Europcar Reviews 

Avoid - Old, faulty, dirty car
I rented a car at Barcelona airport on 15/7/26. The body was full of marks which we had to check using our mobiles in the dark (midnight). The back seat had stain. But that’s not the worse. Once we reached the outskirts and got on the motorway at 100km/h, the car started making a strange noise, like if something was loose. We were too far from the airport at that stage so we continued towards our destination. The following day I rang the only number I could find (the central office in Madrid). The first call cut off after making me wait 20min. The second call, which also took a long time, was interrupted by the survey before my problem was sorted. I was told I would get a bigger/better car since they didn’t have anything in the category I had paid for. Instead of coming to pick up the faulty car, they made me go to the nearest office in Zaragoza, which turned out to be really difficult to find since the station has two different levels and I wasn’t told they were on the lower level. I had to drive more than 100km (return), had to change my plans and wasted a day of my holidays. I didn’t fill up the tank because I thought they would cover it since the car broke down. I was told the exhaust was almost touching the ground. In hindsight, it was probably dangerous to drive. Anyway, they charged me for the petrol (although I returned the second car with a full tank). I have lost a few pounds but Europcar has lost a loyal customer for ever. TRY A DIFFERENT RENTAL COMPANY.

I have never taken to online reviews to raise awareness of poor service in this way but this is the worst customer experience I have had of any type.
It took 2 hours to get the car. There were 2 members of staff but one of them advised they were only there to check what people in the queue were waiting for. Ican't imagine people queue at europcar for anything other than car rental so that job felt redundant. This, however, isn't the focus of my complaint.
They convinced me to take the full insurance. The staff member said to me that one of the perks was that everything was covered so I didn't need to take photos or do any checks. They also advised that upon return I just hand the key back - again because everything is covered. However, when I handed it back I did have to wait in another queue and then wait while they checked the car. They then accused me of removing the parcel shelf - there never was one. Why would I steal a parcel shelf. It never dawned on me to check for one. They said that I should have done a full check before taking the car and that theft of the parcel shelf was not included in my insurance. The process of trying to express what happened was just met with a continuous reassertion that I was not allowed to steal the parcel shelf. I asked why I was told that I did not need to take any photos or do any checks by their own staff member. They didn't respond. They have taken 215 euros from me for this parcel shelf that was never therein the first place.
I will never use Europcar again and would strongly advise anyone else to avoid them too, especially this branch.

I reserved and fully prepaid a car through Booking.com for pickup at Paris – Gare de Lyon on 19 July 2026: automatic, unlimited mileage, 8 days, 6,613 SEK including insurance. At the desk, after a 20-minute wait, I was told the car I'd booked and paid for was unavailable, with no reliable ETA ("one to two hours, possibly the evening"). The only option offered was to pay €50/day extra for an "upgrade." This wasn't a one-off shortage — every customer ahead of me was getting the identical treatment. In my opinion it has all the hallmarks of an organised racket: sell cheap prepaid bookings, then withhold the reserved car at the counter to force paid "upgrades." When I refused to pay twice for one car and asked for the vehicle I'd reserved or an equivalent, the agent cancelled my booking rather than provide a car — leaving me to find a last-minute rental elsewhere with my family waiting.

The refund never came. Europcar's own cancellation confirmation promised repayment within 3–14 days; after 24 days, two written complaints and a formal case with Booking.com — all stonewalled — I recovered the full amount through a card dispute with my issuer, who credited it within two days on the strength of Europcar's own cancellation document. A confirmed, prepaid reservation should mean you get a car, and a promised refund should mean you get your money. Here, neither was true. Happy to provide my booking reference privately on request.

Avoid Europcar UK! After returning the car with no issues we noticed Europcar had added 1000 £ of additional charges to our 300£ booking. We still don't know what for.

Double check any line of rental agreement with this aggressive scam company!

Do not rent from this company. We reserved a car through Expedia weeks before our trip to England. I received an email the day I was to pick it up that they didn’t have my contact information (but they had my email obviously) and that they had no cars available at the branch I was picking it up from. I replied to the email from the branch that this was not acceptable and called the head office. They said oh and proceeded to rent me another car at a higher cost as they said they had cars. The branch called me and again said they didn’t have any cars. We rented from another company that delivered and picked up the car with a good rate. So Europcar put it down as a no show and would not refund our money as per Expedia. The branch did not explain to head office that they had no cars. No one at Europcar has a clue. Expedia was also difficult. I chased and called and emailed and after 3 months got my money back! Never using 3rd party Expedia and Europcar again!

