Europcar UK

Rented a van, with only 650 miles on the clock, I drove it 30 miles and it averaged 38mpg. When I refilled the tank with diesel I was expecting to only put a gallon of fuel in. But, to my surprise I had to put 3 gallons in to replace (top up) what I had used as I was informed that the van had a full tank of fuel when I picked it up. So, obviously the fuel tank wasn’t full when I picked the van up but I was told the tank was full and it should be returned with a full tank. I spoke with the branch manager at Chelmsford where I rented the van from and requested a refund for the 2 additional gallons of fuel that I had put in their van. The million dollar question is… are they carrying out sharp practice to fleece their customers or is it some skullduggery from an employee, either way it’s not right. Be warned make a note of the mileage and the average mpg used whilst in your rental. I have twice been on their website to complain, filled in all the questions, written a lengthy complaint and when I pushed the upload button it defaults to “there is an issue with our webpage” handy so I am left writing this review to vent my frustration… I have tried to contact customer services again as requested in their reply below and it still says there is a technical issue and it sends you back to the start again. It’s now 4 times that I have tried this method….Like the company it isn’t working properly 😡

We hired a car through Europcar in France via a third party. All went well until we returned the car. The receiving agent spotted a scratch in the bonnet, that I hadn't seen at pick up, and had to squint in certain lights to see when she pointed it out. It could easily have been there when we picked up the car and I wouldn't have seen it. We rubbed the 'scratch' with a bit of water and a thumb and it appeared to be lifting, so I thought nothing more of it as I was convinced a polish would buff it out. When I returned back to England I got a bill for £320 to repair the 'damage'. I tried to challenge them, but got stock corporate responses demonstrating how little they cared. They are cheap, but avoid as you will be ripped off if there is any hint of damage. I will never use them again. Despite getting the stock response from Europcar below and emailing them with details of my complaint, a month later and I'm still waiting for a response. Their treatment of customers is truly awful.

Appalling company, avoid at all costs. I received an email yesterday saying that my hire car would be dropped off at 6pm, nothing arrived. Nobody picks up when you try to call the Chelmsford office and nobody replies to emails. I have just wasted most of the day on the phone being told lots of different things, still no car and there is nobody around at the Chelmsford office to answer calls, you just get put through to a call centre, where nobody is able to tell you what is happening. I have lost a days work and still unable to find out if and when my car is being dropped off….

Booked van hire at MK to move some kitchen units. Tiffany at front counter made the whole experience very pleasant. Had a hiccup to start with as needed national insurance number to have dvla check done but this was soon sorted as Tiffany talked us through the process. ( This needs to be in the documentation to bring with drivers license) which was not mentioned on the website ( apparently it IS in the small print) needs to be bigger. Van was ready , nice and clean Hire charge comparable to other companies. Would definitely use again. Big shout out to Tiffany for her lovely friendly personality 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Ps would have been 5 star if not for the National insurance number issue

Cannot stress enough, avoid, avoid, avoid. We used Europcar for a courtesy car recently and have had the worst experience - the customer service line is abysmal, when they can't answer your query they put the phone down or pass you back to the main menu. Our local branch won't answer the phone at all (to us or our insurance company) and we're having to chase repeatedly to get their car picked up from us. After being told there's no complaints department, we're close to giving up. There are plenty of other car rental companies, please avoid this one.

Have been incorrectly charged by Edinburgh airport branch for over 500 miles worth of fuel evidently used by subsequent hirer despite my having returned the vehicle on time, in person with a staff member who signed it off assuring me he was satisfied no charges had been incurred. Double checked all was well since he seemed casual and initially barely looked at the car until I urged him to check it thoroughly. He also appeared to get the wrong paperwork from the office but confirmed he had corrected this which I now realise was not true. My complaints and evidence attesting to having returned a fully refuelled vehicle have been ignored.

