Centauro Rent a Car Reviews 16,693

Was all very smooth and we even got an upgrade! Price was good, just note- to avoid problems, get an external insurance and pay a little more to avoid paying a deposit.
Returning the car took 1 minute and we received back our fuel deposit the same day. Will rent from Centauro any day.

Avoid. Staff in the office were friendly but our car broke down on the motorway outside Siena, leaving my wife and I in danger.

We were told our only option was to make our own way back to Pisa to pick up a new car, where we were given an extremely damaged Opel Corsa despite paying for an SUV for the entire booking.

We were told that we would be able to get refunds for the trains and taxis we had to book if we gave Centauro the receipts once we drop the car off in Rome. Staff in the Rome office were extremely rude, telling us that they have no ability to refund us and we have to send receipts to customer services instead.

We sent receipts to customer services, as requested, 25 days ago. I have chased four times and we haven’t even received an acknowledgement.

Not only did we lose a day of our honeymoon due to this, we are still out of pocket three weeks later. Book somewhere else.

Currently got a hire car with Centauro
On collection the member of staff stated my insurance excess cover was not good enough and would not cover damage etc.

Forced me to take out extra protection cover before being given the car at a more significant cost.

It turns out she was lieing and this to me is fraud,ripping me off and making money for Centauro

Emailed them back with no reply.

300 euros penalty for imaginary scratch on front bumb :) I have everything recorded and docummented, not a single scratch, if you dont pay 170 euros full insurance, they will just find something to pay you extra, scammers they are, avoid them

30’ waiting in the bus, 30’ waiting in the queue at the depot. Totally desorganised depot. All papers being fiiling by hand writing (why it cannot be done before?). The the lady disapears for another 10’ - « I will look for a car for you ». I needed to pay the full insurance (I had already one!) because the card machine doesn’t accept my card and the card of my wife cannot be used because the reservation is for me. The full-to-full tank policy changed to 70% to 70% policy... It is certainly the last time we’ve chosen this rental company.

This company is a scam. They forced us to buy the car insurance stating NO credit cards from the US are working in Portugal. They claimed we either had to pay $1600.00 deposit which would not be accepted due to US cards not working or we would have to pay $200 fee for insurance because somehow that charge amount would work. We advised we had coverage with our CC company and still forced us to pay this. A total scam. Customer service is aweful. We waited 1 hr to get the car.

You will be queuing for hours

No automatics left even though booked

Said full tank petrol but only 75 % full took photos and they agreed.

I was in Malaga with a large group and rented two cars through Centauro. The only positive thing I can say is that Vanessa at check-in was lovely and very helpful. Unfortunately, everything after that has been an absolute nightmare.

When I returned the car after three days, there was no proper return inspection or check-in process. They simply took the keys and told me my fuel deposit would be refunded within seven days. Seven days later, I still haven't received it.

While waiting for the shuttle bus, I watched a Centauro employee take my car and drive it aggressively at what appeared to be around 60 mph in a confined area before disappearing with it. This immediately raised concerns. Two or three days later, I noticed a charge of more than £250 on my card. To my surprise, I had received no damage report, no explanation for the charge, and not even confirmation that the vehicle had been successfully checked back in. I contacted customer service and only received an automated response directing me to my online account. When I tried to log in, I was informed that my account had been blocked and that I needed to contact customer service. After doing so, I was told it could take 7–14 days for someone to get back to me.

I have also contacted them through Instagram and other social media channels and have received no response whatsoever.

At this point, I've been charged over £250 for something I know absolutely nothing about. I have video evidence of the car both before collection and after return, and there appears to be no difference in its condition. Despite returning the car with a full tank as instructed, I am still waiting for the fuel deposit refund as well.

The lack of communication, transparency, and customer service is shocking. Being charged without explanation and then being unable to get a response from anyone is completely unacceptable.

Avoid, avoid, avoid. I would never use Centauro again and would strongly recommend looking elsewhere.

Very bad staf booked for 6 days couldn’t get the car because they are open till 23:00 and if you come after that time you won’t be able to get the car you hired, how that’s work , never will book a car with them!!!!

Worst car rental experience of my life.

I’ve rented cars in multiple countries with many different companies, and Centauro is by far the worst and most frustrating experience I’ve ever had. Everything about this company feels shady from start to finish.

The problems start immediately: terrible communication, airport shuttle almost impossible to find, then an absurd and unjustifiable wait just to pick up the car. After that, they force you to pay a fuel deposit that, in my case, was never refunded — even though I returned the car with MORE fuel than it had when I picked it up.

Then comes the ridiculous damage deposit, clearly designed to pressure customers into buying their outrageously overpriced insurance.

But the real scam happens when you return the vehicle. The employee inspecting the car pointed out a supposed “damage mark” that was obviously not damage at all. I explained it to her, but she simply repeated that she had to report anything over 5 cm. After a pointless argument, she walked away and told me to complain at the counter.

I looked at the so-called “damage” myself… and I easily partly wiped it off with my fingernail only. It was literally just a superficial mark. I tried to find the employee again — impossible. Another staff member refused to even seriously look at it and sent me to the counter as well.

At the counter? More than an hour wait according to the customers already there. Since I had to catch the shuttle back to the airport, waiting that long was impossible. Then, just minutes after leaving, I received a bill charging me over €225 for the “damage.”

