Europcar UK

I would give this company 0 stars if I could. I stupidly did not read reviews before booking and naively thought such a well known company would be better. I really just wanted to book a car for a week, pay for it, with the price quoted and safely drive to my destination. I was quoted £467 for a car for 1 week which I think is way too much anyway. After booking I rang customer service as a change in plans meant I needed an infant car seat for my 4 month old baby. This was completed over the phone, quote changed slightly. I rang and emailed customer services the day before travel and was reassured everything was as it should be. Imagine my surprise when I arrived and was told I did not have a car seat booked, just a device (apparently a legal requirement seeing as Italian people have a tendency to leave their children in cars!) So I was charged for a car seat. Then pressure sold insurance. My £467 escalated to £968 (including a £100 hold on my credit card). The rep at the desk then handed me the most disgusting, filthy car seat, absolutely not fit for a 4 month old and told us to go and find the car, with 2 suitcases, bags and a baby in a pushchair. Checked my credit card statement, final charge was £721.33 + £21.27 non sterling transaction fee 🤣.

On Friday the 20th December of 2024 I booked a rental vehicle through the Easyjet website, collecting it from Europcar Manchester Airport at 3:00pm. From the innumerous companies based in Manchester, I chose Europcar as it is a well-reputed company in the market, trustworthy and with relatively affordable prices. According to the booking summary I did not contract any other services or extra options in addition to the car rental. When collecting the vehicle the employee present at the time suggested me to upgrade my cover to a premium insurance, to which I said I was not interested. Upon my answer, your employee gave me several documents to sign under the excuse they were mandatory to the conclusion of the rental contract. The car was returned with a full tank, without any faults or damage, something that was checked by your staff at the time of delivery. I was completely gobsmacked and furious when I received the invoice where you Europcar charged me almost double the amount that had been previously agreed. I will bring again to your attention that I did not contract or subscribed to any extra services, neither at the time of booking nor at the time of collection. After reading SEVERAL feedbacks from other dissatisfied customers on several internet pages, I can finally understand where the issue relies: Because I refused the premium insurance, the employee took advantage of my apparent rush to collect the car keys and the fact that I was a foreigner and non English native, to give me the premium insurance contract to sign mixed up with other paperwork. This is fraud, and you are accountable for it. Unfortunately this situation, which is very difficult to prove, seems to be recurring and many customers were scammed in this way (you can find plenty similar cases here in Google Feedback, for example). That said, my only question is: Are your employees who, in search of commission money, deceive Europcar customers? Or is Europcar the one encouraging employees to carry out this type of fraudulent scheme? Until what extend are you as a company involved in this fraudulent scheme? Either options are despicable and reprehensible. Considering Europcar has been operating since 1949 and has a reputation to uphold, you should be ashamed of your employees actions and take responsibility for their misdeeds. I expect nothing than a full refund covering the extra money that was abusively withdrawn from my account, and for the employees who have been carrying such fraud to be sanctioned and brought to justice. I expect an answer from you within the next 15 days, and in the case of failure I will seek further action with legal authorities. I will also report this matter to the GOV.UK, Trading Standards Institute and to the ECRCS. You can fool me once, but you won't fool twice. As someone who travels to England twice a year, I will never use your services again, and I will make sure this situation is widely spread.

Charged us for a damage to the vehicle when nothing could be seen or proven therefore they have scammed us into paying hard earned money and they are frauds

I was given a Europcar booking as a courtesy car when my personal car was hit. The Bermondsey Branch (my closest one) have been awful as they simply do not answer their phones. I have tried calling them 7 times over the past two weeks and they never answer their phones or respond to the messages left on the system by their own colleagues. I keep getting redirected back to the central number. Absolutely awful service.

