Europcar UK

We have been loyal Europcar customers for years. Myself and my partner rented a vehicle and mid-way through the trip, when we finally opened one of the back doors, a handle just came off and stayed in my hand. The inside of the door handle was also visibly covered in glue (guessing done by the previous renter), but I would have no way to prove this. We returned the car immediately to the dealership and the agent (which knew us as this point) have assured us that we would not be held liable and that they will report it as damage caused in the previous rental period. Well, in a few months time we got invoiced for the repair of the damage, which we were advised to dispute by the same agent and once again assured that all they have to do is report it as "damage from the previous rental". We have emailed and called Europcar customer service to notify we are officially disputing the claims that we have caused the damage. We have got no response after that for months and assumed that maybe it was resolved. However, recently were contacted by Shakespeare Martineau, which is Europcar's legal representation, who have claimed since we neither disputed the claim nor did we pay the funds, we are now threatened by court proceedings and additional charges. It is extremely sad and disheartening how the company viciously deceives and manipulates their clients to cover unjust fees. We will probably end up paying a large sums of money for repairs of damage we never caused.

Booked a car online and paid. When I went to collect was informed the car I booked, a SUV, was not available and the only thing I could get was A very small Fiat 500. Had no choice but to take. When I received my invoice I was charged for my original vehicle. Any reputable company would have adjusted my invoice and offered a discount for the inconvenience I endured. Never use this company again.

Terrible company, I will never use them Again. I hired a van over a weekend to move some household things. When I got to my destination I noticed one of the side trims had fallen off the Van. When I returned the van on a Sunday there was no one on site to complain to. I received a notice that I would be charged for the value of the repair despite paying for extra insurance. Totally unacceptable views when I complained they said it’s my responsibility to check all the trim and accessories are firmly connected to the van. What the hell europecar, if I hire a vehicle from you I’m not going to spend 2 hours giving it a full MOT before I drive it off the car park. End result I’ve been billed an extra £230 for a £80 piece of trim which they’ve clearly inflated the cost of and charged me. A £45 admin charge. I hope this lets europecar know there is a growing band of unhappy customers out there. We keep your company in profit, you need to start listening to us.

This company is not reliable, be careful people, I've booked online, paid in full, and after rental, I've been charged another bill from the card that was secured for the deposit, when i called them, they've said was a problem with their other dealership, and will look into case. It's been nearly a month and no response, i keep sending emails but ignoring. Their website also when you want to contact by mail, says there is a problem, they are working on it, try later. The customer service not responding, or just tell you to wait.so if you're thinking to book with them, please have a look at the reviews first, they will charge extra, without informing, from the deposit. I will take this matter further to trading standards and also the Ombudsman.

Online booking GBP85 for a 4 day compact car hire. Was sold an car upgrade at the desk for a total of GBP20 per day. BUT the prepared paperwork checked every optional extra without me asking for it. The total bill was 418% MORE than the online booking. London Stansted Airport hire 5-9 mar 2025 UpdateriUpdate: 17 mar 2025 - after submitting feedback and a complaint directly to Europcar. Deathly silence. I can't change my recommendation for extreme caution for Europcars sharp business practices.

Absolute disgusting customer service on the phone and in person. Stockport branch delivered the car to me with less than a full tank petrol and while I returned it with the same amount, they still went on and charged me for it. I called the main number and they said they would make a note of it it. I went personally to the Stockport branch and they said they would refund it. A month later and still no refund and they are not answering the phone. Avoid Europecar at ALL cost. Not surprising how low their score is.

Awful company to deal with, truly shocking. They are a whole week late picking up a car and WILL NOT even discuss a collection. Needless to say, the car is now out in the street with the keys in instead of blocking my property. I have let them know but they just don't care. They are unprofessional and pig ignorant. For your own sake, go elsewhere. I tried the link in the BS reply below but like the staff, it doesn't work and means absolutely nothing other than more wasted time

if there where minus stars i would give it -5 Ill try to cut it short Rented a Skodia fabia which has a cargo space of 380l. I was given a toyota yaris cargis space of 170l with 2 kids and alot of luggage nowhere near in comparison to size. i got a Brand new car with no working headlights. I emailed them and told them about it and was basically told there was no news of this i dont care basically. dont use europcar they have no care for their customers or safety. heres a snippet below of their comments about the non working headlight. Finally, as per the station comments, no communication regarding the lights issue was found. ''trust me the lights didnt work. what do they mean by this and none of the contact numbers i tried worked to tell them about the fault'' Absolute joke of a company. imagine how dangerous it could of been if I was driving back with my family and it got dark before i noticed Thanks europcar for your absolute no care and attention