I rented a van from Europcar, and the experience was nothing short of disgraceful. The attendant at the reception was not just rude — she was downright hostile. She repeatedly pressured me to accept unnecessary add-ons and even went so far as to suggest I’d likely end up in an accident for declining the additional insurance excess reduction. That kind of fearmongering is completely unacceptable. She asked the same intrusive questions multiple times — “How far are you going?” “When exactly are you bringing it back?” — in a tone that made me feel like I was begging to borrow her personal vehicle rather than paying to rent from a major company. The whole exchange was uncomfortable, condescending, and frankly, humiliating. At one point, I was so taken aback by her attitude, I genuinely considered walking away and telling her to keep the van. Renting a vehicle shouldn’t feel like being interrogated or talked down to. If this is how Europcar treats paying, polite customers — then count me out for good. I wouldn’t recommend this branch to anyone. Absolutely dreadful service.

This was the worst car rental experience I’ve ever had. From the beginning, we were treated with arrogance and disrespect. I had booked a decent car, and they handed me a wreck – filthy, falling apart, and barely drivable. It looked like it belonged in a junkyard. An absolute disgrace. I had purchased full insurance coverage, so I wasn’t supposed to be charged for anything. Still, they held a deposit of £125, which was initially released, and then they took the money from my account after I had already left, with no explanation. That’s not a mistake – that’s outright theft. This is not just poor service – it’s dishonest and unethical. Europcar in Tunis is running a scam. What they’re doing is not car rental, it’s abuse and legalized robbery. Avoid this company at all costs. I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone.

I still can not get my money refunded from Europcar uk, its totally fraudulent and scam . This company should be investigated

The rental agreement on checkout at Newcastle had an existing damage described. When I checked the car in at Gatwick, the man gave me a form to sign on an iPad that had no description of any damage. He later (after I had signed and left) inserted pictures of the existing damage into the signed document under “new” damage. Completely unethical and illegal. Europcar are now claiming the original rental agreement was not signed and counter signed so the existing damage is not counted as existing but new! This company cannot be trusted. Avoid! To top it off, the original cost was £147 but I ended up paying £304. I’m astounded by the lack of customer service when trying to resolve this matter.

Europcar replied to my initial review asking me to contact customer services which I had already done so before writing the initial review. Refer to customer case 23268334 not give a bland response. BB

I was hesitant to go go with them as they were half the price of two other big brands at Catania airport in Sicily. Took a gamble and went with it and got fantastic service - Did the digital check in before arriving at the offices, only took about 15 minutes to get the car and go. Got a free upgrade as the car I booked wasn't available. Returned in 5 minutes with no hassle and deposit has been returned. Overall the best car rental I've had yet.

One of the worst experience! It's a scam don't trust europcar I went for 4 days in Tunisia I activated the insurance to have peace of mind and guess what they first gave me the money back in the airport but when I came back in UK the day after they charged me again !!!!!! Bad customer service in Tunisia and bad customer service here too!Disgusting !

po rezerwacji samochodu w Hiszpanii u brokera doyouspain za kwotę 528 eu za miesiac z pełnym ubezpieczeniem od własnego udziału w szkodzie zostałam przekierowana do europcar.es i na miejscu okazało sie ze musze wykupic ubezpieczenie za 649 eu co przekraczało wartosc wynajmu. po napisaiu reklamacji do doyou spain pieniadze zostały mi zwrócone ale po prawie miesiącu wczoraj europcar ukradł mi z konta bez mojej autoryzacji 200 eu wiec absolutnie nie polecam tych firm dodatkowo dziś dowiedziałam się w banku że mam na rzecz europcar jeszcze blokadę konta na kolejne 612 eu więc zamierzam tą sprawę zgłosić na policję bo to jest kradzież i oszustwo dlatego przestrzegam wszystkich przed tymi firmami w opowiedzi na wasza odpowiedź zalecam czytać maile od klientów case 23285622 i odblokujcie mi konto bo szybciej doniosę na was na policję oszusty niż dostaniecie centa z mojego konta nie zgadzam się na wyłudzanie podstępne pieniędzy bo wynajemvauta kosztowal mjiev528veu na miesiac a wy chcecie mnie okrasc na 624 eu przerazajace

Was served by someone called Erin from Watford branch. Absolutely great with customer service, advising about T&C. Wasn’t left unsure at all considering this was my first rental. Appreciated her help

Had a great experience with Europcar at Gatwick Airport. Staff were friendly from the beginning, the car was clean and ready, and the whole process was smooth. When returning car a man whose name is Rudy, was very professional and helpful. Highly recommend this location!

