Europcar
Verified2,135 reviews
- Yes
- ·
- No, I received a worse vehicle
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- No, I received a better vehicle
AI reviews summary
The sentiment regarding Europcar is overwhelmingly negative, characterised by a profound lack of trust and significant frustration with billing practices. While a small number of users noted satisfactory vehicles or helpful front-desk staff in specific locations, the majority of feedback focuses on systemic issues regarding "hidden" fees, aggressive upselling, and a hostile claims process.
Pros
- Vehicle Performance: In instances where the correct vehicle was provided, users generally found the cars to be fuel-efficient, modern, and fit for purpose.
- Specific Staff Interactions: Isolated reports highlight individual staff members at locations like Sydney CBD, Mackay, and Jersey who were helpful and professional.
- Convenient Locations: The presence of desks within major airport terminals and various city branches is noted as a logistical advantage.
Cons
- Dishonest Billing & Hidden Fees: Recurring reports of unauthorised charges after vehicle return, including "Premium Location" surcharges, administration fees for fines already paid, and fuel charges despite vehicles being returned full.
- Aggressive Upselling & "Scam" Upgrades: Frequent complaints regarding staff claiming booked vehicles are unavailable to force customers into expensive upgrades, or misleadingly presenting paid upgrades as "free."
- Unfair Damage Claims: A significant number of users report being charged for pre-existing damage, minor "scuffs", or internal debris (like dust or hair) that the company classifies as damage to retain deposits.
- Poor Dispute Resolution: Customer service is widely described as dismissive, with users reporting "no-reply" emails, bouncing contact forms, and a refusal to acknowledge photographic evidence during disputes.
Verdict
Europcar is frequently described by users as a high-risk rental option due to predatory billing and a lack of transparency in their damage assessment process. Consumers are strongly advised to document every aspect of the vehicle with time-stamped photos and retain all fuel receipts to defend against near-certain post-rental charges.
Disappointing first experience with Europcar. I had already booked and paid through Auto Europe with refundable excess protection, but at pickup I was sold Premium Cover without the differences and extra charges being clearly explained. The final invoice included Premium Cover, a Premium Location Surcharge, admin fee, card fee and GST, totalling… Read more
AUD 224.46 in extra charges. Europcar later acknowledged the booking information was confusing, but still relied on the signed agreement rather than looking at the customer experience fairly. Not good customer service, especially for a first-time customer.
Rented a car in the UK and emailed company following receiving my account and questioned why l believe l had been charged for 6 days not 3 as per contract. Have received emails stating they are looking into it, but no resolution or explanation. This was over 3 weeks ago. Very poor service and lack of customer support. Not worth even one star. Show details
Very complicated sales system. Extremely aggressive upgrade sale tactics. We are still trying to work out the actual cost of renting. Nothing is straight forward and contacting them is difficult. Definitely wouldn’t use them again.
Reviews with attachments
READ the fine print!!! The little car hire area was very busy - I get that and I waited patiently in line. I was told they gave me an upgrade - which I didnt really want as it meant higher fuel costs! Upon getting the car I walked around and video the outside and interior - as there was no condition report on the car -which made me worried due to… Read more
the scratches and stained seats. I was not told about the exorbitant fuel fee. The car was filled up - the day before and by the time I got to the airport there was only 1 bar short of a full tank. I took a photo of this. YET I was charged over $80 to fill it up - at over $4.70 per lt. WHAT in the world?? That is just plain ripping us off. I already had to pay extra to bring down the premium I would have had to pay if I had something happen to the car - over $5K excess!! Whos’ got that money just floating around? I rang up to complain about the fuel - but was told that it was their charges and was highlighted to say they told me… NOPE wasn’t told the amount. I WILL NOT use them again. Very angry over the whole ordeal - putting a sour note on my holiday.