I have rented cars for over 15 years, primarily with other major rental companies, and this was my first experience with Europcar.

The rental itself was uneventful and the vehicle was returned in accordance with the instructions provided at the drop-off location. No inspection was conducted in my presence, no damage was reported at the time of return, and no damage report was signed by me. Final invoice was issued next day without any damage claim.

After more than two months of silence, I was surprised to receive a claim for alleged tyre damage together with an attempted charge to my card. I have disputed liability.

My concern is the lack of transparency and the significant delay between the vehicle return, the issue of the final invoice, and the subsequent damage claim. Based on this experience, I would not rent from Europcar again.

This was the worst experience I have ever had. We waited for 2 1/2 hours to get our car, they didn't take our insurance we purchased thru car jet and charged us $400 to insure our car. Then they gave us a damaged car and the app wouldn't go thru to show that it was damaged. I will NEVER go thru carjet or European again. They also would not give us any response to our complaints

Before our trip, we reserved an automatic transmission vehicle through Booking.com approximately two to three months in advance. The agreement stated that we would receive a Vauxhall or similar vehicle. We specifically paid extra to secure an automatic transmission, as this was an important requirement for us.

Upon arriving at Gatwick Airport, we followed the signs to the car rental area but found no Europcar representative available at the desk. We continued following additional signs directing us to the North Terminal car rental lot. After walking approximately half a kilometre with luggage, we arrived to find the lot unattended. We were not the only travelers affected; two other groups were also confused and searching for assistance.

Fortunately, another traveler returning a vehicle informed us that Europcar was actually located at the South Terminal. We had to return through the airport, locate transportation to the South Terminal, and finally reach the rental desk.

When we arrived, my husband waited approximately 20 minutes before being assisted. The agent then presented him with paperwork to sign. He reasonably believed this was the rental agreement for the vehicle we had already reserved, especially since the price appeared to match the agreement made through Booking.com.

We were aware from Booking.com that Europcar agents might attempt to sell additional insurance. My husband was prepared for this and declined any additional insurance coverage. However, after returning home, we discovered that our credit card had been charged an additional amount of over £700 for an alleged “upgrade.”

This charge is unacceptable.

We reserved an automatic transmission vehicle months in advance. The vehicle we received was a three-year-old Audi Q2 with multiple existing dings, scratches, and tire scuffs. It did not have a backup camera, and we had difficulty connecting our phones for navigation. This was not the type of vehicle we expected based on our agreement.

The question remains: where was the Vauxhall or equivalent vehicle that we reserved and paid for? Europcar had months of notice to arrange the requested vehicle. We were told, in effect, that there was only one automatic vehicle available and that we had to accept the Audi or go without a vehicle. This is not an upgrade — it is a situation where customers are left with no reasonable choice.

We feel that we were subjected to poor customer service, misleading communication, and unnecessary pressure from the rental agent. Charging us approximately $1,400 Canadian for a so-called upgrade that we did not request or agree to is unacceptable.

We request that Europcar investigate this matter, explain why this charge was applied, and provide a full refund of the unauthorized upgrade fee.

This experience has left us extremely disappointed. Travelers should be made aware of these practices so they can make informed decisions when renting from Europcar.

Reserve a Keddy car via doyouspain for 300 EUR. Get your car at the Barcelona airport. You are late (a few minutes). A lying employee force you to get an upgrade for 30 EUR/day. No choice. It is in fact a car at 70 EUR/day and you loose the reservation paid before. So you pay a total of 1400 EUR ! A robbery !

Very poor customer service. After returning the car, I was later sent a demand for an alleged €40.37 administration fee, but Europcar never provided an invoice explaining what the charge was for.

I contacted them repeatedly over several weeks asking for an invoice and clarification. My emails were ignored, and I eventually had to spend 45 minutes on the phone with Customer Service just to find out that the charge was supposedly an administration fee.

Even then, the communication was unhelpful and dismissive, with threats of debt collection and being banned from using Europcar again.

