Europcar Portugal Reviews 

I arrived later than intended at Europcar Faro due to long queues clearing customs. The wait time to be served was even longer at the store due to appalling management with more staff sitting around chatting and on phones rather than serving customers. This was stressful as I was late for an appointment already due to the airport queues.
When I was finally served (well over an hour now after when I had the car booked for) my vehicle wasn't ready and I was advised there would be a further wait of around 30 mins. This was simply not possible for me to do. Europcar's solution was to offer me an upgrade for £150 which was approximately double the cost of the original booking. When I pointed out that I would be charged if I returned the vehicle back an hour and a half late the staff just thought it was hilarious. In short:

(1) Staff were painfully poor resulting in long queues.
(2) Car not ready even though well past intended collection time.
(3) Paid nearly double the original cost as had no choice due to vehicle not being ready.

There are other car companies on site or alternatively get an Uber and use a local company such as QDL Car Hire when you get to your destination.

This will prevent you from being the victim of poor service and much higher charges than anticipated.

This company in vilamoura are doing a great job. We use them multiple times a year . The cars are like new or are new.
Staff are cheerful. They know we need a tall car 🚗 for Alan.
See you again in September. Regards michelle and alan

Be careful they want to scam you at return. At pickup you are told to check the car 100% alone. At return they will find small issues like a scratch at the wheel asking for min 200 euro. If you don’t have clear and good pictures of 109% of the car in good lightning you will be in trouble.i would not recommend to use Europcar in Lisbon. I used it for years in Nice (France) where the service is brilliant. Bad story for the overall global brand.

[DE] Leider können wir Europcar – insbesondere die Niederlassung Madrid Flughafen – absolut nicht weiterempfehlen.

Wir hatten ursprünglich einen Mietwagen über die offizielle Europcar-Website gebucht und wollten den Wagen am Flughafen Málaga abholen. Während des Buchungsvorgangs sprang die Auswahlmaske (vermutlich durch einen technischen Fehler) automatisch auf Madrid um – ohne dass dies beim Buchen auffiel. Erst mit der Buchungsbestätigung bemerkten wir, dass Madrid als Abholort eingetragen war.

Bereits am 20.05. wandte sich mein Mann mit Screenshots und einer detaillierten Erklärung an den Kundenservice. Nachdem eine Woche lang keine Rückmeldung kam, schrieb er am 27.05. erneut. Erst am 28.05. erhielten wir eine kurze automatische Antwort aus der Hamburger Zweigstelle, dass man unsere Anfrage an Madrid weitergeleitet habe.

Es folgte erneut keinerlei Rückmeldung. Am 03.06. hakte mein Mann erneut nach – wieder ohne Ergebnis. Erst am 11.06. kam eine pauschale Antwort (wieder aus Hamburg), dass eine Stornierung laut AGB nicht kostenlos möglich sei, da wir das „Light“-Paket gebucht hätten. Unsere eigentliche Anfrage – eine Umbuchung auf Málaga, keine Stornierung – wurde offenbar nicht einmal richtig gelesen.

Unsere Hinweise, dass es sich nicht um einen Nutzerfehler, sondern um einen technischen Fehler der Website handelt, wurden ignoriert. Wäre die Umbuchung auf Málaga mit (geringen) Mehrkosten verbunden, hätte man darüber diskutieren und in den Dialog gehen können – man ließ uns jedoch komplett im Regen stehen.

Am 12.06. versuchten wir erneut zu erklären, dass wir eigentlich nicht stornieren wollten, sondern schlicht eine Umbuchung auf den richtigen Flughafen erbeten hatten. Seitdem: Funkstille. Weder Hamburg, noch Madrid oder Málaga haben sich je wieder gemeldet.

Nach wochenlangen Mails, vergeblicher Geduld und völlig unzureichendem Kundenservice, haben wir uns nun dazu entschieden über einen anderen Anbieter zu buchen. Wir raten ausdrücklich davon ab, bei Europcar zu buchen – insbesondere wenn man auf einen funktionierenden und lösungsorientierten Kundenservice angewiesen ist.

Traurigerweise haben zeitgleich auch Freunde in Portugal schlechte Erfahrungen mit Europcar gemacht – das bestätigt uns leider nur in unserer Entscheidung: Nie wieder Europcar.

[EN] Unfortunately, we cannot recommend Europcar at all – especially the branch at Madrid Airport.

We originally booked a rental car through Europcar’s official website and intended to pick it up at Málaga Airport. However, due to what seemed like a technical glitch, the location field automatically reset to Madrid without us noticing. It only became apparent when we received the booking confirmation showing Madrid as the pickup location.

My husband contacted customer service immediately on May 20th, attaching screenshots and a detailed explanation. After a week without any reply, he followed up again on May 27th. On May 28th, we finally received a short automated message from the Hamburg office stating that our request had been forwarded to Madrid.

Once again – no response. On June 3rd, my husband followed up, still without any progress. Finally, on June 11th, we received a generic response (again from Hamburg), stating that a cancellation was not possible free of charge due to us having booked a “Light” package. Our actual request – to change the pickup location to Málaga, not cancel – clearly hadn’t been read or understood.

