Centauro Reviews 185

Follow-up review:
After our first review, the company has now tried to charge my bank card for €2,000 twice with no email, no explanation, and no reason given. This was for a car that had full insurance and broke down in the middle of our journey, which was no fault of ours. We are careful, experienced drivers, and the vehicle simply stopped while we were driving. Not only did they leave us without a car for our trip, but now they are attempting to take more money from us without any proper communication. This company is unprofessional, dishonest, and should be avoided. Do not trust them — they will try to scam you.

We rented a car with full insurance coverage for a 10‑day period. While driving, we experienced a serious issue—the gears would not change properly. We immediately contacted your company and were told that both a tow truck and a taxi would be sent to assist us, and your customer service representative clearly assured us that a replacement vehicle would be ready for us on arrival. After waiting for over an hour in 24‑degree heat, we called again and were informed that only a tow truck had been dispatched and that no taxi had been arranged, leaving us stranded on the roadside. After further insistence, a taxi was finally sent, and we were taken 1.5 hours back to Lisbon. Upon arrival, despite the previous assurance that a replacement car would be ready and the fact that we still had four days remaining on our rental agreement, we were refused a replacement vehicle. This caused significant inconvenience, additional expense, and disruption to our travel plans, and in our view represents a clear failure to provide the contracted service.

Very disappointing experience with Centauro at Lisbon Airport.

When making my reservation I provided both my flight number and my arrival time (23:00). The rental was fully prepaid for the entire week. After landing, I waited at the airport for about one hour for the shuttle service, as the confirmation email stated that the shuttle runs every 10–15 minutes. No shuttle arrived and when I tried to call the office I could only reach an automated system.

Since it was late at night and there was no way to contact anyone, I had no choice but to take a taxi to my hotel.

The following day I took another taxi to the Centauro office to collect the car. I was told that the office closes at 23:00, that I should have called in advance, and that I was arriving too late to collect the vehicle, despite the booking already being prepaid.

What makes this even more confusing is that the booking system allows customers to select pickup times such as 23:15, 23:30 and 23:45, which reasonably suggests that late arrivals can be accommodated. This was actually one of the reasons I chose this company over others.

Because of this situation I had to pay for two taxis, an extra night of hotel parking and an additional day of car rental. Customer service later refused any reimbursement and closed the case.

Overall a very disappointing experience and poor handling of a situation that could have been avoided with clearer information during the booking process.

UNPLEASANT!: the staff and the policy. Small rental fee, but you are obliged take an insurance 5 times the price of the rental. They kept my safety deposit for 3 weeks, obviously to use it for other things. Exactly like a bank or an insurance company. UNPLEASANT!

Location: Lisbon (LIS Airport)

I am providing an objective summary of my experience to alert future travelers, particularly those using US/non-local credit cards:

Payment & Deposit Issues: I arrived with third-party insurance and intended to place the required €1,600 security deposit on my credit card. Despite my US banks confirming my cards were in good standing, Centauro’s system repeatedly failed to process the hold. This effectively forced me to purchase their internal insurance just to take the vehicle.

Customer Service: The staff was unhelpful and dismissive. They refused to provide the assistant's name, denied my request to speak with a manager, and would not provide documentation of the payment system failure (which I needed for my insurance records). Do not expect service with a smile here.

Vehicle Substitution: I booked a Peugeot 3008 but was given an older Ford Kuga that lacked Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Despite it being low season in Lisbon and the lot being full of vehicles, they refused to provide a modern equivalent unless I paid for an additional upgrade.

Takeaway: The low "base price" found online is a decoy. Between the technical issues with credit card holds and the lower-tier vehicle substitutions, you will likely end up paying significantly more than anticipated. Not worth the stress or the "savings."

We had a bad experience with Centauro car hire at Palma Airport. No minibus pick up, we had to pay for a taxi to the car hire office .
On arrival at the car hire office we were greeted by a very impolite aggressive person not a good start to your holiday. I wondered if Centauro car hire want our custom or not. We found the car not where we were told it would be. I opened the car door to be greeted with a well used car oder, the seats had stains all over them, the car mileage was 64000 Kilometres. So I returned to the office to request a better condition car. The car keys were snatched from me to open the door to inspect inside, I was then told it's a hire car, no i am not going to change the car, again the aggressive impolite attitude.
So it's the first and last time we will be renting a car from Centauro , maybe find a alternative holiday destination
Mallorca is not the most welcoming of countries .