Hidden charges – We booked MG MG3 but then gave us KIA SPORTAGE without being asked. Forced me to top up more. The car was dirty upon pick up and inappropriate baby seat for my daughter. Show details
Hired a car at Townsville Airport, the servicemen said to me to ensure that I bring the car back full of fuel. When I got to the car I noticed one bar was missing on the fuel gauge, so I took a photo. When I returned the car, I returned it with all bars displayed on the gauge but the car wasn’t full. However, Europcar charged me $64 for not… Read more
filling it up! As I was angry, I asked that the extra fuel I put it in now I want to be reimbursed and they said to me that when they compared fuel levels from pre and post rental, they were the same. Never again, can only imagine what would happen in an accident.
Never ever hire a car through this company. Hired a car through them and they completely lied and said there was damage. The office never even provided a pre condition report because their system was down but had the audacity to say there was new damage on the return report. What's more laughable was the pathetic "evidence" photos of the… Read more
"damage". See attached.
Called them out on it and they didn't even bother to reply so seems to me that they try this all the time.
Very disappointing experience. On day 1, a “loss of tyre pressure” warning appeared and I had to refill the tyre every 2 days despite reporting it with photo evidence. I returned the car with MORE fuel than received (480km → 520km range), yet I was still wrongly charged $30 for fuel. My deposit has also not been refunded after 7 days. Unhelpful and unprofessional staff. I have photo evidence for everything. I do not recommend this location. Show details
1st Feb 2026 had a car booked through booking.Com for pickup in Darwin Downtown. Arrived ar 11am and the branch was closed. Phoned +61 8 8941 0300 to be connected to the Darwin Airport branch. Was told to go to the airport as the person at downtown was not available. I had to uber to the airport and they will reimburse. When I arrived there was no… Read more
one at the front desk and had to call a number on display for them to assist. The lady arrived, apologised and blamed booking.com for the mess.
She proceeded to confirm a $200 deposit and $300 insurance, which I agreed upon, but then wanted to charge an additional $277 for admin fees and the fact that I am now picking up a car at the airport and not downtown Darwin anymore.I refused to pay that and was then said if I want to cancel I need to take it up with booking.com
It was my first and would be my last experience with them. It left me scrambling to book another car but Avis and East Coast car rental sure made me feel welcome.
We were fined incorrectly by Brisbane council and we have evidence but Europcar does not care that the customer didn't do anything wrong. They charged us $55 for transferring the fine to our name without investigating as it was written in their fine prints (hidden among 1000 words) of their rental agreement that it will incurr an admin fee of $55… Read more
if we get a fine irrelevant if we are at fault.This is not fair and poor customer experience. Very disappointed with the company for not allowing the customer to get refunded if they are not at fault.
Very disappointing and uncomfortable experience. I asked about full cover insurance and was quoted around $80 per day, which I found excessive. I explained calmly that with Hertz, I have previously paid the excess-reduction fee for only the first 2–3 days, after which the rental continued with zero excess for the remainder of the booking without… Read more
further charges. Instead of explaining their policy professionally, the staff member became angry and dismissive, repeatedly saying, “We are Europcar, not other companies.”
The car had many scratches, yet I was told Europcar does not provide photos or written confirmation of vehicle condition. The car was also not clean, despite warnings about cleaning fees.
The staff member repeatedly called me “darling.” When I asked him to stop, he made an inappropriate comment about me not being born or raised in Australia that why I do not like to be called darling. This was offensive and unprofessional. Then I contacted my insurance company to check with them about this hire car company and I figured out he gave wrong info about the amount of the excess I need to pay if I evolve in any accident.
Lack of transparency, poor customer service, and unacceptable behaviour. I would not recommend this location.
