Europcar Reviews 

Positive assistance, positive offering, reasonably priced in Bundaberg Qld and certainly fixed my issue while in Bundaberg. Only down side for me really was not being able to drop at the airport when leaving but I do thank the team for assistance and price guarantee

**Extremely Poor Customer Service – Lost Two Bookings Over a Cancellation Fee**

I would strongly recommend avoiding Europcar based on my recent experience.

I originally made a vehicle booking for the Gold Coast in October 2026. Our travel plans later changed and we needed the vehicle in Sydney for exactly the same dates. There was no obvious or user-friendly way to simply change the pickup location online, so rather than take our business elsewhere, I made a **second reservation with Europcar in Sydney**.

I then called Europcar to cancel the original Gold Coast reservation. Despite explaining that our plans had simply changed location — and that I had already rebooked with Europcar for the same dates — I was told I would be charged a cancellation fee.

What made the experience considerably worse was being asked, **“Did you not read the terms and conditions?”**

That is not customer service. It was dismissive, unnecessary and completely missed the point. I was not trying to walk away from Europcar or cancel our travel altogether — **I had already made another booking with them.**

I escalated the matter to a manager named **Ghian**, expecting some common sense and discretion to be applied. Unfortunately, the response was no better and the cancellation fee was still not waived.

At that point, we cancelled **both reservations**.

It is genuinely difficult to understand the business logic here. Europcar had a customer who had made two bookings because their travel plans changed. They could have waived a cancellation fee on the superseded booking, retained the Sydney reservation, and left us feeling that we had been treated reasonably.

Instead, they chose to enforce a fee and lose the entire booking — along with any future business from us.

We regularly hire vehicles for both **business and personal travel**, and after this experience we will simply use another company going forward.

Terms and conditions are one thing. Good judgement, customer service and understanding the value of a long-term customer are another.

**Europcar failed badly on all three.**

I would not recommend Europcar, and we will not be using them for either business or personal vehicle hire in the future.

We had a car booked by our insurance provider from Byron Bay to Byron Bay. Upon collection we asked if we could potentially drop the car off in Melbourne as that was where we lived and they said yes. As it turned out we had to change our rental to drop off in Melbourne to find out there was a one fee of $1000. There was nothing in our terms and conditions to state a one way would be applicable. Absolute criminals that they didn’t disclose this fee or even that was a one way fee upon collection and when asked, they misled me into confirming the booking. After raising it with the complaints team they quickly closed the case and are bullying us into raising the case via the courts which they know is going to cost more money and time. If you hate people and hate being a human and or showing any human decency, you have the perfect attributes to work for Europcar. Speak to the Ballina Airport depot or the complaints department as they choose to treat customers like scum

⭐️ 1 star — Warning to other customers

Very disappointing experience with Europcar Tullamarine. After returning the vehicle, Europcar claimed there was a windscreen chip and demanded around $1,000. I strongly dispute both the alleged damage and the charge.

Afterwards, I searched “Europcar windscreen damage” and found numerous similar complaints from other customers describing disputed windscreen claims and unexpected charges. Had I seen this beforehand, I would have chosen a different rental company.

My case has been formally disputed in writing, and I have not authorised any credit card charges while the matter remains unresolved. Warning to others: thoroughly photograph and video the entire vehicle, especially the windscreen, before and after your rental, and keep all documentation. Based on my experience, I would not use Europcar Tullamarine again and would recommend considering other providers such as Budget or Avis.

Our experience with Europcar - Southampton office - has been very disappointing and frustrating. On completing our hire in May this year, we returned the car on a Friday afternoon, well within the time it was supposed to have been returned. We returned the keys personally over the counter to the person in charge and the office was not busy. After our trip we noticed we had been charged an extra $500 Australian on our card - when we questioned this, we were told we had not handed the car in until Sunday, 2 days overdue. Despite evidence we produced showing we were on a cruise at this time, plus further evidence they had sent us -to show petrol consumption every day on a graph - also clearly showing the car had not moved since Friday afternoon, their only response was that their records showed the keys were handed in Sunday and refused to refund the money (no reference to their graph showing the car being parked for the last 2 days)! We have spent weeks trying to follow this up via emails and phone calls, sending all the evidence they asked for, but as far as we're concerned they were just making us chase a lost cause by wasting our time. Finally there was no more correspondence from their end - just "their records show it went back Sunday"! We have hired cars in many different countries and not had problems - this was the first time with Europcar and it will be the last! The only conclusion we can come to is that they are operating in a manner which suspiciously looks like scamming and need to be investigated. There should be a requirement that they provide customers with a receipt that states the time a car is handed back.

In a recent trip to Queenstown Newzealand, we paid upfront via Book.com. Then when we returned home 2 weeks later, Europcar unlawfully charged my credit card a second time for the full amount and refused to return the money. Don't rust these thieves! I had to get my credit card company to back charge them to get my money back.

