Europcar Reviews

I prepaid for a rental car from Venice to Milan Airport. PREPAID. In Venice the EuropCar is a franchise (?) called Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia. It says EUROPCAR out front. I showed the man at the desk my prepay and he said yes it was prepaid. We got the car drove around for a few days and returned it at the Milan Airport. I then get a bill from Cosorzio Motoscafi Venezi on my credit card. It's been 6 months and these jokers haven't fixed it. I will NEVER use EuropCar again for any reason. The amount of aggravation this has caused is not worth the few dollars saving. You can't even get someone who speaks English on the phone. Extremely frustrating to be charged TWICE for one car!

No better than a back street rental company. We have rented many times off Europe. This time we were gouged for a cleaning charge and a RAC call out. Save yourself the unpleasant experience and hire from a decent honest company not one that will nickel and dime you.

Save yourself $700! I travel frequently and have never had an issue with a rental car company until I came across Europcar, Heathrow. Having read reviews, I am seeing a similar pattern. Everything I have read in the reviews resonates well, the line was over two hours (with a reservation) and then staff were persistent in trying to sell extras despite me protesting, and tried to claim I didn't have insurance until I showed legal documents which they read in great detail. They take advantage of people getting off long haul flights.

I was charged an additional of 50 EUR at the booth for being over 1h late in comparison to the booked time (flight was delayed and advised beforehand and luggage was lost). After the car was returned, with a signed confirmation of NO DAMAGES, I was charged 250 EUR for damages found 2.5 months later. After much complaint, they claimed it was cancel, but I still received the charge. Never answered by customer service. They also do not speak English at the airport Europcar.

I rented my car at the airport in Barcelona approximately 0800 on 11 November 2019 and returned to Seville approximately 1500 on 17 November 2019. After extensive research I believe the fuel tank capacity of the Peugeot 5008 I rented is 55 liters. I added 42 liters 10 km before turn in at Seville Train Station. The reserve light had not ever come on, so there was 7+ liters in the tank when I added the 42 liters. Total fuel in the tank at that time was at least 49+ liters. Average fuel consumption is normally 28 km per liter. Thus, there was at least 49, and as much as 54 liters of fuel in the tank when I returned the car.

Res. No. ** overcharged by 150 pounds at end of rental and in spite of them and I having documentation to prove it these arrogant ** refuse to refund the money because what can I do about it short of taking them to court. Avoid Europcar.

We recently rented a car from Europcar at Gatwick airport. We had a prepaid voucher for a Nissan SUV. After a long wait we were processed by an agent who proceeded to inform us that as we were loyal customers we would receive a free upgrade and would we like a standard car or automatic. We accepted the offer and my husband signed the papers. We questioned that we were authorizing a larger amount than on the contract and were told not to worry. This would come off at the end. At surely he did as we were charged an additional $400 on our credit card. We have attempted to resolve this but to no avail. They are taking advantage of customers who have had a long flight, have a long wait to get the car and want to be on their way. In future we will make sure we don’t miss anything in the "fine print". We will never use this company again. Renter beware of their sneaky practices.

We recently rented through Europcar in Spain. The cost was supposed to be covered by our tour. We asked for an extra driver and acknowledged that would be a charge. We repeatedly said we did not want insurance coverage. The agent handed us a document in Spanish and said to sign here, here and here. We again said there is not extra insurance, correct? "Si." Guess what. A month later we get a statement with $334.00 of insurance and a variety of other charges. Do not use this company. It is difficult to dispute though we are trying.

DON’T RENT FROM EUROPCAR. You will think everything is fine and dandy UNTIL 8-12 months after returning the car and they will hit you with ANYTHING to get more money. Trust me. I rented a car ONE year ago in Rome. After returning my car, I followed up with the company via email, asking for my final invoice, since no one ever sent it to me. After 4 months, they finally emailed me the finalized invoice, which showed everything completed and a balance of $0, as everything was prepaid. Since that time, I have received numerous phones calls and mails, claiming that I did not pay the car in total. The claims are completely false, as I have proof of payment and proof on the Return invoice from Europcar that I owe NOTHING.

While I have no issue with the actual car or service I received from Europcar, I do have issues with how they dealt with a situation I recently encountered. To whit, I was cited for a moving violation in Slough, England, UK and told that unless I disputed the violation I would be liable for a fine. Then Europcar chimed in saying that unless this was either (1) officially put under review or (2) I paid the fine, Europcar would charge me for an "admin" fee. I immediately contacted both Slough Council and Europcar to begin the dispute process. Regardless of what they pledged to do, Europcar still hit my card without waiting for the ruling. I had to dispute the charge on my credit card and have now received notification from Slough Council that they have absolved me of the fine and considered the case closed. I have also notified Europcar that this has been resolved in my favor and sent them a copy of Slough Council's letter.

We were scammed by an extra day charge from Europcar. Spent many many hours over months trying to get the charges reversed. Europcar made additional charges and credits and ended up overcharging us by $133. After even more hours spent on the phone and in person they said they would make good...and we finally got half the amount back. They kept saying they would make it right, but carried on so long that our window to ask Visa to act was lost. Yes, Visa has a time window in which you are required to complain. No idea how long that is, but it's less than 6 months.