- +1
BUYER BEWARE They have your credit card details, seems from all the reviews they have a policy of fallacious charges post contract. In my case they applied 3 x outrageous charges. 1: Abandoning vehicle. When the VW people mover was too high to go to designated underground return location, the office advised us to find a nearby street location,… Read more
obtain parking ticket, provide details of location. We did all this, found a parking spot which was closer than their designated carpark, dropped keys off with photos of parked car, address, 3-hour parking ticket (photos attached). Boom!!!!! Euro135 Abandonment Fee!! After returning keys, having followed their instructions, how is car abandoned???? 2: Cleaning Car: Euro125!! Have hired hundreds of cars - NEVER been charged for cleaning. Had the car for 3 days, was same condition as when we picked it up. 3: Out-of-hours drop off fee: Euro 35. Wow!! Drop off recorded as 10 am on a Wednesday, to an office with 2 staff.
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Car did not have any maps or navigation built in and would not reliably connect to phones so there was almost no on board navigation. We got a flat back tyre and found that both back tyres were illegal (see photos) Show details
I want to share my experience to warn other customers about potential issues in Europcar’s damage claims process. After returning a rental vehicle, Europcar notified me that I was liable for tyre damage. I asked for evidence, and they relied on the tyre pressure monitoring (TPMS) alert and a post-return inspection of the tyre as sufficient to hold… Read more
me responsible. I argued this was insufficient, as customers cannot reasonably inspect the inner walls of tyres. If Europcar wants to make claims for tyres, they should take pre- and post-rental photos to fairly attribute liability. (A photo marking the alleged tyre damage in pink was provided by Europcar.)
I escalated to their IDR team, who initially stated: “After a full review of your claim, our final decision is that the charge will stand and no further dispute will be entertained. This matter is now closed within Europcar.” I was issued an invoice but asked them to hold off on payment as I had escalated the matter to AFIA as a neutral third party.
A few days later, Europcar HQ retracted their claim and confirmed I was not liable. However, to this day they have not explained why I was initially deemed responsible or what led to the reversal, despite my requests.
I have serious concerns about the logic of their claims process. Photos of the alleged tyre damage were taken more than 24 hours after the vehicle was returned, and no inspection was conducted with me at the time of return, even though their policy states it should be. There was no evidence that the tyre was not damaged prior to my use, nor any mechanical report showing that the TPMS warning resulted from this alleged damage.
It is not right for customers to be at the mercy of Europcar’s claims department, constantly going back and forth while they decide liability. Using a neutral third party such as AFIA is helpful in providing oversight and ensuring fairness.
This experience caused significant stress and required considerable time and effort to resolve. Based on my experience, I would caution customers to be careful when using Europcar’s services and to engage a neutral third party like AFIA if a claim is made against you to ensure fairness.
Prepaid 6 months in advance for a Merc GLC class of vehicle to be pick up from their Heathrow airport location, prior to arriving I was receiving messages confirming my booking so assume it was ok. When I arrived they didn't have any of that class let alone any of the brands that they show on the website. Then pressured me into a higher spec… Read more
vehicle at a higher cost !!. Had the vehicle for 3 weeks and returned it a day early to Manchester airport, there was a small 1mm diameter nail in a tyre with 6mm of tread, no loss of pressure. Their contractor deemed it unrepairable and they invoiced me over $300 for a replacement tyre. I won't be using any Europcar locations again, never had this problem with Avis or Budget.
I was charged over $2,500 by Europcar Australia for a windscreen replacement due to a minor stone chip incurred during my rental. Based on photographs taken at return, the damage appeared small and likely repairable. The replacement was not carried out until three weeks later, raising questions about whether the vehicle remained in use and… Read more
whether further damage occurred in that time. The supporting invoice provided was undated, and no technical assessment was shared to justify that replacement was necessary over repair.
My requests for clarification were dismissed, and the dispute was closed without addressing these concerns. I believe the handling of this matter lacked transparency and proportionality.
