Europcar UK Reviews 

Worst experience ever - delays - got told the 7 seater i booked wasnt available and i needed to take a 9 seater. When i did it wasn't even there. I demanded my 7 seater but was told i had now agreed to a 9 seater thererefore i had to take it. Person at Nice airport pickup was the rudest person i've ever met. laughed and tutted at me to my face. customer service does not exist - i will never use europcar ever again

I give them one star as none doesn’t seem to be an option.
The hire car broke down half way through a 5 hour journey. AA attended and noted two faults on the diagnostic tool. As we paid highest insurance, AA person requested a replacement car for the onward journey. After some time, we were advised there wasn’t one available. No offers to get us back home.
On a Sunday afternoon, we had to get our own way home. Three of us had to pay for taxi, then two trains and a further taxi, costing over £200.
I was advised I had to stay with the vehicle even though they couldn’t provide any way home for us. I had to leave it in a safe place, with the AA picking it up the day and returning it to the pick up base. As I couldn’t drive the car, I couldn’t fill the petrol. Europcar took the amount from my deposit even though they had been advised of the cost to ourselves to get home. You couldn’t make it up. They couldn’t fulfil our contract of replacing the car, wanted us to stay with the car until pick up (which was two days later), and to date, no agreement to reimbursement for the public transport we had to use.
Something seriously wrong here.

There are many hidden costs they try to keep hidden until days after you return the vehicle. How dare their partners use the term 'what you see is what you pay' or; 'no hidden charges/cost. Twice whilst there I saw staff fraudulently claimed off client's insurance stating there was a scuff on the vehicle which wasn't there before! Cancel all access they have to your bank account immediately after, better still, report them to the police and NEVER use them or their culprits again.

Referred to Europcar by insurer so I had no choice but to use them if I wanted a car whilst my own vehicle was being repaired.

Guy who dropped off car at my house didn't want to inspect the vehicle, told me to scan some QR code and report any additional damage within 24 hours. He just wanted me to sign their paperwork and go. Car was not very clean inside and out and there was already quite a bit of damage especially to all four alloys. I insisted on the inspection and guess what, I noticed more damage/issues that had not been recorded. The guy was so resistant to the inspection, so odd. The guy wasn't writing down everything I was saying. He was just huffing and puffing and arguing with me.

Also, the outside condition of the car made it difficult to tell what was dirt, watermarks or actual damage. I wondering if that was on purpose, I hope I didn't miss anything.

When signing their paperwork, I took pictures so I could have a record of what he had written.

Based on the other reviews, I am very glad I insisted on the inspection and took numerous photos and a video, including photos of the fuel gauge when getting the car and when returning it. Do not let them fob you off with scanning some QR code rubbish because when they get the car back, they will go over the car in detail.

When returning the car, all the additional damage and issues I had pointed out had not been included in the paperwork yet I was still asked to sign that I agreed the damage recorded. There is something very off about this company and they way they do business. I never ever want to deal with them again.

Very disappointing experience. We specifically asked whether the quoted price already included the best insurance and were assured that it did. We later discovered that we had been charged for additional insurance costing more than the car rental itself. When we explained that we had relied on the employee's assurances, customer service refused to accept any responsibility or offer any compensation. Be very careful and check every document before signing.

Quoted under £200 for Corsa 4 days. Paid £395.
Forced at Southampton Airport to pay premium insurance £30 a day.
Forced to take out Roadside Assistance. £19 daily
I was was wioth my son..he was told you can only take this car IF you take maximum insurance,.
A few years ago would have recommended Europcar BUT my sons experience as above was A RIP OFF.
Try Arnold Clarke.....MUCH BETTER REVIEWS.
Eiropcar now tring to copy GoldCar of Spain the biggest rip off firm in this industry.

They don't take responsibility for anything. Passed the ball to the AA, then to the garage. No solution and we still don't have a usable car.