The issue was not that I refused to pay — I paid the charge immediately once I finally found out what it was. The issue was the complete lack of clarity, invoices, communication and willingness to help.

Very poor experience with Europcar Portsmouth Hilsea from start to finish.

I booked a VW Golf automatic and was given a Vauxhall Mokka instead. The car was also handed over dirty, apparently because their car wash wasn’t working, despite me already having had to wait around an hour to collect it.

The biggest issue came with the return. My rental agreement clearly stated that the car was due back at Portsmouth Hilsea on a Sunday at 1pm, yet the branch is closed on Sundays. I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to find out how I was supposed to return it, being passed through call centres and given conflicting information.

I eventually spoke directly to the Hilsea branch and was told I could use the out-of-hours drop box and that the £20 out-of-hours return fee would be waived. Because I no longer trusted the information I was being given, I also called Europcar customer services and had them confirm that this waiver was noted on the booking. I recorded that call.

Despite all of that, Europcar still added a £19.99 “After Hours Charge” to my final invoice and attempted to take £20 from my card.

It should not take multiple phone calls, conflicting advice and a recorded confirmation just to return a hire car at the time Europcar themselves put on the rental agreement.

Very disappointing service and I would be extremely reluctant to use this branch, or Europcar again.

Avoid Europcar in Italy, specially in Rome Fiumicino FCO. Trust me

Beware of Europcar Belgium! Their official communication explicitly stated that the Sunday working hours at Brussels Midi Rrs were until 18:00 (6 PM) with no hourly pickup restrictions.Due to a documented Eurostar train delay, we arrived at the Europcar desk at exactly 16:17—well within their official working hours. Not only did we find the office completely locked and abandoned by the staff nearly two hours early, but Europcar also unilaterally canceled our reservation from the system without any notice the moment our scheduled time passed!We proactively replied to their email in advance to notify them about our train delay, yet they ignored it, broke their contract, and left my family stranded at the station with our luggage. I have time-stamped photo and video evidence of the closed office at 16:17. I demand a full refund immediately. This is completely unacceptable and unprofessional

In belgium change me for invisibile scrab around 180 euro,
I returned a vehicle on sanday when office was closed so i didn't jave a chance to complan It.
Rental Company to avoid.

Avoid at all costs. They are scammers. We bought the insurance for 350 Euro and they still charged 350 Euro for a tiny scratch on top of a scratch that was already there. This was in Greece from Athens airport . I had video that the car was full of scratches on pickup. Listen to all the other reviews like I wish er would have and do not rent from this company .

Be careful with the insurance at signing

I explicitly told the staff I did not want the Premium insurance. It ended up on my final bill anyway — costing more than the rental car itself. I only caught it after signing, assuming the paperwork matched what we'd just agreed on. I have seen other users report this exact same scam by Europcar so be prepared!

Double-check every line of your contract before signing, even if you've already said no to something verbally. Won't be renting from Europcar again.

Upon picking up the car I’d booked at the rental desk in Sarajevo (Bosnia), I was told that the price quoted by the booking platform (Discover Cars) was wrong, and that the actual price would be around 8 times more expensive. They attributed this to a glitch to the system (they couldn’t say from which end) and despite trying to resolve the issue directly with Discover Cars, they couldn’t come to a solution. So, I found myself left with no car at 9.30pm in the evening. Terrible experience.

When you visit a foreign country, you will get a parking ticket or a bus lane ticket or some other ticket. Fair. I will pay it and hopefully the cities will use the money well. Europcar will match the fine and then demand that you pay it, not via a credit car, but via a bank transfer. That sucks. And they suck. It doesn't cost them 50 Euros or pounds or whatever to forward an email. And they forwarded the email late so we owed 100 pounds instead of 50. They suck. They should do better.

If I could give minus points I would do so here. No interest in customers, what they need or what they want. Loads of hidden charges and the queues at terminals are just ridiculous - a ticket system in this day and age!! I was in Dublin this weekend and it was nothing short of a nightmare / disgrace. Manager walking around yawning whilst 60+ customers wait over an hour and a half for a car they have already paid for. I will never use this company again and I advise others to go elsewhere.

Absolute trash - got a fine for cross blackwall tunnel and Europcar just paid it and slapped on a £50 'handling fee'. No opportunity given to appeal it or to pay it directly.