Europcar Reviews 

AWFUL experience, EXTORTIONATED. I am taking further action after being extortionated by europcar in Carcassonne, a unprofessional, no ethic of work, zero clarity of charges mostly a bald tall fat man that is not clear of all the charges, zero leadership skills, and I heard him saying "merde to the anglais" thinking people don't understand french. At the moment my bank is dealing with this and they have already decreased in the bill 52.92€ which still not enough, They dishonesty charged me after I've had a puncture and the car didn't have tyre to change, 3.71€ per liter x 44 liters because I didn't have any chance to go to a petrol station to top up the tank. The maximum of 95 petrol in France is 2.02€ liter and they can't extortionated me. I have all the evidences on my side and know my rights and law. This will end when I get the correct amount.

I have given 1 star based on the consistent aggressive return policy at Carcassone Airport, which I have experienced more than once particularly involving a female member of staff.
In the first instance trying to claim I caused a scratch to a vehicle a couple of years ago. On that occasion I put up such a fuss she dropped it and when I finally got to carefully review my pick up video (out of the sun and on the plane), it was already there. This suggests they may be repeat charging damage.
Most recently (June26) a minor scuff was picked up on the passenger side mirror. Very difficult to see. I was told I was over 2cm but that was itself a bit questionable. The same female assessor as before said she couldn’t determine this as damage herself, and took photos to send to ‘the expert’.
Frankly although the scuff existed it was the sort of thing that could be quite easily buffed away or made unnoticeable if it was your own car.
Under pressure to catch a flight and having already wasted time because she made to fill up at Auchan, having threatened of €4 litre penalty costs, even though the tank was registering full when I returned it. She simply would not accept that I filled up not far away. My refill got in an extra €5 worth.
The cost of a very minor ‘light scuff’ (their description): €260.49 of which €87 was a ‘damage management fee’. Charged in my absence to my card.
Note: This car rental office are pushy on collection with upsales and in my mind repeatingly aggressive on returns. BUYER BEWARE!

Do not hire a car here. Deceptive. A hold was put on my credit card for fuel and traffic tickets and a separate amount for insurance. Despite being told at drop off everything was fine and all the money held on credit card would be released they refused to release the money and they claimed I requested an upgrade. Untrue

On return we were shown a broken cord for the parcel shelf. Asked to sign for the return but advised that we wouldn’t be charged. Foolishly trusted them and now have a bill for £450 for a new shelf. The staff member only looked at this item and didn’t want to look at the rest of the car. It’s clearly a trick they use regularly so please avoid at all costs.

DON'T book your hire car with Europcar!! I was charged for a non-existent scratch after jointly inspecting the car with their representative and being told all was fine 😡

Europcar have previously been investigated by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for similar post-rental billing practices, including charging customers for damage without proof of repairs.

Hired a car today from Europcar carcassonne 25/06/25
It was a last minute booking due to being let down by Alamo car hire
I approached there front desk and was met by a pleasant male member of staff who did his best for me
I was shocked just how much they was asking from me for a one weeks hire £$€1,200 Euros which included there vehicle insurance.
When I explained that I’ve got my own insurance a female member of staff who refused to give her name threatened to call the police on me and started swearing using the word Shit , I told her that her conduct was very unprofessional and she literally went hysterical, shouting and yelling and started to shout at me in front of other customers.she then said I can’t take a photo of her ?? I wasn’t ever trying to take a photo of her .
It’s such a shame as the three male members of staff we’re professionals and very polite
The female member of staff unfortunately has let your company down and let herself down .
She stormed out of the showroom and went outside ranting and raving like a mad person .
One very nasty, angry, aggressive individual.
Needs to go have some serious training on how to deal with the public
I honestly believe this woman has mental health issues
Be very aware of this lady !!!

We hired a car for 2 days from Europcar at Carcassonne Airport.
On returning it, the check-in reviewer said there was a scratch underneath the front valance which was not on the pre-stated damage.
This cannot even be seen from eye level or even parallel to the front valance so we could never have seen this when inspecting to verify before the hire.
Their staff appear to be running sharp practice to maximise ‘damage costs’ and potentially to improve their bonuses.
I would absolutely advise anyone taking one of their vehicles on hire to carefully inspect and video all around the immediate underside of the car to protect themselves.
However, I’d much more specifically suggest that people rent from an alternative provider who does not operate on an ethically dubious manner.