The worst pre-checkin process I've experienced so far from a car hire company. Booked a car via expedia who then send me a link to complete check in via the europcar site. I'm in the UK. I register on the UK site. The checkin then fails because expedia directs me to the US site which then rejects me because it knows I have a UK accounts so complains it's been registered under a different identity. It's the same email address, therefore it's the same person. Kindly fix your IT. Then I go through the online validation process which involves a laptop, scanning QR codes, continuing on a mobile, taking pictures of originals (not scanned copies) and a picture of me, then fails for an unspecified error with no option to try again. I don't have this time to waste and don't have this issue with other car hire providers. I should only have to register my passport and driving licence with you ONCE not PER HIRE and then supply you with an updated driving code if needed. KEEP IT SIMPLE

Terrible experience - Europcar need to urgently update their t’s&c’s. There is an undisclosed young drivers fee - the terms and conditions states “Under 25’s will face a young drivers fee”, which is the main reason why I booked the car with europcar, as I am 25 and this statement means I will not be charged any extra. Unfortunately I was faced with an extra £590 fee for my car on arrival, when the car booking itself was only £390. The first line you see on the t’s and c’s is the above (quote - UNDER 25’s), and you have to “click to read more” to read further where you see the line, “25’s AND under will be charged” etc. Why would I click to read further if the first, summarised thing I read clearly states it is relevant for UNDER 25’s, not 25 AND under? To add to this, the fee wasn’t added until I arrived to collect, so I also could not cancel my car. I was within the 6 hour pick up time and so I would have been charged the full fair. I was left with no option but to take the charge, all because of an error on their side. My £390 car turned into a £980 one!! Absolute rip off. I feel I am entitled to a refund on this surcharge fee, and I would certainly not suggest Europcar to anyone.

One star is too much for the service we got at London Heathrow. Rented a Seat, but as not availsble an MG was offeted at massiv extra costs, to which we erroneously agreed, as it‘s an english car we thought and told the guy. No word from him, correcting us that the car is not british. Next day, in the South of England, found out through AA that it is actually chinese crap we rented. For years now we refuse to buy or rent any chinese manufactured stuff. Experience showed us also this time, we are very right. Had to call AA twice and after a couple of hours drive our backpain was unbelievable too. Anyway, now we also refuse to rent from Europcar. Never ever again!

We booked a bigger car than normal to make sure we had a bigger luggage space for the christmas travel. On arrival the "seller" tried to talk us into a BMW or Audi. We declined same and then got told they "helped" us and gave us a MG ZS, despite ordering the bigger group. They said the MG HS they normally give for that class had a smaller trunk. Can it really be that ONLY 1 car is available in each class? Furthemore tire preasure was off, so we got another car that had issues with engine lights. All in all very bad experience.

EDIT: Europcar's response below suggests the left-hand doesn't talk to the right. I HAVE BEEN TALKING TO Customer Services, and they won't do anything. ORIGINAL: I hired a van from the Wallisdown, Dorset branch, and the experience was nothing short of infuriating. Almost immediately after driving off, the door sensor alarm started blaring non-stop. No matter how many times I opened and closed the door, the alarm wouldn’t shut off. I was on a strict schedule, so I had no choice but to deal with the unbearable noise for the duration of my rental. I didn’t mention it right away, but when I returned the vehicle, I reported the issue, only to be told that because I had already checked the van back in, I would need to contact Head Office. After numerous frustrating emails, Head Office’s response was to offer me a voucher for future use—as if I would ever consider renting from you again! To top it off, the voucher comes with the delightful note that I can't even use it to hire a van. How utterly ridiculous. The hours of distress caused by that incessant, faulty sensor left both myself and my passenger with searing headaches. As an act of goodwill, I’d expect at least some form of compensation, yet here I am, left with nothing but a sour taste in my mouth. You’ve completely failed to address the issue, and I won’t be returning. And as a side note, I booked for a 2-day rental but returned the van after just one day. Yet, somehow, the staff "forgot" to inform me that the price wouldn't reflect a full refund, not even close to half the cost. It's shocking how careless and dishonest this entire experience has been. BONUS ISSUE Low Oil Sensor Warning: To make matters worse, the low oil sensor also activated during my rental. This raises serious concerns about the vehicle’s roadworthiness and the quality of maintenance checks your fleet undergoes before being rented out to customers.

