Hertz Reviews 

150 pound surprise fee

After paying in advance online I was told at the desk it would be more than double the cost. This was for a young driver surcharge for being under 25 for 3 days, when I was in fact over 25 for 2 of those days. Scam.

The original hire was fine in June 2025. I arrived, the vehicle was more or less where it was supposed to be and was easy to access via the app. Used the van for a few hours and then took it back. Took all the photos on the app and that was that.

However, Hertz also took a £5 subscription fee. I queried it at the time and was told that you have to have this to hire a van. It was still pretty good value so I wasn't that bothered. A year later, and they took another £5. I queried this with them and had to provide a bank statement, after which they said they couldn't find my booking on their system as it was over a year old. It wasn't, it was just under a year. I pointed this out and was told they only keep records for 6 months. I told them I didn't want a subscription and asked them to cancel it. They kept saying they couldn't find the booking with the reference I had on the bank charge, even though they had just taken £5 out of my account! I kept chasing it up and they just ignored me, so in the end I had to go to my Bank and ask them to sort it. Within a day or two, they had refunded the £5 and cancelled the subscription because they actually do 'customer service' which Hertz do not.

Useless company, will never use them again.

The unluckiest hire-car customer, or a systemic failure at Hertz and their suppliers?

In 2024 ( bear with me ) I hired a Toyota for a few weeks, and had no problems until the day before the return when the number plate literally fell off - while I was driving. Fortunately, despite the risk of entering the middle of a busy road, I was able to retrieve it. Upon returning the car the next day without the number plate attached, there didn’t seem to be any major surprise with ‘this kinda thing happens with these stick-on plates’ being the response. Hmmm…really?….was my response. If this is a known failure, is Hertz just expecting customers to deal with it? And what would likely happen if a car is returned without a number plate because the stick-on failure happens without the driver’s knowing, or it’s just too dangerous to try to retrieve it?

So, fast forward to July 2026, with another Toyota hired for a few weeks…..and it happens again! The number plate is spotted hanging by a single thread of a single stick-on and would again have just fallen off while driving. Only this time it happens in the middle of the hire period, which immediately causes problems as a quick google search shows there is a zero tolerance policy within the traffic regulations for driving without a number plate with a €60 on-the-spot fine and a no-driving order until the plate is reattached. And the (eventual) Hertz answer to this predicament? ‘Can you find a garage or car goods shop that stocks the stick-ons, or something similar and put the plate back on?’. This is what I had to do in order to avoid a fine and continue with my journey. What the response might have been had the plate been lost while driving, who knows? If, as happened on this occasion, upon return, the customer discovers an out-of-hours collection fee being charged despite the flight delay being communicated in the booking, just what extra charge is a customer likely to face because part of the car is actually missing?

So, is this just a very weird coincidence that it could happen to the same person on two separate occasions two years apart? Or, does Hertz need to take this seriously in terms of how widespread an issue it is? Which suppliers to the Hertz fleet are using stick-on number plates, and what quality controls are in place to ensure they actually work?

My experience after having given back the car has been absolutely A DISASTER.

I have been charged for spending too much time in a gas station, which is a usual scam as mentioned by other review on google.

Not only HERTZ charged me 40 Pounds as process fees to pay for this fine BUT ALSO they do not even have provided me any replies after 3 weeks of official requests to ask for a commercial gesture ... not even to say me to go to hell ...

Absolutely UNACCEPTABLE

AVOID HERTZ at all costs. They dishonestly placed additional insurance fees and another fee on my agreement DESPITE me verbally declining them in person. This is criminal fraud by false representation. Customer Service drag the subsequent response out to try and make you give up. USE SMALL CLAIMS COURT TO RECOUP FEES. They should be investigated by the police. I used Hertz all my life but will not be using them ever again!

What a nightmare..!
I have an account which works on the website and can login. I made the booking on the website got the ref number on email, but the booking didn't show on the website. The email said confirm on the app.. the app wouldn't let me login. Can't speak to anyone on the phone as it links you to online or email.
Emailed them to cancel the non-existent booking.
Won't use them again

Dear Hertz PCO Team,

I am extremely disappointed with the level of customer service I have received.

Since 9:11 a.m. yesterday, I have been trying to contact your PCO team via WhatsApp, as this is the only contact method provided for PCO enquiries. I have sent around 20 messages, including screenshots and detailed explanations of my issue, yet I have received no meaningful response or assistance.

This is completely unacceptable for a company providing vehicles to professional drivers who rely on timely support to be able to work.