We pointed out multiple times that this wasn’t a user error, but rather a technical issue on Europcar’s own website. If changing to Málaga had come with a small additional cost, we would have been more than willing to discuss it – but no one ever opened that dialogue. Instead, we were left completely in the dark.

On June 12th, we tried once more to clarify that we weren’t looking to cancel but simply to correct the pickup location. Since then – silence. We’ve heard nothing from Hamburg, Madrid, or Málaga.

After weeks of emails, unanswered messages, and a complete lack of support, we’ve decided to go with another rental company. We strongly advise against booking with Europcar – especially if you rely on responsive and solution-oriented customer service.

Sadly, friends of ours had similar issues with Europcar in Portugal around the same time – which only confirmed our decision: never again Europcar.

ALWAYS BOOK AHEAD - RIP OFF MERCHANTS!!!!!
Due to an issue with another rental company (my fault) the charge for that would have been #100 with booking.com.
We now needed a fiat500 type car at Faro. Went to the Europcar desk and was quoted #568 by an agent - we were shocked to say the least ..!!! After 'talking to manager' he could kindly reduce to #528 !! He had also stated however if we booked on line with Europcar themselves now that car wouldn't be ready and would likely take 24hrs to be available - we then refused his offer then booked on 'booking.com' and car was ready with Europcar in one hour cost #150 (with a 2nd named driver)!!!!! - the original agent wouldn't look at us when we collected our car from the agent beside him - rightly embarrassed..... !!- We were so close to agreeing as we needed to get to Lisbon that afternoon -so PLEASE BEWARE - Europcar EXPLAIN yourselves and justify the #300 difference - disgusting practice !!!! You join GOLDCAR as the worst of the worst - but not quite as bad - AUTOREISEN is the best car rental by miles in our experience ...!!!

I rented a car for a week from Europcar at Faroairport. Collection process and staff were excellent, car was fairly new and very clean so I left with a good experience.
This changed on return, the agent who inspected the car claimed damage to one of the alloy wheels. When I inspected it there was nothing other than a dirty mark. He refused to accept this even though I wiped it clean, he became rude and bordered on aggressive saying a charge would be made. I took photos and insisted on seeing a manager. The car had already been moved to the cleaning bay but fortunately when the manager looked at the wheel they dismissed the claim and amended the return.
A lucky escape and I worry that less confident renters would truly get scammed.

Booked a car for a week for 172,- from the PT site for 1 week in France.
Arrived 40 minutes early and could only get a car upfront with an extra payment of 140,- So I waited for the booked car for the agreed amount of 172,-
Could finally take the car an hour after the scheduled time because I had to stand at the back of the line.
Coming home I discovered that Europcar France “sold” me an additional insurance which I refused at the desk of 186,- and took it from my deposit.
Contacted the customer service about this and they are “ investigating” already for a week and telling me to wait and wait and wait…
This is stealing money and not responding to customer claims.
If thought I was paying more for renting at a reliable branch (between the unreliable cowboys). But this is really a scam!

You think you won’t be the one that gets scammed like all the reviews tell you before but trust me you will even if you think you are extremely careful

We were clearly told we were already covered – both by the rental company and our own insurance. We even had documents from our booking platform proving our coverage. The only thing mentioned was a deposit. No one ever said anything about an extra paid insurance.

The contract was in Portuguese, and we were pressured to just quickly sign here. We didn’t realize something extra was hidden inside. In the end, we got stuck with a completely unnecessary insurance we never wanted or knew about.

This is a scam. I’m incredibly upset – I can’t believe people do something so mean like this and cause real financial harm. As a student, this charge is especially hard to handle. Instead of ever considering this company again, I’m now left with not wanting to rent and honestly never want to go through this experience ever again

Made a pre-booking in May 2025 for a smaller car type Fiat 500, also paid in advanced. Arriving a month later at Linate Airport to pick up the booked car. As often happens, car not available. But Igor from Europcar proposed an alternative car, VW Golf. I explicitly asked Igor if there was any surcharge and the answer was NO, seen my status as Europcar member. In good faith I signed the contract and left for 3 days trip with the car. Two days after returning the car, I received the invoice from Europe Car and their was a substantial surcharge (+30%) for the other car. After check with customer service, I received below reply :
" Dear Gert,
Thank you for reaching out.
After reviewing your profile, we can confirm that your Privilege program does not currently include the promotion for a complimentary upgrade.
This type of promotion is not yet part of the benefits associated with your current membership level.
Since the rental agreement has already been signed, we regret to inform you that we are unable to remove the related charge, as the signature constitutes acceptance of the contract’s terms and conditions.
Best Regards,
Oumy"
This is not fair and correct since I explicitly asked if there was a surcharge on my pre-booking cost and the answer was NO.
So be careful and read the contract before you sign at the Europcar counter in Milan-Linate.