I went with Europcar because they charged the lowest rate from all the other rental car companies. The car was fine, the pick up of the car was alright. The return was quick. They found a little scratch on the wheel rim cover but said it was fine, I don't owe anything and they refunded me my 300 Euro deposit. 2 1/2 months later I received a bill from them over 440 Euro for the "damage". One month after I returned the car they had an adjuster look over the car and write up how much the repair would cost- not an actual repair, just a estimate. I went online and rejected the claim, but never got a response, only an automatic response that they are very busy and it will take weeks to get back to me.

SUCH A SHAME! I have used Europcar on a few occasion in Europe and I found the staff to be extremely friendly and helpful and had no real complaints. During my last trip to Marseille, I rented a car from the Europcar airport branch and upon the return there were some markings on the car. As I have picked the car up at night, these marks were not recorded so they may have been there or not. When these few marks were pointed out by the lady at Europcar upon return of the car, she asked me if I was responsible. At no point during the rental had I had any scrapes or scuffs so from my point of view these marks were pre-existing, which is what I relayed to her. No-one likes to pay more for services than you have to, however, if I damage something I will always except responsibility and report it and pay for it out of common decency and an the possession of an ethical moral compass.

Rented a VW Golf for 6 weeks which was a good vehicle. Upon picking up the car I advised them that I may extend the rental by 1 or 2 extra days which was agreed that I would pay for each extra day a certain amount. I actually extended by 1 day only but was charged for 2 days as the car was returned 2 minutes outside their 30 minute grace period for being late according to Europcar even though my rental agreement said 3 pm and the car was returned at 2.58 pm which is what I had to go by.

We rented a car through Expedia, arrived in Frankfurt only to find out our choice was not available (a frequent occurrence with rental companies). We accepted an upgrade at extra cost. The car was great, good mileage. Upon return a small 2 inch scrape was noted on a rim. The return agent noted that it was there when we accepted the car so we didn’t think anything more of it. Almost 6 months later we received a curtly written notice of damages and amount owed of just under $1,000 Canadian. An itemized list of work done to repair the rim was also included where they charged for valve stems, front and rear alignment etc.

I prepaid the rental with a credit card to Europcar and then I discovered the charged me again in Spain a higher amount. When I called Europca about this they said I had to contact thee company in Spain, when they should have taken care of it. Definitely won't use them again.

Absolutely disgusted with the level of service provided by Europcar Naas. I was charged €650 for a small scratch which I pointed out to them on returning the car. The female staff member acknowledged how minor it was and said that it would be likely I wouldn’t even be charged for it. She mentioned that scratches less than a €2 coin in size are not charged. I was then sent an invoice for €650 with €420 of that listed as ‘labour’. I have photos of the scratch and have been advised by repair centres and other car rental companies that I am being significantly overcharged.

Hi, My name is Andre **. I from Brazil, I rented the car in Leknes invoice **. I got the Ford Fiesta registration number DR 46547, I pickup the car July 23th and I returned the car July 25 at 20:30. I forgot two package in the car trunk! One package white like letter and other is sunglasses box, both had all money for my roll trip!

Do not rent a car from EUROPCAR! They exercise questionable practices taking advantage of tourists. We rent a car via Expedia for one day on Santorini Island in Greece. The rent costed $49.54 with $11.00 collision protection insurance included. When we arrived to the agency on the island, we were told that we had to buy full coverage insurance or they would freeze $10,000 on our credit card for two weeks. We didn’t have $10,000 on our credit card; it was our first day in Greece, so we assumed that it was a Greece policy and purchased the insurance for $99.99. (Total: one day rent of an economy car in Greece for $150!!) They gave us the “upgraded” car – a small SUV Nissan Pulsar with scratches on the rare bumper.

We rented a car from Europcar at London Heathrow. Everything went well with pickup and return. Upon returning to Canada I noticed an extra fee on my credit card. Upon enquires with the booking agent I was told it was for an extra day. We turned in the car on time with the required full tank of petrol. The person who checked us in said everything was fine and directed us to where we could pick up our booked taxi to our b&b. We were not issued a receipt (our mistake for not requesting. While waiting we observed our newly washed vehicle being driven to the general rental area. We went to our b&b and thought everything was fine until our credit card was billed for the extra day.

I rented a car Jun 15 - Jun 30. Pickup: Paris, France Charles De Gaulle Airport. At the reception I was offered to take full insurance but I rejected it. The rent and the insurance was paid in advance during the reservation. Then I was requested for a deposit (something about 650 Euro). The amount was blocked. When I returned the car (Jun 30) the deposit amount was unblocked and at the same time Europcar withdrew about 524 Euro from my account. After 2 weeks I got an answer that this is an insurance payment. But I rejected any additional insurance and I KNOW that insurance should be paid at the reception during the car pick up. When I asked about that fact, I got the following answer: "you rented for 3 more days than you supposed". I sent my tickets and copy of my passport with the border control stamps indicating that I could not exceed prepaid days. After that, Europcar stopped chatting with me.

We rented a VW Polo from Heathrow airport and traveled to Cardiff Wales in October. In nasty, rainy weather and driving on the other side of the road, we inadvertently got into a Bus Lane. Within a minute, we realized our error and got out of the lane. A camera caught our mistake and ticketed us $45. The sting is that Europcar charged us an administration fee of $51.75 for sending emails to Cardiff and us. Ouch! Europcar would not budge on this fee and both representatives REFUSED to transfer me to a manager. The patent response was that the administration fee was in the rental agreement. Lesson learned - before I rent from Europcar again, I will ask what the fee is for a traffic infraction. Clearly, Europcar is making a bit of money off of driving tourists.

