Goldcar Portugal Reviews 2,230

We rented a car via goldcar on Madeira on 29.12.2025. At the counter we were receiving the car and everything was paid in advance. At the counter the agent would not let us have the car without extra optional insurances. I read the terms & conditions thoroughly and in there no mention of required extra insurances to be taken at the counter. Neither no mention of need for embossed numbers on credit card that is needed for the deposit. The Goldcar agent was not co-opperative at all and forced us to pay the extras or else we would have not been able to rent the car. We were willing and able to pay the larger deposit required without the extra insurances but the agent refused everything.

I cannot get my car due to lack of support contactless and AE or even Virtual Bank card. Cannot get my car eventually and luckily I can rent another car with others. What year is it now? Never have this experience before and will never use it again!

AN ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL BUSINESS = I foolishly booked a vehicle from Nice Airport through Holiday Autos - Who placed the business with Goldcar. Despite the booking being made with an AMEX card - It was clear when the voucher came through that a security deposit could not be paid via that route = Strange, since that is perfectly usual with car hire companies. They then refused to take a security deposit on my physical Mastercards (= x2) because they were ‘from an online bank’. I then offered various Visa cards from a substantial / high street U.K. bank - but because these were held on Apple Pay on my phone - Goldcar refused based upon the fact that they take no security deposits from cards held on phones. I finally turned to my companion who had U.K. high street banks cards - but this was not possible - payment had to be taken from a card in the name of the driver and my companion does not drive. I then went back to Holiday Autos who denied me a refund on the basis that I was talking to them after the time at which the hire was to start. Upon pointing out to them I had commenced discussing matters with them prior to the time that the hire was supposed to start and had evidence of that fact on my phone, they changed their story to claim that 48 hours notice of cancellation was required. I then pointed out the booking had been made less than 48 hours before. I then said to them, as far as I can work out - Your business model involves taking a payment for a car hire and then doing everything you can to not perform that contract by making it as difficult to possible to have the car released = I am wasting my time - There is absolutely nothing that you can or will do to overcome these ridiculous rules. “That’s about right” was the reply.
I HAVE AWARDED ONE STAR - BECAUSE I CANNOT AWARD ZERO STARS. American Express will be refunding (if Holiday Autos does not deal with matters).

I was delayed getting there by over three hours. When I finally arrived they said they had rented the car I reserved but they would give me a smaller car for an €10 / day. If you are more than one hour late they stick it to you!

Paid for a car and top level insurance from Paphos Airport. When I arrived at the desk, I was told that my booking was cancelled as I didn't collect in time. Booked through Expedia who were as unhelpful as Goldcar. Be very wary of their 2 hour limit on collection. I had 10 days of hire car booking and top level insurance cancelled without notification but they still have my money! Also, note that you will not be ATOL protected booking a hire car through Expedia.

I recently hired a car from Goldcar at Madeira Funchal Airport and have been left with a significant bill for damage that was already on the vehicle.

Upon collection, I noticed marks on the side of the car. I took a photo at the time, but the scratches were not noted on the initial condition sheet. I assumed this was because they were minor (under 50mm) and likely considered fair wear and tear.

However, upon return, these same pre-existing marks were recorded as "new" damage. Despite the scratches being small, I was charged for "Level 1" damage on multiple panels, totaling over €600.

The issue is that their paperwork was inconsistent: the marks were ignored at pickup but penalized at drop-off. I am now having to fight a dispute process to prove—using my own photos—that the car was already in that condition when I received it.

Warning to other travelers:

1. Take high-quality photos of every scratch at pickup, no matter how small.

2. Do not accept a clean condition sheet if there are even tiny marks on the car.

3. Be aware that marks they ignore at the start may be charged for at the end.

I cannot recommend this company at all.