We had a terrible experience with Europcar, and I wouldn’t use or recommend them. Our car broke down, and we were forced to hire a rental car through our roadside assistance, RACQ. and we had no say it was Europcar for the rental during the period. We were promised a washed and clean car to pick up from Darwin Airport, but when we arrived, it was… Read more
disgustingly dirty. It looked like the car had been driven off-road, with red dirt all over it. When we returned to the Europcar desk at the airport to complain, the attendant had already left for the day. It was only 1 pm. We took photos of the car’s condition before leaving the parking lot. We were advised that the rental car return was to be at the Darwin office on Mitchell Street, in the carpark above a shopping centre. However, when we returned the car at 1:45 pm, the office was closed. We couldn’t complain about the car’s condition because the office wasn’t open. The next day, Europcar did an inspection of the car at 10 am, which was 20 hours later. The inspector accused us of a lot of damage to the rental vehicle, Including a supposedly chipped windscreen which was not there when we returned the car the previous day, we had photos of the other damage and sent them back for proof. Europcar Rental then charged us for a new windscreen costing $1328.47, minus our damage excess of $590. We had to pay the balance of $650. My husband called the Europcar call centre, but the agent was unhelpful and told him to check his rental agreement. We would not hire again from a rental car company we would rather walk or ride a push bike as there is no come back Absolutely disgusting of Europcar
Returned car and was later informed they found a small chip in the windscreen on the passenger side. It was around 7mm so no big deal but they later charged me over $1000 for the repair! Absolute thieves. Will NEVER rent from them again.
Latest follow-ups
Not Happy – Hired a car in April 2024 for our family holiday. Was very happy with the car we received. Had another car rear end us in the hire car. Got the person's details (name & phone number), licence & registration (& took photos) & was still made to pay $792 excess even though we provided the at fault driver's details. Will never hire from them again. Show details
Follow-up · Insurance covered the cost of repairs to the hire car (above the price excess cost of $792 we paid). We didn’t have anything to do with the repair process, we paid the excess of $792 & the hire car company sorted the rest. We paid the excess as they stated they could not locate the at fault driver & they couldn’t be bothered following up, so we had to pay it instead. (Even though we got photos of his licence & registration & his contact number).
Europcar Gatwick Airport apalling experience – Europcar Gatwick Airport appalling experience We booked and paid for our 10 day rental with Europcar, Gatwick Airport London in advance, before we left Australia for the UK. Beware avoid this agency because it is unscrupulous and dishonest! When we… Read more
went to pick up the car at Gatwick we were asked if we wanted extra insurance or breakdown cover and I clearly remember standing at the desk with my wife saying that no, we did not need any extra cover for insurance, roadside assistance, or collision damage waiver as our travel insurance covered these. In fact we rented another car in Belgium and also a Europcar from Heathrow a few weeks later. As always, for these hires we did not take any extra cover. We have never taken extra cover on the previous times that we have hired through Europcar as our travel insurance covers this.
At the end of the rental from Gatwick Europcar we took the car back. The representative checked there was no damage and said all was good. We received no invoice or documentation at this time to indicate that there were extra charges. One month later on checking my bank account there was an amount of GBP 137 ($256 AUD) taken from my account by Europcar. Thinking this was a mistake that I could quickly resolve I sent an email to Europcar Customer Services asking what the charge was for. The reply came quickly saying that the money was taken for the extra roadside assistance that I had agreed to. I sent another email immediately saying that I and my wife recall very clearly that I had specified we did not need roadside or any extra insurance and certainly would not have signed for that. The Europcar Customer Service Agent sent another email with attachments including an electronic copy of an invoice with my signature in four places. One was clearly in bold: roadside assistance showing the amount of 137 GBP with a copy of my signature next to it. This is the first time that I had ever seen this invoice despite it being dated on the day that I returned the car. On that day the Europcar representative at Gatwick was in a hurry as he had a few people returning cars. He took our keys, gave the car a quick look over and said all was good. I was not given a paper invoice or any other document at this time.