I rented a brand new Fiat 500 for 3 days. It was at a cheap cost, the process was super easy, and I waited maybe 5-10min for the actual car. The returning of the car was super easy and we were provided with a shuttle ride to the actual airport. This review is based on the Europcar located near the Naples airport.

We rented our car in Rome, where we were encouraged to buy additional insurance at 4 euros per day in case we needed help during our rental. We had already purchased insurance for damage on the vehicle and pre-paid for the rental. We filled up the car upon returning the car two days early to the Florence airport. We checked in the car and the attendant said everything was fine, but issued no receipt.

The worst customer experience for life, I rented a car in Nice via Expedia. For an amount of 113.67 euro for two days. I decided to add a day and make a deposit at the train station Draguignan arches. After several checks with the clerk at the counter she confirms a reasonable fee that was to cover all the more she confirms me that the deposit point is beautiful and well at the station being a Canadian customer I have no way to confirm it is to say. I decide to trust him. Finally arriving at the station there is no point of deposit and I must contact the service point of Arc Draguignan which is more than 15 min drive. I trapped, so I have to ask to make a deposit at the station which generates other expenses therefore.

After renting a car in Roma, they later charged my credit card (insurance deductible) for damage that was already on the vehicle. All damages were pre-existing and I discussed all with the attendant and was told he noted all damage. I took photos in the garage dated at the exact time of rental just in case. They will not respond to the photos that I sent and are just ignoring my photos show clear evidence of their wrongdoing. This is fraud by Europcar since I bought insurance from a third party and they are taking advantage. They are crooks!

I rented a car through Europcar Italy in May 2019. We returned and car was inspected and we were on our way. Next thing I know 3 months later I had a charge for 100.00 on my credit card. I disputed it and then 2 months after that a 50.00 charge.. This is almost 6 months since I've done business with them. They are a shady company.

Very unsatisfactory with the company Europcar in Italy Bari. They have overcharged me for 2 days when in fact I took the insurance from expedia for the correct number of days. I have spoken to several customer service and email to the company europcar to resolve this issue. As of yet they have not resolve my issue. This very frustrating to me. I will never again rent a car from europcar and will not recommend this company to anyone.

Partner booked rental via a low internet price. Arrive top pick up vehicle and advised that I, being he only driver would not be covered via my partners credit card benefit of included collision insurance. Simple - switch the rental to my credit card. But this was not allowed by European. Instead they sold us their minimum cost insurance for over $400 Canadian for a 9 day rental. Very poor customer service/policies when a simple transaction would have solved the issue. Also repeated attempts to upgrade our rental car at extreme extra cost. Result of poor customer treatment = never rent from them again.

Someone in Europcar is using my visa card and charged me 48.80 euros for a service I didn’t have. If you used a car with this company make sure you change it because they have the card information and they will keep charging you over time randomly.

In 2019 I picked up a car rental at Gatwick airport from Europcar, which had been booked in advance by my father, who was arriving 2 days later. Special arrangements had been made anticipating that someone other than the one who had booked it on their credit card was going to be collecting the car. However, the one agent at the desk refused to release it to me unless I purchased insurance not for the 2 days before my father came, but the entire time, even though my credit card and insurance covered me.

We rented our euro car online the day before we needed it. The total amount of the rental including “all taxes and fees” was €37. When we arrived at the rental agency, the total was 92 Euro. They indicated that the difference was due to dropping the car off at a place other than the rental location. Our initial paperwork clearly indicated the drop off location and there was no mention of an additional charge. This is clearly an example of a company that is hiding charges just to bilk tourists. We had a similar problem with the same company in Scotland a couple of years ago. We should’ve learned! This is definitely not an ethical company. Stay away!

I have used Carhire multiple times but every time I use them from Dublin Airport without fail I receive unexpected charges. The staff are trained vultures clearly on commission. First experience, credit card fails to work so I need to pay full for insurance, fine. Second time CDW isn't included so I need to pay extortionate amount at pick up. As I appear angry with amount I am then advised of multiple price options. The angrier I get I am offered lower cost. How does that make sense? My only advice to customers is to get angry and they'll randomly give you reduced fees?? Third time I am fully prepared having paid for CDW upon booking and credit card ready to go. My pick up is a breeze. Upon drop off, surprise, surprise I am tackled with tank not returned full despite me filling to the point off clicking literally 3 minutes prior at petrol station located at airport.

On arriving at Heathrow we went to pick the car up which was paid for in full with our travel agent in Adelaide. They said the car we booked was not available but they would upgrade us. We said ok as long as it doesn't cost us any more. They said, "Just sign here," which we did and off we went. Had our holiday but when we got back from our holiday the bank statement showed us that they had taken over 2 thousand dollars more out of our account. Have tried to get our money back to no avail as we signed for the upgrade so be aware they are crooks and very underhanded. We are pensioners and can't afford this amount of money. If we can help just one person this misery and upset we will be happy. This company should not be allowed to trade. There are lots of decent car hire companies that deserve your business.

