CarRental8 Reviews 

16,250
TrustScore 3 out of 5

2.8

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Evaluating 131 reviews, most reviewers were somewhat happy with their experience overall. Consumers frequently encounter unexpected extra costs, mandatory insurance charges, and hidden fees upon arrival at the rental counter. People note that getting a refund is extremely difficult, often resulting in prolonged disputes and frustrating communication loops with the support team. Though some customers praised the affordable rental rates, cheap insurance options, and generally efficient online booking process. Reviewers also appreciated finding great deals that perfectly met their travel needs without encountering any major stress during vehicle pickup. Some travelers mentioned that everything went smoothly when no unexpected complications arose during their rental period.

What people talk about most

Booking process

Reviewers mention negative feedback about booking_process, highlighting hidden fees and unexpected charges... See more

Price

Clients share negative opinions on price, warning that initial cheap rates often hide unexpected costs at... See more

Payment

Users describe negative interactions with payment, expressing deep frustration over unexpected extra costs... See more

Service

Customers had negative experiences with service, often highlighting unclear insurance packages and unexpected... See more

Refund

Reviewers highlight negative aspects of refund, expressing widespread frustration with denied requests and... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Hopeless customer service… I have emailed three times with questions for my booking this coming Thursday (2nd of July) and I’ve still not received any response. There is only an email address and... See more

Company replied

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

The first time I used Car Rental 8 to reserve a car in California, I was happy with the rate and experience. However, I will not be using this service again due to a reservation made in Atlanta,... See more

Company replied

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

One car type was reserved with Car Rental 8 but when I went to check in at the Deer Lake airport (Budget) they could only provide a less than adequate replacement (downgrade).

Company replied


Company details

  1. Car Rental Agency

About CarRental8

Information provided by various external sources

Car rentals for the United States (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Europe, Latin America, Australia and other worldwide locations. 

Car Rental 8 is a USA based corporation that offers car rental services in 125 Countries serving 17,000 locations. We have car rental supply agreements with major car rental companies worldwide and the ability to negotiate discount prices through booking volumes. These savings are passed on to you. To assist our customers, our website supports several languages as well as multiple currencies.

Our website has been designed to let you book a car through "Search. Book. Done." Simply type in a destination you are interested for a car rental, and it will automatically provide you a list to choose from. Select your dates, then click SEARCH. You will then see a variety of choices along with our low special rate. Choose what you need and then, BOOK your car. Fill in your personal and payment information, confirm your reservation, and you are DONE!

Car Rental 8 is chosen by more travelers because we provide the ultimate option – the CR8 Protect Package.  Choose this option when booking your next rental car. The CR8 Protect Package will cover a portion of your deductible or excess in the unfortunate event of an accident or minor incidents such as windshield or tire damage.  In some cases, the CR8 Protect Package may allow you to avoid paying a cancellation fee when your planned trip must be cancelled.

Go to Booking Page to start, read our Privacy Policy , or read our General Info page for more information.


Contact info

2.8

Average

TrustScore 3 out of 5

16K reviews

5-star
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1-star

Asks customers to review

This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative

Replied to 94% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 1 week

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2.8

All reviews

(16,250)

115 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Campany and customer service

No where in their website states that you will be charge $16.99 per day is you are going to cross to another State. Trying to get in contact with customers service by phone is impossible and by email they never answer. Very disappointed the company and the customer service. I was trying to an extension and they in my view they over charged me for seven days extension. My Reservation is ATL-95020
Booking # 96304666

May 8, 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for providing your booking number.  We are researching your complaint with the supplier and will reach out to you directly.

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE IN HOUSTON

TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE IN HOUSTON. They (unlike all other companies) don't accept the insurance supplied by my credit card or the rider on my personal insurance. Another uncharge costing many hundreds of dollars. I walked away and called Turo. Way better deal and better service.

April 20, 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out, however, we are unable to locate your booking.  We are hopeful you will provide us with your booking number so we can investigate your concerns with the supplier.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

rebooked at lower cost…

I booked the rental I found it at a high price to make sure I had a rental then kept checking and found it for half the original price. I cancelled the first rental and rebooked with no problem as I had paid for cancellation insurance.