Terrible company; their Call Centre agents just lie and don't take ownership, their Bolton branch is a joke, they just ignore their calls, when I spoke with them in Jan 2025, they couldn't fulfil a request from Directline (I had had a car accident), as they said "All our cars are in Scotland, we don't know when we can source a hire car for you" I lodged a formal Complaint, which was handled so, so unprofessionally! If I could give them zero stars, then I would have done. PLEASE STAY WELL CLEAR OF THIS COMPANY.

Car was delivered on time from the Gateshead branch but trying to get someone to collect the car is a nightmare. Got a hire car whilst my partners motability car was off the road and in for repair when the garage told us our car was being returned on the 6/03/25 we notified europacar gateshead and was advised that someone woukd be at our address to collect the car no later than 4pm on the 07/03/25 it's now currently 17:24 and still noone partner rang the number for gateshead branch someone answered and she advised we needed to ring the branch and proceeded to give him the exact number he was talking to her on she put him back in the que and noones answering absolute disgrace don't tell customers you'd be there to collect by a certain time on a certain date if you can't commit absolutely diabolical and when they provide a link for me to contact I get through to the end and get the generic message if oops sorry we've ran into technical difficulties its a nightmare

Charged €30 for snow chains which weren't provided. Hidden in Italian in the the small print and not explained or highlighted by the desk staff. Customer services very unhelpful and dismissive.

I hired a car through EasyJet in innsbruch, Austria. On returning the car, the car hire people told me that there were two scratches on the door and bumper and the total repair cost would be Euro 2100. The excess payable is limited to Euro975, but the car hire people say that this excess is per scratch, making it possible that you would end up paying more than the car is worth. This seems utterly bizarre. No one in Europcar seems to understand how quoting for work works, let alone their own insurance policies. This position is not resolved and is ongoing.

Confirmed that the car was " waiting for me"; took an online payment! I wasted £100 on taxi to get there to collect it just hear that I didn't pass some security questions?? No idea what that was about. Real nightmare service during already difficult time.

Very competitive price through Keddy, their subsidiary. They replied to my emails regarding collecting the vehicle and payment issues. However the also supplied me a telephone number which didn't work out of hours and did not enable me to reach the Stansted office in time and to alert them as to my being late (hence the 4* review). But in their favour, they were there waiting for me (thank you R Bodgan!) and waived the late fee and also provided me with a much upgraded vehicle. They also were fine with me returning my vehicle earlier. So a decent experience with gratitude or waiting for me and waiving the late fee etc, but the lack of contact number for the rental office was a real turn-off.

I turned up. We had an agreement to rent the car that I wanted, and that you had not provided me with the European branded car for which I selected from your website against the other options which was an MG style car, which was cheaper. I chose the more expensive option of the Peugeot 30083008. That was on offer as I wanted a European safe vehicle to travel in Europe. I felt threatened by the manager and forced into taking a more expensive car to keep my family safe whilst in the car traveling in the UK . I am bitterly disappointed with how it treated. It was embarrassing for my family. We just traveled 24 hours over 24 hours from Australia to rent a car from a reputable international brand and was treated very very poorly with disrespect and told good luck, we will cancel your order, and it’s 6 PM on a Friday night. Good luck trying to find another car company to help you. I was backing into a corner and had no other option. I could not fit the luggage the car that you were provided me that’s why I wanted the Peugeot 3008 that I ordered that I reserved that you could not provide once again your manager was very rude.