To make matters worse, another Hertz department gave me the number 0843 309 3103 to contact the PCO team, only for me to discover that it is a premium-rate paid number. I find it unreasonable that customers are expected to pay simply to seek assistance, especially when the advertised support channel does not respond.

I would appreciate an immediate response and an explanation as to why it has been impossible to obtain even basic customer support.

Kind regards,

Cenk Arkin

I rented a car from Hertz for one week at a total rental cost of £228.24. After the rental ended, I received two separate Hertz invoices charging an “administration fee” of £42 each, making a total of £84.

These fees were separate from the actual penalty notices, which still have to be dealt with directly with the relevant authority. Hertz’s own invoices explain that the £42 charge covers the cost of providing the driver’s name and address to the authority. In other words, Hertz charged £84 simply for processing two notices and passing on my details.

This is completely disproportionate. Each £42 fee was higher than the daily rental cost, and the total administration fees were more than one-third of the entire week’s rental price.

The rental agreement contains only a general statement saying that administration charges may apply. It does not clearly display or explain that Hertz will charge £42 for every individual notice. If this amount had been presented transparently at the time of rental, customers could properly understand the financial consequences.

I accept that drivers must deal with any traffic or parking notices they receive. My complaint is about Hertz charging an excessive £84 for what appears to be a very limited administrative process.

This experience has completely destroyed my trust in Hertz. The charges feel punitive rather than reasonable, and I will not rent from Hertz again. A genuinely appalling customer experience.

If no stars was an option I would chose that. I have had to make a claim for a breakdown in the middle of my holiday and I have not had a response to more that 10 emails and no way to contact via telephone

Without a doubt the most horrible system I have ever dealt with.

First and last time using them.

I wanted to hire a van for moving house for an afternoon.

The app wouldn't find my location, so had to go on the laptop and website then it did.

I eventually managed to complete the booking and checked out as guest because I didnt want to register.

The email then said I had to register anyway and download the app in order to access the vehicle!!!

So I reluctantly did all of that, and it seemed to need everything entering several times before it recognised the details!

I then try to link my booking to my new account. it is asking for an 11 or 9 digit number. the one i have on the booking confirmation email is 15!!!!!

So I log back into the website, which hasn't updated my info from the app so I have reverify everything. But then it still cant find my booking.

So I try to contact customer service - which basically doesn't exist.

I find a phone number, which is premium rate... and the menu options just give you a text call back option.

Which then isn't a call back and it is just a link to the online chat. Which isn't even human. It is a bot that cannot understand basic English!!!

So I eventually get put in a queue to online chat to a human, which I am still sat in...and an hour later...I still cant access the van!!!!

What a s**t show!!!

Aftergiving up i went to cancel my account - and of course you cant just do it...you have to contact them via email.

Scum company!

More hidden charges than a Ryanair flight! My rental cost more than doubled from £200 to £400+ allegedly because I didn't have a credit card to use for a deposit. Then there were fees for things like driving in the Republic of Ireland - I was flying into Derry so of course I'm going over the border or at least want the option. Never again.

Hired from Birmingham airport. The two staff on duty when I picked up couldn’t care less about service (one was just scrolling social media). The Hertz IT is truly terrible - all through the booking journey, right up to the inability to get a receipt (which they say can take 7 days to produce! I thought I was hiring a car from one the “premium” car hire company’s, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The only reason I have given it as many a two stars is that the return process was superb - the colleague was fast, efficient and polite - a real contrast to the pick up staff!

Renters beware - Hertz 247 automatically enrol you in a subscription membership that automatically collects £5 from your bank card each year. It's not direct debit so you can't just cancel it that way. Very underhand and sneaky as it is almost impossible to cancel and is set at a low enough value that you hopefully don't notice it.
There is no need for this charge and the membership does not give you any benefits therefore is little more than a sneaky scam to get money from you for years after your rental has finished. Hertz247 supposedly notify of this fee each year via email however were unable to provide proof that they had sent the email (just so I could check if it had gone in my junk). They also don't respond to emails therefore all records of cancellation are only stored on their system - meaning you won't have proof of cancellation.
There is no need whatsoever for this charge (other than to scam money from customers) and can't understand why Hertz 247 don't just get rid of it as it is ruining the reputation of both Hertz247 and Hertz generally. At time of writing Hertz 247 have a Trustpilot score of 1.2, which is basically zero as you cannot give a score less than 1.
(I intent to replicate this review on Hertz as it appears that Hertz are trying to endorse this practice by setting up the sub-company Hertz 247 so that they are not impacted by the bad reviews).