Absolutely shambles of a company and disorganised..This company scams you as much as they can. I WOULD NEVER TOUCH THEM AGAIN

Professional scammers. Stay away. One of the worst experiences we had with a car rental company. We ended up paying €1000 for a basic 208 Peugeot which on their website was €300 when we initially paid for it. They also scammed us with €200 for a 3cm scuff on the wheel which was there before we rented the car, I showed the picture to them and the representative said I shouldn’t worry because it’s covered by the insurance (this was of course a lie) but they just need to record it for the next rental. They then also billed €87 for the damage admin fee. Be prepared to never see your deposit back and once you return the car if you don’t have a credit card then make sure you move the money from your account as they will just start charging random amounts to your debit card. Make sure you email all photos and videos and detailed description 1hr after you get the car as otherwise they won’t care what photos or videos you have. They lie, scam and steal and add secret charges that you didn’t ask for. We didn’t ask for roadside assistance and somehow it showed up on the invoice. There’s also a massive airport fee which they don’t tell you about in advance. Every price they say is without VAT, which they forget to mentioned. Do yourself a favour and find a local/family owned company outside of the airport and never go near Europcar as you will be robbed. Hopefully someone will eventually win a legal case against them.

Bait and Switch, it's their standard practice from my experience. Just this morning I spoke to a friend who had exactly the same experience with these shonky pricks. They present you with two sets of keys (presumably because they don't have the car you have already booked and paid for), then, when you ask what the price difference is, they say "50 pounds", or "30 pounds" in my friends case. They conveniently forget to mention PER DAY. My friend was clever enough to catch them before he signed. I was not, and it tripled the cost of the rental. They have no interest in reversing the transaction with ended up costing my wife and I (who were both at the desk, and both heard the Europcar staffer NOT mention that it was a daily charge), 1250 pounds extra! Read the other reviews. You will find that it is their standard tactic. They are amoral and unprofessional. Complete shysters. STAY AWAY!

BUYER BEWARE if you are thinking about renting a car from Europcar. After reserving and paying for a car rental through a third party before leaving the United States, on arrival in Southampton I presented the 3rd party rental voucher to the Europcar agent who accepted it without comment. He told me, however, that the car I reserved was not available and I was offered an upgrade for £9 a day extra for the 14-day rental period. I accepted this and the agent made out a rental agreement reflecting the upcharge. At no time did the agent in Southampton tell me that the payment we made through the 3rd party would be disregarded and that Europcar would be re-billing the entire rental amount again. However, 4 days after returning the car, Europcar charged my credit card the full rental price plus the upgrade charge. In other words, I ended up paying for the car twice. After calling the company’s customer service three times and explaining the situation by email, my complaint fell on deaf ears. I was finally told that the voucher I presented in Southampton and that the agent accepted and kept without comment had not been applied. To add insult to injury, upon returning the car at the exact time and date stated on the rental agreement (as confirmed by the agent who received the car), I was charged for an extra day after being told the car should have been returned an hour earlier. Apart from being conned out of more than $500, the worst part of this experience has been trying to communicate with a company that is completely deaf to their customers concerns. The customer service rep., who is located somewhere overseas, will let you talk about your problem endlessly and then do nothing about it. Ask to speak to a supervisor: ‘sorry there are none’. I have to assume that using bait and switch tactics to justify ignoring payments from third parties is a common Europcar practice in order to avoid paying fees to those parties. Since we still needed an additional rental in the UK, we discovered Drivalia, which came highly recommended. It is understandable because their rates are half of what Europcar charges and their customer service reps are extremely friendly and accommodating. Hopefully, my own experience with Europcar’s unethical business practices will serve as a caution to anyone in future looking to do business with an ethical car rental company. Review update: In response to Europcar's standard corporate response. We had already contacted Europcar 4 times by phone and email, detailing the complaint. They have either not bothered responding at all or on one occasion were completely dismissive. The attempt by Europcar to act like they care now is nothing more than a laughable PR stunt.