City Car Rental Reviews 62

I have to say, I never leave bad reviews but this was an awful experience. I paid more than 1100€ for 2 weeks, added extra fees without warning. Gave me an automatic car I didn't pay for instead of the one I wanted. There was no windshield wiper product and refused to refund me saying that I can't prove anything even though I had to fill it after 3 days when I realised I didn't have any (extremely dangerous with this weather by the way). To top everything, I had to buy oil because it hadn't been checked which they at least refunded me for. Basically, terrible price, terrible customer service and cars in bad condition. avoid them !!!

Fair Car / City Car Rental & Nordic Travel Group are all part of the same setup. Offering cheap car rentals just to lure customers into their scam setup. Rest assured that when you return the vehicle they will initiate their fraud. We did rent a Susuki that turned out to be worn out, filled with scratches and damages. We did of course take a lot of pictures - however when returning the car they claimed the door was windblown and ended up threatening us to pay 3600 EUR up front for the repair. They clearly stated that we would not be allowed to leave the premises before having paid. Obviously we have been disputing the damages and subsequently provided solid evidence that this is fraud. Unfortunately they are impossible to reason with so we will pursue the matter....

My family of 14 rented three cars from City Car Rental in Iceland, and the experience was utterly unacceptable, unsafe, and full of deceitful practices. I strongly urge others to avoid this company at all costs.

1. Unsafe Vehicles Provided
• Poorly Maintained Vehicles: One of the cars (the red one) had inadequate spikes on the tires, making it unsafe for Iceland’s icy roads. The 4x4 function did not work, and the windshield wipers were in terrible condition, severely limiting visibility. Karol from the company repeatedly lied about the 4x4 system, claiming the car was always in 4x4 mode. However, we later found out that the system requires manual activation and was malfunctioning.
• 4x4 System Failure: Despite Karol’s insistence that the 4x4 system was always engaged, the vehicle couldn’t stop on a patch of ice, causing a collision with the silver car. The rear right side of the red car collided with the rear left side of the silver car, causing significant damage.
• Subsequent Vehicle Malfunction: Later, after refueling at the N1 petrol station near the airport, the door on the silver car wouldn’t open, further highlighting the poor condition of these vehicles.

2. Injuries and Property Damage
• Physical Injuries: During the crash, I was jolted forward, damaging my glasses and leaving me with neck pain that persisted for days. I recently underwent shoulder surgery and now believe the crash may have worsened my shoulder injury.
• Damage to Property: The cars we rented were in such poor condition that the safety of my family was compromised, and we are now being charged for damages caused by the company’s negligence.

3. Incident Report Timeline
• The crash occurred on a Sunday, and I immediately reported it to City Car Rental. I was told to call back, but due to limited phone signal, I could only call again on Tuesday to provide further details.

4. Deceptive Claims and Gaslighting
• False Information: During my Tuesday call, I explained that the red car swerved into the silver car’s side. Despite this, an agent named Rimas falsely claimed that I said the red car hit the back of the silver car.
• Contradictory Evidence: This false claim contradicts the photos I sent via WhatsApp, which clearly show the rear right damage on the red car and the rear left damage on the silver car. Despite this clear evidence, City Car Rental dismissed our account.

5. Unprofessional and Disrespectful Behavior
• Mistreatment of Customers: When we returned the cars, Karol and another staff member were rude, dismissive, and repeatedly called my family and me liars.
• Dismissive Attitude: Karol even said he “doesn’t care” that we were put in danger by their unsafe vehicles, a shocking and appalling response that shows a complete disregard for our safety.

6. Unethical Practices and Intimidation
• Unjustified Charges: City Car Rental is now attempting to charge us thousands of euros for damages caused by their unsafe vehicles, blaming us for an accident that occurred due to their negligence.
• Intimidation Tactics: When we refused to sign inaccurate paperwork, we were threatened with being forced to walk to the airport, a clear attempt to intimidate us into agreeing to their unjust charges.

