Europcar UK Reviews 

Awful - Europcar (Bournemouth) called to cancel my booking less than 24 hours prior to collection, which left me totally up the creak without a paddle. They claimed they had no vans available, which made me question how the booking could have been made. No alternatives available. Absolutely shocking and totally unprofessional service. Will certainly not be considering them again in the future.

Edinburgh Airport Europcar very poor service. Had pre-booked a hire car and on arrival waited nearly an hour before abandoning the booking and hiring from Sixt instead. Sixt sorted a vehicle in about 5 minutes. There was a queue, the operators were very slow and didn't seem to care that people were waiting. Very poor experience.

I had booked through Booking.com a Eurocar rent & fully paid the rental & insurance before travelling. My wife & I were only traveling to the UK from Sydney to attend her father’s funeral and after 26hrs emotional & very jet lagged the service person took advantage to on lawfully upsell to us saying no need to have the $2000 excess & will give u a free car upgrade. At no point did he inform me that my cost will be changed… I was then charged double my already cost! The upgrade was shit as dented boot, wireless charger didn’t work & other issues. Totally scum service!

Re 627831784 / Contrary to some of the other reviews that I’ve been reading, I must say that, from start to finish, the support and service from the Europcar team at Glasgow Airport was superb.

I rented the car from their on-site facility at the airport and was warmly greeted by all of the staff. Kai was particularly helpful and acknowledged me as a repeat and regular client.

The car was excellent, with no complaints at all. The price was perfect, and I also took the insurance option.

When I returned the car, a very friendly gentleman made the whole process as smooth as anything, and his name was “G”.

I have no hesitation in recommending Europcar to anyone seeking convenient, on-site car hire at UK airports.

I can’t really say more than what the thousands of other negative reviews on this site have already stated, but I want to add my “one star contribution”, to spare others from the same experience.

Long story short, I was overcharged by almost 200 € for what appears to be for hidden charges that were never included in my original contract agreement or what was confirmed at the rental counter.

I have raised a complaint with both, their UK support team (where I live) and the Germany support team (where we rented the car), and 3 weeks later I’m still waiting for details or a proper explanation where these charges actually came from. I have only received generic responses from the DE support team that the final invoice was generated in Euros and not Pounds, and that this should clear my confusion, but that is not why I raised the complaint. I’m fully capable of converting Euros to Pounds, and my original contract also stated the amount in Euro currency. What I’ve tried to escalate without any real response is that I was significantly overcharged without pre-agreement or lawful authorisation.

Furthermore it is impossible to escalate complaints beyond tier 1 support, and they do not offer manager callbacks or escalations. I now have no other option than to go through Ombudsman.

What EuropCar is now doing with their post-rental invoicing and lack of support is criminal. Unlike most ppl who shared their negative reviews here, I’ve not had issues with EuropCar in the past, but on this occasion, the experience is unforgivable. We will never rent with EuropCar again, and would advise others to do the same.

We used the service for car hire from the branch in Brackmills. Sadly good service seems to depend on whether you buy their insurance with this car hire company. When we didn’t one member of staff on several occasions was verbally abrupt and not wanting to process another extended booking and in front of other customers . Then on return of the vehicle a small pin size dent was conveniently found, I was informed by the same member of staff the company would take us to court and we would be paying between £500 up to £800 . We challenged the alleged dent, and because we paid by Barclaycard we raised a dispute notification to them and our insurers were contacted. The issue was Resolved and we were not taken to court because of course we were insured and got our money back. We used another car hire company in Northampton - who have polite staff and helpful when we noticed a scratch on pick up and made an immediate record of it on our booking and didn’t threaten us.
We won’t be using Eurocar brackmills ever again.

Hired a car from Europcar for five days from Geneva Airport. No problems with condition on return all OK and fully fuelled up.
Received invoice by email and have been surcharged 15%, around 90 Euros for "Location Charge" something that was not mentioned when picking up car and certainly not agreed to.
Complained on 9th August, have chased them twice and they ask me to be patient [!] while they "investigate" still waiting three weeks later.
What's to investigate, they have illegally surcharged me. This is nothing short of theft.

