Auto Europe UK Reviews 

My experience with Auto Europe and their partner Centauro was catastrophic. Less than 24 hours into the rental, the vehicle suffered an engine failure, leaving my family stranded in a dangerous, remote location. They refused to deliver a replacement vehicle, forcing me to return to the rental office. The replacement vehicle was also faulty, requiring a third car. This safety breach, combined with Centauro's refusal to deliver a replacement and offering a second faulty car, caused us to lose two full days of our holiday.

Auto Europe acknowledged the failure but offered only a "gesture of goodwill" refund of £105 GBP, which merely covered my out-of-pocket expenses for the back and forth to the rental office. They refused to compensate for the fundamental breach of contract, the significant distress, or the lost holiday time, prematurely declaring the case closed. Auto Europe cannot be relied upon for safety or fair resolution.

I hired a car from Dublin airport, through auto Europe, this was actually from europcar, as they were busy there was a 30 minute wait at the collection desk then I could not cancel sat nav that was rebooked, upon getting the car no sat nav was in it or provided, upon returning the car we were advised a refund would be given but none had been forthcoming and this company have been useless, after several emails taken the matter up with europcar direct. Book direct do not use this company

I booked a rental car through this website for Belfast International Airport. I chose to pay online and Auto Europe charged me twice. I assumed an easily fixable mistake so I rang the contact number on their website. They have evidence of my booking and the exact cost the charged me but said they have only charged me once and were absolutely no help. The woman on the other end of the phone was incredibly rude and did not care at all to do her job or answer any question I had about options I have to talk to someone who could actually help. I had a copy of my bank statement which clearly showed to of the exact same cost taken from my account from Auto Europe. She essentially told me to email the bank statement to them. When I asked for an email address to do this she refused to answer and said it can be done through the "manage booking" option online. When I attempted to do this the only thing I can do online is either cancel the booking or amend the time / date. There is no email address anywhere I can see on the website and they have not been in any way cooperative since to solve the issue.

Just stick to rental companies own website as any middle man company do not care about customer satisfaction once they get the money or in this case double their money.

AutoEurope and Centauro Car Hire Rhodes

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We hired a car for 5 days through AutoEurope with Centauro Rhodes. Never again! We were conned out of 135 euros by Centauro, who claimed that the charge on our credit card was for petrol and would be returned when we brought the car back with a full tank of petrol. This did not happen. They charged us for extra insurance which we already had through AutoEurope. When queried with the Manager he agreed to refund the 135 Euros (which was more than we had paid for the hire of the car for 5 days). This did not happen either. They were very cunning at the time claiming that their card machine was malfunctioning and asking for the credit card to be put in twice. We asked AutoEurope to look into this and they produced paperwork with our signature on it. Paperwork which we did not sign and had never seen. This is obviously a fraudulent transaction yet AutoEurope refused to do anything about it. So, don't hire a car through AutoEurope with Centauro unless you want to be scammed.

I used Auto Europe in September, and have to say i was majorly disappointed, we had no instructions to find our Hire Company, when we found them they were terrible, called Rent Scape at Lyon airport, France. Didn’t get the car we ordered, took an hour to process the rental , then were charged for 1 additional driver which was clearly written on our voucher as included. Have tried to get the money back , so far no money returned!!!

We booked and paid for a rental car through Auto Europe in May, including an additional driver. However, when we arrived at the Avis desk to collect the car, their agent claimed we hadn’t paid for an additional driver — even though our Auto Europe voucher clearly stated we had.

We were forced to pay again for the same service. Avis told us to take it up with Auto Europe, but this is not our responsibility. Between you and Avis, this amounts to double charging customers and passing the blame. It’s completely unacceptable and borders on theft.

We expect our money to be refunded immediately. Being told we’ll have to wait up to eight weeks is disgraceful, especially after already being charged twice. What gives you the right to hold onto our money while we absorb credit card fees and stress on our holiday?

Auto Europe, you need to raise this with Avis and resolve it — your customers should not be caught in the middle of your internal issues. This practice is deceptive and unethical. We will never use your service again.

rented a car through this company 8 months in advance ford mustang convertible collect Las Vegas
no mustang available only car available a massive gas guzzling 4X4 jeep had no choice but to take it , when back in the UK phoned customer service told there was nothing they can do as I should have phoned them from the desk I Las Vegas so they could find a company that could supply one what a joke standing at the counter after a 10 hour flight needing to get to the hotel only UK data on my phone and they say should have phoned them (sure) good way to get out of problems the car was not even that cheap £390

We rented a car through Auto Europe for our trip to Los Angeles and unfortunatley had terrible service from Thrifty.
After an exhausting time trying to get Thrifty to help us with no joy I decided to contact Auto Europe to see if they could help us.
On calling their number and pressing the relevant digit on the phone to speak with customer services I had a message saying the department was closed.
I tried 3 more time and each time got the message that the department was closed even though I was calling during office hours.
I called back and pressed for a new booking and explained to the agent that I was trying to get hold of someone in customer services but the message says they are closed.
The agent advised me that this was indeed correct and that the customer service department has had to close due to the amount of complaints they were getting!
So I have no way of contacting anyone or getting any help from Auto Europe regarding our situation with Thrifty.
Please be aware that if you are booking with Auto Europe and anything goes wrong you will not get any help!

