Europcar Portugal Reviews 

Incorrectly invoiced despite making staff aware of their error. Shocking customer service

Terrible experience at Europcar Faro airport .
Forced to take out extra car insurance although explained already coverd...given small size car when booked medium sized car with 60000+ ,miles on clock, faulty petrol gauge...broken boot floor unable to put cases in .charged £83.25 for aprox 10 litres of petrol.. have used europcar for the past 20 years with no problems excellent service from europcar in Praia da Rocha.Staff I believe we're on bonus incentive to get as much as they could but also given vehicle that was not worth putting out for hire.
cases in ,

Bad horrible company is scam take money in the credit card

Car and service was good but europcar took £67.00 from my credit card without permission, after the car was returned, and for things that had already been paid for so as this is common feedback from other customers I can't give a positive review. Also no response when contacting them for a reply.

I was a frequent customer at Europcar so I am aware about the rental processes. On my last rental, the company put a 400€ insurance fee on my contract without telling me before. Even when I put my credit card for the deposit payment, this fee was not mentioned. I have a personal insurance for rental cars that I also provided Europcar but they insist telling me that I agreed on the insurance. Why should I accept an additional insurance when I have a personal all around insurance already that I even showed them?

Very unaccaptable service and not helpful and unfriendly customer service. I would not recommend.

The worst car rental company ever. We booked a car for the middle of January. They refused to accept the security deposit from my card and started imposing a non-refundable insurance fee of 360 euros. The staff at the airport refused to compromise and were rude and disrespectful. Europcar support approved the release of the car, but the staff at the airport rudely refused. Then the support number became unavailable. In the end, after contacting Booking.com support we were able to get a refund of part of the amount. I do not recommend this company to anyone.

Rented a car from Porto Airport. Booked and paid in full online prior. On collection we were asked to pay a deposit on a credit card and sign an agreement written in Portuguese. We declined additional insurance and other options to upgrade. The agreement presented turned out to be for additional charges for a premium service, which is very different to what we were told in person, or what was listed in the original booking terms. The charge was significant, half the cost again of the actual hire charge. The agreement was very unclear and aimed to deceive. The car provided also had 2 bald tyres worn to the cord on the inner edge. Extremely dangerous and irresponsible! They are scamming people and shouldn’t be allowed to operate. I will not use them again.

Biggest scammers out here, please go to an Avis or sixt but under any circumstances dont go to them!!!!

I rented a car from Europcar in Portugal and had a disappointing experience. After returning the vehicle, I noticed several unexplained charges on my account, including duplicates. Despite reaching out to customer service for clarification and resolution, I have not received a satisfactory response or a refund. The lack of transparency and professionalism has been extremely frustrating. I expected better service and accountability from a well-known company. I would caution others to carefully review their invoices and monitor their accounts when dealing with Europcar.

On 19.11.2024, I rented a vehicle from your company, which included full insurance coverage for a familiar trip to Cambridge for a day of graduation. However, during my rental period, I encountered a number of serious issues that were not properly addressed by your insurance support or customer service team. These problems caused significant inconvenience and resulted in additional expenses that I believe should be refunded, given the circumstances.

Flat Tyre Incident: On the night of 19.11.2024 I experienced a flat tyre while driving the rented vehicle. I immediately contacted the insurance company on the 08000280999, as instructed, but my experience was far from satisfactory. Despite numerous calls and being transferred between different representatives, I was told that I would have to pay £129 to resolve the issue that night. When I questioned this, I was informed that if I waited until the following day, there would be no charge. However, I was also told that no assistance would be available the next day and that I should find a third-party provider myself.
Lack of Assistance: The following day, after further delays and multiple phone calls, I was advised to contact a third-party service at 8:00 AM to arrange tyre repairs. However, the third-party service informed me that they could not assist me on-site and that I would need to bring the vehicle to them — a situation that was impossible as the vehicle had a flat tyre and could not be driven.
After being transferred between different phone numbers and explaining the situation repeatedly, I was forced to walk a considerable distance and arrange an Uber to reach the airport, as no support or alternative solutions were offered.
Additional Costs Incurred: Due to the lack of assistance from your insurance provider, I had to arrange for an independent 24/7 tyre repair service, which cost me £200. In addition, I was charged an additional £40 for an incorrect master key that did not match the car, further adding to my unexpected expenses.
As a result of this experience, I faced unnecessary stress, financial burden, and a complete disruption to my plans. I was unable to use the car for a full day, as I spent the majority of the following day resolving the tyre issue and dealing with the aftermath, even though everything was paid to avoid it. Additionally, I had to go without food for several hours as I was left without the necessary funds to cover my expenses due to these unexpected charges.

Booking through airline extremely unclear of requirements which I have never experienced in any other country with europcar. Ended up paying for insurance online and on arrival

After the returning the car without incident, they ask you to leave a good review. 3 weeks later the falsely accuse you for damages wich were already present on the car. Please, for your sake as a client, do not hire at this scamming bureau for them to try and steal more money and time!

FALSE ACCUSATION BY EMAIL:

Van: Propuestas daños ropuestaCargoDamages
Datum: 2 december 2024 om 13:12:04 CET
To: me
Onderwerp: EUROPCAR - Notification of Damages on Hired Vehicle – Rental Agreement: 6040500904

Dear customer:

According to the provisions of our damage management policy, please find attached a billing proposal derived from damages produced to a vehicle of our fleet under a lease contract entered into between you (as renter) and Europcar,

Sincerely yours



Europcar IB, S.A.U.