Very bad experience with Centauro Lisbon.
Be extremely careful with their fuel deposit scam. They claim to have a full-to-full policy, but they gave me the car with only 70–75% fuel. When I returned it with the same amount, they still charged me and kept a large part of my fuel deposit.

While I was at the counter, two other customers were fighting with them for the exact same reason.
This looks like a common practice, not a mistake.

I strongly advise everyone to avoid this company.

Had a car reservation with this company and my flight was delayed. Even though I called 3H in advance, they refused to wait for us! It took me 8x attempts on the phone to even speak to anyone! Unbelievably rude on the phone.

Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding Unprofessional and Rude Behaviour at Centauro Mallorca Airport Office

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to formally raise a complaint regarding my experience today with your staff at Centauro Mallorca Airport. Unfortunately, the behaviour I encountered was unprofessional, rude, and completely unacceptable, and it has resulted in the cancellation of my confirmed booking.

I had a confirmed booking with Centauro from 03 October 2025 to 04 October 2025. However, as today is 02 October 2025, I went to your office to ask if my reservation could be brought forward by one day and simply combined with my existing booking. To my surprise, the counter staff refused outright, without any willingness to help or even check options.

When I later asked if I could make a new booking from 02 October to 04 October, a different staff member quoted me €170, which I considered too expensive. I politely declined and explained that I would look for another option. I did not cancel my confirmed booking at that time.

What followed was shocking and completely unacceptable. When I boarded your shuttle bus to return to the airport, a young male staff member boy in yellow shirt approached me and, in a very rude manner, ordered me and my friend to leave the bus, saying we could not use it and should either walk or book a taxi. This was deeply insulting and humiliating. For a company that advertises customer service, this is disgraceful behaviour.

As a result, I immediately cancelled my booking with Centauro and went instead to Click Rent, located nearby. Their staff treated us with professionalism and respect, and I rented a car there for £140. This is money that could have gone to Centauro, but because of the behaviour of your staff, you lost both a customer and revenue.

I am from the UK and travel frequently. This was my first time booking with Centauro, and it will certainly be my last. I will also be sharing my experience publicly on social media platforms including X, Instagram, and Facebook so that others are aware of the unprofessional and rude behaviour I faced.

Your staff’s actions are damaging Centauro’s reputation and discouraging future business. I strongly urge you to review the CCTV footage from today at your Mallorca Airport office and shuttle bus, as this will confirm my account of events.

I have attached my booking details for reference.

I expect a formal response from you regarding this matter.

So, this place is disgusting they are poorly trained employees and quite clueless after our long flight, from Bangladesh, they somehow messed up our car and gave us a small mini car when we are 6 people and when we asked for a refund they said it will take 3months to get back if not a coupon me and my two other siblings waited there for 4hours and they did care whatsoever and their communication skill are terrible, horrid and one doesn’t even know English also when my parents spoke about the car the dude said next time fix language, like EXCUSE ME I’m the one paying like??? Our whole entire trip was ruined thank you

A disgrace! Whatever you were planning to do, choose another car rental company.
- Different conditions between online booking and vehicle collection. - Different prices between online booking and actual prices.
- Forced sale on additional services (insurance, telepayment, etc.).
- Car not matching the reservation. In a class far below what was reserved.
- Additional options requested, not respected (no child seat even though it was reserved).
This is a tourist scam offered by Easyjet. Above all, don't fall for it.

Centauro Pisa. Not very friendly, were charged for one of the tires we did not damage. The damage there were smaller than the round circle.
Not very clear marked on the papers.
We went back to the office but they would not talk to us.
Do not rent here

Extraordinarily long time to collect car. They have two service levels ordinary and premium. If you are ordinary and shuttle arrives with premium customer they go to front of the queue. The wait to collect the car was 3 hours.

2 hours in reception and still waiting for my reservation. Still 10 numbers ahead in queue. It’s so slow!!!!

I booked a car through Europe Rent-A-Car Online with Centro Centauro Lisbon for 3 days at £48 thats includes fully covered insurance , a very good deal on paper. My flight landed at 09:40 am, and by 10:45 I was already at their office. Despite my booking being scheduled for 10:00, I had to wait until 12:30 to be served. People who arrived after me were being called earlier because, as I was told, direct customers who book through Centauro’s own website are prioritized over those who book through agencies. This practice felt extremely unfair and misleading.