I rented from Europcar. BIG mistake! I got a 25 Euro parking ticket in Italy which I didn't feel was fair because we didn't understand the parking system in Italy (you must put a clock on your dash). It would have been nice had Europcar explained this to us upon picking up our car. After dropping the car off in perfect condition and on time we started getting monthly 100 Euro charges from Europcar because the parking ticket hadn't been paid. Monthly charges??? Seriously?? Visa wouldn't help with the situation so I had to completely cancel a credit card I'd had for 13 years in order to stop the charges. AVOID EUROPCAR. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER!

I dealt with Gatwick South Terminal Kiosk in August 2019. Initially agent tried to have me upgrade to much more expensive vehicle. On return to Canada I received additional charges on my credit card without explanation. Although I contacted Customer Services Department I have received no action to address original complaint and additional charges which are being charged to my credit card. Poor service, will not deal with this company again!

My husband and I recently did a trip through Europe and visited a few places. Paris, Saint Emilion, Lourdes, London. What was the most disappointing experience was at the Europcar office at Bordeaux Trainstation. We had booked an SUV a month in advance and had received confirmation. On arrival at the appointed time, we were told that there was no vehicle for us. We were then offered a larger vehicle at a higher price, when we refused we were offered a 8 - 10 seater Mercedes van that was banged up, with window chip and too huge for city driving. The onsite male manager was rude and indignant that we did not want to accept it. He took three hours to get us sorted with a vehicle that had just been driven in that was smaller, dirty and banged up.

I booked a car from Australia before travelling to UK and got a good deal at GBP 142.94 for a Hyundai i30. At check in, the girl behind the desk tried to sell us insurance and a sat nav, which we didn't want, then told us the i30 was too small for 2 passengers, 2 check in bags and 2 carry on bags and that we could have an upgrade for GBP 40 which we accepted. She never told us that was GBP 40 each day, for 8 days, on top of the original price, equalling GBP 546.46, which was more than GBP 400 extra cost. When I queried the cost on the paperwork I was told "Don't worry about that, we have given you 20% discount on the upgrade, plus there's a refundable deposit on return of the car".

First of all, I have been overcharged without a proper explanation. Do not return your car after working hours!!!! Secondly, when I realized that I had left my sunglasses and international driver’s license in the compartment I called them right away to find them. To my dismay, they did not even have a lost and found department so they kept passing me to other employees repeating that they will leave a note to look for my things. Nothing happened. They did not get back to me. I called them more than ten times and wrote them an email, I went to the airport in person to see if there was any more efficient way to find my things. There a female employee gave me a non existing email, I called a couple of more times, and had to return to the US without my belongings. When I got back, my credit card was charged a much larger amount. I spent many days disputing this overcharge. I abhor this company.

I went to the U.K. for the first time with my daughter for a 2 week trip to explore the countryside of England and Scotland. We rented a car from Europcar. The rental agent did not walk around the car with me as I am accustomed to in the U.S. He took my money, gave me the keys, and whisked me off. The car was dirty as my daughter and I first noticed. Ironically, there was a clean car paper display on the dash which caused a chuckle from both of us. The car was mechanically sound. When I returned the car, the trouble began. I was accused by their processing agent of having a dog in the back seat. I told the lady that the car was dirty on pickup and that I DID NOT have a dog in the car! She said that I should have refused the car at which time I educated her about proper customer service in the U.S. where the rental agency personally walks the car with their customers. She thought that was a good idea and quickly backed off her accusations towards me.

Six months after my trip I found a $50 charge from Europcar for "fines administration fee", even though no fines were made against me while driving their vehicle. They were unable to provide any evidence that I incurred any fines while operating their vehicle.

We needed a car for our 16 day trip to Ireland. I went online to see what was available and was very much surprised at the low cost of car rentals in Ireland. Or so I thought… I had read that the Irish roads are very narrow, and often parking was hard to find, so I looked to Europcar.com to find me a proper rental. I looked to rent as small a car as I could. Ended up reserving a Ford Fiesta or equivalent with unlimited mileage for 13 days to be picked up in Dublin for the unbelievable price of $172.84! Driving on the left side of the road would be something new for me, and although I consider myself a good driver I knew that anything could happen, so I opted for the Collision Damage Waiver offered for the allotted time for an additional $143.00. Easy peasy!

The customer service is horrible. They are priced so high and do not care about their clients. I will never rent from this company again and I hope that other customers look to other companies to rent from before they consider Europcar.

Downgraded my car so we couldn't all fit in it! Really poor, I hired a Polo or similar and they gave me a Smart car, claiming they were under no obligation to provide the car I hired or even a similar car. Terrible customer service, just don't get back to you. I would not recommend anyone to use this company.

On arriving at Lyon Airport I already had a hire car booked with Europcar. I took the bus to the collections desk. Everyone spoke excellent English. Had had no problem collecting the car. On returning the car I had an absolutely nightmare. There was no damage to the car. Absolutely none. The collection clerk refused. She said somebody must have leaned against the car door. I did not have time to continue the argument because I had to check in. I did take out damage insurance so I was not too bothered. However I have now had £346 bill to my credit card that I have to claim back and I cannot contact anyone at Europcar. I have to do it by email for the details of the repair. I have hired cars all over world and never had a problem. The only thing I would say is do not used Europcar at Lyon Airport.

