Europcar47 reviews
This score is based on 47 genuine reviews submitted via US-Reviews since 2017.
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Find companies you have experience with and write reviews about them! Your reviews contribute to a more transparent market and improve the reliability of companies.Suspicious start, decent finish
Halfway through the check-in, with a clipboard and a stack of photos, I thought here we go again. I rented this car because my back flared up and trains were out — needed something reliable. At first they flagged scratches I clearly had photographed myself; showing my pics barely moved them and the agent kept pointing to lines in the contract. The damage check dragged on — almost two hours of arguing and rewriting notes. I was skeptical. The moment I realized I’d be okay was when a manager finally compared my timestamped photos and removed most of the extra charges. Not perfect, a hassle for sure, but the car drove fine and I got most of my money back. Will I use them again? Probably, but only with evidence and patience.
Learned the hard way in Rome
don't rent here if you want a chill start to your trip. I picked up a supposedly cheap car for a week and the pickup turned into a two- to three-hour fight over a damage report. They listed scratches in a contract so vague it felt like a setup, and after I signed they hit me with an extra €160–€250 for “damage.” Showing my own photos hardly helped; the paperwork always won. Oddly, the car was clean and one agent was surprisingly friendly, which made the later charge sting more — go figure. I started using it right away and that first impression was promising, but the billing spoiled it. If you like paperwork drama, knock yourself out; otherwise, skip it, honestly, felt duped — just not worth the headache.
Mixed bag at pick-up
There I was, arms full of suitcases, halfway between the shuttle and the counter, when the conversation at Europcar suddenly turned into a small hostage negotiation. I had hesitated before booking through Expedia — worried about availability and the usual small print — but figured it'd be fine. Turns out my 'manual' reservation had been swapped to an automatic, and that was the least of it. They insisted I either show a credit card with something like a €40,000 limit (nope) or buy their insurance for €1,100. After an hour of back-and-forth, explaining I’d use my own coverage, I caved and paid. I’m oddly relieved we weren't left stranded and the car drove fine, but it felt unfair. If you rent, double-check transmission and insurance policy ahead, and bring receipts. I'll be filing a complaint, but at least the trip continued.
Spare change and a solid ride
the car was clean, ready on time and got me through a month of school runs, grocery hauls and a few work trips without breaking down. The painful part was billing — they tacked on fees I hadn't expected and extending past four weeks was a circus; took multiple calls and mixed messages before someone finally sorted an extension. Customer service was, odd as it sounds, both frustrating and helpful: first dismissive, then one rep actually dug in, rechecked charges and fixed most of it. I'm annoyed I had to chase, but also relieved and quietly grateful it ended better than I feared. Will I rush back? Not sure, but delivery was solid.
Hidden fees, too many hoops
conflicting answers across five calls and an extra charge that worked out to well over £100 a day. Then the final bill arrived with more than £300 in fees I never saw clearly explained. I complained, got the usual runaround and vague promises. After years of using them I’m done. Switched to Enterprise for later travel and, honestly, night and day — much smoother. I wish they'd been upfront, that would have changed things a lot.
Charged after return
take photos, keep receipts, and use a card with good fraud protection. If Europcar sorted it quickly, I'd consider them again in the future. I wanted this trip to be easy. Instead it's a hassle I didn't need.
That phone call changed it
a week later a senior rep phoned, listened — really listened — and offered a full price adjustment plus a small credit for the hassle. Not massive, but fair, and delivered promptly. That call changed everything; I relaxed, the stress evaporated a bit. The positive surprise was how calmly the rep sorted it out, no defensive nonsense. So, bottom line: the pickup was messy and understaffed, don't expect miracles at busy airports, but follow up and push politely. If they pick up the phone and own it, they'll sort you out.
Surprisingly usable despite the shock
I'm actually glad I went with Europcar in the end, even though the morning was a bit of a scramble. I flew in from Canada at 7 am, bleary-eyed, and a friend had told me that the airport desk was the easiest option. The rep was really friendly but had a heavy Scottish accent — I swear I understood maybe a third of what she said, which made the whole insurance bit fuzzy. She mentioned about £50 a day and I signed, thinking that was it. Turned out the total insurance for ten days was around £1,700, which hit me like a surprise bill. Not great. I emailed head office twice and the replies weren't very reassuring, so I left feeling a bit mixed. Still, the car itself ran well, pickup was quick, and having wheels in Scotland made the trip way better than would’ve been otherwise. So yeah, be careful and ask all the hard questions first, but overall I’m glad I didn’t cancel the trip over it.
Not worth the surprise fee
the insurance line on my bill ended up being £1,700 for a 10‑day rental. That hit me like a cold shower. I get that there can be extra fees, but that total was way out of line — more than what I pay yearly back home — and felt misleading. I emailed head office twice and the response was vague and unsatisfying. Disappointed, annoyed, and out of pocket. Use caution and read everything closely if you go with them.
