Terrible rental.
This was a rental for 4 weeks. Overall condition of the car was not good especially for a fairly new vehicle. Communication with Europcar was a non starter. Firstly a larger deposit was charged (R27160) instead of R16000 being held. Trying to understand this was impossible as calls would not get answered, emails not responded to etc. Extra charges have been put on the final bill but I have paid these to stop the hassle. Expedia has been a great help with excellent customer service.
David Merrifield
Europecar Hire car scammers.
When I returned the car they attempted to blame me for two marks on each door which we couldn't see. They are scammers avoid at all costs.
Boxer1
DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY SCAM WARNING...
DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY SCAM WARNING...I hired a car from Cape Town airport and paid for full cover over the vehicle (all damage, including windscreen and scratches)I got a tiny chip on the windscreen,I picked up some speeding fines that I paid.A couple weeks later I saw that they had attempted to take R6,000 from my account. I immediately blocked them because they had given no explanation or proof that I owed them this money, and this is fraudulent. All I had was an empty email saying I needed to pay them (December 25). Since then I have received the same email from them many times, and i have contacted them many times, and they still have not gotten back to me about this. its now end of Feb 26.Furthermore, They are now asking me to send them the money for the fines again, even after I sent them proof of payment I am sick of their email harassment for money I do not owe, Ive never written a complaint before, but i am truly shocked at this service
Daisy Witherall
We hired a vehicle through Europcar for…
We hired a vehicle through Europcar for the duration of our stay in South Africa. The company is fantastic. But I want to warn people of the dangers of hiring a vehicle through any rental company. Please be aware that there are organized crime units in South Africa targeting people who hire cars,especially if you are not from the country. We were targeted by some individuals that identified our vehicles as hired. They said that the car has been "beeping" and we need to go to a certain area to let the car company know we still have the vehicle and it hasn't been stolen. These individuals took us to an FNB atm and proceeded to tell us that we needed our credit card details and pin number to stop the beeping and to confirm we are still in possession of the vehicle. This alone is red flag material but they convinced us enough that we went with them. Nothing made sense but they are very persuasive. Our credit card details were compromised and we had our credit card stolen and had money taken from it before we could even stop the card. It took less than 5 minutes . My advice to anyone who hires a vehicle in South Africa: Do not entertain anyone who approaches you at any time about your hired vehicle. Contact the hired company first before you do anything. Please do not become a victim of fraud. These individuals who scammed us and took our money are well known to police,car guards,FNB security and car park security. Be aware at all times. Drive away and contact the car hire company yourself.
Clare
scammers!!
scammers!!! they hide fine print at the time you sign a rental agreement!!!
Ngonidzashe
Will never hire from this criminal…
Will never hire from this criminal company ever again. Returned a vehicle i hired with no problems.Recieved conformation that the hire was sighned off with no issues. Was told my deposit would be returned within 3 to 7 working days. 6 weeks later im still waiting.After numerous emails and threats to lodge a formal complaint (still trying to do this as it feels like its deliberatly complicated and dificult to even get a response from anyone at europcar SA ) i was refunded only half of my refund with no explanation why. Again after yet more emails was given 4 diferant reasons for this and was told it would be rectified.That was 5 day ago and still waiting. Europcar South Africa has now had my money for over 6 weeks . Thats 6 weeks of intrest they have made on my money.FEELS LIKE A SCAM TO ME.Hired cars all over the world and even in third world locations have never had this problem. Dont use them.
Paul Hogarth
Premium rates for defective vehicle
I collected a white renault kwid MC99FTGP at 1pm on 18th Jan from the Europcar branch at O.R.Tambo International airport. I was assisted by Themba who was very pleasant. Upon collecting the vehicle from the bay, I found a few scratches not documented on the inspection certificate. I took photo's and video's and shared them on the Europcar whatsapp chatted as advised by Themba. Upon driving the vehicle out of the airport, I discovered that it had a loud rattling noise on the roof. When I got to my hotel in Hyde Park, I contacted Europcar customer care and was assisted by Tebogo. He called the Sandton branch to check if there was a replacement Kwid I could collect in the morning but management advised that this noise was common on these vehicles and that they could only get another Kwid at 3pm the next day. 1. How could they know what the noise was without hearing it for themselves? This is not a normal sound and I'm annoyed that they would give this response. 2. If they didin't have another Kwid, I should have been given any other vehicle instead of needing to wait until 3pm. 3. I am extremely unhappy that I am paying a premium rental on a defective vehicle and would like my money refunded or a replacement vehicle provided to me urgently at my convenience. I do not want to go to OR Tambo to get another car as I have meetings and this is inconvenient for me.
Rosanne Munsami
No response leaving me £1,660 down.