Had to hire 2 different cars for 2 days as there wasn’t one available for both days. They asked for €300 per car as deposit. I refused as I hadn’t asked for 2 different cars. So they just took the €300. That was 3 weeks ago and the money still has not been paid back into my account. Have been into the branch concerned and they told me it’s my bank. I was originally told the money would be refunded between 2-5 days. Good job I didn’t give them the €600 they asked for !!!

We recently rented a car from Europcar in Lisbon, and the experience has been incredibly disappointing. At the time of rental, we were told that a deposit would be held on our credit card and refunded once the car was returned in good condition. We returned the car on time as agreed, with everything in perfect order.

However, once we were back in London, we noticed that the deposit was never returned. To make things worse, Europcar cancelled the original payment we had made at pickup and then recharged us a higher amount — about £20–£30 more, without any explanation or justification. No updated invoice, no communication — nothing.

This lack of transparency and accountability is completely unacceptable. Changing the agreed payment amount after the fact and withholding the deposit comes across as dishonest and unprofessional.

We will not be using Europcar again, and I would strongly advise others to double-check their charges and be cautious when dealing with this company.

Beware of Europcar in Vilamoura if thinking of hiring a vehicle. They give you a different/lower level of car from the one you book and pay for online, they keep your deposit for 10 days and have taken a random unauthorised amount from our account for no reason. No complaints book and after complaining by email they just replied with
‘We do not agree with your complaint and are allowed to do these things’.
Never again - Do not use them

Dropped the car back out of hours. Then the fun started. They tried to charge by €250 to refurb 2 of the wheels even though the damage was marked on the pick up sheet. They claimed as i dropped out of hours and i didnt leave papers in the car (even though they took a copy and i had a copy and they forgot to mention this for out lf hours drop off ) they would use new paperwork, where surprise surprise the wheel damage wasn't highlighted. Claimed against credit card and used chatgpt to send email. They then said it was a mistake and refunded me. Jokers. Do not use.

I had a very disappointing experience with Europcar. First, they placed an excessive pre-authorization of €1,000 on my credit card, which was far above industry standards and not clearly communicated beforehand.

There were also hidden fees for crossing the border, which were only disclosed at the counter – a frustrating surprise that significantly increased the total cost.

To make matters worse, the child car seat provided was dirty and clearly not cleaned properly before pickup, raising concerns about hygiene and safety.

Overall, the lack of transparency and poor service left a bad impression. I won’t be renting from Europcar again.

Rented at Lisbon airport, car was dented and dirty, backup gear had problems, making thumping noise underneath when driving. I was very lucky I stopped for gas and tire blew up, the was on metal and balled. At the airport no one comes with you to go over the car and check and the location is very dark and hard to see anything. Very upset and disappointed

Europecar Faro.
We had a very disappointing experience. First, we had to wait 90 minutes just to get our car, which was extremely frustrating. When the car finally arrived, it was wet, so it was impossible to inspect it properly.

We noticed small scratches on the car and pointed them out, but were told they wouldn’t be recorded in the documents because they were “too small.” Unfortunately, when we returned the car, those exact scratches were recorded and we were charged for them.

So, be very careful:

✅ Take a detailed video of the car before driving off – every single scratch, no matter how small.
✅ Allow plenty of extra time for the inspection at the return – it took forever for us.

This was a frustrating and disappointing experience. Avoid this company if you can, or be prepared for a lot of hassle!

AVOID! AVOID! AVOID!

They will charge you extra for things without no warning. Read further for details.

I rented a car from Cascais to return it the next day at the Lisbon Airport. Paid for all the xtra insurances and everything.
The car was supposed to be returned at 18:00 I arrived at the airport at 18:00 and there was huge line so by the time the car was inspected and the vehicle returned to me it was already 18:20. Ok not ideal but understandable.

This morning I check the invoice they sent via email and they charged me for an extra day and the time of return of the vehicle was 20:10 which is impossible giving that at that time I was already in an airplane flying over the ocean somewhere.

Tried customer service and simply helpless. Is my second nightmare with Europcar, I tried to give them another chance and now regret it. Please AVOID if you don't want to be dissapointed.

BEWARE - I have been mis sold additional insurance and roadside assistance although I kindly refused the offer of the sales guy. Documents only available in Portuguese and I was clearly lied to as when querying charges I was told I am signing for returnable deposit and not for additional charges. Customer service not interested as I put my signature on the piece of paper :( If you, like me, choose Europcar for their professionalism and customer service, maybe look at alternatives

Angelo Made our rental experience great. He gave us some tips on an info sheet for exploring the island, food options and much more which he made himself. He was lovely and I would rent through europcar just for him!

Don't trust Europcar FARO Airport!
A hard selling employee att the desk tricked us into paying for extra insurance coverage but in a manner that made us believe it was part of the deposition that we were supposed to get back after returning the car. We already had a well functioning insurance thru the booking by Rentalcar.com. But he made a presentation with handwritten figures on a pice of paper and in a way that fooled us completely! And we guess that this was intentionally and a way for him to get an extra commission.