Poor customer service and no accountability from them in this regard. Would suggest avoiding and using alternatives if you can.

I am going to start by saying that your staff members ask me at the beginning of the conversation if I want to upgrade and I said no. Then he said I need to pay $15 plus the $200 dollars as deposit which I would get back! He was a very good salesman and took advantage of me. He was actually charging me for the upgrade.

Yes I signed but I didn’t read the paperwork as I thought it was just the contract for what I paid for. When they make you sign on the iPad they don’t let you read anything it’s just a signature.
Then he said I am going to upgrade for free.
This situation is manipulation on his behalf and I feel like I was taken advantage off once again. This is what I wrote to them

Here is there email back to me..
Dear Miranda Griffiths,
Thank you for getting back to us and sharing your perspective. I completely understand your frustration, and I am very sorry that this interaction left you feeling taken advantage of. That is certainly never the experience we want our customers to have.

I have carefully reviewed your message regarding the conversation at the counter and the circumstances surrounding your signature. While I hear how upsetting this experience was, and I acknowledge your concerns about how the details were presented, our policy remains that a signed agreement is considered valid. Because of this, I must gently reiterate that the charge will need to stand, and we are unable to issue a refund.

Please know that we take feedback regarding our counter staff very seriously. I am sharing your comments with our management team to ensure our team members are always clear, transparent, and respectful with our customers.

We truly value your business and are genuinely sorry that we couldn't reach a more favorable outcome for you today. We hope that, in time, you might consider giving us another chance to provide you with the seamless experience you deserve.

Warm regards,

Unprofessional, dirty vehicle, zero safety support, and false late charges!

I rented a 4WD from this company in Queenstown, and the entire experience has been a complete disaster from start to finish.

First, I booked and pre-paid for two child car seats. When I picked up the vehicle, only one was in the car, wasting 30 minutes of our time while staff hunted around for a second one. Worse yet, they refused to install the car seat for us, explicitly stating they wouldn't do it to avoid any liability on their part. To top it off, we opened the glove box to find a banana and a half-eaten bag of chips from the previous renter—clearly, the car was never cleaned or inspected.

The return process was even worse. There was no attendant in the carpark, so I went inside to the counter where two staff members were sitting. When I asked if they wanted the keys and reached to hand these to them, they just pointed at the key box and told me to throw them in there. They didn't bother checking the box until the following day, and then had the nerve to charge me an extra full day's rental for their own tardiness!

I had to go through a frustrating dispute process to prove I returned the car on time, having to send time-stamped photos of the vehicle in their lot and my flight boarding pass. Even after "correcting" the invoice, their reissued bill still overcharged me.

Total crooks, completely incompetent, and super lazy. Do NOT use them.

We hired a car for 1 day for $194 and then were charged $7700 to simply change the drop off location to another depot a few km's away! No accountability, no appology, just notification after a few weeks that they have refunded the overcharges like we should be grateful after I jumped up and down about the charges that they said were valid. These charges don't apply if you book online and select a different drop off location. However, it seems if you go through a travel agency and make this adjustment to the booking, they charge $5500 plus some 33%+ tax and other fees that totalled $7700 in the hope they can rip us off and get away with it. The attitude of the staff in handling the matter was unacceptable with no appology or accountability for made up bogas charges. Stay away from this company. They aren't trustworthy!

When we picked up our car from Melbourne airport it had a flat tyre. We asked for it to be replaced, but the staff member insisted on re-inflating it. Guess what? We woke up to find it flat the next morning. We paid $120AUD for the roadside assistance and called them out to have the tyre changed for the spare attached under the car. The flat tyre was found to have a nail in it, whilst the replacement was dirty and muddy, as you’d expect. After returning the vehicle and informing staff of what happened, we received an email a couple of days after saying that we’d damaged the car and they were assessing how much we had to pay to repair damages. They attached photos of the spare tyre, but I’m not sure that a muddy tyre constitutes damage even if we had caused it. When I replied and repeated what happened, they had the cheek to say that there was “new” damage without stating what it was, and as a “gesture of goodwill” (!!) they’d not pursue it. The two times I called the claims team they admitted to me that their system isn’t connected to the roadside assistance records.
Be warned. They have no idea what they’re doing, and have lazy staff that are not adequately maintaining the cars, or listen and communicate between each other what you tell them.

Eurocar should stop scamming people by offering a “free upgrade “ then charging them for insurance which I picked $0 and a high bond. Absolutely disgusting on their behalf. Extra charge was $357 for one day extension. It’s wasn’t a Ferrari or Lambo

Disappointing first experience with Europcar. I had already booked and paid through Auto Europe with refundable excess protection and airport pickup, but at pickup center I was sold Premium Cover without the differences and extra charges being clearly explained. The final invoice included Premium Cover, a Premium Location Surcharge, admin fee, card fee and GST, totalling AUD 224.46 in extra charges. Europcar later acknowledged the booking information was confusing, but still relied on the signed agreement rather than looking at the customer experience fairly. Not good customer service insisting on their jargon to put me in a spot, especially for a first-time customer.

