Airauto Rent-a-Car Reviews 

Have used this company a number of times without trouble but on taking the hire car back last Tuesday, 29/09, the lady came out to check the car, which I’d only had for 3 days, and immediately went to the drivers door handle, removed the clip where the manual key can be used, and informed me that it had been damaged. Charge 745.00 euros. An absolute con.

Scam company, rushed through paperwork after waiting 1 and half hours to pick up car, charged for a car seat we had already paid for then charged £400 for a dent that was already on the car when picking up, terrible service avoid at all costs

If you want good and fair customer service, DO NOT go here! We picked up our car late at night (was given an automatic despite requesting a manual and when asked for a little guidance, was told ‘it’s what you booked’). We took as many photos as we could. Checked the car again in the morning and took more photos whilst noticing a couple of clearly ‘touched up’ spots.
On returning the car, we were asked about a mark - did not accept our photo initially but after going out the back of the office, did then seem to accept it as a previous mark in the end but there was no apology or explanation as to why this was now ok. From there on in, we got the silent treatment. This included the driver shuttling us back to the airport who was boarding on rude and drove as slow as possible. Luckily we had time to spare.
Beware - they appear to touch up lots of dings which then reveal themselves after a few days in the sun. Take as many pictures as you can!

BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS CAR RENTAL COMPANY!
Very disappointing experience with AirAuto. Honestly, it feels like a complete mess when it comes to money and charges.
We returned the rental car more than two weeks ago, and our €250 deposit is STILL blocked. Meanwhile, another family who rented an identical car from AirAuto at exactly the same time already had their €250 released while they were still in Portugal.
And then there are the road tolls. We travelled together, in identical cars, on exactly the same roads. They paid around €70, while we were charged around €130 — almost twice as much!
We were told that additional road charges might be taken later. But if the deposit has already been released to other customers, what exactly are they going to charge later and from where?
Two identical cars, same rental company, same roads, same trip — but completely different charges.
Very questionable and completely unclear. Check every charge carefully and think twice before renting a car from this company.

Check for blue book/papers of car in dashboard, BEFORE leaving with the rented car!
And make sure you check this WITH staff upon return of rented car.
Xtra charge of 150€ upon delivery, as they said the papers were missing! They did the same with clients before and after us. Car booked tru Sunny Cars, hope they deal with this and return the un authorised charge of 150€.

I dont understand the negative reviews, maybe they are older. We rented thru Portugal Getaways and for the second straight year everything was simple and straightforward. Pickup at P4 was easy (although a little delayed as the van driver got in a fender bender on the way!) We received a Ibiza automatic in great shape with 32k on the odometer. With a 3k euro hold authorization, there was no upsell on insurance or any other charges. Easy return, even at 4am there was no out of regular hours charge. My 3k euro hold was released within 24 hours. I will use again.

We were given a car that the previous renter had filled with the wrong fuel. The result: after two hours of driving, the car broke down, jerked, and wouldn't start anymore. We then called the emergency number on our paperwork. The car was towed, and we were given a taxi to the rental company. Once we arrived, the staff were very rude and angry, saying that we should have called them directly, even though SunnyCars customer service had told us to call the emergency number on the paperwork. They then asked, “Where is the car now?! It's our property,” which we obviously didn't know because it had been towed away. Fortunately, I had the phone number of the towing service. We eventually got a new car and they said that the person before us had most likely filled up with the wrong fuel, as we hadn't filled up ourselves yet. A month later, €280 was suddenly deducted from our deposit for damage to the second car (!) that we did not cause. We never received an email or message about this. Fortunately, we got this back after 4 (!) months via SunnyCars. In short, a rude and dishonest company.

I had a very good experience, they gave us a free upgrade, the staff was very friendly and helpful, an overall godd experience, I for sure recommend AirAuto

Warning: Google Maps shows that Airauto in Faro is definitely closed!!

I have been a loyal Airauto customer for many years, but the quality of their service has declined dramatically.

While check-in went smoothly and the employee was friendly, the car itself was dirty and poorly maintained (even the tires lacked proper air). Unfortunately, the return process was far worse.

I arrived a few minutes before 8:00 a.m. and was only the second person in line, yet the staff began processing cars that had just arrived instead of serving customers in order. As a result, I was forced to wait while eight other vehicles were handled first.