Rough ride at Milan
I supposedly changed a tire without permission (I tried calling), and the spare “wasn’t identical” to the others — which made no sense given the situation. Worse, the other three tires were basically bald and should’ve been replaced before they handed the car over. They even said they might charge me for swapping those, which felt unfair. Customer service was polite but defensive, not helpful. Delivery-wise the car arrived in poor condition, so beware. I’m not saying everything was ruined — the car ran fine afterward — but I’d warn others to take tons of photos and push back if needed.
Not what I signed up for
There I was, suitcase half-zipped, thinking "okay, should be smooth" — a friend had actually suggested Europcar and their website looked solid, so I paid over £1000 expecting a premium saloon (they guaranteed an Audi A5 or similar) with room for four cases. Big mistake. After a two-hour wait at the airport desk (one person working, looked like they’d never been trained) I was basically handed keys to an Audi Q3 SUV. Fine car, but the trunk barely fit three bags, not four. I emailed customer service right away. Fast forward a month and a half and their answer was a laughably small refund — €37 — when their own site shows about £677 difference. I asked them to take another look and they said no, that’s it. So my doubts before booking — about honesty and availability — they weren’t quieted, they were confirmed. Mildly annoyed would be an understatement. If you rely on guarantees, don’t assume they’ll honor them. I won’t be using them again.
Tiny screenshot, big relief
take full screenshots and keep the timestamps. Tell whoever asked me — I’d still recommend being careful, but it can be fixed.
Not what I booked, and that matters
I won't be using Europcar in Iceland again. I booked because the ad listed a Toyota Yaris Cross — that model fit our trip plans — but at pickup they handed over a Suzuki S‑Cross instead. At first I thought, okay, small change, no big deal. Then the brakes felt spongy and sketchy right away, and on day two the dash popped up a "need to change engine oil" message. That combination made me nervous the rest of the trip (and I kept wondering if it had even passed basic checks). I get that rental fleets shuffle cars, and I've had decent rentals elsewhere, but this felt like a step down in care and safety. Customer rep was polite enough but there wasn't a real solution on site, just apologies. Credit where it's due: nothing catastrophic happened and we made it through, so I'm grateful for that — could've been worse. Still, being worried about brakes and oil while driving Iceland's roads takes a lot out of the trip; it wasn't relaxed at all. If you're picky about the exact model or about car maintenance, I'd be cautious with this location. They should be checking oil and brakes properly before handing keys over. For now, after this experience, I'll look to other companies next time.
Nearly perfect car, messy paperwork
loved how the car drove, not thrilled with the admin. Document everything if you go here.
Wrong car, sketchy brakes, annoying oil warning
spongy brakes and an oil alert shouldn't be your travel companions. I won't be quick to rent from the same company again after that.
Airport upsell that ate our afternoon
we’d lost one credit card earlier so had to cancel it, showed a new virtual card, then dug out a debit card. Guy at the desk had to check with his manager to accept the debit, fine. What wasn't fine was how the convo went from "here’s your Corolla" to five minutes of pressure to upgrade. He kept suggesting bigger cars, then added insurance and after a bunch of back-and-forth the quote ballooned. At one point he’d shown a figure that looked like 3000 GBP, which was nonsense, so we said no, then agreed to an upgrade but dropped the extra insurance just to leave. We ended up paying over 900 GBP in the end, which felt steep for what we had planned. The car itself drove well — comfy enough for the long drive to Manchester, handled fine, no issues on the road — and I’m actually glad it was reliable, that part worked out and we made our holiday. Still, the whole haggling thing took nearly an hour at the counter and put a damper on the start of the trip. So yeah, grateful the car did its job, annoyed by the sales tactics. I won’t be booking that way again.
Unexpected hoops, but decent people on the ground
friendly, efficient, actually knew what they were doing. That positive bit kept saving the experience for me, otherwise it would’ve been a mess. Back office though, that’s a different story. If it’s a routine question they can handle it, but as soon as something odd comes up, everything slows to a crawl and you get bounced around like it’s not their problem. I booked through a third party and Europcar initially said they had no record of it. Weeks of emails and calls followed — to both the booking site and Europcar — and nobody could explain why. Only when I showed up in Jersey did the booking turn up under my name. That was frustrating, and wasted time I didn’t have between work and family errands.
Another thing: I tried to get loyalty points added after the rental. Again, silence or vague replies for ages until finally someone checked properly and told me Jersey rentals don’t count for points. That’s info I should have had day one. Meanwhile they were perfectly happy to charge me a £44 administrative fee for passing on a £20 parking fine from Cornwall — that was quick and thorough, which felt a bit ironic.
Day-to-day I rent cars for short trips to visit family and for weekend jobs around town, so reliability matters. The in-person teams in Jersey, Guernsey, UK and Cyprus were consistently good and kept me coming back despite the paperwork headaches. Still, the Dublin airport supervisor was unhelpful and dampened the otherwise solid face-to-face service. Bottom line: the people you meet in person often make up for the clunky back-office systems, but don’t expect smooth answers for anything out of the ordinary.That sigh of relief
I remember the exact moment I stopped stressing about that rental — I was unloading groceries in the rain after a long weekend trip and realized, wait, this is fine. Kind of dumb, but that little pause is when I knew I was actually satisfied. The whole thing started with a weird email a month later about a small mark on the bumper. At first I bristled, but they didn't just auto-charge my card, which honestly calmed me down right away. They sent a photo, an explanation, and a quote for the repair, and that made things feel… manageable. I use rentals for everything from quick IKEA runs to longer weekend drives, so I care about hassle-free returns. What sold me was how they handled my questions — short replies, no courtroom language after my follow-up, and they gave me the chance to dispute it without jumping to conclusions. It's not perfect — the price for repairs felt high — but the willingness to communicate and let me present my side made a big difference. So yeah, a little patience and a couple of messages in my inbox turned frustration into a shrug and a nod. I actually slept better that night.