May 5, 2025
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Not recommended

Not recommended. People are incompetent, service is at a low level. They deceive people.

April 10, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from CarRental8

Hello Igor - Thank you for reaching out.  We would like to contact you and gather more details regarding your rental, however, we are unable to locate your booking with the reference number provided.  If you would be kind enough to send us your voucher number, it would be appreciated.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I have been trying to contact them for…

I have been trying to contact them for over a week, via their website. I have sent numerous requests via their website.There isn't a phone number listed. I have been charged for the car rental but have not received the confirmation email. I do have a confirmation number. I have not received a reply and I am about to have my credit card company issue a charge-back. This is starting to feel like a scam

April 24, 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out.  We see your booking in our system, however, we do not see any contacts to our company. One of our managers will reach out to you to gather more information and help, however, our phone number and e-mail address are listed in the Contact Us infomation in your booking as well. Thank you for booking with carrental8.com.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

It took over 35min to get a car

It took over 35min to get a car. They charge $17.00/day to take the car out of state. They charge for insurance when my credit card had coverage.

March 21, 2025
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out and we are sorry to hear about the issues you experienced picking up your rental.  We strive for a transparent and problem free rental process and the supplier's conditions are included in the T&C prior to check out and in the final confirmation.  We will reach out to you directly to address your concerns.

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Deceptive business practice

I initially booked a car rental a few days ago. I noticed I didn't get an email and noticed that my email was incorrect. I called to update and put my correct email in the system. I thought everything was fine until I received a notification from my credit card company that was charged an additional amount for some reason. I called carrental8 and they said they could not credit my account because I had modified my reservation. I did not change the dates or the car, just had them correct my email. They said that any modification requires rebooking of the car. Very deceptive business practices and poor customer service. I had emailed them earlier in the week and no one responded which is why I called today. Would not recommend.

April 14, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from CarRental8

Hello Dylan:  Thank you for the feedback.  We would like to be able to investigate your query, however, we need your booking number in order to do so.  If you could provide this information, it would be most appreciated.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Card problem

Before I booked this vehicle I was make sure this company is accept American Express credit card for pay. It has got advertised this information them policy with out extra charge or fee. At the desk they wanted to ask for to me extra insurance fee €18/day for this tipe of credit card. 😒 This is so madness
voucher no is
UK5793360-1
Reservation No 5XL27B
Melinda Toparti

April 14, 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out, however, we are unable to locate your booking in our system.  If you could provide your voucher number, we would be happy to investigate your concerns further.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Beware of exorbitant hidden additional fees

Booked trip with price only to find out in my email confirmation voucher link that the total price stated and paid is only pre-paid amount with another $1260 in tax and fees due at booking. When I canceled the next day upon discovery I was charged $140. Deceptive practices.

April 10, 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out.  We strive to a transparent rental process from beginning to end.  The additional one way fee was outlined during the booking process and we are sorry if you missed this  We are sorry you had this trouble and would like to refund the normal cancellation fee under these circumstances and will contact you directly.

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

terrible experience

terrible experience. I've called twice to check about the status of a refund that is due to a debit card issue. It's been 12 business days already, but the woman on the phone who originally told me 7-10 business days, with attitude lectured me that it hasn't been enough time yet. When I pointed out it's been longer than they originally said, she again stated 7-10 business days and I have to wait. She was clearly annoyed that I interrupted her day. I'm guessing I'm going to have dispute with my credit card company.

Save yourself the headaches and rent with a reputable company!

4/18 update: even though the company responded below that they would reach out about my refund, they never did. And I still have not received it. I will now dispute the charge through my credit card company. Again, AVOID THIS COMPANY!

