Europcar UK

Told car would be delivered Friday. it was not, then told Monday. First car totally not suitable, it finally seems that the car size issue is sorted so am told a 13;00-14;00 delivery. now 14:48 still no car call the office and am told they are having lunch and so they cant give a time the car is coming they will leave after lunch.. this is Purfleet office, Absolute disaster, now having read reviews will be going over the car with a fine toothed comb and making a video of any marks or dinks on the car as I seem to be seeing hundreds of customers complaining about unfair charges. Is this company truly this bad? To management why allow your staff to specify a delivery time and then twice not turn up and then tell you they wont be leaving until lunch is over. get real... it would seem you deserve every bad review you are getting if this is the service you are providing.

I am so angry with this company - On collecting the SUV, it was not the requested intermediate SUV I ordered, it was tiny and so I had to pay an additional 160GBP to fit the family luggage in a larger car. I had to wait for the new car as it was just having a puncture repair, the AMG locking wheel nuts where evident in the car on eventual entry. We dropped the car off and two weeks later, I received an additional invoice for 380 GBP for some light scratches on the underside of the nearside, rear wheel arch. It was impossible to make a scratch in this position UNLESS this was originally caused when changing the oversized AMG wheels. First and last time with this company. Awful.

Car was delivered late into the evening (pitch black) was told by the lady delivering as it was dark and raining that the car was ok - checked the next morning all ok - dropped back the following to Dartford Mercedies Dealership who took keys on behalf of Europcar - Got an invoice for £91 and that wheels were damaged. Car had travelled less than 10 miles during my hire (to-and-back) to the dealership only. Someone has damaged the car and not been honest!

Am a disabled customer. Was meant to have a car delivered on Friday. It didn’t turn up.which means I have been housebound die to the let down of them not showing up. Then when I called them they kept telling me it woidl come sat. Still car. After countless calls I’m told that re office is closed and it will now be Monday. I shall post again Monday with update. But having read the reviews of how poor this company is I am not too keen at all in dealing further. My confidence in them so far is terribly low. Now I’m fully expecting to be scammed over fuel or supposed damage to the car. Who are the directors of the company. You would think that they would be concerned at such a huge amount of bad reviews.

Follow-Up on Recent Rental Experience – Hidden Fees and Unfair Charges Dear Europcar Team, Thank you for responding to my initial review. While I stand by my praise for Peter’s outstanding customer service at Heathrow, I feel it’s necessary to share the full picture of my experience — not just for your awareness but also as a warning to future customers. After reviewing my bill, I discovered numerous hidden fees that were never clearly explained. I was offered an upgrade that I was told would cost an additional £20, but I was later charged £150. Worse still, I was asked to sign documents under pressure and wasn’t given a copy, leaving me unaware of the full charges until it was too late. This lack of transparency and the feeling of being misled has completely overshadowed the initial positive experience. It’s deeply disappointing, especially during what was already a difficult time for me. Unfortunately, due to this experience, I will not be using Europcar again and strongly advise others to be extremely cautious when reviewing their rental agreements and charges. I hope you take this feedback seriously and address these issues to prevent similar situations for future customers. Best regards, Owen (My original review below) Outstanding Service from Peter at Europcar Heathrow I recently visited Europcar at Heathrow on the morning of Friday, 21st, to collect a car for a difficult journey to a close relative’s funeral. Understandably, I wasn’t in the best of spirits, but the exceptional service I received from Peter truly made a difference. From the moment I arrived, Peter’s warm demeanor and positive energy were evident. He went above and beyond to assist me, showing genuine care and professionalism throughout the process. His kindness and willingness to help lifted my spirits more than he probably realizes. It’s rare to come across someone who not only excels in their role but also impacts customers on a personal level during tough times. Thanks to Peter, a stressful day became a little easier. I am deeply grateful for his support and will definitely be returning to Europcar in the future because of this experience. Thank you, Peter!

Absolutely inundated with emails after renting a car. Have unsubscribed about 4 times already.

Refused service because I had my original paper licence issued 1997 and passport for photo ID!!! Was told I must have a photocard driving licence - utterly ridiculous! I booked to hire a car from Europcar, paying in full - when I arrived there was an issue with no car available so I was asked to wait. After an hour the gentleman said he’d take copies of my paperwork - he stated that my original paper driving licence was not valid despite all details being correct (name, address, signature etc) and me having my passport with me. I explained that I’d never been required to get a photo driving licence as this was a valid government document issued by the DVLA. I suggest Europcar staff are actually trained correctly in future - a complete waste of my time! I went next door to Enterprise and hired with absolutely no issues

First class service all round. Thanks guys

I recently rented a vehicle from Europcar on 02/02/2025, and my experience has been extremely disappointing. The rental process was smooth, and I returned the vehicle in perfect condition, with no damage whatsoever. Europcar even refunded my deposit, confirming there were no issues at the time of return. However, 18 days later, I received an email claiming that I had caused a 5-15 cm scuff on the front bumper. This accusation is completely false. I drove carefully, parked safely, and at no point was the bumper exposed to any situation that could have caused such damage. I immediately disputed the claim and requested proof, including time-stamped photos and inspection reports. So far, Europcar has not provided clear evidence that the damage occurred while the vehicle was in my possession. Given the time delay, I strongly suspect the damage happened after my rental and that Europcar is unfairly holding me responsible. This experience has been frustrating, and I now see many similar complaints from other customers. It feels like a deliberate scam to extract extra money from customers long after their rental has ended. Beware! Always take detailed photos and videos before and after your rental to protect yourself. I would strongly advise against renting from Europcar unless you want to risk being charged for damages you didn’t cause.