Mixed bag — good people, messy admin
I wouldn’t call this a smooth ride, but the people at the desks often pulled it back. I found out the hard way that their back office and the front-line staff live in two different worlds. I first started dealing with this in Feb 2025 when I booked a car for Jersey through a third-party site — my initial impression was okay, until the follow-up began.
Right away, questions that were routine for me turned into a long game of email ping-pong. Simple stuff at the counter went fine, but anything slightly off-script got bounced between teams like a hot potato. For weeks I chased confirmation that my reservation existed, called, emailed both companies, and kept getting variations of “we’re checking.” It wasn’t until I actually landed in Jersey that someone found the booking under my name and handed me keys. That felt both relieving and a bit annoying — why the weeks of hassle?
Same pattern with loyalty points: I asked for the rental to be credited to my account, and again it took ages and a few different people to get an answer. Eventually someone followed up properly and told me Jersey rentals weren’t in the points program. Fine — but that should’ve been said at the start. On the money side, they didn’t dither when charging me a fee for passing on a parking fine; that one landed fast and without question. Also worth noting: staff in Jersey, Guernsey, the UK and Cyprus were consistently solid, polite and helpful. The one sour note was a supervisor at Dublin airport who came off as pretty brusque, which left a bad taste.
So yeah, skeptical at first, but I ended up content with most face-to-face encounters. The back office needs clearer processes and quicker, honest answers though — saves everyone time.Last-minute upgrade went off-script
I dropped the car off and the attendant in the garage told me they didn’t need to check the vehicle because I had the premium insurance. That surprised me; I had not asked for premium and I hadn’t been told I was upgraded to it. I was rushing to my flight and couldn’t resolve it in person, so I left.
Later I sent emails asking for clarification and a partial refund for the extra insurance charge. The replies were short and firm: I signed the contract, so they assume I agreed to everything. No refund. No real explanation of why the premium plan was added without my clear consent. Repeated messages got me the same answer. It’s the typical “we show it on paper” defense.
The car itself was fine. Delivery at pick-up was adequate. But the way the agent handled the upgrade and the insurance felt pushy and unclear. If you rent through a broker, double-check the type of car and all insurance lines before you sign. Ask for everything to be printed clearly. Take photos of forms if you can. I wanted a straightforward week with a small car; I ended up spending more and following up by email. Not a disaster, but could have been handled much better by their staff.
About Europcar
There are many reasons why we need to rent a car. It could be that we are yet to get a car but we need the flexibility of having a car of your offers for a day or more. Even if you have a car traveling to another city or country you can’t drive to or having a faulty car, you would also need to rent a car during your stay in that city or till the car is fixed. One of the companies you can rent a car from in the USA or when you travel to other countries is Europcar. However, before giving them a try, we suggest that you read reviews of the company left for them here by customers who have patronized them before. This will help you to know if they have been as efficient as they claim.
About Europcar
Europcar is a company that offers car rental services in the USA, Europe, and several other countries in the world. They claim to have an extensive network and a modern fleet. They pride themselves in having the selection of prestige rental where you can arrive with one of their prestigious rental cars that include sporty, luxury, and executive rental cars. They claim to deliver their mobility solutions globally through an extensive network in over 140 countries.
Services
The services of Europcar include express pick-up, VAT refund, Deliver & Collect as well as E-invoicing. Some of their UK deals include monthly car hire from € 105 a week, long term car hires from € 249 amongst others. They also have a loyalty program aimed at rewarding their customers. Members are privileged to a 10% off their public rate for renting a car or van for three or more days with no exclusions. With this, you can save more during the period. Also, being a member, you get to enjoy a faster vehicle pick-up process and rewards like free weekend rentals and value off coupons. Interested parties can join for free. Europcar vehicles are enabled with GPS services to help guide customers who might not have a clear idea or are unfamiliar with their destination. Why choose Europcar? They provide a convenient car rental experience, fast pickup times on arrival, and excellent prices. Their online check-in allows you to view, modify or cancel your reservations at any time by entering the relevant details. The most appealing part of Europcar is that they can deliver their hire cars to wherever you are and collect from any UK address saving you time. Delivery and collection for all types of vehicles are conducted starting at € 10. To receive news and special offers from Europcar, simply subscribe to the Europcar newsletter.
Compliments, Complaints, and Opinions
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Last update: November 2025
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Review with most votes
Perfect for a road trip
We rented a car in New York and drove all the way to Los Angeles. Perfect car. No problems. Took us a whole month, and we saw a lot! Car had no problem driving in the scenic ro... Read onBy: John