cost for 9 days rental. I just ate that cost and left.

EUROPCAR, NEVER EVER AGAIN! I am 60 years old and have been renting cars in Europe since 1985. I never experienced such a kind of disguised fraud like that! I rented a car in Italy last April, returning it in Malpensa Milano Airport, just before an international flight. The local agent appointed a supposed scratch, in fact a risk over the dirty car. I tried to show there was NO DAMAGE under the dirty, cleaning with my finger. Not having time to discuss, after asking my wife to confirm her opinion, I signed a paper presented by the agent as a form where I could put my point of view. And left.

Rented a car from Europcar end of May at Birmingham Airport through Expedia. Bought insurance through Expedia, but was told when we picked up car that they don't accept third party insurance so we had to spend extra money for insurance. Expedia reimbursed us the insurance we bought through them. They offered us an upgrade car at no extra charge and we thought great. Not great! We returned the car at the end of our vacation. Had a walk around with the attendant. He found nothing wrong with the car and said everything was in order and said the deposit would be return within 24 hrs. The initial deposit was in my credit card, yet when we purchased the insurance we used my husband's card. They put a pending deposit on his card along with the cost of the insurance.

On April 12 2018 I booked a car through Expedia with Europcar for pickup at Toronto airport on June 20th 2018. The price was $438.34, a reasonable rate for the vehicle. On May 22nd, I received an email from Expedia saying that "Europcar had made an error in their pricing and I would have to cancel my reservation and rebook at the current rates." I called Expedia Customer Service and asked what was going on. The agent assured me that I needn't worry, the reservation was in good standing and that I could ignore the prior email. She was 100% clear that the reservation was "guaranteed" and "confirmed" and would not be canceled. I asked her to resend me the confirmation by email. She did so.