I booked a Kia Sportage (or equivalent) from Europcar Glasgow Airport several weeks before my holiday and received a confirmed reservation at the agreed rental price.

When my family and I arrived at Glasgow Airport after an international flight, including my 76-year-old mother, we were informed that the vehicle we had reserved was not available.

Instead of honouring our confirmed reservation by providing an equivalent vehicle at the agreed price, the Europcar staff informed us that the only available option was a much more expensive BMW (or similar premium vehicle). Since our accommodation and four-day travel itinerary across Scotland had already been planned and prepaid, we had very little practical choice but to accept the significantly higher-priced vehicle.

What concerned me most was that this did not appear to be an isolated incident. While waiting at the rental counter, I personally observed several other families being told exactly the same thing—that their reserved vehicles were unavailable and that they would need to rent a more expensive vehicle instead. That was extremely disappointing.

Unfortunately, the problems did not end when the rental ended.

After returning the vehicle, Europcar's own inspection confirmed that:

the vehicle was returned without any new damage,
there was no accident, and
the fuel tank was returned full.

My final rental invoice also confirmed that my rental account had been fully settled.

However, weeks later I discovered that an additional £50 Administration Fee had been charged.

When I contacted Europcar requesting an explanation, I received only an automated acknowledgement. Instead of answering my questions, Europcar later sent another invoice simply stating "Outstanding Admin Fee" with the reference "FINES IMPORT", but without explaining:

what the charge relates to,
the date of the alleged incident,
the issuing authority,
or providing any supporting documentation.

As a customer, I do not object to legitimate charges that are properly explained and supported by evidence. What I find unacceptable is charging a customer's credit card first and then failing to provide any meaningful explanation when asked.

Only after returning home did I look at Europcar UK's Trustpilot profile. I was surprised to see that it currently has an overall rating of around 1.5 out of 5 stars based on more than 17,000 reviews. Reading through many of those reviews, I found recurring complaints about vehicle availability, unexpected additional charges, poor customer service and unresponsive complaint handling. Unfortunately, my own experience was very similar.

Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Europcar UK. There are several other reputable rental companies operating from Glasgow Airport with much stronger customer satisfaction ratings, and I wish I had chosen one of them instead.

I genuinely hope Europcar improves its customer service, honours confirmed reservations, communicates transparently regarding additional charges, and responds professionally when customers raise legitimate concerns.

Ipswich branch- Horrible, pathetic and disrespectful staff and service. I wish I could rate then ZERO. They never answer phone calls, and when I turned up at 18:04, despite being still open, they said sorry we are closed and cen't help. The lady was rude and it would have literally taken her 30 seconds to solve my query. First, they don't deliver the car citing staff shortages. Then I personally went and picked it up, they issued a wrong category car. And then they leave a vague voice msg asking csn you come pick up another one on friday? And you try to call them they never answer. Literally wasted about 2 hours in 2 days, not one call answered. And when you take you bloody personal time and arrive at their shitty office, they show attitude? The lady was rude, and when I said to her you guys never answer calls and now I'm here why can't you answer a simple question? She starts playing the "rude customer" card. And then another man turns up, apparently her husband, "you can't talk to my wife like that". bro chill, "like that"? like what? go play your husband wife drama at home. learn to treat customers with respect first. I'm so pissed that my company keeps choosing this provider I'm definitely going to raise a formal complaint.