Unfortunately, I am unable to provide zero stars for the zero customer service that we received from our pick up point, from the French side of Geneva airport, so 1 star it is.
Due to queues at passport control of almost 2 hours, we were told that as we were late picking up our vehicle, an additional 290 euros would be charged, plus an additional £135 extra for out deposit. We were told that we had already received a huge discount through a broker and therefore it would only be bringing the price up to the normal price, charged. Lots of rude staff. Upon return, we were told that we had damaged the alloys, despite Europcar not being able to provide any evidence and again, we were told that we would be charged for this. DO NOT USE EUROPCAR - THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF!

Rented the car on 03.08.26. Car was at 2766 miles.
Rental for 6 days.
Gave the car back on 09.08.26. Car at 2922 miles.

No damage whatsoever. Hand over goes smoothly as they couldn't find any damage as well. I recorded the car to its finest detail before taking it anyway, so was ready for trouble either way.

A week later I get an e-mail about a damage charge, allegedly, took place on 08.08.26 during my rental where they had to change/repair tires.

Obviously that didn't happen since the car was under my rental and I did not take it anywhere for any repairs since no damage/accident took place.

Now since they have no proof of that (because it didn't happen) and they've dug themselves a hole, they then say this and I'm copy pasting this:

"I can see that you had the vehicle from 03.08.2026 - 09.08.2026, the repair took place on the 08.08.2026. The mileage at the point of repair was 2044, the mileage on the vehicle when you took it out on hire was 2766, the mileage at the end of you rental was 2922, therefore this was a mid-rental repair."

So their evidence for their charge is them saying I rented at 2766, time travelled back to 2044 and got the car damaged and repaired, upon getting it repaired I travelled further in time towards future this time, and gave them the car back at 2922.

I point it out that they are brazenly lying and demand proper evidence, they go full silent on me. 8 day without any response as of today.

Now I understand these scams are how these rentals operate, but at least you'd expect they put some effort into it.

Nope, not Europcar. Just making damage up, won't even bother making it look real.

Do your best to not work with these people unless you absolutely have to.

Extremely disappointing experience with Europcar. Of all companies I would least expect to feel misled by, Europcar would have been high on that list.

I booked my rental through Booking.com and had already purchased Full Protection Insurance through Booking.com before arriving.

After waiting around an hour in a busy queue to collect the car, I was asked at the Europcar desk whether I wanted additional insurance. I explicitly said NO and explained that I had already purchased insurance through Booking.com. The representative acknowledged this.

I was then handed a tablet to sign the rental agreement before receiving the keys. There was no clear explanation that I was agreeing to an additional €369.11 insurance product. I signed what I understood to be the standard rental agreement for the car.

I later discovered that Europcar had added a €369.11 “Premium Protection Package” to my rental.

I immediately disputed the charge. Europcar's response? They say it was valid because it appears somewhere within the signed rental documentation.

That's the part I find completely unacceptable. I explicitly declined additional insurance. I already had insurance. Yet an additional €369.11 protection package was still added to my rental.

The car was returned without any damage or issues.

I have repeatedly asked Europcar to provide evidence that I specifically consented to purchasing this €369.11 product. Instead, they continue to point to the general signed rental agreement and refuse to refund the money.

This is not what I expect from a major, reputable car rental company.

If you book through Booking.com and already have insurance, my advice is to be extremely careful at the Europcar desk and scrutinise every part of the paperwork before signing. Don't assume that declining additional insurance verbally means it won't subsequently appear on your bill.

I am now pursuing the matter through my card provider, Booking.com and French consumer protection channels.

For me, the issue isn't simply the €369.11. It's the principle and the way the charge was added after I had explicitly declined the product.

I will not be using Europcar again, and based on this experience, I would strongly recommend that others think twice before doing so.

