Review Time
1st Feb 2026 had a car booked through booking.Com for pickup in Darwin Downtown. Arrived ar 11am and the branch was closed. Phoned +61 8 8941 0300 to be connected to the Darwin Airport branch. Was told to go to the airport as the person at downtown was not available. I had to uber to the airport and they will reimburse. When I arrived there was no one at the front desk and had to call a number on display for them to assist. The lady arrived, apologised and blamed booking.com for the mess.
She proceeded to confirm a $200 deposit and $300 insurance, which I agreed upon, but then wanted to charge an additional $277 for admin fees and the fact that I am now picking up a car at the airport and not downtown Darwin anymore.I refused to pay that and was then said if I want to cancel I need to take it up with booking.com
It was my first and would be my last experience with them. It left me scrambling to book another car but Avis and East Coast car rental sure made me feel welcome.
I would like to express my disgust towards Europcar Venice, Sorrento and Rome, and all your employees for the way me and my family were treated during our trip to Italy.
The store had just opened, yet the two employees stunk of cigarettes and were flustered and clearly unprepared.
I handed over the DriveAway VOUCHER I already had pre-paid in Australia, together with my international licence and passport.
The young employee who I was interacting with, told me they did not have the vehicle I had requested and would give me another one which was of the same size.
He then asked for my credit card to pay for the One-Way Fee of € 183.00 which was clearly shown on my
DriveAway VOUCHER, and to my surprise he told me I was also required to pay Insurance on top of the Roadside Assistance and the One-Way Fee, totalling € 982.94.
I told him once again that I already had paid for insurance and that I paid for it in Australia via my Travel Agent. I told him to check, but all he did was ignore me and said I needed to pay for insurance otherwise they would not release the car. He said "we cannot give you the car unless you pay for insurance". I insisted and showed him the voucher one more time and pointed at the box which clearly shows: ADDITIONAL FEES COLLECTED LOCALLY BY EUROPCAR One-Way Fee €183.00. He insisted and again said that it was a requirement to pay for the insurance or else they would not release the car.
I told him that I was sure this whole procedure was incorrect and that I would check with the Travel Agent as soon as I could get in contact with her. I then asked him if they needed to take any photos of the car in case there was existing damage, and
he told me I didn't need to worry about any damage, and that I could dent it, scratch it or throw it off a bridge if I wanted to because I was fully covered by premium insurance.
I was tired of arguing with him as it was cold, it was raining and my stomach was churning from the turbulent boat ride from Venice lagoon to the mainland. So I put the luggage in the car boot and proceeded to drive away.
My Travel Agent was furious and confirmed that all I was required to pay was the One-Way fee of € 183.00, as clearly stated on the DriveAway Voucher.
My Agent said that she would contact Europcar and find out why I was charged the extra money.
The next time I spoke to my Agent, I was in Sorrento. She told me that she had spoken to the wholesaler and that I needed to go to Europcar in Sorrento and ask for a refund.
I proceeded to Europcar and spoke to a lady at the front desk and explained to her what had happened and what the wholesaler told my Agent.
She shrugged her shoulders and said that she could not give me a refund and that it was impossible that my agent would tell me such a thing. I showed her the DriveAway Voucher and asked her to check the reservation in the system and that she would be able to see all the details. She said she couldn’t do that, and looked at the receipt I was given in Venice and said I was charged for the Premium Protection that I must have asked for. I told her I already had insurance and that I had paid for it in
Australia via my Agent.
I said I did not ask for premium insurance and that I wanted a refund.
She said that one of us was lying, either me or the employee at the Venice Europcar.
However she said, she could not verify it because she was not there physically to see which one of us was telling the truth.
She said she couldn’t do anything about it and wrote an email address on the back of my voucher (customerserviceitaly@europcar.......), and told me to send a complaint to them.
Europcar and all the employees I dealt with in Venice, Rome and Sorrento are rude, unhelpful and have no empathy whatsoever.
I was robbed of € 982.94 which converted in Australian
currency is $1742.06. That is a lot of money in Australia.
I have travelled extensively and have hired cars all over the world. This is the first
time I have used Europcar, and it will be the last.
4 months on, Europcar is still avoiding any conversation with my travel agent.
COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE!!! We were caught in severe rain with flooding threats during our journey, and reports about road closures and dangerous conditions flooded the news. The only route back is blocked with over a meter of floodwaters, and it's clear that this situation was not anticipated! All our tours and accommodations were canceled, and we have no way to return the vehicle to the original location. Anyone following the news can see the chaos in the area. With more rain on the way, the only option we have is to leave from a distant airport today, before the severe weather worsens. Their support team has quoted us an exorbitant fee to return the vehicle, showing no understanding of the emergency we are facing. This is a statewide evacuation due to the monsoon, and it's not a matter of choice! While other services have refunded us, this company seems to be taking advantage of the situation. DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! We will be returning the keys and pursuing this matter further!
I would rate this as zero stars if possible. I made a reservation through a third party, and upon arriving at the Melbourne location, I was denied service for not having my passport (which I had never needed before). I was informed that I could receive a full refund, so I didn't hurry back to retrieve my passport, thinking I would get my money back. However, the refund never came, and the company is refusing to take responsibility since I booked through a third party, despite their staff providing incorrect information both in person and over the phone. I strongly advise against using their services!
Unprofessional experienceI booked a car over the phone and was told it was available, but when I arrived Andrew questioned why I was in the area because my licence address is on the north side of Melbourne. It felt unnecessary and a bit invasive. He then refused my card saying it was a debit credit card, even though I’ve hired cars all over Australia with the same card. I left without renting after his attitude. Not a great experience and very different to other branches.
Would give 0 stars if I could. Booked through a third party and when I arrived at the Melbourne branch I was refused service because I didn’t have my passport with me (never needed it before). I was told I could get a full refund so I didn’t rush home to get home my passport because I thought I was getting a full refund. The refund never arrived and Europcar are taking no responsibility because I booked through a third party, even though it was their member of staff (both in branch and on the phone) that provided misinformation. Avoid!
Really disappointing experience with Europcar Melbourne.We booked a one-way airport return and the system showed the correct price before payment, but after paying the booking was changed to a same-location return. At pick-up, staff were unhelpful and rude, and refused to acknowledge the error. We later had to pay another fee just to return the car where we originally intended.We also paid for additional drivers, but Europcar never told us passports were required, meaning we couldn’t use that part of the booking.Customer service contradicted events, refused any refund, never issued an apology, and simply closed the case.We won’t use Europcar again and cannot recommend them
Would leave 0 stars if it was an option. Awful customer service, I booked the car for pick up and no one stayed for collection, they then refused to refund any amount despite me paying in full prior to collection.When trying to rationalise with the customer services team they were unwilling to listen. No refund or any compensation for the additional uber costs incurred, they were unwilling to even listen.Not to mention random charges for fuel and admin costs that were retracted from the deposit, despite me providing evidence of refueling.Save yourself the headache and do not book with Europcar.Very dissatisfied customer.
I rented a car from Europcar Australia in Melbourne (Booking 25HV21849) for less than two days during my honeymoon.The total rental cost was under AUD 400, even including Europcar’s most expensive insurance option.A few days later, I received an email claiming the car required “professional cleaning” due to some “animal hair” and a “stain,” and that I’d be charged AUD 418. The problem?• We never travelled with animals, and• The photos Europcar sent actually show minor and perfectly normal interior use, not “excessive dirt.” (minor single mud stain completely normal in rainy days)I’ve exchanged multiple emails explaining that this cannot be considered excessive dirt and asking for time-stamped proof, but they have refused to provide any and instead declared the case “closed” unilaterally. Europcar is now trying to charge my card without consent — for more than the cost of the entire rental.This behaviour feels borderline fraudulent and completely unprofessional. I’ve rented many times with Avis and never had a single issue, but Europcar’s approach here is unacceptable.I have formally disputed the charge with my bank and reported the case to the ACCC. I’m sharing this so others can avoid going through the same experience.Avoid Europcar if you value transparency, fairness, or basic honesty.
Shocking after serviceBooked through a 3rd party in Australia. Got issued a payment voucher which I gave to the Europcar office when I arrived in the UK.The service in Exeter was superb. Cant fault them at all.Returned the car. No problems.Two days later, they have proceeded to charge me a second time.Finally got a reply after 9 days, saying they had no record of prepayment, even though the office had accepted it, and proceeded to issue me a car.Avoid!! Never had such a shocking after service and such Bulls**t response from a car hire company.Expected more from Europcar
Claim your business profile now and gain access to all features and respond to customer reviews.
If you're seeking a reliable & affordable car rental company with car hire locations throughout Australia & a great fleet range, visit Europcar
stratstone.com
thiscar.com
barsleaks.com
www.adyunlocker.com
winparts.ie
fameride.com
supercarexperienceireland.com
sportys.com
conceptcarcredit.co.uk
expectcarcare.com