Europcar UK

Terrible experience. Booked a car to be delivered to my house at 9 o'clock. Hadn't arrived by 10 and noticed I had been sent an email to say it had been cancelled. Contacted their reservations/customer services team and spoke to at least 7 or 8 different people. None of them was able to help and told me to contact the Enfield office who were dealing with the booking. Was on hold for over 30 mins trying to get through to Enfield office before giving up. Tried reservations line again and explained car needed urgently to attend close family funeral, still no-one helped and two people refused to put me through to a manager to try to resolve. Gave up in the end and got the train . Will never trust Europcar again, They messed up by renting me a car which they didn't have, their communication was non-existent (if they needed to cancel my booking at short notice someone should have at least rung me to confirm I had got the message) and the customer services were unable/unwilling to help me even though I explained the significant inconvenience they had caused me. Suggest using any other car hire company than these as surely the others don't treat their customers this badly? UPDATE: Following Europcar's response asking me to 'give them chance to resolve the issue', I have just received a standard response saying they didn't have an available cars and I will be refunded and to accept their apologies. Nothing about their appalling level of customer care, no acknowledgement of the huge inconvenience caused, no gesture of goodwill. Suggest avoiding using this company as if anything goes wrong they will do the bare minimum to resolve the issue.

Booked Mercedes A class arrived to find didn’t have so getting ‘free upgrade’ to …. a Nissan? Queried to be told I was getting bigger car, an SUV, so it was an upgrade. Advised it was just me so didn’t want an SUV as driving 500 miles would rather the premium brand for comfort. Told they had other Mercedes but they don’t give them for one way rentals (charged extra £78 for one way) so it was take the Nissan or nothing. In addition to drivers licence, DVLA share code and credit card all which was expected, I was then required to provide a passport (provided UK licence) and then told they would do a credit check - don’t know if checking for bankruptcy, CCJ or credit limit to value of vehicle? Won’t be using Europcar again Surprising reply from Europcar telling me to contact them using the link which is just their generic raise a question page. Clearly not interested.

If I could give them ZERO stars, I would. We booked a car online (medium sized) via Booking.com When we arrived (jet lagged & exhausted after the long flight from Australia), the guy said that the car we had booked wouldn't serve our purposes as we were doing a lot of driving. As per another review, you're a target because you're tired and you just want to get a car and get going. Long story short: we ended being "upgraded" (supposedly at some discounted cost), but out of pocket an extra GBP1400!! In hindsight, my husband made the observation that when we were talking to the guy about our booking, he had 3 sets of keys in front of him. We figure (in hindsight), that one set was the car we actually booked, the second was a slight upgrade and the third was the set for suckers like us. And, like another reviewer, the upsell about insurance: no, what we had paid for online was not of any use, blah, blah. Then, when we finally get out to the car and ask for some help with how it all operates , they send out some young guy who knew little more than us. We got absolutely NO help working out how to get the GPS to work - when you put in an intended address, after a minute the screen would disappear and the message would come up, something along the lines of "You need to pay a subscription". What??? After a week of using our own data on our 'phones due to this limitation (and stopping in at two more car hire offices to try and get help with it, without success), we discovered if we went through another field/screen, the map displayed would actually stay live and not disappear. Fancy having to work that out for yourself, and having the frustration of that limitation for a week, when the company can't help you. (No car manual in the car). Also, like other reviewers, I WISH I HAD READ THESE REVIEWS BEFORE BOOKING!! Additionally, in talking to a friend, she had the same type of pressure to upgrade (although she stuck to her guns) with this company in NEW ZEALAND. This must be part of their policy and company training!! Maybe they get commission if they upsell? Would NEVER rent through them again.

In response to my previous review of Europcar they gave me their standard response/ solution "please contact our service department". They simply ignore that I am talking by phone and email for now 4 Months to their "service department bureauocracy". In fact that department act as a defence to providing any service at all! We have to stop this. I am sure their response automat will again "advise me to contact their service department". What a company! Can this be stopped!! Please look at the response by Europcar. It's as expected and presume a robot response. No possibility to talk with real persons with a mandate to really be of help. Asking for a supervisor is also useless..

This is one of the worst car rental service you would ever use. We reserved a car on 24th Dec 2024, and paid for it to be picked up at Innsbruck airport. When we reached at the airport pick up the Austiran team told us we have not paid so we paid again. In our back statements, we can clearly see two transections paid to Europcar but the customer service is only talking about taking and releasing our deposit. This company is fraud as they charge customer twice without even giving an explanation.