Rented a car with to front tyres in a very dangerous condition

Do not use this awful crooked company who routinely scam customers. They are a disgrace!!
I have been a GoldCar customer for some years and have rented many cars with no issues as I have always returned cars during work hours and always have them checked in.
I rented a car on Sept 16th 2025 and returned it on the 24th. I returned it at 4:30 am, as it was so early there was nobody to check the car in so I took photos and left the keys as I had been told to. There was NO damage on the car when I left it.
When I returned to the UK I received the usual end of contract email, however it included damage (Scratch on front passenger door….the photograph they sent looked like a chinagraph pencil mark rather than an actual scratch) The email stated that it was level 1 damage. As the attached invoice showed zero owing and had no instructions for me to do anything, I ignored it.
I traveled to Malaga in October
And went there to collect my prepaid GoldCar. When I arrived at the office I was told that I could not have my car as there was a debt on my account for damage to the car in September. So I was forced to pay just over £360 or I wouldn’t get the car that I had booked and paid for.
I complained and sent date and time stamped photographs that showed there was no damage when I dropped the car off at 4:30am.
GoldCar have just contacted me (December 15th) and informed me that the new photographs do not match the damage (which of course it wouldn’t as there was no damage when I took the photo) They said they will not be refunding any of the money I paid.
I have since been back to Portugal and visited the GoldCar office where a member of staff told me that this is a tactic the company uses to scam money out of customers especially when cars are returned early and not checked in. She said this was easy money for the company as customers are not in a position to contest the charge other than a complaint which they then deny. There are many other reviews with incidents of this nature!

I rented from Gold Car at Lisbon airport in September 2025 having rented from them previously in September 2024. Do not use this company unless you have no other options. I have annual excess insurance and I also booked extra cover with the online provider. I am a very regular traveller and user of hire cars. But I was still shocked by my treatment. On both occasions I have used them I have had to challenge an attempt to charge me for damages to the car. On the first occasion I had enough photographic evidence to convince the desk manager not to proceed, but on the second occasion I received an email a month after I returned car with a claim for over 500 euros of damages. I challenged them, but I had deleted my photos and video because of a change of phone and the time elapsed. I am convinced that the garage staff are incentivised to find damage and that this is a deliberate revenue raising exercise. I have insurance, but the hassle involved is intensely irritating. I have used the company in Italy too, and had similar experiences. So please avoid if you want to avoid a lot of pain. If you do have to use them, take the insurance at the desk!

I have charges that occur almost daily , and when i dispute wirh my credit carr they said the cancellation return policy was not followed . So i guess in hndsight they know the return policy will not be followed

This is a scam

Very poor service. Complete lack of transparency about costs, and dishonest about deposits which were made. We hired a car from Economy Car Rentals for short holiday in Portugal from 27/09/2025 to 08/10/2025. The car was to be supplied by Goldcar at Faro Airport. From the outset there was a complete lack of transparency over costs. We were told we would have to pay separate deposits for Fuel and Tolls and these would be refunded at the end of the hire period. We used no motorways with tolls, returned the car cleaned, undamaged, and with a full tank purchased at the Faro airport. When we checked the returned car in we were assured that the deposits would be returned after 7 days. The deposits were never returned. Each enquiry to customer service was answered with a standard reply which did not address our concerns. Using Economy Car Rentals and by extension Goldcar proved to be an expensive mistake. Go elsewhere. This is a chaotic company lacking transparency and with no concept of customer service.

30 days after a handed back the car rental they claim that I scratched the car. I dispute this and we are discussing the claim when they just take the money out of my account. I see this is a very common path for these people and would recommend you pass on the low hire price and find someone else who does not try to upsell and claim for damages you did not do

A true scam -- 3x the price from Expedia.com

I reserved a mid size SUV on Expedia for $728. I triple confirmed passengers (5) and luggage (4) before booking.

When I got to the Goldstar counter, they assured me I booked a vehicle that was too small and that I should upgrade to a mid size SUV (mind you this is exactly what I booked and verified the vehicle types and the passenger and luggage accommodations).