7. Forced to Sign Documents Without Understanding
• Coercion to Sign in English: City Car Rental forced people who only spoke Spanish to sign documents written in English, without explaining what they were signing. We were essentially held hostage by them. We signed the documents under duress, as we were told we had no other option. By the time we arrived at the airport, we had only one hour to get through security and reach our gate, even though we arrived at the dealership four hours before our flight, and the airport was only a 10-minute drive away.

8. Request for Call Recording
• I demand access to the recording of my Tuesday call with City Car Rental, as the company’s false claims contradict what I reported during the conversation.

Conclusion and Call to Action:

This experience has been distressing and deeply frustrating. City Car Rental endangered my family with unsafe vehicles, ignored evidence, lied to us about key issues, and treated us with contempt and intimidation.

I am seriously considering legal action for their negligence, my injuries, and the damage to my property.

Avoid City Car Rental at all costs. This company is dishonest, unprofessional, and unsafe. I urge anyone looking to rent a car in Iceland to choose a company that values customer safety and transparency.

STAY AWAY. Zero Review This company are SCAMERS please stay away. They basically held me hostage and where going to make my family miss our flight OVER A SURFACE SCRATCH WHICH THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO PROOF
THEY CHARGED MY CREDIT CARD OVER $2500 CAR OR I would miss my flight. ONE OF THE WORSE Experiences of my life. And feel my obligation to I inform others

Extra mileage charge, the conditions include almost no kilometers per day and they will charge you more. They know that everyone in iceland drives many kilometers

Not only was the rental car experience awful but ALMOST ONE YEAR LATER they send you an "invoice" for an "unpaid violation" and can't even name the violation or place. REPORT TO THE AUTHORITIES

Good company and quality price, car was in good condition and best option is to do full insurance as weather conditions can be tricky. Adrian driver was fast and nice, recommended

This is a shady, poorly-run tourist trap. We booked through a third-party (DiscoverCars.com) and didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. When we arrived at the airport, it took several hours and multiple attempted phone calls for the promised “meet-and-greet” pickup to materialize. Once we arrived at the car company, we waited an additional three hours to pick up our car rental, and the other reviews give me the impression this is common. The car itself was clean and in working condition, but they attempted to tack on additional fees wherever possible, including a mileage limit that anyone leaving Reykjavík would hit. The employees seem overworked and I don’t blame them—this is a catastrophically run business, and I would avoid using them again at all costs.

I rented a car from this company (12-20 July 2023) and I received an old Dacia Duster which had a very strange behavior (or possibly a defect).
These are the facts: by closing one of the doors, with the keys inadvertently inside the car, instantly all the car doors (trunk included) got locked, obliging me to call the company for assistance and to wait more than 2 hours to receive help from their third party mechanic.
This situation exposed my partner and me to a potential life danger, since being stuck outside of the car in Iceland can represent a serious threat for physical safety.
But the worst part is that the mechanic sent by this company required the payment of 799,28 euros, which was exactly 72 euro cents less than the 800 insurance excess amount (!).
Now, after that, the company doesn't take responsibility for not giving such a crucial information about the car (which instead must be given to clients in accordance to European customers' rights) and obviously doesn't want to refund me of the huge amount I had to pay due to their negligence and lack of information.
The company also threatened me, inviting me not to write negative feedbacks otherwise they will take "appropriate legal action to protect our interests". Since I am just telling facts, I am not afraid of that.
Now I involved both the European Consumer Centres Network and my lawyer trying to enforce my rights.

This is by far the worst rental i have ever done. First, we wait several hours in the airport to be picked up by the meet & greet shuttle as promised. We tried calling, but just got the answering machine. When the shuttle finally arrived, it could take only take 8 people at a time, and we where quite a crowd, and thus we had to wait a long time for the shuttle to finally provide us transfer. At the rental station, we also waited a long time, the agents are very inefficient at busy hours. The rental car itself was a total disaster. A worn out, unwashed, uncleaned rusty and dented old Dacia with 250K+ on the clock. Driving on speedbumps It felt like it was falling apart. As a little "nice surprise", we where also presented with a max 100km / day limit - Unless we of course paid additional for unlimited milage at the rental station counter.. so we had to - i mean who rents a car on Iceland to drive only 100km/day ? - Never City Car again !