I thought Europcar was a reputable, trustworthy company, how wrong was I! Bought back our hire car to Salzburg Airport, an hour later got an email stinging us for £50 for ‘damages’ to the interior and ‘specialist cleaning’ required, there was a couple of foot prints on a foot mat, absolute joke! I know I will never hire a car from Europcar again they have completely lost my trust and ruined the end of our holiday.

I hired a plug in hybrid. Drove about 8 miles in city traffic within 30 mph speed limit. I recharged the battery overnight on my own charger. This company took £21 off my lodged credit card for “7 litres of petrol used”. I appealed twice and both times they replied that “the charge stands”. I know that a plug in hybrid system will choose electric before petrol in the driving circumstances I have described. Would they do similar if damage was found that the hirer didn’t cause? I have since read reviews that they are a “Terrible Company”. Avoid for goodness sake.

Awful company.Exeter airport branch. Don't use. If you do always take photos before you leave. I did. They are currently trying to charge me for a rip in a tyre that is clearly seen on my before photos but they are still saying it wasn't there. Also they shouldn't send out car with rips in the tyre. Just plain negligent. Currently escalating further and contacting trading standards.

Staff were rude upon arrival and flustered I had arrived close to 18:00, despite two earlier phone calls politely informing of this. Subsequently charged an “after service” fee which customer service could not confirm if was attributed to the rental, despite it referenced in the bill. Was placed on hold for 20 minutes and then the operator hung up the line. Wouldn’t recommend at all

Hired a car from their Gloucester Branch on Saturday picking up the car at 8am and returning at 6pm. I only got the car at 8.31am despite getting there on time. But thats not my main issue as the branch only had 1 member of staff serving a lot of people she can only do much. I returned the car at 6pm as stipulated in my rental agreement. The car had no damage and the fuel level was correct and the branch confirmed this. The nightmare comes to being charged the rental for 2 days. I got an invoice being charged for an extra day saying i returned the car on Monday at 8.01 am which is ridiculous. I had the car for just 8hrs but being charged for 2 days how is that possible. And now they still haven't processed my deposit refund. I am out of pocket because of their incompetence and this is stressing me. The most annoying thing is Europcar kept quiet about this had i not flagged it, it would have gone unnoticed. I am very disappointed about this and will delay me getting back my deposit which i desperately need. Case of big companies lacking empathy.

Excellent customer service, van was good , very reasonable for a weekend,straightforward to rent and very friendly staff (Muller Rd Bristol) deffo use again x

Absolutely horrific experience from beginning to end. I will never use this company again, whether in the UK or abroad. I rented a car for 14 days, I never got to drive it as the battery was flat. I had to call the AA twice. On the 4th day they took the car back. They agreed to a refund but still charged me £60 for the 4 days that I did NOT drive it. The worst was yet to come! They refunded me (except for the 4 days) BUT then accidentally charged me 4 times the amount they refunded me! No one in the office I hired it from could assist as it's all done via head office which is a call center and no one can assist. They ask you to email and no one assists properly. This is still ongoing and I have reported them to my credit card company and plan to take it further as I still have not been returned the missing funds. They will probably send a link asking me to email based on their other responses to reviews! What a disgrace.

**AVOID AT ALL COSTS** I will never use Europcar or recommend them at all. So my Mercedes generated a fault which went in for warranty repair. I was offered a courtesy car with Europcar which developed a tyre fault out of the blue (no collision occurred no pot hole was hit). The inconvenience was immense as it couldn’t be sorted on our drive and had to be taken to Kwikfit. The worst thing is they are trying to sting me with the cost!! Cowboys, crooks… take your pick! Avoid this lot

Absolutely terrible company. After landing at Bristol Airport, having my booking confirmed and paid. They refused to rent me a car, and couldn’t tell me why. All other rental companies were fully booked. Europcar left us car-less and didn’t care. I would recommend you avoid this company at all costs if you’d like to rent a car.

Hired a car in Geneva. Charged over £200 for the tiniest scuff on the wing mirror which I think was probably already there. I'm talking almost pinprick-sized scratch/scuff. I hire cars almost every month and I would NEVER use Europcar again.

We hired cars from europecar Birmingham airport branch the service we received was 10/10 the customer service was great. The staff were always very helpful and friendly. For us we would highly recommend for car hire