In 2019, I have rented a car in Germany with pre-existing damages on the rim and tire. When picking up the car, I pointed out the tire damages and was assured that the car is fully expected and safe to drive. However, it was failed to be sufficiently documented. While this was obvious that the tires would have been damaged when the rim was damaged, I got stuck with the charges of EUR 199. The Europcar team answered any Emails and the use of subcontractors cannot even provide information whom to contact. If you rent you need to pay attention to any detail, but they may find something other small detail to charge you for.

All was good until the car started smoking under the bonnet. We pulled over, got the kids out and called Europcar. Took 10 minutes to get through then waited 40 mins for tow truck. Tow truck took car and left us, we then were told it would be another hour for a taxi, so we arranged our own and then arranged our own transport to their office the next day. We were given another car which as we walked up to it was dirty and had the undertray hanging about 2cm above the ground. We rejected this car as it was unsafe and after 2 hours we left the branch with another dirty car. 30 miles down the road when we were going to pick up our kids we realised the car had no rear headrests, a key safety feature for children particularly. So we decided to complain, so far we have been offered a free upgrade on our next rental, as if we will ever use them again!

We travel the world, hiring cars regularly. Great experiences with Avis and National. Europcar at Exeter in England, and subsequently, Europcar corporate, are unscrupulous, thieving criminals. They double charged us, would not communicate, hung up on my wife three times, wasted hours and money. Eventually our travel agent lodged a credit card dispute with her bank, and three months later we finally have our money back. Europcar continued to protest and still haven’t contacted us. They couldn’t provide proof justifying two charges for the same car, same location, same surname. There’s so much hire car choice, don’t risk it with these thieves.

The worst experience I have ever had with car rental. We rented a car in Sydney, Australia. Slow and unprofessional agent forgot to give us the card to exit the garage. We had to back off by narrow spinning garage road 2 floors down back to the key handling guy. The agent also provided us wrong information and told us no matter if we register one or 2 drivers but then on the bill she charged us extra. Then they charge us a deposit which didn't return to me still 3 months later, when I try to call them overseas (expensive calls) they keep juggling me between different operators and always giving me different numbers to contact but nobody wants to help. NOT RECOMMENDING!

Booked car from Vancouver Canada. Paid required fees plus insurance online. Upon pick up was told I had to by their insurance or l would have to cancel car or pay fee of 250 pounds before l could drive the car away. The worst experience in my life. Utter disgrace. Eric **

We rented through Expedia but upon picking up the car were told that we would need to pay an extra £750 for insurance for 15 days. After much negotiating and calls to our credit card and insurance companies we got that reduced it to £350. They cancelled the Expedia rental and initiated a new rental. The engine started smoking after about 80 miles of driving. We called Europcar but they said they could not deal with it. Instead they transferred us to the car manufacturer (Peugeot) who said that we would need to wait up to 3 hours for their assessor to arrive. We were under a mile from a different Europcar location but Europcar refused to send anyone to help until Peugeot had done their assessment.

I have used Europcar several times in the UK but this time I had a really bad experience. I will never book with them again. I had reserved a car for $240 at the London City Airport branch of Europcar but when I got there they told me my reservation had been manually cancelled online. This made no sense. I explained that I had not cancelled my reservation as I had been on a long flight from America with no internet connection. But the staff at the branch told me there was nothing they could do for me. It was a busy bank holiday weekend and all they could provide was a Fiat 500 for 1600 pounds!!! There was no way I was paying that and I ended up getting a car from Avis for 900 pounds because I was left high and dry at London City Airport late on a Friday evening. Still screwed, but not as bad as Europcar and the car was a lot better than a Fiat 500 for 1600 pounds.

We rented a Dodge Caravan from a Europcar satellite office at our hotel on 9/12/19 and when you have that 'trust your gut feeling', believe it! The agent Saul ** kept trying to convince me that my credit card info was safe, I did ask him why, was there identity theft going on? 'Oh no, just trust me you are safe.' Well, guess what? The very next day I got a call from Visa asking if we had put through 5 money transfers? It's a good thing we had credit protection and the charges did not go through. The moral of this story is, be very careful when traveling abroad.

If ConsumerAffairs allowed me to give 0 stars, I would. We reserved a car to pick up in Chartres to drive to Blois in France. We did not want to take the train because we would get into Blois 4 hours too late to go on a Chambord Chateau tour that had been purchased in advance. We emailed with two separate Europcar employees and were told we would be charged fees for people to come into the office to rent us the car on a Sunday, which we agreed to. We received a booking confirmation from Europcar with instructions regarding pickup and drop off locations in Chartres and Blois. On the day of the rental we took a taxi cab to the pickup location which was located in an industrial part of town. We waited until 20 minutes after the appointed pickup time to call Europcar.

Staffs and service were good to me but only thing made me not happy with the charges. I'm a tourist who is from Japan. First time to rent a car from Europcar when I travelled in England. They not even check any charges when I had returned the car until I received a warning letter from Dart Charge and Europcar's invoice by email. I was asking my friend who is living in England to pay behalf on me after I received that charges. In hence, Europcar sent me a receipt after had done the payment but unfortunately I received another 2nd warning letter again from Dart Charge a month later after the payment. It was so ridiculous to me and make me unhappy with that and the reason why I write a review here. Definitely I wouldn't recommend Europcar to my friends and come back again.

