Rentalcars.com Reviews 

They're just a third party company and they do NOT accept any responsibility when their partners commit fraud. It's all polite talk, zero action. Who needs that?

I have never ever experience something like this, They were not telling there is huge deposit amount in the website but in the rent a car firm take it. Now although I couldn't effort 1500€ is deposit amount because of cash payment. It is ridicilious because rent is just only 75€. Please dont reserve any car from this website, I have penalty 100€ for no reason

First time - and the last time using this portal.
Actually everything went smoothly - 10 days rent for a midsize car ordered the day before - paid for on the web - rent + full insurance - with my Visa-card and looking forward to collect the car at Italy Car Rent at Milan Central Trainstation for our journey thru Northern Italy
Arrived at 9:30 - half hour before the initial booking - and the lady at the counter asked for the credit card for the deposit. I gave her my card - the exact same card which I had used for paying at rentalcars.com.
You can’t use this - it’s a Debit card… Same reply for the two other cards. I offered to pay cash for the deposit - but no go.
Called rentalcars help desk - they said that the rental company could charge on the debet - the lady at the counter replied: “They always say so - but it doesn’t work “.
Then I called to rentalcars again to cancel my reservation - another very nice person indeed- situated in South Africa - told me that the limit for free cancellation was exceeded - time was approx. 10:10 - and he was sorry that I had to pay 200 Euros in fee.
Lesson learned - 200 Euros for nothing - took the train instead to the destination for our first stay in Piemonte - next day rented a car at Avis in Alba - no problem with debit card - nicer car - brand new Countryman - same price…
My advice to others - do not use this portal - go directly for the established companies like Avis, Sixt instead of this jungle with middlemen.
Then you’ll have proper service - and debit cards (preferred by people who not are interested in credit/loan) are welcomed.
When I later discovered that booking.com and rentalcars .com are related I actually regretted sending additional fees in their direction.
Anyway, the holiday in Italy was great!

We picked up a Isuzu D max Diesel Ute instead of a Toyota Camry Hybrid Sedan (or similar) . There is nothing similar about these 2 cars. We were 4 adults travelling one way from Broome to Perth. The provider was Budget. The rental guy at Budget where we had to collect the car from was quite rude, saying we shouldn’t have booked through Rentalcars.com. We had no other option but to take the D max because 1) we had paid and there were no other cars available according to our Budget guy and 2) we needed to get to where we had booked for that night before sunset.
This car was uncomfortable for 4 adults and our bags were not secure in the back tray. We had to purchase a cover and garbage bags to keep our luggage dry and strapped in. The rental guy from Budget told us this car had to get back to Perth to be sold and we were the bunnies to do it!
On our 1st call to Rentalcars the service person said she would try to get us a full refund, however over a month later we are told that there will be no refund, that the D max is similar to a Camry Hybrid Sedan and the case is closed!
Appalling service, especially when the D Max cost a lot more in diesel. Do not use Rentalcars.com is my tip!

DO NOT RENT CARS FROM BOOKING.COM OR RENTAL CARS.COM!
ATTENTION ALL REVIEWERS!, DESERVING IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT!, Let’s do it, THEIR PRACTICES ARE HARMFUL, GREAT LOSSES! THEY MUST BE STOPPED! LAWERS REACH OUT! CEOs Don’t seem to care even escalating, untruthful responses, greedy!, I Want them not to have their positions because they do not know how to run a Company. Please add to your experiences truthfully with. Documentation. WE HAVE A CASE!??

A holiday to Lanzarote was ruined by Goldcar who didn’t give us the stated vehicle or similar! I didn’t realise that reviews were so bad for Rentalcars.com who covered the booking! An absolute shambles of a company who are not bothered slightly by extremely poor reviews!
AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COST!

The worst customer experience ever. I have been trying to obtain my VAT invoice for the payment I made for 3 months. I was being sent back and forth between Rentalcars and Alamo for 3 months, even though I have a proof of purchase made to Rentalcars. I spend hours on writing emails to finally still not be able to receive an invoice which is my legal right. Customer service is just terrible - it feels like talking to the wall. I was repeating multiple times the same things over and over again and all they did was forward me back to Alamo. Not recommending to anyone.

Well, the problems here are not Hertz problems. It is booking.com's takeover of Rental Cars and the noticeable drop off in customer care. I have used Rental Cars for years now, but I think this is the final straw. Long story short, I forgot to add a secondary driver to my booking - and within 48 hours of pick-up you deny that. I then forgot my driving licence! So, effectively, I could not add, even at the counter, another driver, and i needed a hard copy of my license to make Hertz happy. I could only book the same car again there with really bad On top of that, the car was nothing like the car YOU had advertised. It was some chinese Spanish thing. NOT the Volvo I had booked. Those cars are NOT ANYWHERE close to being "similar" - one is a £45k car, one is a £20k car. How is that "similar"? Finally, i was effectively resold the same car. So, that seems VERY anti-customer rights. No effort was made by Rental Cars or Hertz to resolve this. It was all "at the expense of the customer". That doesn't legally, feel right to me. This again is YOUR issue, not Hertz's. Indeed Hertz staff were recommending to all who would listen at the desks to NOT to be using RentalCars in the future as there was nothing they could do to help due to your business contract / terms with them and that they had had loads of issues. We were surrounded by other clients of RentalCars picking up cars, and ALL had serious issues. One had ordered a manual, and there was no manual cars. One had been given an electric car / EV when he had ordered a petrol - and the electric was not going to work for them. All had issues then rectifying their issues all at increased expense to them. This is the second or third bad experience I have had with RentalCars - and I won't be using you again. I will leave this review publicly as well, so that people can see the level of cost-cutting in your business now and the disinterest you have for your customers' well being. Good luck with the rest of your booking.com life!