This company is deliberately scamming customers. My complaint below is mirrored by so many others here and yet they still continue to operate in the same way taking zero responsibility. Hired a car through Auto Europe who told me nothing else to pay. At Palma airport I was told by OK Mobility I had to pay £500 insurance since I had booked through a third party. I explained that my paperwork confirmed it was covered but they refused to budge and said either I pay or no car. I phoned Auto Europe and spoke to someone who put me through to….no one. Phoned the next day and they confirmed that they were aware of this happening and to put in a claim 24 hours after rental agreement ends. Auto Europe confirm that I should not have been charged but are refusing to do anything about it because I agreed to pay. If I hadn’t paid I would have had no car at 11.00 at night with my family! There was no choice and this is a clear case of misrepresentation - I hired a car with everything included but at the airport was told ‘no everything is not included’. They have refused my request to escalate my complaint and have washed their hands failing to take any responsibility.

Rental company (Hertz) said my damage waiver insurance wasn't any good and I should take out theirs. I didn't as I had already paid. But it was very annoying that they didn't think the insurance through you was good enough. Second, the GPS wasn't activated, and I didn't notice I had been charged locally for it: it showed up as zero cost on your invoice, although I did subsequently notice you said "to be paid locally". Overall not worth the small saving by going through your portal.

Worst treatment from any company I’ve ever dealt with. Booked a car via their website a month in advance and provided flight details etc. The booking was confirmed for a 11:00pm collection only to realise that provider “ok mobility” closed at 11:00pm. Stuck in Spain without a car we called Auto Europe for help and were told as we had not called ahead to say we needed an out of hours service we were classed as a “ No show”. I asked if they could book us a car with the numerous other providers who were all open. They said they couldn’t and we had to book direct. Not wanting to ruin our holiday we just booked with another provider. On our return we asked for a refund as we were flabbergasted that a company would allow us to book a car when the provider was shut. They were very blunt, wouldn’t offer a refund and refused to escalate our complaint. I’d avoid this company at all costs!!

Were refused collection of the car at the counter, had to book again through another company.

Auto Europe refused to refund even though we couldn'tget the car, they will do everything they can to keep the money, scammy company. Better of going direct eith the rental place.

We bought Auto Europe insurance but when we got to the gold car desk at Girona Airport we were told they had not had confirmation of our insurance from Auto Europe so we could not have a car until we paid about £250.
We showed the gold car agent the insurance document, he declined to accept it and wouldn’t release a car. We telephoned an Auto Europe agent from the airport, she spoke to the Gold Car agent who reiterated no proof of insurance - no car. She said don’t worry this call is recorded when you get back to the UK contact us and we will reimburse you for the extra insurance.
I contacted autoeurope twice when we had the car as I was aware that having to insurance policies running at the same time is fraudulent, they were not concerned and told me to contact them 24 hours after the car hire ended.
Well, you can probably guess what happened. Auto Europe deny any responsibility, our 7 day car hire was twice what it should have been and it would have been cheaper to order the car hire from a desk at the airport without pre- booking.

I booked with auto europe because of their reviews. But they then provided Italy car rent with another victim ME. Read their reviews and see the similarities. Had not even left the compound at Pisa airport. Charged me €250 for RUSTY damage that i was reporting that was not on the documentation. They said i caused it when I reversed next to the kiosk. On observation it's obvious this damage was caused when the car was travelling forwards not reversing!!! I was well and truly SCAMMED

I made the booking for a rental car with Auto Europe on 15th june and prepaid it on that day. They sent me a confirmation voucher with a confirmed car.

Booking was due for pick up on 9th July.

On 9th July, when I reached the rental counter at 10:30 pm in the night at Stansted Airport the rental agency (Europcar) did not give me the confirmed and prepaid car. They gave me no reason for it.

No other counters had any car to rent. I had to take an Uber at 11:15 pm to come to London city hotel and it took me 2-3 days to re-organize my travel in the absence of a car.

This is what I did later by taking 2 separate rentals - one from Enterprise and second from Avis that cost me far more than the original booking price.

Now neither Europcar nor Autoeurope are taking any responsibility for this rental booking that was not honored.

I have been asking AutoEurope to compensate the Uber ride and higher last minute rental car costs and they continue to wash their hands.

Europcar is easily washing hands saying i booked with Autoeurope and they are responsible.

Autoeurope is consisntently failing to see their responsibility in all this.