BEWARE! We had booked a rental car with Europcar for our stay in Scotland. At the time of booking, we were told that we would have to pay a security deposit of approximately 287 €. Shortly before our trip, we were notified via email by Check 24—which had arranged the contract—that the security deposit had been increased to 700 £, no explanation given; a corresponding amount was then also reserved on our credit card account. We assume that this highly unusual and irregular increase in the security deposit was intended to pave the way for what followed: When we picked up the car in Inverness June 13th, 2026, the employee at the counter gave us a pre-filled document labeled “Rental Agreement.” Since we had already booked and paid for comprehensive insurance coverage in addition to the car rental when we made the reservation, we assumed that the “Rental Agreement” simply confirmed the contract we had entered into for the rental of the car, including the insurance we had booked and paid for in andvance. The counter clerk also referred to the fact that we had booked comprehensive insurance coverage, without mentioning that we were offererd to order additional insurance on top of that. It was only when our credit card was charged after our return to Germany that we realised Europcar had “sneaked in” additional and unnecessary insurance coverage – a coverage which we had already booked and paid for—when we picked up the vehicle. As a result, the bill for the rental car—with an agreed-upon rental price of €254, including comprehensive insurance with no deductible—increased by more than £550, which Europcar charged from our security deposit without further comment.
We filed a complaint with the UK Customer Service, who then falsly claimed that we were given the option to decide whether or not we wanted to book additional services. They essentially argued that it was okay for us to be stuck with the costs if we were foolish enough to let their employee foist these absurdly expensive and unnecessary insurance benefits on us. As might be expected after all of this, they denied any refund.
Addendum: Today (August 07, 2026), Europcar has blocked and reserved another 650 € on the debit card used for the deposit, no reason given.
2nd addendum: At least they returned the 650 € they took from our account on August 07, 2026.

Ordered from peterborough branch online was rushed through signing process, after dropping the car off I recieved an email invoice and they had added on all available extras to the rental agreement without even discussing with me doubling the price of the rental. Borderline fraud.

Do NOT rent a car from Europcar/Keddy at London Stansted Airport. They are running a deliberate scam, exploiting and deceiving vulnerable tourists at the rental desk.I arrived with a fully prepaid voucher from Enjoy Travel (approx. 230 GBP including insurance). The desk agent completely refused to honor the voucher and lied directly to my face, claiming that my prepayment was "merely a deposit" and that the actual rental was unpaid. I was given an ultimatum: pay an extra £40 to £80 per day w/o insurance, or be stranded at the airport with no car. Being under severe duress and trapped at the airport, I had no choice but to insert my card. Europcar has now wrongfully stolen a staggering £1,762.15 for a rental car for 10 days incl insurance on top of the £230 I paid in advance. They covered their tracks by writing "upgrade" on the receipt, but I never requested, wanted, or willingly agreed to any upgrade. This was forced cross-selling through pure deception. This company uses fraudulent misrepresentation to rob customers. I have escalated this massive scam to the European Consumer Centre (ECC) and the Financial Complaint Boards. Avoid Europcar Stansted at all costs – they are thieves in broad daylight!

Beware of Booking with Europcar for Your European Holiday

I had an extremely disappointing experience with Europcar, and I would strongly advise others to think carefully before booking.

On 9 July 2026, I made a confirmed reservation (Reservation No. 1204624370) for a rental car at Barcelona Airport from 18 July to 25 July 2026. The booking cost was GBP 341.42 (EUR 388.10).

When I arrived at the rental desk, I was told that Europcar could not find my reservation. I then tried to make a new booking, but I was informed that I was blocked from renting a vehicle for an unspecified reason. No one could explain why this had happened, despite my repeated requests.

As I had already arrived for my holiday and urgently needed a car, I had no choice but to rent one from Sixt, which cost me EUR 604.92. This meant I had to pay an additional EUR 216.82 because Europcar failed to honour my confirmed booking.

I contacted Europcar customer service and was given case reference 26915236. I was assured that I would receive both a refund and compensation within five working days. While my original booking payment was eventually refunded, Europcar has refused to reimburse the additional EUR 216.82 that I was forced to spend because of their failure.

To make matters worse, the only compensation they offered was a 15% discount on a future Europcar booking. After what happened, I have no intention of using Europcar again, so this offer is of no value to me.

This was the first experience of my holiday, and it caused unnecessary stress, inconvenience, and additional expense. Instead of enjoying the start of my trip, I spent valuable holiday time trying to resolve a problem that was entirely outside my control.