Have been charged for a E Tag that is missing from the car, this despite driving straight to Durban and not once did the car beep as it usually does when you go under a E toll boom and gate automatically opens on the N£ so its safe to assume there wasn't one. I got a email stating the car needed to be returned urgently as it was due for a service - they first suggested I go to the King Shaka airport to swap the car, they then said they would swap the car at their cost.......I was told they would be there within 20 minutes, They took at least an hour and a half - this then meant I had to cancel my appointment. I am now being charged for a full valet as the car wasn't clean. I always give the cars back washed, but don't expect sudden car changes and essentially the car would be washed when serviced.

Charged £420 for a scratch that wasn't done by us picked car up from airport drove home to our house in France tested positive for COVID-19 didn't move for 2 weeks straight back to airport girl went to inspect the sat down underneath it straight away I've found a scratch at the bottom of the front bumper

Last time we used them in carcassonne we hired a van did about 40km in charged us for going over our 500km limit maybe it's not europecar in general just the one at carcassonne airport have complained no response so probably europecar

We use Europcar in Dusseldorf airport. Well trained stuff with nice communication skills. They listened my problem and propose me a fair alternative solution. The car was almost new and clean. At the end of my rental, there is pensonel in 24 basis to return the car.

My wife and I had a great experience with Europcar in Cape Town. Ralton was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and ensured we had a smooth check-in. He even helped us add an extra day and exchange for a car that better suited our needs without any hassle. We would definitely rent from Europcar again.

I booked with Europcar following negative reviews of other agents at CPT airport. Also I am a "Privilege" member so use them a lot in Europe. I wanted to avoid arguments about the tank not being full on return which seems to be a common issue in SA. So I filled the tank just before dropping it back and yet they still charged a re-fuel fee and for additional fuel. I kept the receipt in case I needed proof and yes despite giving them this on the day and also sending it by email they are ignoring me request to remove this fee. I also only took 11 days and yet they are charging for 16. They are refusing to acknowledge this. It seems as if Europcar in SA is a completely different company as there is zero communication. Very disappointed to book with a well known and reputable company only to have exactly the same issues as if I had booked with a back street set up. Definitely not recommended.

Europcar; just like all the rest.
This is a review of my experience with Europcar in Capetown.
When I arrived to pick up the vehicle it was not available. Europcar had made the mistake of believing that my booking was to pick up the car from the airport. It was not. The pick up was clearly stated on the forms as from the city centre in Cape Town. The customer services officer explained this to the manager and he did; absolutely nothing. Until, when it was clear that I had been completely forgotten about. At that point the manager reluctantly acknowledged the mistake and rang around to find another vehicle. There was none available. After further delays his eventual solution was to run around to the service garage and ask someone to clean a car that had just been brought back and bring it round for our use. Clearly there had been no other vehicle checks. This first delay of well over an hour meant that we lost the opportunity to visit Cape Point as there was not enough time now to do that and get to Hermanus, our first stop. So that was problem number one.

Secondly the vehicle we were given was not fit for purpose. The engine repeatedly cut out and failed to re-start. On two occasions this was in busy traffic and we had to be pushed, by pedestrians, to the side of the road to clear the way for other vehicles. ( Bear in mind that in SA one is advised to keep the car doors locked at all times ) We eventually limped to our accomodation in Hermanus where the reception staff helped me to contact Europcar and explain the problem. A replacement car was sent and we were able to complete the rest of our hire successfully. All in all a very anxious time both in driving the inadequate vehicle and in not knowing whether we would be able to complete our journeys.

On returning the car at the end of the hire we received no explanation and no apology. However, we decided to put the matter behind us and not raise a complaint. Unfortunately that was not the end of the matter. A few weeks after returning home Europcar emailed me to tell me they were taking an " administration charge" from my bank card in respect of a traffic violation I had incurred. Through several exchanges of emails since then Europcar have failed to demonstrate that the violation was while I was driving the car. Given this further annoyance, I have raised an official complaint with Europcar about the whole experience. Their answer is to stop answering my emails.
The whole car hire industry is unfit for purpose. I had hoped that Europcar might be an exception. They are not.