I see the cosmetic wheel damage TRICK is still very much in progress at Europcar UPDATE The managing Director of Mercedes Mobilo Nick Denton did See my email and has launched an investigation into this and other customers experience " at EUROPCAR (they at Mobilo specifically said they are launching an investigation their words not mine) They apologised to me today in a phone call this afternoon and assured me this matter would be fully investigated. I have offered a report and my evidence to substantiate my complaint. They will be in touch with me again soon. Please be careful when accepting delivery of a car and the day you return it. After providing solid evidence that the damage was existing Europcar assessed it then sent me a bill for £66.00 I objected to Graham with solid evidence here are the replies below please note that Graham couldn't deal with this then after the complaints to head office he then he could deal with it.??/ Dear Marzio Dalessandro, Thank you for contacting Europcar Key Accounts Support Team regarding to your damage query. Claim 25-03107743. I have investigated your concerns regarding the damage identified following your recent rental, as this damage has now been invoiced any further dispute would need to be raised with our insurance team. If you wish to dispute further you can contact insurance via 0371 384 0201 or ...........email.....europcar.com I am sorry that we are not able to help you any further at this stage. Regards Graham Blackwell Then ! Dear Marzio Dalessandro, Thank you for contacting Europcar Key Accounts Support Team regarding your damage claim (MY CLAIM ??) Claim 25-03107743. Having now investigated your concerns, I can now advise that the damage claim has been cancelled, as there is insufficient evidence to support the charge. You will not receive any further correspondence and no further action will be taken regarding this matter and no costs for this damage will be pursued. I trust this answers your query and I apologise for any inconvenience caused. Regards Graham Blackwell Graham - it was a lot of hassle for nothing I liked you during our convesration but your comopany thinks it can put arbitary charges on customerss without evidence?? I will let Mobilo deal with this as I am sure it is happening a lot from my research. I have no wish to use your company either now or in the future.

If I could put NO stars I would! How the hell is this company still in business when it’s frauding customers every single day!! I’m personally going to contact the motor ombudsman and let them know what this business is doing but please PLEASE STAY WELL away!! We booked a car for a week they didn’t have the car we booked so gave us a cheaper worse model even though there supposed to be like for like, we paid nearly treble what the car they gave us was actually worth and now point blank refusing to give us the money back or the difference between the cars nearly £350 they have scammed from us!! Clearly states in the T&C’s you will get a refund or the difference please be aware You DONT!! When we went in there was 3 bludy 3 people in there complaining about the same thing!!! It’s absolutely unreal. I will post all over social media also to avoid this place like the plague!

Waist of time. Don't book online or better just forget about this company. I've booked a van, done the payment, donee all the checking and rest assured that next day I can sort my business. Wrong, just been called on the morning, they don't have any van available for a week. Shame! Your system/website shouldn't sall what you don't have, is just "you don't give a shit"

Europcar at London Stansted is running a scam to fraudulently charge customers for extras they explicitly refuse. I clearly stated FIVE times that I did not want the premium cover, yet they added it anyway without my consent. The agent, Fred, even lied to my face, telling me the extra charge was just the rental deposit—when in reality, it was the premium cover I had rejected. Later, he even called me for feedback, completely unaware that he had charged me for the cover! This proves that Europcar is either incompetent or deliberately deceiving customers to steal their money. When I complained, Europcar’s customer service dismissed my case, simply stating that I had signed the contract—completely ignoring the fact that I was misled and scammed into doing so. This is outright fraud. I will be reporting Europcar to UK Trading Standards, disputing the charge with my credit card provider, and will continue leaving reviews until this issue is resolved. Avoid Europcar at all costs unless you want to be scammed!

I had an extremely frustrating experience with Europcar UK due to unjust charges and a lack of accountability. First, I was charged over £100 for roadside assistance, which was never properly explained at the rental desk as a daily fee instead of a one-time charge. Had this been made clear, I would have declined or opted for full insurance, which would have been a far better choice. Instead, I was rushed into signing multiple documents without any real explanation. Even worse, I was charged over £200 for a faulty tyre that developed a bubble after just 215 miles over 8 days—something that shouldn’t happen with a properly maintained vehicle. This raises serious concerns about Europcar’s safety standards. It seems that Europcar relies on renters purchasing insurance to cover defective or substandard parts, knowing they can shift the cost to insurance companies rather than ensuring vehicles are well-maintained. Those who decline extra coverage are left footing the bill for Europcar’s own negligence. Hoping for fair treatment, I escalated this to BVRLA, expecting them to step in. But rather than questioning Europcar’s practice of shifting costs onto customers, BVRLA chose to focus only on Europcar’s paperwork, avoiding any real attempt to hold them accountable. This approach allows Europcar to continue misleading and overcharging customers without consequences. Renters deserve better—clear terms, properly maintained vehicles, and fair business practices. Not hidden charges, misleading explanations, and financial penalties for defects that aren’t their fault.