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
Prepaid amount was not applied and Europcar refused to refund.
“the prepaid amount was nowhere to be seen.”
Received large post-rental bill for alleged minor damages despite no damage.
“We received a bill for over 800 Euros a couple of months later”
Employee coerced purchase of optional insurance and refund was denied.
“required us to take an optional insurance we did not need before he would rent the vehicle.”
Company repeatedly charged small fraudulent fees months after rental.
“This company have been fraudulently charging me in 3 different instances”
Staff attempted to drastically increase price when upgrading vehicle at pickup.
“They were trying to charge me $280 per day! Absolute thieves.”
Office gave away reserved car and demanded excessive charges and documentation.
“They gave my car away while my flight was delayed.”
Clerk added premium insurance without consent resulting in large extra charge.
“She snuck it in and quickly told us to sign.”
Company gave repeated excuses and failed to locate a phone left in the rental.
“I know for sure that I left my phone at the car.”
Ambushed into buying allegedly mandatory liability insurance despite prior rentals without it.
“told I had to buy their liability insurance because it was “the law.””
Return location closed without notification and company failed to inform customer.
“My rental return location CLOSED the day after I picked the car up.”
Booking cancelled at pickup and unauthorized charges caused extra costs.
“I was refused the prepaid car I had booked.”
Charged £780 for alleged windscreen damage claimed at return.
“was absolutely disgusted to be charged £780!!”
Rented car had bald tyres and was unsafe to drive.
“The car supplied had bald tyres”
Hired at Stockholm airport; excellent experience and would reuse.
“excellent experience, would use again”
No shuttle service; reservation cancelled yet charged as no-show.
“was later charged as a “no-show.””
Offered premium insurance disguised as deposit and pressured to sign.
“I was presented to sign the document in Spanish”
Advertised luggage capacity was misleading, forcing costly upgrade during pickup.
“car was clearly advertised as fitting 3 luggage bags”
Long waits and aggressive upselling pressured customers into extra charges.
“chronic upselling was diabolical”
Car not available at agreed pickup time, causing long delays with children.
“Our car was not there, and there was no alternative given.”
Charged for existing damages and unable to contact valid customer service email.
“They immediately denied my claim.”
Agency charged almost $600 mandatory insurance despite reservation through RentalCars.
“charged me almost 600 $ as 'mandatory insurance”
Tommy provided excellent customer service; smooth and hassle-free rental.
“Tommy, who provided excellent customer service.”
Extra fuel charge and unrequested insurance added; complaints ignored.
“they added an extra insurance that I did not request”
Unauthorised €570 credit card charge disputed and ignored by customer service.
“Unauthorised Euro 570 charge made to my credit card”
Customer service rigid and unsympathetic about a booking mistake.
“Very disappointed with Europcar's customer service.”
Provided car with dangerously worn tyres and misleading insurance billing.
“high milage model which turned out to have 4 illegal tyres”
Returned car to alternate location after closure then charged €1800 claiming theft.
“the car was later stolen and that I was liable for more than €1800”
Employee forced €109.94 insurance; refund link provided but not processed.
“imposed €109.94 insurance on me to travel to the Netherlands”
Car blowout left them stranded for hours with no Europcar assistance.
“NO ONE showed!”
Received delayed deposit refund then billed and threatened with court for tyre.
“they gave me a bill for a flat tyre for 290”
My first time using Europcar services and I can say they have a great team of customer service. They understand the needs of the customer and go a long way in guiding on the best option. They helped me request a car online for use during my vacation successfully. Their efficiency made my holiday be the most memorable experience I have ever had with rented cars. They have an excellent way of planning, and always notify the customer of changes or problems with your request. This allows time to request another vehicle thus no cancellation of trips. Looking forward to using their services during my next visit.
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.