I have never received this invoice, there had been no conversation regarding it on return of the vehicle. At no time did I physically sign this document. I believe that my signatures had been copied onto a copy of the amended document as I did not physically sign a piece of paper with this amendment to the rental agreement. The Customer Service Representative said in his email that as he was not present in the discussion at the time of picking up the car his decision had to be based on the documentation available!
We asked for the address to send a formal complaint to, we are still waiting for a reply and still have not sighted a hard copy of a document with my signature on it. I am apalled that a large company like Europcar would condone this sort of practice. They will certainly lose more than 137 GBP in future rentals from us.
Date of experience: 15 May 2024
Follow-up · Two years later: The car had previous slight damage i.e scratches, dents and stone chips but mechanically it was fine. Our complaint was dismissed with no recourse. The person we dealt with told us that we had no proof, other than my wife witnessing everything, they therefore would take the company person's word as truth. Despite my signature… Read more
No Ethics and Professionalism – Trainings for staff about Courtesy ,Politeness, Respectful, Speak in a low tone of voice. Practice Ethics and professionalism Navigation of client to the proper department. Offer to client help incase of incident Show details
Follow-up · My position remains the same. Since my experience with Eurocar, I have never used their services again. I paid a $500 booking fee, but I cancelled the booking within an hour. Despite the cancellation, the $500 was deducted from my account. I followed this up with your team several times, but unfortunately, the matter was never resolved.This happened 2022. I will never use Eurocar.
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Positive reviews
I was in a really horrible situation I booked at budget only to be told that because I’m local I had to pay $1000 bond so I really crushed that I wouldn’t be able to see my mum and go to cemetery to visit my dads grave so I called Sherene from europcar in Mackay this beautiful lady went above and beyond to help me get a car as by Friday morning there was nothing around so thank you again ❤️ Show details
Nobody seems to read bad ratings so this may be the cure. DO NOT EVER, EVER HIRE A CAR FROM EUROPCAR UK OR EUROPCAR AUSTRALIA. I have hired 2 cars in the last five years, both from Europcar. The first one was in Australia and they tried to rip us off over pre-existing damage. Luckily my partner was smart enough to take photos. Their claim was… Read more
dropped. Believing that lightning doesn't strike twice I hired a car from them in the UK. I was so wrong. Without so much as a nod from the return inspection employee they tried to charge us for petrol when the car had a full tank on return. This after that same employee directed us to the nearest petrol station to fill it up prior to the final return. I had to compile a brief containing downloads, screen captures and bank statements to prove our case, and the fee again was dropped. It took ages for the refund to come through. Fishes rot from the head down and it is evident that their reputation means nothing to them. Don't take my word for it, look at their satisfaction ratings. I know this rating will boost their ratings but it's worth it if these rip-off merchants can't hurt any more honest people.
Hired a car from Eurocar Adelaide city Aldi Q3, great car, received outstanding service from Dylan, nothing was too much trouble, Dylan is a great asset to Europcar and I will be using them again. Robin Murphy Saratoga NSW Show details
Negative reviews
WARNING do not hire from Europe Car they will rip every cent from you with their false claims, they really do need investigation . For over 15 years they have had my loyalty wherever I’ve travelled but I’m done . Adelaide Airport July 2026 , collected car and luckily took multiple photos of the car on pickup and noted scratches to the outside… Read more
mirror . I also did not take out the additional insurance of $60 per day so excess was $5,400 if damaged ( I use credit card insurance to cover any excess if damaged ) On returning the car undamaged I promptly received photos of the previous damage I had noted to the mirror stating I had caused this damage and an insurance quote was being prepared. I presented my photos and the claim was “ reviewed “ and dropped . I can absolutely guarantee if I did not have those photos they would be demanding my payment for $5,400 excess insurance ! I However I was also 5 mins late in returning the car, due to taking a wrong turn into the multi story carport and then needed to exit the airport and re-enter . Eurocar are insistent I was 17 mins late, I most definitely was not having been stressed taking the wrong turn knowing I was going to be 5 mins late that I particularly took note of my return time. I have now been charged an extra day car hire and despite numerous emails there has been no favourable outcome . This is just totally outrageous! I also collected a hire car from Europcar again at Adelaide Airport April 2026, the remote went flat during the hire period , I replaced remote at my costs of $30 on returning the car supplied the receipts of purchase costs for remote ( as advised by Europcar maintenance ) and I still have not been refunded .