Really disappointed with this company. The car we got for 4 weeks had a technical problem and was super noisy. As we tried to exchange it, we couldn't reach anyone and when we did they told us that there were no other cars available. Never again! Stay away from Europe Car!

WARNING do not hire from Europcar they will rip every cent from you with their false claims, they really do need investigation . For over 15 years they have had my loyalty wherever I’ve travelled but I’m done .
Adelaide Airport July 2026 , collected car and luckily took multiple photos on pickup and noted scratches to the outside mirror . I also did not take out the additional insurance of $60 per day so excess was $5,400 if damaged ( I use credit card insurance to cover any excess if damaged ) On returning the car undamaged I promptly received photos of the previous damage I had noted and photographed of the mirror and stating that I had returned the car damage and an insurance quote was being prepared. I can totally guarantee if I not been able to prove the damage was already present on pickup they would be demanding a payment for the $5,400 excess insurance ! I provided my photos and the claim was “reviewed” and dismissed .
However I was also 5 mins late in returning the car, due to taking a wrong turn into the multi story carport and then I had to exit the airport and re-enter . Eurocar are insistent I was 17 mins late, I was most definitely not as I particularly took note of my return time . I have now been charged for an extra day car hire.
I have sent multiple emails arguing this unfair charge, of which I have received disinterested responses .
I also collected a car again Adelaide Airport April 2026, the remote went flat during the hire period , I replaced it at my cost of $30 on advice from Europcar maintenance centre and to supply the receipts for a refund when returning the car. I did , it was documented and yet still I have not been refunded 3 months later .
Europcar my loyalty is gone forever .

Very annoying, would not recommend at all.

I paid fully in advance in Australia for a German rental which was returned a day early undamaged and with full fuel
A month after a rental was completed, I received Europcar’s invoice showing I was entitled to a refund of €104
A further three months passed with me requesting my refund with the wonderfully named Queenie Fe in Melbourne’s misnamed customer service!
Suddenly two extra charges appear on my credit card, which I’ve now been forced to freeze to prevent further theft! Please read the reviews of this unscrupulous company and make sure to go elsewhere

We pickup a vehicle in Darwin April 2026 for 6 days this car was only driven 3 times in 6 days, when we returned the car back to the airport we notice one of the Tyre's was a bit flat so we filled it up and when refilled with petrol, I did mention it to the nice lady at the airport when returning the keys. Three months later we received an email with a bill for $520.34 for new Tyre? When I spoke with a person at the Claims office she was extremely rude and very unprofessional!

Hired a car in Melbourne Australia, on the 2nd night at 11.15pm we got a flat and when going to change the tyre found the jack was broken so had to call roadside assistance as could not fit the spare. However the breakdown service never gave time of when arriving and after 2 hours a kind passerby stopped and we used his jack to change tyre. At this point there was still no word from recovery. As tyre was now changed we phoned Europcar to cancel assistance and they said they would and all was good. We returned car 2 days later and again was told that account was good and no charges. Then over 10 weeks later sent notification of charge by Europcar of$191.40 for call out charge we never received. 2 issues are Europcar hired a really dangerous car that could have put lives in danger if flat had happened in outback with no way of changing it due to broken jack. And secondly on two occasions we were told the account was good and no charges would be applied.

I rented from Europcar (Melbourne Sunshine West) and was charged over $460 for cleaning after a trip left mud on the front floor carpets. I fully acknowledged the carpets needed cleaning and offered to pay a fair amount for it. That was never the issue.
The issue is that Europcar's own supplier invoice described the driver and passenger seats as stained. The seats were completely clean. Only the floor carpets had mud, which Europcar's own inspection report and photos confirmed. Their paperwork couldn't agree with itself on what was actually being cleaned, yet I was billed on the basis of the incorrect version.
The charge was also processed as a "damage" claim rather than a cleaning fee, which are handled very differently under the rental terms and come with extra fees. I disputed it formally and took it to the industry conciliation service. The contradictions in their own documents were never addressed.
While the charge was still in dispute, they attempted to debit my card and warned of referral to debt collection and a possible mark on my credit file, all over a charge I was actively contesting. I ended up paying under protest simply to close it, and I've since lodged a complaint with Consumer Affairs Victoria.
I had booked with Europcar for years without a single claim before this. That history counted for nothing. My advice to anyone renting: photograph the entire interior at pickup and return, keep every document, and check any cleaning or damage charge line by line against what the terms actually permit.