REFUTATION:

We received an email regarding an alleged scratch on the rear bumper, please find this email you've sent us at the bottom of this email.
This scratch was already present on the car, we've filmed the whole interior and exterior of the car at the first moment we've acquired the car on the 11th of november at 11:11.
Please find the video on this link (removed) and the photo's attached

Poor -still waiting to collect my car after 1 hour in a mad queuing system. Will update review at end of experience but so far it’s an avoid….

We pickup the car at santa apolina station of Lisbon and drop off at the airport
In Both side the staff were professional and helpful
We are happy with the hospitality and trustful attitude.
We recommend

Very bad experience renting car from Europcar at Faro Airport. Normally, I always book through Europcar in other countries, but this was the first time in Portugal. Not again.

The following went wrong:
1) 35 min waiting in line to pick up the car.
2) When it finally was my turn, the first statement from the female customer service representative was "So what is your problem"? Very nasty attitude. It turned out that I by mistake had provided a wrong pickup time and arrived 3 hours later than my booking. I am of course sorry about the mistake, but NO need to treat your customers like that! Felt humiliated and angry.
3) When we finally got to the car, the front windscreen was so dirty on the inside that it limited the view and was hazardous to drive.
4) A few days later, a warning regarding tyre pressure in the car. Obviously, Europcar had not checked the tyres.

Worst service ever.

They keep saying they will get in touch to make things right but never do… big scammers….

I have been using Europcar for years, and recently in Portugual, they claim I damage the car, however I dropped it off at 5am with no damage. They have sent photos of where I didn't park the car and claiming I damaged it. I despite repeatly asking for evidence have not had it. They have deducted money out my account despite being fully comprehensive. Avoid portugual Europcar at all costs.

If you're looking for a car rental experience that will leave you stressed, frustrated, and out of pocket, then Europcar at Faro Airport is the perfect choice. This is from someone renting from them for over 25 years in both private and business capacity. From the moment I stepped foot in their office, I was met with a level of incompetence and disregard for customer service that was truly astounding.

The Waiting Game:

Be prepared to queue. And queue some more. Even if you've pre-booked online, the glacial pace of the staff will have you wondering if they're processing rentals via carrier pigeon. Forget about grabbing your car and hitting the open road – you'll be lucky to escape within 3 hours. Our flight to Portugal was less than that ! People strewn everywhere in the hope of getting their holidays started.

Hidden Fees and Sneaky Charges:

The advertised price is merely a starting point for Europcar's creative accounting. They'll slap you with a bewildering array of hidden fees and surcharges, from "airport taxes" to "insurance supplements" that magically appear during the checkout process. By the time you sign on the dotted line, you'll be paying double what you originally anticipated. And that is nothing until the same fees are sneakily applied post trip. for one week I had 25 eur added to my bill .....but the best was yet to come.

Damaged Vehicles and Dubious Tactics:
Don't be surprised if your assigned vehicle is riddled with scratches, dents, and other signs of wear and tear. Europcar's pre-rental inspection seems to involve a cursory glance and a shrug of the shoulders. And if you dare to point out any existing damage, be prepared for a hard sell on their overpriced insurance options. I arrived home and within minutes of landing I received a "damage report" for the vehicle - the damage was all pre-existing - the car had looked like it was driven through a field of barbed wire - it was practically new with only 6000 km on the clock. But it was in desperate condition with more scratches than paint. I did my usual thing of taking photos of the car and a video to be sure of myself. But when I challenged the damage report I was told because I left back the car without being present it was their terms and conditions that counted. I sent a few emails including the photos etc to Europcar but it was farcical the response from their customer care team. I am still wondering should I open a consumer case with the authority in Portugal such is the scamming of customers taking place. Total disregard of the fact that I was not responsible for the damage - the documents that they sent were not dated or signed - so no "people" involved.

Customer Service Catastrophe:

If you encounter any problems during your rental, don't expect any help from Europcar's "customer service" team. Their phone lines are perpetually busy, and their email responses are slow, unhelpful, and often downright rude. You'll be left feeling like a stranded traveler in a foreign land, abandoned by the very company you paid to assist you.

In Conclusion:

Europcar Faro Airport is a masterclass in how not to run a car rental business. Their shoddy service, questionable practices, and blatant disregard for customer satisfaction make them a rental company to avoid at all costs. Do yourself a favor and choose a reputable alternative – your wallet and your sanity will thank you.

Do not recommend this company. This guys pulling money from you. If they want they will pull, if you see prices on site per day you can double it for sure. For little scratch that already was there they charge me 200 eur. You are a human and you can not see anything its normal, if you want you can find a lot more, they are crazy. As a result, more thoughts about a ruined vacation..not as expected. you are in black list! Thanks a lot!!!

We hired a car in Madeira via CarTrawler. The Europcar office was only 5 mins from our hotel.
We arrived at our pick up time of 10am to find 5 people in the queue ahead of us, 3 people were checking out cars and it took about 30 minutes to be served.
Giselda served us and was friendly and helpful, explaining everything clearly.
We had booked a small car but were made aware of a better car available, the price was reasonable so we agreed to the upgrade and were very pleased we did - we had a bmw series one and it managed all the steep Madeira mountain roads with ease. There was no hard sell on the upgrade.
We’d already taken the premium insurance via cartrawler so didn’t take this option.
The car was clean, we took pictures of the outside of the car as it had a few bumps and scrapes which made me a bit nervous about drop off but we didn’t encounter any problems.
On return, the drop off is inside a multi storey car park - which was a problem for us as the car park was “full” and it therefore won’t let you enter until another vehicle leaves. Shame that there is no separate function to be able to enter if you’re heading straight to Europcar and not needing a parking space.
Once inside, Drop off was easy, the service team checked over the whole car and used an app to confirm that no new damage had been recorded, then we were free to go.