Despite several employees being present in the parking lot, only one young man—who was rude and unprofessional—was handling returns. Because of this disorganization, I and other customers nearly missed our flights. Even a kind family with a baby was mistreated by the employee — they arrived first, before 8 a.m., yet were the last to be served.

Adding to the frustration, Airauto does not provide a key drop box for early returns. Instead, they charge an outrageous €50 fee if you return the vehicle even slightly before 8:00 a.m., which feels like a deliberate tactic to extract more money from customers.

Additionally, their advertised pricing is misleading. The website lists a €40 fee for a second driver, yet I was charged €60.

Between the poor service, lack of vehicle maintenance, and questionable business practices, I can no longer recommend Airauto.

Friendly staff and quick service. I rented via Sunnycars and it was confirmed by Airauto that I wouldn’t need extra insurance and that there would be no additional charges. At first I thought the pickup service took a long time to get to the airport, but having seen how heavy the traffic is, I totally understand. And in hindsight: With only handbaggage, one could easily walk!

Very good service, nice people and cars in very good conditions!

No transport available on arrival and departure on Faro airport to pick up and bring back the car. You have to walk from the airport to the Airauto car rental lokation. Euro 1500,00 notation on creditcard as francise. This notation is however after 14 days of end of contract not cancelled on the credit card.
Very unfriendly behaviour of employees on the Airauto counter on both, collection and bring back of the car. Next time i will chose another rental agency

We booked a flight to Portugal with Corendon including renting a car

When booking, it was never mentioned that you need a credit card to rent the car

After booking, I found out that you need a credit card and a PIN code for this
I now have a debit card which works the same as a credit card, but I have to deposit enough money myself otherwise you can't withdraw it, I also looked up the PIN code.

I don't think there is anything wrong and nothing else is indicated on the travel documents regarding additional costs for renting the car
We are going on a trip and are going to the company that issues the car
To our surprise, they ask for almost €1500 to be able to borrow the car.
These are the deposit costs and the deductible of the insurance. Never stated in advance
Instead of €1500, €1725 was paid. I never gave an approval for the €225.

Back home, I expect all the money to be immediately refunded the same day.

Nothing has been refunded up to November 3.

Positives first because I'm trying to be fair here - the car was a modern Ford Puma, automatic even though I'd paid for a manual and the minibus to the airport was reasonably swift.
However I was mortified to be charged £30 because they were going to have to vac sand out of the car after a family of four spent a fortnight in a place full of beaches!
I'd actually hired off them twice before as well without any issues so I thought the guy was joking at first!
This was on top of the £50 I was charged because our flight landed after 8pm but when I checked that rule is mentioned in the T&Cs, but there's nothing in there about sand.
After reading other reviews charging for vacuuming seems to be a common scam for Air Auto and the prices also vary, so maybe I was lucky only getting robbed of £30, but I'll avoid them in future and suggest you do the same.

For the third time in 15 years, I had trouble with this company upon returning a car. And, they make an extra charge of €21.50 for the motorway toll transponder set up, even though you insist that you will not use the motorway! Many other companies at Faro Airport don't apply this charge.
I will not be going back to them...ever!

A couple of days before arriving in Faro, the rental car agency wrote to me to confirm the booking and asked about flight details.
When we arrived, we found out that the rental car agency was not based on the airport and had to wait until 8am (out flight arrived at 6.15am) for a shuttle to haul us. What was even worse? The rain and an extra half hour wait - the shuttle only showed up at 8.30am.
The cherry on the top: the company charged an unexpected 2,000 euros deposit, amount that alarmed the issuing bank, which blocked my mastercard.

Be warned you pay for the toll transponder to automatically pay the tolls and over a year later you get a debt collection letter demanding the missing £4 toll and a huge added admin cost... another example of the growing Portuguese stealth taxes. A problem between the hire company and the corrupt toll road stealing from tourists. Also car was filthy and had to wait for nearly an hour to get the car.

Card scammers. They write your card details including security code ON PAPER, then leave around office. Then 2 weeks after you get back your card has been used in fraud and cancelled. No security, no good practice. AVOID at ALL costs. Worst car company ever used in 40 years!!!

Con Artists!! Avoid this Company big time, they rip you off at every opportunity….cars were all filthy when we picked them up, charged us an extra €200 for 3 cars. Despicable staff and totally unhelpful when we returned the cars.
Been to Portugal 40ish times over the years, always get a car and never had a problem. Horrible company 😡