After sharing my experience with friends, I was surprised to hear that some of them had experienced similar problems with Europcar. I cannot say whether these incidents are connected, but hearing similar stories has reduced my confidence in the company.

Based on my personal experience, I cannot recommend Europcar. If you book with them, be prepared for the possibility that your confirmed reservation may not be honoured. I hope Europcar takes greater responsibility when its mistakes leave customers significantly out of pocket.

Supplied with dangerously defective vehicle, condemned as not drivable by the AA.
We are currently stranded and they will not replace the rental vehicle until this one has been recovered which cannot happen until next week.

They are expecting us to get to them. We cannot because we don’t have a vehicle. They are refusing to deliver a car to where we are and have absolutely zero concern about the state of the vehicle which has had some kind of previous impact underneath making it pull violently right or left when hitting an uneven road surface. We have video and photographs taken from underneath by the AA.

Left me stranded 48 hours before a house move.

Review:I booked and paid over £270 in full for a large moving van with Europcar, only for them to call me a mere two days before my scheduled house move to tell me no vehicle was available.

Simply offering a refund does not fix the massive logistical and financial chaos they have caused.

To make matters worse, their customer service is utterly incompetent. When I called back to complain about the refund timeline, the agent claimed the Kingston branch did indeed have the van available and actually tried lure me into paying for it a second time!

I rightly refused to hand over more cash without absolute confirmation. When the agent finally put me through to the Kingston branch directly, the local staff explicitly confirmed they had no such van.

Europcar actively attempted to take a double payment from me for a non-existent vehicle. Quite clearly a circus of negligence.

They have left me stranded at 48 hours notice, forcing me to source an emergency replacement at last-minute rates.

Avoid this company at all costs if your move relies on them. They are entirely unreliable.

Booking Reference: 1205601226

Avoid renting from this company as they will charge you for petrol not used and damages not caused.
I was given a courtesy car through my insurance. On returning the car Europcar tried to charge me for petrol and damages. I asked for proof, they were not able to provide it. The damage was old and petrol gauge was showing I had given them extra petrol almost 9 miles worth! I even paid to have the car washed before returning it!
After many many back and forth messages with Europcar and the possibility of escalating the matter by me to the Industry Ombudsman BVRLA Europcar decided to cancel the false charges!
The whole matter caused a lot of stress to me.
They didn’t even offer any compensation!

BEWARE OF UNAUTHORIZED CHARGES AND EXTRA FEES!
​I prepaid £156.67 online for a 1-day rental (Reservation No. 1205186237 / Rental Agreement 159367236) at the Swansea branch. However, Europcar ended up charging my card a total of £467.44 without my authorization—an overcharge of £310.77!
​Overcharging Rental Days: Even though the car was returned according to schedule, they processed the check-in late and charged me for 2 full days instead of 1.
​Unauthorized Upselling: Expensive optional coverages (£76.32 Premium Protection, £46.80 Roadside Assistance, £16.00 Personal Accident) were added to my invoice without my explicit consent or knowledge at the desk.
​Customer service has been unhelpful and slow in addressing this clear overcharge. I have already escalated this matter to BVRLA and initiated a credit card chargeback with my bank.
​I strongly advise anyone using Europcar to check their receipts carefully. I demand an immediate review of my case and a full refund of the £310.77 unauthorized charges.

Where do you start?
Charged 400 more Euros for deposit than stated in contract.
It took a month to get that deposit released.
Customer services seemed helpless to act.
No assistance in car lot with car (unlike other car hire companies).
It's getting two stars as the car was fine, but really, who needs such substandard service for the price they charge.

Scammed. Booked a car and agent added extra coverage and charge without notifying me. Customer service was abysmal after trying to get answers.

Avoid Europcar if you don’t want to get scammed.

Snails….the booking in process is outrageously slow. Over an hour and a half, and there were only three people ahead of me. One of them with “Happy to Help” on their t-shirt stood around smiling rather than helping.