Europcar Reviews 

The car rental itself went smoothly and overall the experience was good — except for one major issue.

Europcar reserved the same amount on my card three times, resulting in approximately €1,340 extra being blocked on my account. The money remained reserved for an entire month.

I contacted customer service several times, both by phone and in writing, but nothing was done to resolve the issue.

€1,340 could easily be someone’s entire holiday budget, so having that amount unnecessarily blocked for a month is simply not acceptable.

Apart from this issue, everything else about the rental was good.

Very disappointing experience with Europcar Düsseldorf Airport.

I accidentally left a pair of new Tom Ford glasses in the car and contacted Europcar only about one hour after returning the vehicle. Despite reporting it so quickly, the glasses were never found.

Customer service was also disappointing: I specifically requested assistance in English, but the support I received was only in German.

For an international rental company at a major airport, I expected much better customer service and handling of lost property.

Unfortunately, based on my experience, I cannot recommend this location.

Booked a hire car for 11.30am, shop stated closed between 12-2pm. Turned up at 11.15am to find the shop closed. Called them repeatedly, finally someone answered the phone to say please wait we will be there at 12pm to honour the agreement (which was agreed for 11.30am). They finally turned up at 12.20pm and then told me I had to pay them £650 as a deposit which I was not made aware of in advance. I found the money, paid the deposit and as a knock on effect of their lateness, we were then late in returning the vehicle to the next drop off point and also in turn missed our ferry and had to pay for all new ferry tickets. Every time we called to ask for guidance the person on the phone would just hang up on us. Absolutely disgusting if you ask me. Zero stars. Will NEVER use again!!!!

I booked a premium car from Lindau to Flensburg on August 26th 2026 (booking 1205676557), but got a lower class car (Mercedes C180)
On top of this, I was charged a higher price, than the premium car price.
I filed a claim with the result, that the invoice was reduced to the premium car price - but I still had a lower class car ?

So why book Premium cars, if you cannot get it - but just get charged for it ?

My experience with Europcar Germany in Munich was extremely disappointing.
At the counter, I was offered an upgrade and clearly declined it. I explained that I was travelling for a family emergency, did not need an upgrade and simply needed the car so I could be on my way. I was then offered another car. The representative confirmed there would be no extra charge and that the car was covered by my prepaid booking.
He presented me with an iPad already zoomed into the signature box and told me Europcar had to take the deposit, so I inserted my credit card and authorized what I was told was the deposit. I did not read four pages of a German contract at a busy counter because there didn't appear to be a reason to: we had discussed the upgrade, I had declined it, and I had specifically confirmed there would be no surcharge. There was no ambiguity about what I had agreed to or what I was told I was signing.
After I returned the car and the rental was concluded, the deposit hold was released. Only then was a charge of €188.85 processed for an “upgrade” I had explicitly declined.

I contacted Europcar customer service afterward expecting the issue to be properly reviewed. Instead, the exchanges were dismissive, Europcar declared the matter closed, and the representative refused my request to escalate the concern.
In a changing world, experiences like this make customers increasingly cautious. To encounter something that felt this deceptive in Germany, from a major international company, was particularly troubling.

My advice: do not assume that being in Germany, at the counter of a major international rental company, means you can simply trust what you are being told. Read every line before signing.

the guy by the desk offered an upgrade on my car for 300 euros but actually put on the agreement 750 euros extra and told me to sign with out showing the agreement

My experience with Europa car in Freiburg germany was fantastic. Heir Shaikh was so patient and knowledgeable. I asked him almost every question under the sun and he answered every one with kindness. This was m6 first time renting with Europa but it certainly will not be my last. 10 stars for him! Thank you Vicky Haislip

I have rented several cars from Europcar over the last few years. I have not always got what I booked but have never been disappointed with the options afforded. However, my last rental seemed to be governed at 180 kph, which I did not expect but dealt with as I had a couple of hours driving from airport to destination. Their staff has impressed me more than their competitors and between that and their competitive pricing I will continue to use them in the future.

I booked a car from Europcar in Germany on 6th August. I didn't order Navigation system and Family pack. When we collected the car, the staff didn't show us the agreement or ask us to sign. She just said the agreement will email to us. However, when we received the invoice 3 weeks later, they charged me the Navigation system and Family pack with over 150euro. This is totally unreasonable. Even I sent an email to complaint, they didn't refund to me because they claimed that I changed the car. Actually the staff only provide a cheaper car BYD china car for us on that day (We booked Audi Q5 or similar).

SCAMMERS – EUROPcar GATWICK NORTH

I am extremely disappointed with my experience at Europcar Gatwick North.