April 8, 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Hi Tracy.  Your concerns were escalated when we received your initial review, and the agents in question have been dealty with accordingly for dropping the ball on your cancellation.  We apologize for the late response but your booking has been cancelled with a full refund as a courtesy and we will reach out to you again directly.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

THE WORST CAR RENTAL COMPANY

I made a reservation for 7 days with CarRental8 online. The worst car rental company I've ever rented a car from. When I made the reservation online, I purchased CDW. I was not prompted to also purchase liability. I was returning from a 3-month trip from South America. My car had broken down, and I had canceled the insurance before the trip since I was going to purchase a new car after my return. Also, when I arrived at the car rental office, they did not have a customer service agent at the place to handle the reservation. You must go into a cabin and talk to a VIRTUAL CAR AGENT on a computer. The agent refused to rent me the car because I did not want to buy liability insurance. I should have been advised about this requirement when I made the reservation online. The whole process was VERY INEFFECTIVE since the internet connection kept disconnecting and freezing the screen. REAL PAIN... I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS CARRENTAL8 COMPANY...!!! STAY WAY FROM THEM.

March 26, 2025
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out and we are very sorry that this rental did not work out for your due to the insurance requirements.  We strive for a transparent rental process from beginning to end, and the suppliers insurance requirements are outlined in the T&C's prior to checkout as well as in the final confirmation.  We are sorry if you missed this.  We will reach out to the supplier and work out a courtesy cancellation for you.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Reservation upgrade

A reservation was made for an upcoming trip to Florida. We had to amend the reservation, changing it to a larger vehicle as an additional family member had an opportunity to join us. The phone support agent was very helpful making the upgrade.

April 2, 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The worst customer service ever

I’m editing my review because even though my actual rental experience was the worst. The steps CarRental8 took to assuage my disappointment were first class. They contacted Route, the rental company, who promised review the customer service and escalation procedures with the Tampa site. It’s just too bad that they had to go through these steps because an organization they deal with was less than sub par in providing service.

March 25, 2025
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out and we are sorry that your rental vehicle was not available upon your arrival at the rental location.  Any delays in pickup should be reported to the supplier as fleets are sometimes tight.  We will be happy to investigate this further and if you were not able to pickup your rental, we will work out a cancellation for you.

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Avoid this company

Avoid this company. I made a booking for April 10, 2025 and I wanted to modify the vehicle. First I call and they can’t find my booking. The lady over the phone was super unhelpful and couldn’t spell my name about four times. Finally, she spelt my name right and could find my booking and then proceeded to say we can’t change to a different vehicle because there’s none available at that location. I then went on their website and realized that I could modify it to the vehicle that I wanted so I called back the second time again they couldn’t find my booking and told me to call back the next day. Meanwhile, I sent an email asking if I could modify the booking. They instantly reply and said no they can’t, even though their website says they can and have 18 vehicles available. I ended up canceling my booking five days before pick up and getting a refund (7-10 business days later) and purchasing through a direct site and got a better deal anyway.

April 5, 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching and and we sincerely apologize for the difficulty that you experienced with your booking and specifically with our agent when trying to modify your rental.  This is unacceptable and we would like to be able to investigate your concerns, however, we would need your booking number in order to do so.  If you would provide this information, it would be most appreciated.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

STAY AWAY FROM THIS

We booked with them as referred to by kayak. Within two days of booking, we canceled our reservation as our plans have changed. But they charged a $75 cancelation fee. I have never seen any rental car company charging for cancelation.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY.

April 3, 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out.  Our cancellation policy is posted on the website prior to checkout and we are sorry if you missed this.  We do not charge cancellation fees to be difficult, but rather to cover our costs associated with the bookings.  We are sorry that this rental did not work out for you and as a courtesy to you, we have refunded the cancellation fee.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

STAY AWAY

STAY AWAY
I booked a car on the 27th March for hire on the 10th April. On the 29th March I tried to change one of the dates and was told it was too late as the date had already passed !!
Finally on the 4th April after emailing constantly they say no refund if the date is changed.
Goodness knows what will happen when I finally get to collect the car.
Stupidly, I missed that this was an overseas company when I booked. As they say....if it looks too good....

April 4, 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for the feedback.  We are investigating your concerns and will reach out to you directly to ensure that your booking has been sorted out.

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