Marek was great!! Gave us great info and walked through the process quickly.

Worst car rental company I have ever used, I took out car rental including full insurance liability via enjoy travel. When I went to pick up the car they insisted I either paid €55 a day for their insurance or gave them a €2.5k hold to guarantee the condition of the vehicle upon return. The payment wouldn't go through on my credit card the bank blocked it understandably first payment in Iceland being for that much money so he said "no use your debit card", not a chance that was happening as at this point I didn't trust getting the money back. I ended up waiting over an hour to get to sit back down and make the payment and get the car because no one else in the office would deal with us I had to go back to the same person who was not very good or helpful. Upon returning home they have not returned the money, they won't advise why as the vehicle was returned and no issues raised with the condition so I am going to have to go to dispute via the bank to get the money back at this rate, so glad I didn't use my debit card now! The customer service and the way they dealt with customers was an awful system, also trying to get me to pay again for insurance when I already had it I would class as misleading and coercive "well pay us €55 euro per day and you can leave with the car now" "will I get the money back when I return the car and there is no claim needed" "erm no because your paying for insurance" "ah but you see I have already paid for insurance see *show him the insurance document from the company*". My advice is stay way clear of this company, there are plenty of others available I certainly won't touch them with a bargepole again when I'm back.

I'll avoid this company again at all costs. Such a terrible experience.

First - they show up on comparison sites as being available at Keflavik airport. They are not there, they are on an industrial park a 15 minute drive away from the arrivals area. They say they pick you up but we had to wait over 30 minutes before they showed up. I called twice and was told both times the driver was only 15 minutes away (obviously later I realised that this meant they hadn't left yet).

Second - surprise surprise, the package we bought had limited milage! I rent cars a lot and have never even heard of this being a thing. We were limited to 100km per day, but for €35 per day more, it could be unlimited! This would have doubled the cost of the hire. We opted for the €0.35 per km instead and it worked out a little cheaper. Total scam.

Third - the car was pretty awful. It lasted the whole journey but was basic spec, damaged inside and out, and had warning lights on the dash from collection.

I was surprised they didn't try to claim the existing damage was my fault to charge me for it.

Overall it was a very disappointing experience and next time I'll just go to one of the names I know.

Would highly recommend city car rental. Rimas was a pleasure to deal with and car we hired was fantastic no issues was able to drive into the middle of nowhere and see the northern lights. Would use again on next visit to Iceland. Thanks

Amazing experience! Everything was really great and the service was truly good!

One reason made our experience with City Car Rental great -- and his name is Rimas! Such a pleasure to work with, he really made our car experience the best it could have been.

I ordered/reserved a 7 seat Landcruiser and they gave me a Rav 4
- the instructions were delivered for Rav 4 emphasized the gas used was petrol.
Then they were able to switch the Rav 4 for a Landcruiser later on that day so my family and luggage could fit in all or our travels
- however I got a 5 seat Landcruiser and not a 7 seater like I reserved
- we made it work
During the car switch no further directions were given
—-> as a result we specifically looked for petrol to fill it up.
- but the landcruiser takes diesel (no one communicated this)
Due to lack of communication I had to call roadside assistance and spend an addition **$640** for them to meet us 2 hours away.
- they cyphened the petrol out and gave us a 1/2 tank of diesel.
- lost 4+ hours due to car hassle

They will not compensate for any of my troubles, do not waste your time for this "wham bam thank you service" - They could care less about your experience.

Worn out poorly maintained cars
You are forced into taking their extra high cost insurance or deposit £2700 with them (the car isn’t worth that!)
Then you can only drive 100km a day before you pay 35c€ a km excess charge it’s licences theft avoid these guys like the plague!

Easy check in and check out service. Staff are friendly and accommodating. We hired a Toyota Landcruiser for our trip and it was perfect for the 6 of us to drive around in for the week. When arriving in the airport be sure to wait at the information desk for pickup, there are a few different rental shuttle buses so be sure you see the correct company on the sign they are holding.