The clerk informed me that there would be a charge for a deposit which would later be returned on card#1. The rental amount was supposed to be put onto card#2. Months later I still have a charge on card#1 AND card#2. I filed a dispute on charge#1 and my bank informed me that Europcar sent documents detailing my authorization for the charge so there was nothing that could be done. I did not authorize any amount beyond the $150 deposit to be placed on the card. Europcar falsified documents to withhold over $500 on a $380 rental. I highly suggest you warn any friends or family to avoid using this company at all costs, even if they appear cheaper at first they will cost more with fraudulent charges.

I had rent a car from Europcar for my trip in France this Summer. Was the worst expérience I have never had with any other rental car company. The agency in the city of Grasse was very small and looked like à small garage. They gave me a C3 with only 16000 kms. The clutch broke on the second day in the middle of nowhere in the south of France at 9:30 a.m. After calling.. They arrived to pick-up the car at 12:30 from a Citroën garage. We were left with my Friends there under 90 degrees! Someone on the street help us and after many phone calls to the customer service. No car. No taxis..no solution for us. And all the ones I talked to were such unpleasant and unprofessional.

My advice is read all the reviews first. I wish we had. If I could give no stars I would. We booked through Emirates so assumed they would be ok. Wrong. So wrong. Worst car hire company we have ever used. Customer service is non existent. The welcome we received was appalling. The car had seen better days. Trying to get someone to reply to emails just does not happen. When I finally managed to speak to someone they were shocking to the point I ended up telling her to stop shouting. She was very intimidating. I ended up ending the call, and still no resolution. We will never use them again and would advise anyone who is thinking about doing so be very careful.

I wish I had read the reviews of Europcar before we went to Australia. We rented a car through Europcar in May 2019 and since we were dropping the car in a different location than the pick up location, drop off charges were of importance to us. I located through rentalcars.com a rental that did not charge the drop off charge of 500 AUD (Australian dollars) by picking up the car at the Downtown Melbourne office rather than at the Melbourne Airport. I called to confirm that this was true even though the voucher and back up paperwork clearly stated that the drop-off fee on that rental was 0.00 AUD.

Rented car in Italy! It was missing a front plate. In the U S, 19 states do not require a front plate. I drive to Pennsylvania, Delaware all the time. I have family in Florida. These states do not require a front plate. Normal to me. Numerous calls were made to the office where we picked the vehicle up. (They are only open 9 to 12 and 4 to 7.) They told us it wasn't possible that they gave us the vehicle without a front plate! That I shouldn't be calling them days later with this. Basically brushed us off and hung up!!

I booked and paid for the car rental via Booking.com. I purchased insurance from Europcar. My final Europcar bill had insurance plus a 19% Premium Station charge of the rental fee. I have argued via multiple emails that the rental agreement has an "Excess (PREMIUM)" of 0 GBP and there is no value associated to the 19%. They take over a week to respond per email, do not really answer my questions, stated they will not refund and refuse future correspondence. All I can say is, buyer beware. The price you see on Booking.com, Europcar can add 19% to it.

Rented a car from Europcar through Easyrentcars website. I purchased the option for full insurance coverage. When I arrived to the counter Europcar refused to accept the insurance I purchased saying that it is not accepted in Ireland. However, a family member who rented with another well-known agency through Easyrentcars and had the exact same insurance coverage plan that I purchased had no problems with them accepting the coverage in Ireland. I spoke with the insurance provider I initially purchased and they confirmed their coverage extends to Ireland.

Beware, if you need to make any adjustments to your reservation, better not do it online. I learned the hard way. Had convertible reserved for 2 months to be picked up at Avignon train station, went online to update pick up and drop off times because it says in the contract if you don't pick up/drop off on time you will be charged 95 euros or full booking price. Once I adjusted the times, the system subsequently canceled my original reservation and created new one, which all seemed ok since all the information was the same (car, dates, pick up/drop off location). That is until I received an email saying that my reservation cannot be confirmed because the car is not available. WTH?? I had that car reserved for 2 months!!

Would strongly recommend not using this location and certainly would not use it if you have reserved a Europcar through Expedia. I ended up paying twice as much to rent one of their cars as I did when I rented from Avis. I paid Expedia for the rental but was charged an additional 90 pounds by Europcar. In addition, I was charged 39 pounds for something called Basic Rental Extra Days (This shouldn't have been a surprise to Europcar as I had already paid Expedia for a 22 day rental). I was forced to buy insurance, even though I had ensured my U.S. insurance covered my rental and I had purchased liability insurance through Expedia (my deductible was still 1200 pounds). I was charged an additional 55 pounds for another driver's license, even though my U.S. licence met Europcar's requirements for not needing another one. AND I had to pay 124 pound for something called Premium Station Surcharge.

Booked a car through our travel agent. Paid upfront. When we got there, they claimed to not know anything about the prepayment, even though I had the receipt. When I let them up-charge me for a larger car due to the size of our luggage, they apparently didn't credit the amount already paid. Because of being tired from having lost in London for two hours trying to find my way back, I didn't noticed until later. They only deal with problems over the phone (no "contest us" email) and my phone doesn't work in Europe, so it'll be another ten days before I can attempt to hammer it out (by then, I'll be doing it at the desk of my travel agent, whom I'm going to suggest never booking Europcar if AAA Travel Agency expects any nor business).