Do not use this company, they are an absolute disgrace with no shame whatsoever !
My elderly auntie, in her 70's, was visiting from Australia and her travel agent had booked a hire car form this company for her to use during her stay. She had chosen a car and arranged to pay £620 for the 2 weeks. They only needed a small car...
When they arrived to collect they were talked into upgrading the vehicle and had every optional add-on that these crooks could make them agree to. The small £600 car ended up being a £2,600 BMW !! They of course were confused and didn't know what they were agreeing to, they just went along with what they were told they needed.
When they arrived to us and we saw they car, and checked the paperwork, we were furious, and immediately phoned the company to complain and get the situation reversed. They were not interested in the slightest and refused to cancel anything, or even have the car back and provide a refund. They could not have cared less.
This is no less than theft. They hoodwinked an elderly, vulnerable couple out of thousands of pounds and wouldn't even acknowledge they had done anything wrong, and would do nothing to help resolve the problem.
We intend to complain to whoever we can and try and get this unscrupulous company held to account.
This can't be right, can it...

AVOID AT ALL COST...

Absolutely disgusting company, booked a car hire couple days before, they then decided to call me at 5:30 the day before I was due to pick the car up at 8:00am in the morning! Will never recommend this company and will never use this company again

It is no wonder that this company has such a poor rating. The service is appalling. We booked a car for collection at 13H00 at the Cambridge Branch on a Saturday and we arrived slightly before as verified on our vehicle tracking. We walked up to the door at 12H58 and the branch manager was walking to the door from the inside. He said sorry the office is closed and when we pointed out that we had a booking for 13H00 he turned his back and left after locking the door. Europcar the had the temerity to charge us for a non-arrival. Rude, obnoxious and rotten service does not begin to describe it.

I’ve used Europcar several times over the years without any issues, but my most recent experience means I won’t be using them again.

While hiring a car for a family funeral, my jacket was stolen — unfortunately the hire car key was in the pocket. When I contacted Europcar, I was told they do not keep spare keys and that I would need to arrange and pay for transporting the car back to the airport myself. This was surprising, but I accepted it. I was also advised that the replacement key would likely cost around £250, plus charges for petrol (which I couldn’t refill) and the extra days while I organised transport. Again, I understood this and waited for the final bill.

Weeks passed with no invoice for the key, although the petrol and additional hire days were taken from my account. Two months later, I received a bill for £444.21 with no breakdown. After chasing Europcar, I was told the key alone cost £382.53, with extra admin apaid the invoice 10 days and still being emailed to ask for payment!

I fully appreciate that losing the key puts me at fault, but the charges are extremely high — especially for a basic Skoda Fabia key (not even a fob), and not supplied by a main dealer. The lack of transparency, the long delay, and the unexpectedly large bill have left me very disappointed. Sadly, this experience has put me off using Europcar again.

SCAMMERS – EUROPCAR DUBLIN AIRPORT

I am extremely disappointed with my experience with Europcar at Dublin Airport and would strongly warn other customers to be very careful about what they are told at the rental desk and what they are asked to sign.

When I collected the car, the staff member told me that the €240 charge was a deposit. I specifically understood this to mean a security deposit which would be refunded provided the car was returned in exactly the same condition. The car was returned in the same condition, yet I have now discovered that the €240 was actually charged for an additional premium insurance/protection product and is not being refunded.

I would never knowingly have agreed to purchase additional insurance, because I had already purchased premium insurance through XCover when making the booking.

In fact, my booking confirmation specifically stated:

“As you have purchased the XCover premium insurance through CarTrawler, you do not need to purchase the supplier’s insurance if you are offered this at the car hire supplier service desk.”

It also told me to bring a credit card with a sufficient limit to cover the “excess/deposit”. This is entirely consistent with why I believed the €240 I was asked to pay at the desk was a refundable deposit.

I was not given a proper opportunity to read and understand what I was signing. I relied on what the Europcar representative told me – that the €240 was a deposit which would be refunded if the vehicle was returned in the same condition.