I had a terrible experience at the branch in Maidstone on 23rd January 2025. My car, booked for 8:00 AM, wasn’t ready, and I was told I’d have to wait until 3:00 PM. The excuse? I booked the night before after closing—which the system allowed without warning. After waiting nearly an hour, they tried to upsell me a replacement car for £20 more per day. I refused, and the manager eventually approved it at no extra cost, but I was then charged £12–£13 daily for insurance instead. Adding to the chaos, payment delays due to system issues made the process feel rushed and unprofessional. My order number was 1185232517. This experience was stressful, disruptive, and unacceptable. I wouldn’t recommend this branch.

Europcar Poor Performance - Wallisdown Bournmouth Branch - I was told that the van was full of fuel and on its return it should be fully refuelled. This I did but I was still charged £6.26. Although the sum is small I went back to the operations manager and told him that he signed off the van as being fully fuelled. He said it was a mistake and Europcar would repay me shortly. They haven't. (I have seen similar things, on other rentals abroad but expected better here)

I have hired with Europcar and l can definitely say they are a fraudulent company. Whenever l do an extension they will tell me a certain amount and guess what that’s not the actually amount they will then charge double that amount and say it’s for taxes and fees. I advise you all if you hire with this company don’t extend your reservation. When you call customer service they won’t help and say it’s taxes and fees etc. why not tell customers the full amount instead of leaving out about more than 50% extra charges that come with extending

I prepaid for a vehicle online and picked it up from Bristol Airport. The customer service agent who dealt with my booking was courteous,knowledgeable and professional.The process was seamless. On my return two days later,at a predetermined drop off area,I was greeted by Antony. He proceeded to check the vehicle and then completed all paperwork with diligence and attention. He too,was professional and courteous. All in all,a very good experience. I will have no hesitation to use Europcar for any further requirements.

Was falsely charged two fees; one for a delay returning the car which was caused by Europcar taking TWO hours to return a call for extending the rental - a call that they said would be "within 15 minutes". Then they added on an extra day rental for 53 minutes late return when it was due to their own delay in calling me. I suspect the delay in call back was in order to force the delay and make the extra charge. Very suspicious. They then refused to remove that price with a customer service agent who presumably was provided by Little Britain. In addition, there was a hidden charge for a "premium" drop-off location, which was not in the original agreement or detailed at collection. I'll soon to be making my feelings clear to over five million users on social media. Avoid this misleading, fraudulent company which does not value customers and would rather charge for a 53-minute delay in which THEY caused. You should, though, perhaps also feel bad for Europcar because they are so desperate for money they insist on charging £25 incorrectly than settle this issue. * Edit: Europcar have responded to this review informing me to contact customer service. Which I have already done. And which they would already know if they had read my review. Further compounding their uselessness by proving they literally do not listen to what the customer has said.

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. Update on Fri 24th Jan - DESPITE LEAVING TWO MESSAGES NOW FOR EUROPCAR ON THE LINK PROVIDED, THERE HAS BEEN NO ACTION OR RESPONSE SO FAR. IT APPEARS THAT THEIR RESPONSE WAS MERELY TO BE SEEN TO BE DOING SOMETHING RATHER THAN AN ACTUAL INTENT TO DO SOMETHING

I recently booked a van with Europcar for a 6:00 PM collection, but my experience was highly disappointing due to miscommunication and poor service. I called the branch Trafford Park to inform them I would be about 10 minutes late for the collection. Initially, I was told there would be an additional charge if the van was booked out after 6:00 PM, which I reluctantly agreed to. However, I was then informed that the system does not allow bookings after 6:00 PM, contradicting the earlier statement. This lack of clarity and inconsistency was incredibly frustrating. My booking was accepted for 6:00 PM, which should mean I can collect the van at that time. When I questioned why it was even possible to book for 6:00 PM if collection wasn't allowed, I was told that attempts had been made to contact me throughout the day and that my phone went to voicemail. This was completely false—my phone was on, operational, and I received no missed calls or voicemails. Being provided with such incorrect information only added to my disappointment. This was my first time using Europcar, and unfortunately, it has left a very poor impression. The repeated misinformation and lack of accountability suggest a lack of professionalism and integrity. If this is indicative of their standard practice, I find it deeply concerning. Overall, my experience with Europcar was unsatisfactory, and I am unlikely to use their services again unless significant improvements are made. I cannot recommend them based on this encounter.

So I booked my hire car online, paid everything in advance! When I went to pick up the car, I was told I failed the checks because I used my company card. They were unable to change the details and the phone number they gave me to call does not work and the staff at the Gloucester office don’t seem to know what they are doing! The customer service is absolutely terrible! , they don’t deserve 1 Star!! I will never go there again!