Absolutely a Scam. They say they won't charge for insurance if you pay the deposit, but the deposit transaction is fake. I had the credit card on the phone with UNLIMITED credit, and Europcar kept saying the charge was declined. The credit card assured me there was no attempt to charge anything. Once they fake the deposit, they tell you you are denied and charge you the "insurance" which more than doubles your fee. COMPLETE SCAM! STAY AWAY.

Just returned a car in Poland. Trying to get it returned no one would talk to us. The young men that were working in the downstairs garage were extremely rude, and tearing around with the cars like a literally racing them in the down driveway. Not the way a professional working for a company like this should ever conduct themselves.

We rented a car in Italy in March 2019. The rental experience was fine returned car 9 days without issue. July 2019 charged my Discover 56$, disputed charge won!! August 2019 tried to charge cc again.???

We were traveling in France all the way in Australia and rented a car from Europcar Avignon TGV for one day to drive around in Provence. We paid over EU 350 for the one day. They gave us a brand new VW Golf which had only 12km on the odometer. Well turned out it was a faulty car. We barely drove 10 kms and the clutch kept stalling, at about 30kms it started to burn, thick foul-smelling smoke was coming out from the bonnet. It broke down in the middle of the countryside, our family (with our 3 youngs children in tow) were stranded by the side of the road under the 35-degree heat.

***AVOID - LIARS & THIEVES - AVOID*** Last month I had the misfortune to hire a car from Europcar at Stansted. Never again. As with most car rental companies, Europcar will seemingly stoop to any level to scam money from customers. For starters, it took almost one hour of queuing before I began the seemingly simple process of collecting my keys. I had already paid for the car online and had elected to take the full insurance. Simple - no additional costs I (foolishly) thought.

Our experience with the company was good up until it was time to return the vehicle. When we picked it up, the tank was at 6/8. We pointed that out to the rep and asked him to indicate it on the contract and sign. Additionally, we took a picture of it. When we returned the vehicle, we made sure to show both: the picture and the contract to justify the tank at 6/8. When the confirmation of return was handed over to us, we noticed that she indicated the tank at 4/8!!! Equivalent to 23 euros of the fine along with 1.25euro/per missing litre of gas. The rep refused to change it and instead, told us to contest with the customer service. Since we were in rush to catch our flight, we sent a complaint with all the pictures to the email on the website. Within 5 days, we received a confirmation that we will be reimbursed. However! They don't just reimburse the difference but credit the amount they charged and debit the right amount.

Although the front desk process went well at downtown location in Cuidad Obregon Mexico, the car had an obscure and minor crack on front windshield that both a young staff member and I missed. It became obvious, after the fact, that this staff member missed the crack on purpose when we returned to have car reinspected after our 4 km round trip. When we returned, we spoke to the manager and three staff members. One reason we suspect foul play is the miles on the contract were not correct; they were off by 100 km on contract indicating car was driven between contracts by their staff. Second reason is another staff member, who was not present during the car inspection, adamantly stated he washed car prior to delivering and in his inspection the windshield was not damaged.

Hi Folks, Be aware of the scam. Europcar is a crook. They are trying to overcharge customers. If you want to hire the car from Europcar which is not recommended (please see the reviews before making the decision), please read the statements line by line before signed. Europcar abusing customer's trust and do forgery to rob your money. In my case, they have changed the time of pickup and overcharge me for the extra day. I'm able to prove my claim.

Booked a car from Canada, to be picked up in Gatwick London. When we arrived there was a “Problem” with our booking and we were told we should make another booking. The Europcar staff member entered all the details. I asked him if they were the same as the original booking. He said they were, however he had changed the return time from 3pm to 10am. Due to the stress and pressure we were under we did not see this change. We returned the car after a month in good condition, full of fuel and at 3pm. The return agent at Gatwick said we were late, so I explained my side of the story. He said no problem.

Had booked a car at Porto Airport via Ryanair, including insurance and roadside assistance. "Keddy" (which really is Europcar) sold us the motorway vignette, but also put another "roadside assistance" for an extra €9/day on our agreement in Portuguese without telling us anything about it (other items, except the vignette and this were in English). We only noticed when we got the final bill in English after the end of the rental period. On complaining with attachment of our original booking which had included roadside assistance already and explaining the above, we were just told (about three weeks later), we had signed the form, so everything was alright.

Rented a minivan this past June from Europcar in Spain. We prepaid for the car back in April and the contract gave specific details and requirements which we complied with. At the time of rental, we decided to add insurance so instead of honoring the previously prepaid contract, they drew a new one with double the charges. On top of that, the initial prepay was NEVER refunded so we ended up paying 3 times the amount. When we tried to resolve the overcharge, Europcar ignores all messages and does NOT respond so now we have to try disputing the charges with the CC company. Lost time and effort that does not warrant the service received from this shady rental car company. Stay AWAY from this car rental company and you will incur heavy losses.

This company is a complete scam. First of all, the quoted price is not the price that you end up paying. They force you to buy extra insurance, even though we had already purchase outside insurance and had credit card insurance. The insurance is almost 50% of the car rental, then they want you to sign a 2000 voucher. Then they tried to give us an old car, we had to fight with them and even then we did not get a car until 3 days later. I was on vacation with my 3 kids and they messed up our entire trip. Worst company ever to rent a car with, they scam you and tried to get money out of you any way they can.