Paid an up front discounted fee in the UK prior to departure to Spain. On pick up I was charged a further 135% more by Europcar staff a total rip off. Have always used Europcar in the EU but I won't be using them again after this experience. Customer satisfaction clearly not high on their agenda!!

SCAM! Coming to Italy to visit parents, my plane landed in late 4 hours, so the Europcar north office was already close already, They told me to go Terminal south, there was a guy that barely understand what he say, he ask me the rental contract that was already pay in advance in Italy for the whole week about 750 Euros. The Europcar guy ask me the credit card again, ID documents again, providing me a new paperwork and give me an equivalent vehicle. Arrived at the hotel. having look at the new documentation, I realize an extra £2000 on that agreement. So the next day I made a phone call to Europcar asking what was that amount? a guy provide me a new phone number for accounting assistance on that matter. So, the new person was explain me, that amount of £2000 was a deposit, nothing was charged, if vehicle is returned with full gas on it, and without any damage, I Have an executive plan with Europcar, renting vehicle since more than 20 years., after 2 days, the Volvo x60 they gave me, stop running, so I had to call the assistance. Assistance van of AA, comes to my hotel, the guy say car has a fault on the battery electronic, so he was able to start with a new battery, asking me to return the brake down vehicle to London (2 hours driving ) take another vehicle and going back to the hotel, with another substitutive car for another 2 hours of driving. I'm 80 year old, planning to spend Christmas time with my family, due my daughter was need to have a surgery on 26 dec. So was really not possible to do this for me. So the AA guy made a call to his friend, after 2 hours comes another AA person, with a compatible spare part. just for fix the issue temporally. Vehicle then start again., but I lost all the morning waiting for the repair with no more time to take my family at the shopping tour programmed. At the end of the week I returned the vehicle to Europcar. and back to my country. after few days I received on my email. an invoice and I WAS CHARGED FOR AN EXTRA £2000 !!!! REASON UPGRADED VEHICLE (that I didn't ask) and AIRPORT FEES???? Called my bank for block that charged, They couldn't do it. Called Europcar In italy, they couldn't do it! they say go to London and speak to the guy who made the paperwork??? I will call my ADVOCATE, this is a pure scam!, Vehicle was already pay in full in advance as I TRUST THEM, such disgraceful behavior! I will never back to this company anymore, I recommend. to any one instead TO TAKE A TAXI ! It will save you money and frustrations!

Needed a family size car for Christmas as I only have a 2 seater, booked Europcar thinking that as they are an international company I wouldn’t have any issues. How wrong I was! Booked on the 20th December and spoke to the branch who told me I would be getting a VW T-Roc delivered. Around an hour later they rock up with a dirty Skoda and when I asked where the VW was I was told that all their “good cars” went up to the airports on transporters for the Christmas rush and I could either take the Skoda or they could take it back to the branch and cancel the booking. Had I not needed it that night I would have definitely rejected it. I get that the car was not filthy but when paying £400 of my hard earned cash I was expecting them to have at least whipped the hoover around it. I have so far been offered a £30 refund, not even 10% of the cost! Absolute joke. I see from other reviews that they supply courtesy cars for the mobility scheme, fair enough - these people aren’t paying directly so should be happy with whatever they’re given but when you’re paying your own money it is just not good enough. Maybe Europcar should stick the government contracts instead of ripping individuals off!

Worst car hire experience I’ve had in 45 years of driving.

Europcar is an absolute disgrace. The young blonde boy serving us blatantly lied, claiming he was giving us an “extra nice car” without once mentioning it would cost more. At no point were we told about additional charges, yet now Europcar refuses to refund us. Their customer service has been useless, outright refusing to help resolve the issue. To make matters worse, the server had the audacity to lie and say he informed us, even though both of us can confirm he did not. This is nothing short of a scam, and the dishonesty displayed has completely ruined our experience. Do not trust this company—they clearly thrive on deceiving their customers. Avoid Europcar at all costs if you value honesty, transparency, or decent service!