When I collected the car, the staff member told me that the £600 was a deposit. I understood this to mean a security deposit, not payment for an additional premium insurance product.

I was not given a proper opportunity to read and understand what I was signing. I only discovered afterwards that I had been charged for premium insurance/protection that I did not knowingly request or agree to.

I feel that I was misled into paying for insurance that I did not want.

I am demanding a full refund of the insurance charge and a clear explanation of exactly what I was charged for and where I supposedly agreed to purchase this additional cover.

This was completely unacceptable. I would strongly warn other customers to be extremely careful at Europcar Gatwick North and check every charge before signing anything.

Yesterday I was on their site to find a rental. Prices shown were in the $40 to $60 range, a day. Today I go back, prices are $220 to $400 A DAY! What is going on? I love Europcar, usually. Now, I don't know what to think. Glitch or crazy?

I was charged an additional €120 after a prepaid rental. Customer support first told me it was VAT (despite VAT already being included), then, after calling them out on this, they said it was for an extra rental day, despite my return receipt showing the vehicle was returned on time. After providing the documentation, I received no further response.
So, basically I was given contradictory explanations for the charge and that the supporting documentation was apparently disregarded.

My experience with Europcar was extremely disappointing from start to finish. We waited around an hour just to collect the car, and when it finally arrived, it clearly had not been cleaned. The inside was dirty, and the member of staff in the garage was obviously embarrassed by its condition and kindly vacuumed it for us, but the outside remained filthy. Worse still, I was subsequently charged €56.98 for optional roadside assistance that was never discussed, requested or knowingly agreed to. Despite repeatedly confirming at collection what additional charges I was paying, Europcar has refused to refund this. Terrible customer service.

I recently rented a car from Europcar at Berlin Airport, and it was by far the best car rental experience I've ever had.

What contributed most to my satisfaction was the exceptional customer service. The staff member who assisted us was friendly, professional, and genuinely focused on ensuring we had a great experience. They even offered us an upgraded vehicle at a discounted rate, which was a pleasant surprise and not something I've encountered with other rental companies.

The entire process was smooth, efficient, and stress-free. The upgraded vehicle made our trip even more enjoyable, and the level of care we received really stood out. It's rare these days to experience service that exceeds expectations, but that's exactly what happened.

Waited over 90 minutes just to pick up a car of which we had completed all paper work for. Beyond ridiculous.

Bad customer service if you forget something. In the car.

3 calls - 5 emails:

Yes: they did find my stuff
No: they didn’t tell me they found it
No: they did not keep it for me to pick up - after leas than 2 weeks they had handed it over to the airport which incurs steep fees.
No: when I asked them if they could reverse that so I could pick it up they told me I had already picked it up - so they don’t read the emails they get either.

Good luck, everyone…

So: thanks to that I will be picking up my Hertz rental today instead.

Everything was good with rental at Munchen Airport, car was very OK (Seat Ibiza, 14375 km mileage), drop-off went OK.
In the Statement of Return I received is noted no problem.
The big surprise was when I receive the invoice, with a surcharge of 323.23 EUR, bigger than entire 7 days booking!!!
They surcharge a so called "Location Charge" and a "Premium Plus Protection Pack" which I never asked for!
I will contest that abusive surcharges, but I will never make a booking with Europcar!

Europcar trying to charge me twice on my credit card , called to sort and was advised this sometimes happens and will sort itself out in a few days.

It has now been a week and still not sorted.

This is totally unacceptable

Insufficient car insurance, does not cover costs as stated in policy. Customer support rejects/ignores requests. Most paperwork only available in french.

WARNING – Avoid if you can!

Europcar appears to be refurbishing its fleet at customers' expense by charging for alleged damage identified only after a rental has ended.

I rented an Audi A3 at the airport from July 3 to July 7, 2026. Everything went smoothly until I returned the vehicle. During the return inspection, the staff suddenly pointed out a scratch on one of the alloy wheels that I had not documented beforehand. I had taken photos of all the existing damage before leaving with the car, but I had not noticed this particular mark.

In my view, this was clearly normal wear and tear and could not reasonably have occurred during my four-day rental.

I therefore refused to sign the return inspection report. Despite this, Europcar later charged my credit card €264.69 without my authorization, describing the charge as a "Damage Fee" and "repair costs."

I contacted customer service to dispute the charge, but they showed no willingness to review the case or resolve the issue.

I have been renting cars all over the world for more than 20 years, and I have never experienced anything like this. Based on my experience, I would strongly recommend taking photos and videos of every part of the vehicle before and after your rental—or, if possible, choosing a different rental company altogether.