How can they charge customers that quickly without any real inspection or fair opportunity to dispute the claim? This doesn’t feel like customer service — it feels like a system designed to invent charges and squeeze money out of travelers.

And after spending only a few seconds reading other online reviews, it became obvious that I’m far from the only person this has happened to. I deeply regret not reading the reviews before renting from this company. Based on my experience and the countless similar stories online, these practices feel completely dishonest and borderline fraudulent.

I booked through Zest, but didn't realise they were a middle man for Centauro. Pickup was stressful, as their Rep tried to brow beat me to take their insurance, nearly doubling the entire cost. I explained I already purchased Zest extra XS cover so wasn't paying twice, they said that cover was rubbish and would leave me exposed if I had any issues!!! I had to firmly refuse and knew the Zest cover was OK. It was really awkward. Also, the car was battered, and the list of damaged areas missed off 3/4 serious ones. When I inspected the car they said take pictures now and show them when you return the car. I refused and made them take pictures and update the list on their system/ computer and print it for me again. They moaned about it and pulled faces. Nb. The return of the car was flawless, and shuttle service great.

I will not be using this company again. The reception lady forced me to pay €300 insurance when I had my OWN already. She said if I don’t have a VISA AND MASTERCARD (CREDIT CARD ONLY) I have to pay for their insurance. I’ve never hired a car needing TWO credit cards?!

I have the lady my MASTERCARD CREDIT CARD. She then said I need a second one for the petrol holding deposit. Such a joke. I’ll be letting my friends and family know to never use this company.

Car rental via easyJet. Paid over 300euro excess fees. On return home car wouldn’t start. Unable to get through to 24 help or Valencia office so left car where it is and handed keys into Valencia desk. Awful customer service

Very inflexible if there are any changes that need to be made.
My flight was delayed and I was not able to have a second driver pick up the car earlier, which lead to my travel companions having to sit at the airport for more than 10 hours.

Update. Still haven't received my €150.39 euros deposit from this scam company!! Almost 2 months later!! Utter thieves!! Do not rent from this company! Rented a car from Centauro Porto. It wasn't in the best condition but worked OK. On returning the car with the petrol tank full, having received it at 90% full, I was told that my fuel deposit and toll deposit would be refunded. The invoice clearly shows that I am due a refund of €150.29, but I have still not received it. The rental ended on 9th April. They have not responded to several emails sent and I have been forced to go through a dispute via my credit card company. Absolutely disgraceful behaviour. How dare they not return money that is due to me!

Arrived on time at Bilbao airport. Instructions stated shuttle bus came every 10 to 15 minutes. Waited 30 minutes and then rang office. Shuttle eventually arrived. Car was meant to be full to full but had 3 euros of petrol in tank. Was told to bring back empty as he was too busy to fill it up. Wont use Centauro from Bilbao again

Absolutely terrible and misleading experience with Centauro Rent a Car in Palma de Mallorca.

I booked through a broker (DiscoverCars) where it was clearly stated that debit cards are accepted. I arrived with a perfectly valid physical debit Mastercard (not prepaid, not virtual, not online-only), which fully met the stated requirements.

However, at the rental desk I was told that I could not receive the vehicle unless I paid an additional €140 for their “Smart Cover”.

There was NO real alternative offered. I was not allowed to leave a deposit with my debit card despite debit cards supposedly being accepted. The only way to get the car was to pay the €140.

This means the “Smart Cover” was not optional insurance at all — it was effectively a mandatory hidden fee.

I already had insurance purchased through the broker, so this additional charge was completely unexpected and was never clearly disclosed during booking.

After almost a month of complaints and discussions, I finally managed to recover the €140 through my bank via a chargeback procedure.

However, Centauro still has not returned my fuel deposit (€68.63), even though the car was returned correctly on 01/05/2026 and the refund should have been processed within 15 days. I have also received no meaningful response regarding this issue.

This entire experience feels designed to attract customers with low advertised prices and then pressure them into paying hidden charges at pickup.

I strongly recommend avoiding this company unless you want unexpected fees, pressure tactics, and extremely poor customer support.

Centauro Majorca is running a disgraceful insurance racket. They refused to hand over the keys to a fully pre-paid car unless my father paid an extra €189 for a duplicate insurance policy he didn't need. The desk staff (Jose) lied, claiming his broker insurance wasn't valid, and held the car hostage. Disgusting, aggressive bullying tactics used against vulnerable travelers. Avoid this company unless you want to be legally robbed at the desk. Zero stars.

WE GOT TO GREECE AND HAD TO WAITE 2 HOURS AT THE AIRPORT FOR SOME ONE TO COME TAKE US TO THE RENTAL OFFICE, THEN WE ONLY HAD A DEBT CARD SO COULD NOT RENT THE CAR EVEN THOUGH WE HAD PAID IN ADVANCE WITH A DEBT CARD. DO NOT EVER RENT FROM THEM THEY ARE SCAMMERS

Overall, we had a smooth experience with Centauro. The booking process was very easy and I liked how transparent and user-friendly the dashboard was. Pick-up and drop-off were both straightforward, and the staff in the office were pleasant.

A few things to be aware of: you’ll likely need the premium insurance, plus the Via Verde toll deposit and fuel deposit. We received our deposits back without issue, minus the toll fees.

The only disappointing part was being quoted €70 to return the car just 2 hours later on the same day, which felt excessive. The lady I spoke to on the phone was also quite rude.

Aside from that, the overall journey was smooth and hassle-free.