TERRIBLE! My booking was made via a broker, but that shouldn't matter. I opted to rent a small car to travel from Scotland to Wales over the Xmas period. On arrival at the europcar office, St. James centre Edinburgh I was politely greeted followed by "would you like to upgrade?". I had no desire to upgrade as it was already expensive and I didn't need a bigger vehicle. This was before I even knew exactly what make and model of car I was about to receive. When I did finally get the keys to my rental car, having had a £700 pound deposit taken from me, I discovered I had unintentionally rented an MG3. My heart sank. The deposit, whilst huge in my opinion wouldn't have bothered me so much, however it had to be taken from my debit card as that was the card I had used to make the booking. I asked to use my credit card for this but was told that wasn't allowed. Now I'm £700 short over the Xmas period with a mortgage and bills upcoming!! I drove the car away, having travelled no more than a mile and already I found the car to be unbearable, the thought of a 5.5hr journey on the M6 when I hadn't even yet reached 30mph was frightening. The road noise was so intrusive I could barely hear my own thoughts, my skeleton was starting to feel the effects of the terrible chassis and suspension. I can only describe this car as a very basic vehicle barely meeting the definition of a car, nevermind a modern car. The engine was so gutless, it was like it was powered by a sewing machine but with the noise of a tractor. The suspension felt like it was made of wood and bricks rather than springs and dampers. The headlights when it became dark were she equivalent of 2 candles and the whole time I'm starting to develop a head ache and ringing ears. I hated this car, really hated it. A quick search on auto trader revealed from 41small cars the MG3 to be the worst at #41. My experience got worse when I returned it. I returned the vehicle early as I was keen to get my deposit back, so wanted to be present when it was inspected on its return. However, I was told that that vehicle wouldn't be inspected until the following day, where it would sit in a public multi-storie car park overnight. The car could be in a very different condition over that time to when it was returned. With regards to the car when I complained, the agent's response was "it's because it's a cheap car". Wow! Now, the car has been returned, but not inspected at that point. I phoned the branch the next at 14:00, but the office is closed, so I phoned customer services. They couldn't even confirm the car had been returned and didn't even know where it was. What?? Following day, I phoned the branch to ask for confirmation that the vehicle had been returned and it's condition so I could be assured I was going to receive my deposit. I was told a manger would email me, that didn't happen. A 2nd phone call later in the day and I was told they hadn't emailed me because it was via a broker. They had my email address which had been provided no less than 3 times. I had to push hard for them to agree to send an email confirming the condition of the vehicle and that I was going to get my deposit back. Unbelievable! Having hired many cars from other vendors I've always had a good experience,where the vehicle has been checked on return and good communication, not with EUROPCAR. I will never use them again. Ever! By the way not only was the car rated 41/41, it only has a 3* euro cap rating, meaning it's just about safe.

Shitty experience. Last month I was able to get the rental car hassle free and this time they refused to give me the rental car stating that my UK drivers license is under 1 year. Not sure what changed within a month. Pathetic service.

The best customer experience ever. I rented cars a few times in Newport just right before Christmas as my car broke down and Alex was incredibly accommodating, kind and helping. He provided me with a very friendly support through the process and even it was a stressful time for me he kept me happy and relaxed. Seriously, the top notch and model customer service most companies should learn. We need more people like Alex. If every company has Alex-like people the world would be a much better place, indeed! I highly recommend renting a car at the Europcar in Newport.

I rented a car for 1 day but they charged me for 2 days. Although they admitted their mistake and apologized, they did not deposit the money back. I've been to the branch 4-5 times, I've emailed customer service, they are absolutely not interested.

Customer service at front desk is non existent. Pick up the phone think of all possible bookings you may be losing,too many options and ads, nobody picking up on any options I chose. All I wanted to know was what time are you picking up the car?some of us need to go out or to work and cannot be hovering by the front door until you deem to show up. If our hire time ends at 9.00am please pick up at that time.

Beware of renting with Europcar UK. Hidden in the small print is that the company will pay any parking fines you receive while hiring the car whether the fine is valid or not. Once a fine is paid you cannot appeal it which leaves you in a catch 22 situation. They will then charge you 45 pounds for administration and take the full amount from your credit card even if you are not guilty. Best practice hirersvwill always give the customer chance to appeal a fine before paying it.