Lesson - book direct from rental agencies, they will treat you far better. Why go to AutoEurope that is not able to protect our interests by simply honoring a prepaid booking?

thanks,
Vips

I rented a car in Austria through Auto Europe with Full Protection insurance, and unfortunately I’ve had a very disappointing experience.
The rental company wrongly accused me of damage I did not cause and charged my credit card. I filed a claim with Auto Europe on 21 August, submitting all required documents, including the rental company’s invoice and my bank statement showing the charge.
Since then, Auto Europe has been delaying reimbursement, repeatedly telling me they are “waiting for additional information” from their local partner. It is now over six weeks later, and despite my Full Protection cover being advertised as straightforward and fast, I still have not received my refund.
What worries me most is that Auto Europe seems unable or unwilling to resolve cases when their partner rental companies refuse to cooperate. As a customer, I should not be left out of pocket because of disputes between Auto Europe and their suppliers.
This experience has been stressful, time-consuming, and has shaken my confidence in Auto Europe’s “Full Protection” promise.
I would strongly advise caution to anyone considering booking through them.

I have used Auto Europe UK for many years, and will continue to do so. I recently had my Driving License stolen 1.5 days before i was due to collect it, but they fairly and generously allowed me to cancel with a full refund, even though i was a few hours out of their free cancellation period. THANK YOU!!!! The theft of my wallet and driving licence was very stressful, but the way in which you resolved my car hire problem was wonderful!!! Thank goodness there are still fair minded companies out there who are willing to be a little bit flexible when a crisis occurs!!!

We hired a car for 10 nights for our holiday in Crete June 2025 with Auto Europe. The car hire came with extra insurance and our experience on holiday was fine, we also took out additional insurance with Car Wizz the rental company.
Unfortunately whilst away we had a bump in the car, as we had additional cover with the rental firm we had nothing to pay as a result other than a £50 admin fee.
When we arrived home I submitted a claim to Auto Europe for the £50 admin fee, sending them the required documentation. This seemed not to be enough and I received over 7 email requests asking for further detail. This was clearly a delaying tactic, in the end I gave up (as I'm sure that was what Auto Europe wanted), absolutely despicable treatment and all over £50. I will never use Auto Europe again.

I booked a rental car through AutoEurope for collection at 15:00 from Verona Airport. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed by 2.5 hours due to bad weather and air traffic control restrictions – circumstances entirely beyond my control.

Upon arrival to the hire desk at 1730, I was met by a disinterested Viaggiare attendant, more focused on watching a rap video on his phone than assisting customers. When I explained I was here to collect my car, he simply shrugged and stated I was a "No Show" for being an hour late and that the reservation had been cancelled. A note should be made that AutoEurope states two hours late is a no show, however as this was beyond my control and I had no way to contact them it would be assumed flexibility would be afforded.

Shockingly, he admitted that the car was still available but refused to release it to me unless I rebooked directly at a cost of £450 – nearly three times what I had originally paid. His manner was dismissive, unhelpful, and frankly rude.

I wasn't alone – another couple faced the same situation and were treated just as poorly. This seems less like an unfortunate policy and more like a deliberate grift, where AutoEurope takes your initial payment, then the local agency (Viaggiare) profits from your misfortune by jacking up prices when you're most vulnerable.

AutoEurope's support was equally disappointing. Their telephone customer service advisor Christina eventually acknowledged that on a personal level I was being hard done by but ultimately, she could not help having spoken to her supervisor, it was also impossible to provide me with a vehicle unless I rebooked at an inflated price and sat at the airport for two hours.

I asked to speak to the supervisor but was refused this privilege, I was told I could pay £25 to cancel and rebook the car at an inflated price, I asked if I would get any other original money back if I cancelled, I was told ‘No’, so why on earth would I pay £25 to cancel?! Despite being a long-standing customer with 14 previous bookings, I was offered no solution, no goodwill gesture, and no refund. I did since complain in writing via the reservations email but told this wasn’t the method and must complete an online form the day after the booking should have been completed. I advised the customer service operative Edson that this was a formal complaint in writing and that it needed to be passed to the customer service team. I heard nothing back, I have chased several times, and Edson has finally replied basically fobbing me off and stating I was over two hours late, not their problem. I am now receiving automatic notifications via email in Dutch language. It gets more farcical every step of the way.

I eventually had to book a last-minute rental with Hertz for £450. Even if Viaggiare had offered me a car for less, I would have refused – based solely on their staff’s utter lack of professionalism or basic respect.

This experience was unacceptable on every level. I've since filed a complaint with AutoEurope and am now pursuing a chargeback with my credit card provider. I have also requested a Data subject access request, this has been completely ignored, I will continue to pursue this as this is a key right under GDPR.
If you're reading this, do yourself a favour: avoid Viaggiare at all costs, and think twice about using AutoEurope, who clearly do not vet their partners or value customer loyalty, Viaggiare is described as ‘Very good’ with a rating of 6.3 / 10, on what matrix would 6.3 be classed ‘Very good’?

For the sake or releasing the vehicle to me or refunding the original cost of £155 (Even minus the £25 admin fee) this whole affair could have been prevented. This was out of my control and based on a delay due to poor weather.

Save yourself the stress. Go with a reputable global brand directly.

Cheap cars, but crap service. You get what you pay for. Never again. The worst experience ever in my life. Stay away from budget or avis. Book directly and you will have more come back. I booked a 12 seater with budget through auto Europe and after a few hours of waiting for the van to turn up we were given a bucket of s#!t. No satisfaction from either company. We paid enoug for the van to get 💩 service and van.