Fraud!! What a complete scam at the check in desk. I reserved a car with easycar and paid for an additional driver, and standard insurance. At the Europcar collection desk they offered me the insurance upgrade and I declined, so they said how about instead of the additional driver charge I give you the full insurance so your total costs is almost the same. Sure ok that's a good deal to me. To my surprise when I return and review my credit card bill I have 2 charges. 1 from easycar and 1 from Europcar, total 400 more than the price I signed up for when I booked. What a scam. I am disgusted. At least the other rental companies I have used from Manchester airport have never done anything like this. Updated in response to your comment below: I had raised it on email already and it remains unresolved. You informed me to go speak to EasyCar about the additional driver charge, which indicates your guy had no authority to do what he did and say 'how about we waive the additional driver charge and use that to top up the insurance instead'. Complete scam, I have contacted the bank re unauthorsied charges on my CC. You shouldn't be allowed to operate like this. It's theft. By the way, did you know that Trust Pilot can actually connect you with me if you really want to resolve it. I guess so.

Reserved car, pre-paid, went through their painful id process. I was then contacted to say that they had no cars available for 4 days. Refund process said that it might take 'up to 28 days' for £ to be returned. Dodgy or what? This was the Stoke-on-Trent branch. Also, requested their complaints process. Not received it yet.

My ex wife booked a hire car from the branch in Middlesbrough for collection at 1pm on Saturday. We arrived at 1:30 and the place was closed. No notification during booking process to say the place closed at 1pm. No calls from the branch to ask if she was still collecting the car. Went to branch first thing today and they had hired out the SUV she booked so could only collect a Fiat 500 this morning. No offer of refund for the two days lost or a reduction for hire of a smaller car. Branch basically said it was her fault for not collecting it at 1pm on Saturday. Terrible customer service.

After a smooth trip and returning my rental car, I thought everything was sorted. But a week later, I received an email from Europcar informing me of a £35 fine, along with a £45 administrative fee. I immediately paid the fine and sent the proof of payment to Europcar, believing the issue would be resolved. However, much to my frustration, I received a generic email stating that the £45 fee would be charged regardless, even though I had resolved the fine myself, with no intervention required from Europcar. After leaving a review describing this absurd experience, Europcar responded with a standard message: “Give us the chance to solve the issue by providing more details using this link, where our customer service team will be in touch.” But here’s the truth: this is the same canned response Europcar sends to every complaint. It seems like an attempt to publicly appear responsive, but in reality, they simply do not reply to emails. I followed their instructions, submitted my information, and waited patiently. Days passed, and I received no response, no follow-up, and no resolution – just silence. It’s clear that this automatic response is nothing more than an attempt to create the illusion of addressing complaints. I wouldn’t be surprised if most customers, like me, never hear back. Europcar appears more interested in maintaining a façade of good customer service than actually providing it. This experience has only deepened my disappointment with Europcar. Charging an unfair fee is bad enough, but ignoring customers who seek solutions is even worse. Conclusion: Europcar, your practices are unfair, and your lack of commitment to customer satisfaction is glaringly obvious. To anyone reading this: if you value your money and your peace of mind, avoid this company. I will never rent from Europcar again.

Worst company, they phone you up a day before pick up to say you have failed an address security question, so no car, but previous 2 months before everything was fine, I’m guessing on reviews and peoples say so, they never had no cars to rent out, waste of time company, never ever will I use them again, they are useless.

They conned me by adding insurance.I already had insurance.This is at Gatwick airport south terminal Europcar.They fill in the insurance by hand after you have signed.Very unethical and it cost me over £400 more.Their customer service department said I had signed so there was nothing they could do despite the fact that they completed a blank document with all these extra amounts.DO NOT USE Europcar Gatwick airport they will try and con you.They must work on a commission structure and earnings are increased with the more insurance products sold.

We were given a courtesy car thru AA. Europa left car on Friday when they had arranged Saturday. I went out,started it up,absolutely horrendous stink.Mechanic next door says clutch has burned out,only just over 2 months old.I Rang Europa cars 4 times this morning,each time they said someone was coming out.Failing to inform us they close at 1pm Saturdays. They are disgusting.They knew they closed at 1,but kept us hanging on anyway. I have an autistic disabled son and they left us high and dry. Comes to 12 45,I rang AA who were brilliant,says Europa cars have account with AA who are now coming out to look at car,a Hyundai.Europa cars will have to pay. Europa told us yesterday they will collect curtesy car at 9am today.Its 11 30 and after 3 calls saying they will ring us when they are collecting,still nothing. it's a very frustrating procedure to even get through to right department. Leave keys under plant pot was suggested..oh my goodness,I would never use this company again.It was only through AA we found ourselves using them. Nowadays no one seems to care.