DO NOT COME NEAR THIS SCAM OF A COMPANY.
I have a planned holiday to Italy>Slovenia in August, for some unknown reason perhaps my mistake I have noticed I been charged for the car rental for Slovenia on July, dates for Slovenia itinerary were wrong. I have looked up the EuropaCar terms and agreement and it states 95€ penalty for no show event. But rentalcars had charged me the full 750€ for the car and were offering to refund me only for the extra 100€ for the rental extra cover warranty. Trying to speak logic to them found a brick wall, they just don’t care that the agency itself only fee 1/8 of the full amount.
They turned my accident into pure profit while no damaged happened to them as a broker agency.
STAY AWAY!

I rented a car with Avis through Booking/Rentalcars and was hit with a £36 (+ VAT) "location surcharge" that was never disclosed on my prepaid voucher, neither on the contract I signed at the Avis desk upon collection. When I contacted Booking support, my refund request was initially dismissed. After I insisted, they simply defended Avis by stating that this "City Surcharge" applies to all services paid for at the airport and refused to help further. Aside from the fact that charging mandatory fees not present in a signed contract is completely unacceptable, this situation entirely defeats the purpose of using Booking/Rentalcars. What is the use of this platform to compare car rental prices if the companies are allowed to add whatever undisclosed extra fees? The comparison is completely useless and deceptive for the consumer.

What an absolute piece of shit company. Be aware - do NOT book your car through them. I was blinded by the affiliation with Booking.com but this is some bottom scraping scam business. I booked a car for 7pax, went to pick it up at Milan airport only to find out that they reserved a car with 5 seats for our family of six. Was forced to sign a new lease directly with Sixt for twice the original price and assured through multiple emails that a refund would be issued. Now they have however changed their mind and decided that I did indeed pick up said car, so no refund will be issued. I have started a chargeback claim with my credit card company since I don’t feel like throwing away 1100€ after being forced to shell out 2300€ for a new rental and getting my children off the floor at the car rental hall after being stuck there for three hours in the scorching heat.

Steer clear people, avoid these scammers at all cost.

*edit to say I am receiving countless replies from AI bots telling me how honored they are to assist me and how they themselves, are too, customers in life so they can really feel my frustration. It’s both hilarious and infuriating at the same time. At least the bots will do an equally shitty job at defending their decision against my bank. Again, do not give your money to Rentalcars.com.

Misleading car category & terrible customer serviceI booked a Nissan Qashqai class car for a family of 4 through Rentalcars. Instead, Enterprise at Bristol Airport gave us a Jeep Avenger (Rental Agreement 41LQCV). While they hide behind the formal classification "Compact SUV", the Avenger is significantly smaller—its boot is about 100 liters smaller than a Qashqai. As a result, our bags completely blocked the rear window view (safety hazard) and the rest had to be kept under our feet. It was highly uncomfortable and unsafe. Customer support (case handled by Katerina) completely ignored our safety concerns and immediately closed the case, stating that "the vehicle was accepted by signing the contract." This is a deceptive practice and terrible customer service. I demand financial compensation for a ruined family holiday comfort.

I had a prepaid reservation with Avis through Rentalcars.com in Atlanta.
Tenía una reserva prepagada con Avis a través de Rentalcars.com en Atlanta.

When I arrived at the counter to pick up the car, the answer was simple: they had no cars available. None.
Cuando llegué al mostrador a retirar el auto, la respuesta fue simple: no tenían autos disponibles. Ninguno.

I immediately called Rentalcars.com, and instead of giving me a solution, they made me go back to the Avis counter just so the staff could "confirm" what I had already told them — that there were no vehicles.
Llamé de inmediato a Rentalcars.com y, en lugar de darme una solución, me hicieron regresar al mostrador de Avis solo para que el personal "confirmara" lo que yo ya les había dicho: que no había vehículos.

It was an absurd waste of time in the middle of my trip.
Una pérdida de tiempo absurda en pleno viaje.

The result after all of that? Rentalcars.com offered NO solution whatsoever.
¿El resultado después de todo eso? Rentalcars.com no ofreció NINGUNA solución.

No alternative car, no help, no compensation.
Ni un auto alternativo, ni ayuda, ni compensación.

Their only "answer" was to refund my money — in 7 days.
Su única "respuesta" fue devolverme el dinero… en 7 días.