While waiting, I also noticed many customers leaving without cars. They were told no electric vehicles were available and were pushed towards more expensive options. When my turn finally came, the agent processing my booking mentioned that my deal was “too cheap” ,usually a one-day rate, not three days and seemed unhappy that I booked it through an agency.

On top of the 130€ refundable deposit for tolls/fuel tank, I was asked for another 1600€ refundable deposit for the car itself. My credit card, which worked for 1st deposit would not process the second amount on their machine. Instead of helping, the staff insisted I pay an additional 103€ non-refundable insurance fee, which only covered limited damages (keys and interior, not exterior). I told them i already bouht full insurance policy from the agency but they made it clear that they wont accept.

At that point, I called the agency I booked through, but Centauro refused to speak to them and cooperate. It became obvious that they didn’t want to honor my booking and were trying to push me into paying more. I ended up leaving without the car.

I took an Uber to Hertz rental company and with the same card, I was able to book a car for a similar price smoothly and without issues.

My advice: avoid Centro Centauro Lisbon. If you book through an agency, expect to be treated as second-class. If you try to get a cheap deal, they will likely pressure you into hidden charges or refuse service. These practices feel dishonest and manipulative. Pay a little more elsewhere and save yourself the stress.

SCAM. Avoid this company at all costs.

They do everything to push you to take the very expensive additional insurance (24€ per day!), even if you are already insured. The deposit is much higher than the amount that a classic Visa card allows, so if you don’t have a premium Visa card you basically have no choice but to take this insurance. They also don’t accept American Express.

We ended up paying an extra 348€ (!) for Centauro’s insurance while we had booked our car via Rentalcars for 371€ (including insurance). It is a very sneaky and unfair business model. You are also obliged to pay a deposit of almost €100 for fuel.

Choose a major international car rental company (much lower deposits, no hidden costs) if you want a carefree holiday.
And if you are scammed, report this company’s practice to the Portuguese tourist authority as it is not legally allowed in the European Union. Help other tourists to have a better first experience in Portugal.

Will never use the service of this company!

We have used Centauro’s services in Spain before and had a positive experience, which is why we decided to rent from them again in Lisbon. Unfortunately, this time we were very disappointed and felt cheated.
When picking up the car (a Nissan Juke), we carefully checked the exterior and interior. We even made a video of the outside, but unfortunately not of the inside. After a week of driving, when we returned the car, the staff accused us of losing the trunk cover – even though it was not there when we received the car. Since we didn’t take photos of the interior, we couldn’t prove it, and honestly, we didn’t even think about the cover at the time because the trunk was quite small.
We asked the staff to review their own security camera footage from the pick-up area, as the office is under video surveillance, but they ignored our request and simply shrugged, saying nothing could be done. It felt as if they in purpose do not put certain interior accessories to later charge unsuspecting customers.
And on top of it, they demanded over €400 for the trunk cover, even though its maximum price on the market is around
€300.
Overall, this experience was extremely disappointing. We will never use Centauro again and i don’t recommend their services to anyone.

Be careful, this company is a scam, even with premium full cover. They will try whatever they can to steal from you and rip you off. We were given a broken car and after returning it within 20 minutes we were blamed for it without any prove. No one checked the car upon giving it to us. We lost our booking fee + deposit (€400), they wanted us to pay a fine of €1600 and left us stranded without a car. The employees left us there for hours without offering any assistance. The manager “Rita” at this location is extremely incapable, greedy and rude. A bunch of thief’s without a conscience. We have taken legal action.

Car pickup has been a total nightmare. I had a paid booking through Carjet, nontheless, they charged me again, the same amount of my booking cost. Probably they realized I had gotten a really good price for a boooking in high season, so it didn't make sense for them to give me the car I had booked. They tried to downgrade me first, and after some shouting and strong arguments, they accepted to give me a car of the category I had booked for, still smashed on the passenger side though. And then they decided to charge me what I had already paid.

We rented a car from Centauro through Billiger-Mietwagen.de from July 10 to August 2, 2025 (pickup in Porto, return in Faro). The vehicle was in very worn condition when we received it – over 80,000 km and several pre-existing, though documented, damages.

During the rental period, the tire pressure dropped twice, so we visited the Centauro Lisbon office on July 22 to have it checked. Instead of helping us, the staff immediately tried to blame us for a puncture and wanted to charge us, without any evidence.

Only after strong protest and firm argumentation did they back down and give us a replacement car.

The whole experience was very unprofessional, rude, and stressful.

We strongly advise against renting from Centauro, and hope platforms like Billiger-Mietwagen.de reconsider working with them.