Booked a vehicle from Dublin airport--decided to pay maximum for larger vehicle, automatic, insurance etc.--wanted no hassle whatsoever. At time of booking agent recommended an extra 30 euro charge for terminal pick up--I naively agreed. Arrived at desk--appeared as though they gave away our vehicle as he had to call to see if another available. He fixed us up quickly BUT--we had to hike (2 seniors, 2 adults, 2 children and bags) over to terminal 2 (pick up was supposed to be at terminal 1). Upon return home, I requested a refund--30 euros not a big deal but it was inconvenient and we were charged for something they did not provide. The response was terse advising me that their staff would never charge me for something without my consent. I gave my consent upon their advice--respondent failed to address my basic point and hence no refund.

If you have any other alternative to renting a car in France, use Hertz or another internationally reputable rental agency and avoid using Europcar. Despite having purchased the full insurance package, covering any scratches, etc., Europcar charged us a so-called “damage administration fee”. When we returned the vehicle, the Europcar representative indicated that there was a scratch; (b) at that time, we indicated that there simply was no scratch whatsoever; (c) the Europcar represented indicated that there would be no charge in any event since we had purchased the full insurance package.

When we arrived after 9pm, there WAS someone at the desk but since we hadn't arrived for our 9am flight, they CANCELLED the reservation and I had to buy a new one. What a surprise, it cost me several hundred dollars more than the original reservation. I would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use Europcar again. Scam. Rip off. And a customer agent who hadn't bathed in long enough to stink like a dead skunk. plus, they charged me GBP 50 because of a late arrival. Absolute **. In 35 years of international travel, this is the worst experience I have ever had with a rental agency and I hope you never use them.

So I rented a car at Quito Airport through the Europcar App. I was quoted $329 for 10 days. When we arrived I was told that I HAD TO purchase extra insurance (surprise, surprise...) and ended up having to pay $499 in order to get the car. The car was the worst piece of junk I ever had. It was super banged up and one headlight was not working, the radio wasn't working and one of the tires had a leak, as we realized after a few days. When we dropped it off the guy who inspected the car was obsessing over a small dent on the top of the door frame (one of hundreds on the car) and almost try to pin it on us. These guys are like an organized crime syndicate.

Europcar charged me extra day rental for returning car at 14.23. I was on a flight at 11.25 which I can prove. Numerous emails from different people as they prevaricate to evade paying me back. They also had a car available in the class I booked and had paid for but did not upgrade me as per their T&Cs. Instead I had to pay an extra 300 euros for an upgraded car I did not want but either that or nothing. It all be interesting to hear what they say about altering the time the car was returned as this was never mentioned in the previous few weeks of emails. Could they possibly have altered the information to suit their cause (of making money)?

Rented car online through Expedia. Bought rental car insurance. When I arrived sleep deprived and unable to do basic math, they told me they didn't have my car, and that they wouldn't accept my insurance. They ended up charging me almost 4 times the agreed upon rate - and I signed, because what else could I do? I was alone without phone service in a foreign country. Returned the car, and they settled the bill. Then almost 2 months later, they billed my credit card an extra $60. The credit card flagged it as fraud, and I agreed. Now I am getting nasty letters threatening to turn me over to the solicitors because I refuse to pay their as yet unexplained upcharge. NEVER AGAIN. This is a fraudulent and dishonest company.

After returning rental undamaged the return agent was able to find 2 small tiny scratches which one was just dirt. He took pictures and informed me I would have to pay repairs and other charges due to damages. Total scam!! $800 was the total after all the administrative and loss of rental time to get fixed. Not only did I feel like I got scammed I totally did! Stay away from Europcar.

I got my rental car in Italy. They had me sign all the paperwork (not really explaining any of it) at the counter then I walked half a mile to get a car. Stood there for 30 minutes while they figured out what car they felt like giving me, so it wasn't an assigned car. Returned the car to discover that there was no instructions for after hours returns at their location in Milan (yay) and - worse yet, they charged me for a full tank of gas even though the car I'd been given hand only 3/8ths. Apparently the paperwork at the counter claimed the unknown car's tank was full, so I had to pay it. 50 Euros to learn that if you're using them you need to DOCUMENT EVERYTHING, including pictures of the gas when you pick it up.

Booked our rental through Rentalcars.com, which said it was insured. When I went to pick up the car it was an additional charge for insurance or we were not allowed to leave with the car. Original rental price was $320. The additional insurance required was $502. When I contacted Europcar about this they stopped responding to me. Two months after my rental they charged me another $50 and the credit card purchase shows that it was a manual entry. Do not rent from them, they are terrible. I have rented cars in Europe before and never have I had such an issue as with this company. I had to report my card as being stolen so they cannot keep charging me.

I rented a car for 1 day to drive from Paris to Geneva. Upon return in Geneva they pointed to a small 1.5 inch scratch behind the rear right wheel and asked if we were responsible. We declined responsibility and they did not press the issue. 2 days later we were charged USD 839 to repair the scratch. I returned to Europcar for justification of cost and they were not able to produce repair quote or proof of repair on the vehicle. They could not produce history of incidents or repair to that particular vehicle either. I think the scratch is there and being used to bill other customers. It is clear that they have a business practice to take advantage of tourists in a hurry to catch a plane. They will charge for anything and everything they can to boost profits. I will never rent with them again.

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.