Meanwhile, I was left stranded and had to spend USD 1,000 on a plane ticket just to continue my trip, entirely because of their incompetence.
Mientras tanto, quedé varado y tuve que gastar USD 1,000 en un pasaje de avión para poder continuar mi viaje, por culpa exclusiva de su incompetencia.

You pay in advance for security and peace of mind, and when something goes wrong, they abandon you completely.
Pagas por adelantado para tener seguridad y tranquilidad, y cuando algo falla, te abandonan por completo.

They don't deliver what they sell, and they take no responsibility for the consequences they cause.
No cumplen lo que venden y no se hacen responsables de las consecuencias que ellos mismos provocan.

Save yourself the headache and the money: DO NOT use Rentalcars.com.
Ahórrate el dolor de cabeza y el dinero: NO uses Rentalcars.com.

Book directly with the rental agency instead.
Reserva directamente con la agencia.
⭐ 1/5 — and only because you can't give less.
⭐ 1/5 — y solo porque no se puede poner menos.

I booked a car via rentalcars.com (booking # omitted) with drop-off at Hertz, 1099 Marginal Road, Halifax. The voucher said return instructions would be "explained at the rental counter."

The location is seasonal. Hertz's own website says: "Nov 1–Jun 14: location closed." My drop-off was May 9. There was no counter, no staff, no signage.

I spent 36 minutes calling Hertz at international roaming rates to find out where to leave the car. Cost: €60, documented on my carrier invoice.

Rentalcars.com denied my claim twice with identical copy-paste responses, stating I should have "clarified at pick-up." They never addressed the seasonal closure evidence. They offered a 10% promo code.

Their own listing for this location shows it open 24/7. It is not open 24/7 — it is not even open in May.

€60 claim. Fully documented. Two denials. Zero engagement with the evidence.

Terrible experience. The support phone numbers are not available (the number does not exist), and the emails are answered with AI generated messages of no use. There is 0 added value: on the contrary, they apply tricky contractual conditions and they disappear when assistance is needed. I will never ever use Rentalcars as a booking agent, but rather the car operator directly. They can be a search engine at most.

The company has kept my money without delivering the car. Never again

RENTALCARS.COM

SO-CALLED AFTERCARE AFTER A VERY POOR EXPERIENCE WITH AUTOVIA ITALY.

DO NOT HIRE FROM AUTOVIA!!!
TERRIBLE COMPANY WITH UNETHICAL OPERATING PRACTICES!!!

I had the unfortunate experience of hiring a car through AUTOVIA in Italy earlier this year, having been directed to their site from RENTALCARS.COM

It was a totally fraught experience, from pick up, quality of vehicle, safety of vehicle, customer service, to so-called aftercare.

I had to repair the tyre twice at my own expense. (with no recompense)

There was no mention on pick up of the requirement for AddBlue liquid. The car did not have sufficient AddBlue and I was required to fill it. The car will cease to drive if the AddBlue is too low.

I returned the vehicle 3 days early full of fuel and AddBlue, due to it being unsafe and the lack of customer support.

***On return to Australia I have noted a deduction from my credit card, without my consent, for towing, even though the vehicle was never towed. ( $413.99 AUD) I am currently disputing this unethical deduction from my account, but so far with no success.

I would avoid hiring from AUTOVIA at all cost. I have previously hired direct through EUROPCAR, SIXT and BUDGET with no issues whatsoever. Additionally I would also recommend avoiding RENTALCARS.COM as a means of finding a suitable hire car in Europe. As a third party operator (agreggator) they have failed to address my concerns. Much easier to hire direct from companies like EUROPCAR, SIXT and BUDGET.

Since booking.com took over, the app rentalcars use has become next to useless. It's impossible to see your payment details, and end up in a loop going round and round. Such a shame. Very frustrating.

Unexpected charges due to excess charges on vehicle
Unprofessional
Wear blinkers
Unwilling to help the customer
Pass the buck to the hire company
Avoid

I had an extremely disappointing experience with Goldcar and the lack of support from Rentalcars.

I arrived on time for my reservation with all the required documentation. I presented both my current UK driving licence and my previous UK driving licence, which clearly proved that I had held my licence for well over 12 months, as required by their own Terms and Conditions. Despite this, I was refused the vehicle without being given a clear or legitimate explanation.

I spent more than an hour at the rental desk trying to resolve the issue. During that time, I repeatedly called Rentalcars but was unable to get through to anyone. I was also in contact with their online support, where an agent told me she would call the rental desk and get back to me. She never did, and I was left without any assistance.

Afterwards, Rentalcars simply accepted Goldcar’s version of events and refused to properly consider the evidence I provided. I paid for a service that was never delivered, my travel plans were completely disrupted, and I was left to deal with the consequences on my own.

What makes this even more frustrating is that just two weeks earlier I had rented a car through Rentalcars in Italy using the same UK driving licence without any issues.

Based on my experience, I cannot recommend either Goldcar or Rentalcars. If you rent through them, make sure you bring every possible piece of documentation and be aware that, if something goes wrong, you may receive little or no meaningful support.