Today i went to collect a booked rental, advised intime i would be 4 hours later to collect due to work commitments. Was advise it was fine as id advised within collection time. Waiting in line 40min to be advised we have no vehicle's,i asked were was the booked car from my booking was advised “we gave it to some one else”. Then was told we also… Read more
need to clean . I asked why if i was told it was ok why did you give it away without advising me and staff response was “ look do you want a vehicle or not” this was the managers statement. Had this not been booked for one month and paid for, and now over an hour waiting, i was told to take a seat while they clean a car. NEVER again will i allow eurocar treat me like this, i will go elsewhere and i suggest anyone reading this also go elsewhere!! When i finally get into the vehicle i observe a staff members lanyard on the seat with all their work keys on it…. Need i say anymore
I rented from this Europcar branch and was charged over $400 to clean mud from the front floor carpets after a trip. I had acknowledged the carpets needed cleaning and offered to pay a reasonable amount for that. My concern is how the charge was handled. The supplier invoice Europcar relied on described the driver and passenger seats as stained,… Read more
but the seats were clean. Only the floor carpets had mud, which their own inspection report and photos confirmed. The paperwork contradicted itself on what was actually being cleaned. The charge was also processed as a damage claim rather than a cleaning fee, which are treated differently under the rental terms. I raised this in a formal dispute and through the industry conciliation service, but the contradictions were never addressed. I had rented from Europcar consistently for many years without a single claim before this. I paid the amount under protest to close the matter, and have lodged a complaint with Consumer Affairs Victoria. My advice to other customers: photograph the interior thoroughly at both pickup and return, and keep all documentation. Check any cleaning or damage charge carefully against what the rental terms actually allow.
Recent reviews
Europcar DO BETTER Never again would I hire with Europcar! We had a holiday of a lifetime planned and booked our car hire through Europcar. We picked up our car in Edinburgh and after an hour wait we were told that we had to purchase additional extras (for vehicle recovery) or we were not allowed to take the car. He advised this was "in your… Read more
T's and C's" but i questioned that. He tried to charge us an additional 75 pounds per day, when we flatly refused he dropped this down to approx. 40 pounds per day. He also said there was additional charges for one way drop off. We continually questioned these additional charges to him saying we could not take the vehicle without them. Further investigation has shown that everything we paid additional for was already included in our initial pricing. The forms he made us sign were also not signed by him, even though it showed on them that they are to be signed by both parties. We also had an email that we could make the drop off by 4pm in London Kings Cross, only to find out on that day they closed at 3pm. We wanted to discuss our issues with someone but there was no one there. Our call through to customer service was met with a rude lady who advised we could just drop our keys and leave the car. We have called and spoken to customer service regarding the additional charges, they told us to email, so we did and then have been told that Europcar are not aware of what their staff say to customers in person and that the additional charges are voluntary.
Europcar - do better. You should be aware of what your staff are telling customers and scamming people out of money. Will never be using you again and have told everyone we can of the dodgy ways.
BEWARE. Arrived at the airport desk to pick up my vehicle. Was Blithely informed that the vehicle was not available and an email had been sent. It was sent this morning while I was travelling. My fault for not checking I suppose. It also informed me that any money paid was going to take up to 28 days to be repaid. No remorse no consideration just arrogance and ignorance. European. DO NOT USE.
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Following up from the above review Ally , A Supervisor for Europcar has contacted me and refunded… Read more