Across these reviews, common consumer concerns are unexpected charges, aggressive upselling, slow or missing pickup/drop-off service and safety or maintenance problems with vehicles. Several reviewers describe ignored complaints or poor email response, while a small number highlight helpful, efficient staff and smooth rentals. If you plan to rent from Europcar, carefully document vehicle condition at pickup, keep copies of booking and insurance confirmations, and check payment holds and receipts before leaving the desk. These steps help when disputing charges or reporting damage; consider photographing the car and confirming return procedures to reduce risk.
Examples from available reviews (Nov 2021 – Feb 2026).
Efficient, supportive customer service helped secure a rental car for vacation.
“They have a great team of customer service.”
Booking cancelled at pickup and unauthorized charges caused extra costs.
“I was refused the prepaid car I had booked.”
Rented car had bald tyres and was unsafe to drive.
“The car supplied had bald tyres”
Advertised luggage capacity was misleading, forcing costly upgrade during pickup.
“car was clearly advertised as fitting 3 luggage bags”
Most reviews report poor on-site service: long waits, denied or late vehicle delivery, aggressive upselling and refusal to honour bookings; a few note helpful, attentive staff.
Frequent complaints about unexpected fees, mandatory or mis-sold insurance, large damage charges and disputed or unauthorised transactions leaving customers out of pocket.
Repeated issues with booking, pickup and return processes: missing cars, shuttle failures, confusing website/advertising and long queues that disrupted travel plans.
Multiple reports cite unsafe or poorly maintained vehicles (bald tyres, blowouts) and disputed damage findings, raising concerns about inspection and return procedures.
Many reviewers describe unanswered complaints, ignored emails and failed refund links; a smaller number report timely notifications or helpful staff communications.
The majority describe negative end-to-end experiences (billing disputes, safety problems, poor support); a minority report smooth bookings and positive staff interactions.
For each review, the core experience based on original source reviews.
Sources: Trustpilot (60) · consumeraffairs.com (10) · Collected.reviews (1) · Quotes shortened · As of: February 2026
Vehicle not as advertised and customer service unhelpful about unexpected charges.
“service was unprofessional, disorganized, and frustrating.”
Vehicle not as advertised and customer service unhelpful about unexpected charges.
“service was unprofessional, disorganized, and frustrating.”
Europcar holding a €500 deposit unfairly and not answering calls.
“they’ve been holding my deposit of 500 unfairly”
Europcar holding a €500 deposit unfairly and not answering calls.
“they’ve been holding my deposit of 500 unfairly”
Office closed; missed pickup led to forfeited hire and failed complaint channels.
“we were told we would forfeit the entire 9 day hire cost”
Office closed; missed pickup led to forfeited hire and failed complaint channels.
“we were told we would forfeit the entire 9 day hire cost”
Replacement vehicle was old, unsafe, and far below booked standard.
“completely unacceptable vehicle: at least 10–15 years old”
Replacement vehicle was old, unsafe, and far below booked standard.
“completely unacceptable vehicle: at least 10–15 years old”
Unexpected mandatory 19% station charge and costly upgrades inflated rental cost.
“mandatory charge of 19% which they bill you on anything you get”
Unexpected mandatory 19% station charge and costly upgrades inflated rental cost.
“mandatory charge of 19% which they bill you on anything you get”
Charged £550 for a nearly invisible minor scratch.
“Despite extra thin scratch, was charged £550 for repair.”
Charged £550 for a nearly invisible minor scratch.
“Despite extra thin scratch, was charged £550 for repair.”
Final charge exceeded guaranteed price by significant amount.
“final charge we paid is 53 001.98 ZAR”
Final charge exceeded guaranteed price by significant amount.
“final charge we paid is 53 001.98 ZAR”
Repeated unjustified billing forced cancellation of credit card and disputes.
“They never stopped billing for no reason.”
Repeated unjustified billing forced cancellation of credit card and disputes.
“They never stopped billing for no reason.”
Reported car fault; later charged £850 despite being told not at fault.
“I received an invoice for £850 to pay for the damages to the car.”
Reported car fault; later charged £850 despite being told not at fault.
“I received an invoice for £850 to pay for the damages to the car.”
Jakarta Airport rental provided well-maintained vehicle and friendly efficient staff.
“excellent experience from start to finish”
Jakarta Airport rental provided well-maintained vehicle and friendly efficient staff.
“excellent experience from start to finish”
Claimed damages 2.5 months later after photo deletion; unable to contest.
“claimed 330 euros for damages to the car”
Company charged damages months after rental without timely notice.
“Europcar in Italy, Bologna, claimed 330 euros for damages to the car.”
Wrong keys led to smaller car in freezing temperatures; poor customer response.
“they put the keys in the wrong envelope”
Staff absence and key mix-up left reviewer with wrong vehicle in extreme cold.
“they put the keys in the wrong envelope so I ended up with a smaller vehicle.”
Charged extra rental day then refunded after proving return time with photo metadata.
“we were later charged for an additional rental day”
Charged for an extra rental day despite returning car early; refund required proof.
“we were later charged for an additional rental day”
Charged for rim scratch without initial photos proving condition at pickup.
“there was a small scratch in the rim that I'm sure I did not make.”
Charged for rim damage without proof and experienced poor pickup service.
“Had to pay for it anyways because I didn't have any pictures of the rims from when I picked up the car.”
Original price ballooned with many undisclosed mandatory fees and extras.
“A sea of unexpected fees and scammy behaviour.”
Final charge rose substantially due to undisclosed fees and mandatory add-ons.
“premium location', mandatory transponder rental, additional mandatory insurance, handling fees,...”
Poor overall service and many opportunities to overcharge customers.
“You are a number not a customer”
Reviewer experienced poor service and felt treated like a revenue opportunity.
“You are a number not a customer and an opportunity to fleece you at every point.”
Cancelled trip yet still awaiting full refund despite repeated contact attempts.
“I’m still waiting on a full refund”
Customer cancelled prepaid booking but still awaits a promised refund.
“I’m still waiting on a full refund which I’m entitled to according to the terms.”
Double charged and no proper response for months.
“They charged us double for our car rental”
Company charged double and failed to respond to complaints for months.
“They charged us double for our car rental”
Long wait, dirty car, later charged for alleged damage with funds withdrawn.
“And taken money out of bank account with out sending proof of damaged.”
Charged post-invoice for alleged damage without proof, funds withdrawn.
“taken money out of bank account with out sending proof of damaged.”
Long after rental, charged large amounts for alleged windshield damage repeatedly.
“they charged my card $911.27 for a chiooed windshield.”
Company repeatedly charged disputed damage fees months after rental.
“they just tried to charge my card $925.11 THEY ARE SCAMERS.”
This page combines submitted experiences with public reviews from platforms such as Google, Trustpilot, etc. Recurring points are summarized without changing the content of reviews.
Europcar is an international car rental brand operating at airports and city locations in multiple countries. It offers short-term vehicle hires, online reservations, insurance options and ancillary services (shuttle, upgrades and add-ons). Consumers typically use Europcar for holiday and business travel and evaluate it on pickup/drop-off reliability, vehicle condition, pricing and customer support.