All and all I ended up paying $2k USD for my $728 quoted rental. Would not rent with this company again.

Car was fine and staff were friendly and helpful, didn't try to charge for any mysterious damages

However goldcar are very sneaky and add on charges that are in the T&Cs, but do not appear anywhere in the total of your invoice. On a quoted price of 65 euros for a rental I was charged about 30 euros extra in fees such as years since driving licence issued, and toll booth device rental. Very cheeky imo

Booked and paid for car hire in advance. I received email cancelling the booking whilst at Heathrow airport about to board for Bologna. Reason - Goldcar offices now closing at 4.30pm when we due to land Bologna at 5.30pm. Despite me having "Key and Go" which means I collect key from automated machine. Caused me significant inconvenience to arrange alternative onward travel. To add insult.... refund can take up to 15 days and they had the ordasity to ask me to review their company. Goldcar don't not care !!

I recently rented a car from Goldcar in Lisbon and had a very frustrating experience. When I made the booking, it clearly stated that no security deposit was required. However, when we arrived at the airport to pick up the car, we were suddenly told that we had to pay a €269 security deposit and that they would not release the keys without it.

We were completely unprepared for this unexpected charge, both financially and practically. It felt misleading and left us in a difficult position right at the start of our trip. The staff simply repeated that there was nothing they could do.

Overall, this experience was extremely disappointing, and I will never use Goldcar again. I would strongly advise others to double-check the fine print or choose a more transparent rental company.

Additionally, the staff were very rude when we got the the key kiosk, all 3 of them on their phones which were very unapproachable.

We recently booked a car with GoldCarHire for our trip to Madeira. The website looked very professional, and we opted for the Full Cover package, which promised key-drop collection from the airport machine and an easy pick-up process. Unfortunately, our experience fell short of what was advertised.
Upon arrival at the airport, we were about 20 minutes early, so we went to the customer help desk. The representative who served us was extremely rude and unhelpful. We were told we could not collect the car until our 1 p.m. booking slot and that we had to use the machine — with no further explanation or assistance.
When we used the machine at 1 p.m., the key fob malfunctioned and did not provide us with a key for the car. We then had to queue again at customer service, where we were treated rudely once more. After eventually obtaining the key, we walked a considerable distance to the car area and finally located the vehicle.
Unfortunately, the problems didn’t end there. As soon as we began driving, we realised that the gearbox was in poor condition — reverse gear was complicated to engage, and the car felt poorly maintained overall.
We are highly disappointed. We paid a premium price, expecting a smooth and reliable service. Still, from start to finish, the experience fell short of even the most basic standards of customer care and vehicle quality. Having now read other reviews, it appears we are not alone in this experience. We will not be using GoldCar Rental again and would advise others to think carefully before doing so.

If it looks too good to be true, it will be!
Paid £40 online and sorted my own insurance waiver as I do yearly!
It was either pay over 1900€ at the desk in Faro with no guarantee I’d get any back or pay for their insurance at 174€ for 5 days.
I got a taxi instead and customer services won’t give a refund!
Gold my A***e . Steer clear and go for one of the better hire companies.
Atrocious attitude

A very bad experience renting a car at Goldcar Faro. We had a early check-out, so the car wasn't inspected by a person but we had to drop the car key in a deposit box.

When home, they sent an e-mail with photos of a so called 'new damage'. Upfront, I made a video of the car, so I answered to Goldcar with proof that the damage was allready there when we received the car. Allthough the proof is clear, they just don't accept it and charged me €108,37 for damage which we didn't cause, and for which I have proof that it was allready there!

Never again with Goldcar.

They tried everything to sell additional insurance. They gave me a car with loads of damage. I then recieved a damage bill of €1500. I sent photos showing the damage beforehand. They dropped the charge to €177 for a damaged door lock because the lock wasn't in any photo. Absolute gangster operation. Just read the reviews