Only afterwards did I discover that I had apparently been charged for an additional insurance/protection product that I did not knowingly request, need or agree to purchase.

I have contacted Europcar, explained exactly what happened and requested a refund. They are now refusing to refund the €240.

I feel that I was misled at the rental desk into paying €240 for insurance I did not want or need, having been led to believe that the money was a refundable deposit.

This is completely unacceptable and has left me with an extremely poor impression of Europcar.

My advice to anyone hiring from Europcar Dublin Airport: do not rely solely on what you are told at the desk. Read every document and check every charge carefully before signing or paying anything

Tried to rip me off by adding an additional day's rental becuase they couldn't be bothered to check whe i actually dropped the van off, then tried to rip me off with damage charges for a scratch which was already there. Not getting another penny out of me. Absolute con men.

SYSTEMIC ABUSE of their clients and AGGRESIVE OVERCHARGING. Some pathetic excuse of a humanbeing presses a few buttons and receives commission for awful behaviour, whilst the client is left with frustration, anger and mulitiple negative episodes (weeks and months later) as they recount what's actually happened to the and try to recover money that has litterally been stolen from them, and THIS IS THEIR BUSINESS MODEL. Do your research: In 2016 this company owed out £30million in unwarranted charges for damages, and somehow they are still allowed to continue in business with the same aggressive manner.
I hired a car for £128 and they STEAL £632 off my credit card a few days after I am back home and out of the country: £177 for an upgrade that I didn't want (the rep. LITTERALLY lied to my face); and £455 for a scuff (the size of a finger nail) that could be buffed out in no time at all. No correspondence, no report, no quote, no invoice... nothing.

After unsuccessfully challenging them I am still receiving texts (that can't be replied to), telling me I owe them £515 pounds.

DO NOT GO NEAR THEM

SCAMMERS – EUROPcar GATWICK NORTH

I am extremely disappointed with my experience at Europcar Gatwick North.

When I collected the car, the staff member told me that the £600 was a deposit. I understood this to mean a security deposit, not payment for an additional premium insurance product.

I was not given a proper opportunity to read and understand what I was signing. I only discovered afterwards that I had been charged for premium insurance/protection that I did not knowingly request or agree to.

I feel that I was misled into paying for insurance that I did not want.

I am demanding a full refund of the insurance charge and a clear explanation of exactly what I was charged for and where I supposedly agreed to purchase this additional cover.

This was completely unacceptable. I would strongly warn other customers to be extremely careful at Europcar Gatwick North and check every charge before signing anything.

Nice freindly staff new Jaecoo 7 car only 2500 miles on clock for our 16 day hire. Last driver had car voice system set to Spanish and sat nav to French. Helpful team changed it to English and off we popped. The Jaecoo is ok and very comfortable. The sat nav is very hit and miss and gets you to the right area if not the exact location. however android auto solves that once you connect it.

Great service from the reception and no unexepected charges or problems.

Good mileage from this Hybrid and it performs well only filled it up with petrol as journeys didnt warrant charging it electrically.

Easy return with check in staff ready and waiting.

Did not need extra insurance as have an annual policy with a seperate company to cover any damage should I have a bump.

Overall, the car itself was absolutely fine, but unfortunately the customer service and collection experience were extremely poor.

We were travelling as a family with young babies in very hot weather, so we were hoping for a fairly straightforward collection. Instead, when we got off the plane, we were directed by the Europcar staff at the first office to a different Europcar office. After making our way there, we were then sent back to the original office, where we queued for quite some time, only to be redirected again.

By the time we finally found the correct office, after being given incorrect directions more than once, we then had to queue again before we could collect the car. Overall, the whole process took nearly two hours.

It made what should have been a simple process unnecessarily stressful, particularly when travelling with young babies in the heat. The car itself was fine, but the organisation, ease of collection and customer service from the staff at the airport were very disappointing.

Unfortunately, based on this experience, I wouldn’t choose to book with Europcar again.