Sicily by Car Reviews 

Response to Sicily By Car’s statement

Thank you for your message.

The relevant department has not been communicating with us, which is why we decided to publish this review and take further steps.

Regarding the purchase of optional insurance, we REPEATEDLY AND EXPLICITLY REFUSED it. We had already purchased full insurance directly when renting the car through Booking.com, so we had no reason to purchase the same optional service twice.

Your employee at Comiso Airport presented us with a tablet to sign after informing us that a security deposit would be blocked on our credit card in case of damage to the vehicle. There was only a signature field displayed on the screen, so we believed that we were signing our consent to the security deposit. When the employee asked us to sign repeatedly, we assumed that this was because the original signature did not sufficiently match the signature specimen on the credit card.

For some time now, we have been trying to explain to you — first through your branch at Comiso Airport and later through a formal complaint to your head office — that we refused the optional insurance because we had already purchased it. However, we have not received any response from your head office...

The car rental itself cost approximately EUR 260. Without our consent, you withheld EUR 220 for insurance that we had explicitly refused. Under such conditions, we would never have rented the car in the first place.

Kind regards,
Roman Kubáň

We had a very negative experience. We rented a car from Sicily By Car through Booking.com, where we also purchased full insurance.

When we picked up the car at Comiso airport, we repeatedly and explicitly refused to purchase any additional insurance directly from Sicily By Car. Despite our refusal, they did not refund the full amount that was blocked on our credit card after the rental ended.

Even though we returned the car in perfect condition and their employee inspected it, took it over and confirmed that there was no damage, they still did not refund our full deposit.

They kept 220 EUR as a payment for the insurance that we explicitly refused.

We are shocked by this behavior. We have never encountered such unreliable and unfair behavior from a car rental company.

Even though there was a longer wait at the counter, the service was smooth, and I received a nearly new car.
I will definitely return to SBC, satisfied with the service.

The Team was fast, Friendly and World Perfect.

Everything went perfect. The car was clean and ready, the staff was there, friendly, professional and service minded.

Correct and fair handling

UPDATE after the company's reply below.

They have now finally named a basis for keeping my EUR 200: a cancellation fee applied to "reservations canceled within 72 hours of pick-up".

I never cancelled. I was at the desk at Palermo airport, on time, on the day of pick-up. A cancellation fee has been applied to a booking that was never cancelled. There was also no "vehicle reallocation" cost, since the car never left the lot.

This cancellation schedule does not appear in the general terms and conditions published on their website — the same document they sent me as their justification. It took three written requests and a public review before anyone quoted anything at all, and what they finally quoted does not describe what happened to me.

I will also add what I understated the first time: the conduct of the airport staff was rude. Not brisk, not busy — rude. We had just landed, we were standing there with our luggage, and the response was a flat refusal with no explanation, no alternative offered and no interest in helping.

Original review below.

Booked a car at Palermo airport, paid in full in advance, including their Debit Package for EUR 190 — the product that exists specifically so you can rent without a credit card. I made a mistake and arrived without my own card, so I accept that the car could not be released. That part is on me.

What is not on me is everything that followed.

The staff at the airport desk were dismissive and unhelpful. No attempt to find a solution, no explanation of options, just a flat refusal and a clear sense that we were an inconvenience. Arriving with a family after a flight and being treated like that sets the tone for the whole trip.

They then kept EUR 200 as a penalty. That amount appears nowhere in the general conditions published on their website — those refer only, in vague terms, to penalties "as per the individual rental agreement", and no rental agreement was ever signed, because no car was handed over.

When I complained, the reply stated that a physical credit card is mandatory. That is not what their own article 9.1 says: with the Debit Package, which I had paid for, a debit card is explicitly sufficient. So they charged me EUR 200 while quoting a rule that does not apply to the product they sold me. It reads like a template answer sent without anyone looking at the file.

If you rent here, bring a credit card in the main driver's name and read the conditions carefully — and be aware that money you pay for optional packages may not come back if anything goes wrong at the desk.

Your service was good but I couldn't get the car I reserved.

Efficiency, kindness, a special thank you to Constanta, very good service… thanks to you guys we had a great trip.

The guys in the agency are very nice and the car was a great experience.

Nice and profesional staff, very good car, new and value for money. We were absolutely satisfied with all.

I would avoid this company at all costs.
Poor service.
Poor attitude.
Poor experience.
The staff were defensive and borderline aggressive.
Go elsewhere, you’ll regret going to Sicily by Car.

Absolutely not, the details were changed (as we used his credit card) to Simon Thexton, I was one of the drivers and I was there throughout the whole process, from start to finish. To imply and suggest that I am making this up is totally absurd. Please go back and check your records. I have witnesses. I shouldn’t actually be surprised by this reaction.

The car was a disgrace, absolutely pathetic gutless thing couldn’t get up hills or get up to speed. Never been in a worse car, shouldn’t hire them out in hilly towns, absolutely pathetic excuse for a car.
The guy who checked our car in at the end when we dropped it off was great.

Fasted and profesional

Not very nice staff. Very expensive if you do not own a credit card. It would have been cheaper with Herz or Avis. Next time we will not use sicilybycar again!!

Good service and everything had been fine

Fantastic enthousiastic people!
Never experienced before at a car rental 🤩🇮🇹!

Great at everything, pickup, return and support

Service was ok, but not more. Picking up took about 30 min which is too long given they already have all details. Car was a Skoda Stationwagon, but only had the very basic setup. Could not even charge my phone via the front USB ports as it said accessory could not be connected. Returning the car was smooth.