I was given a Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid as a hire car from Hertz, Belfast City. On picking up the car it was showing a low battery warning and as I was travelling 72 miles to my destination I thought it should be charged up by then. On the following days I kept getting the low battery warning and on the third day of rental I parked the car up for five hours and when I went back to go, it wouldn't do anything due to a flat battery. Contacted Hertz breakdown who sent a technician who arrived about two hours later. His first words to me was that this was the third hybrid he had jumped started that day. A couple of days after the rental I received a charge of £180 for the breakdown saying I had been responsible as I didn't switch the car off!

In Brussels MIDI station, We had to wait an hour in the queue to check out the car - only one counter open and 4 customers ahead of us. Despite checking in online prior to arriving at the counter.
Unclear instructions on where to collect the car.

Tyre pressure was low, car not clean.

Additional fees charged days after returning the car relating to location surcharge, additional daily charges and local tax which was not highlighted at the time of booking or collection equating to over 70 euros.
Would not book with Hertz again.

I received 2 parking tickets with Hertz rental car in the UK. 1. Not my fault. Checking into Holiday Inn Heathrow. Delayed a long time as they could not find my reservation. Hence overstayed time in car park. Got auto 100GBP fine + 42 GBP hertz fee. On appeal HI cancelled the fine. Hertz refuses to refund me the charge. I have been emailing them for a month, first just chat bot, we can do nothing. Then human, you must take up with people who issued fine. I gave them evidence that fine was waived - copy of document from the horses mouth. Still "we can do nothing" 2. I paid for parking (but keyed one letter wrong on the rego). Yes I get it - my mistake. But I sent evidence of - parking receipt and copy of my bank statement to prove I had paid to the parking people. They waived the fine. Parking fee was 3 GBP. Hertz have changed me the same 100 gbp + 42 GBP. After the same month has passed, only the bot keeps replying. So all up I am now 284GBP out of pocket. Almost as much as the initial rental cost. I am asking Hertz to refund the fines and the admin fees.

I rented a van from Costco in Sunbury-on-Thames on 22/07/2027 for a 2-hour hire. I collected it at 5:28 pm and returned it at 7:07 pm, within the agreed time. I was initially charged £50, then an unexpected £278, plus another £5. I've tried calling and contacting them online, but haven't received any explanation. Very disappointed with the lack of customer service. Please be careful and check all charges carefully.

It’s really unprofessional customer service and a complete waste of time. I’ve never experienced anything like this anywhere. It’s a very poor service from Hertz. Good luck, and thanks for your time.

I rented a car from this agency via Booking.com for three days at a great rate (€29/day). Upon arrival at the airport, I was told I’d been upgraded—I was quite pleased. I picked up the vehicle, a late-model Toyota Corolla. There was no walk-around inspection with an agent; the contract only noted a scratch on the front right rim (a detail that turned out to be important later). The car was fitted with 19-inch alloy wheels and low-profile tires. While parallel parking, I hit the curb and scraped the front left rim (causing a scratch about 10 cm long). When I returned to the airport, I waited, but there was no Hertz agent in sight. I decided to drop the key in the drop-box. Half an hour later, I received my rental summary: a £498 charge for repairing two damaged rims—equivalent to €582. I sent an email explaining that while I had indeed damaged one rim while parking, I hadn't damaged two; it was physically impossible. I received no response from customer service, and a follow-up attempt ten days later was also unsuccessful. A complete set of four new rims costs around €800; furthermore, they clearly don't actually repair the damage, given that I had picked up the vehicle with one rim already scuffed. To sum up, I really feel like I was taken for a ride: the cost jumped from €90 for three days to €670, with no one to negotiate with and no response from customer service. What possible reason would the agency have for offering a rental car with that type of rim and tire setup for just €29 a day? Hmm?

2 Car hires. 2 fines for damage we didn't do - AVOID!!!

I am a Hertz GOLD member and on my last 2 car hires Hertz charged me for damage that I did not do and OVERCHARGED for the price to be fixed. First one was a scratch on a plastic hubcap (which we didn't do) that they said would cost £400 to replace!!!!

Next hire (gave them benefit of the doubt) there were 2 2mm marks that a) were there before the hire (which I couldn't tell anyone about as the office shut literally after I picked the car up even though there was still 5hrs until closing time!), and b) their check out guy said 'I need to note it but there is no way they will charge you for that

Then... £1000 charge which included a £800 repaint job!!! Absolutely crazy!

I complained on both parts and got fobbed on with 'default' responses that never addressed any of my issues

Luckily me external insurance covered it but I will NEVER go with them again and advise you all to do the same

SHAMBLES!