Hired a car for a South Africa trip from Europcar SA. We had some damage to the car and the deposit was retained and an additional R21,475.10 assessed. I paid that into their bank account and claimed the full R36,490 from the Booking.com insurance I took out. The insurer requested a copy of the signed rental agreement but when we returned the car, Europcar SA kept that. Insurer requested a copy of that, and though I have asked Europcar SA to provide a copy, I have got no further response of any sort from them. Both Booking.com and the insurer have also tried to get the agreement without any luck, leaving me R36,490 (£1,660) out of pocket.
John Keeley
Shocking company
Shocking companyHave deducted an amount of R2719.89, including VAT, for toll fees with no backup documentation. I only drove 1046km IN TOTAL. I went through the Grasmere Toll three times, paying cash each time and the Gauteng tolls are not charging any more. They'd better refund all this because I certainly did not rack up these fees. Absolutely shocking. Will never, ever use them again
Shelagh Smith
No recourse for aggrieved customers, Stockvel for Employees
I booked and returned the vehicle as expected. It was checked and confirmed okay in my presence. The next day, their staff damaged a rear wiper while cleaning the car. They then called me to say I damaged the car, despite having checked and confirmed in my presence. They then ignored all my calls toll today. I wrote emails, no answer. To date, they charged me for damage and its admin fees. I maintain that this company is a scam, has no recourse and a stockvel for employees to do as they please. No complain handling procedure at all.
Lindokuhle Mkhwanazi
No deposit back after more than a month and no customer service
Absolutely terrible treatment. Had an OK experience renting with nice car etc. However, they charged a deposit that we were supposed to get back a couple of days after turning in the car. It has now been more than a month and I still have not been able to get my deposit back. I have tried calling, writing emails, texting on WhatsApp without any luck. It is absolutely ridiculous that I have had to spent so much time on this and still have not received my money back.
Victoria
I've just read a number of one star…
I've just read a number of one star reviews about this Company and wonder if this is a problem at the airport locations as, I have been renting cars from them for many years without any problems. I always do so at the Cape Town downtown location. Robin Beukes is the Manager and she could not be more helpful and charming. Her staff are obviosly well trained by her as they also are always smiling and helpful. The prices offered, especially for "long term" rental is the best in town.
John Sterling
Terrible car. No replacement. Huge upfront cost before refund meant 1200 rand in currency exchange costs
1.Website said Toyota Urban Cruiser Automatic. Was given Nissan Magnite. Transmission was 5-speed EZ-Shift (automated manual). No Park. Behaved like a manual, When in reverse on a downhill slope would roll downhill. One day car wouldnt start for 30 minutes as computer system kept rebooting. Lost confidence in car and decided to change before long drive2.Went to airport to change car. No suitable car available so cancelled Rental 4 days into 9 day rental.3. I was told there would be a hold on my credit card . They actually charged my credit card 5.5 times the final cost in Rand. However due to currency fluctuations in the 6 days from the time they took out the money to the time they returned the actual cost in my currency was 29% higher than if they had done what they promised. ie Put a hold and only take out final amount.So 1200 Rand lost to exchange rate change
Rashid M
What an embarrassing disappointment
What an embarrassing disappointment. Family from Germany visited and we rented a car for them. The make and model we had selected was not available, neither was an automatic vehicle .The one given broke down on the second day. When I tried to get assistance, half a day was wasted waiting for help to arrive .The service was surly . Avoid Europcar at all costs.
Helen B
Started great, ended terribly
We initially received an excellent vehicle from Europcar: an Isuzu 3.0 SUV, fully equipped with all the options we could wish for. Most importantly, it was a 4x4 and had climate control, which was absolutely essential given the 35+ degree heat in South Africa. The car felt perfect for our trip and really gave us confidence on the road.Unfortunately, after a few days we discovered a serious issue with the automatic leveling system of the headlights. At night the beams would point far too high, blinding oncoming traffic — both unsafe and stressful. I contacted Europcar via WhatsApp and got in touch with Inge. She was polite, quick to respond, and helpful in explaining that the car would need to be replaced since such a defect couldn’t be repaired on the spot. That part of the service was handled well.However, the replacement vehicle was a huge disappointment. It was a major downgrade compared to what we had originally booked and paid for. The new car had a smaller engine, no 4x4 capabilities, no climate control, and none of the safety features (like collision systems) we had with the first vehicle. Especially in South African conditions, climate control and 4x4 are not luxuries — they are necessities. I even asked if we could return to the original car once it was repaired, but was told this was not an option.What really left a bad impression was that Europcar did nothing with my complaint. I paid over €2000 for this rental, which is no small amount, and in the end received a vehicle and service far below the standard I expected. The initial experience gave me hope, but the way the situation was handled afterwards was very disappointing.
Tommy
Not trustworthy
No email confirmation that the car was returned. Told to wait 28 days to get my deposit back which is roughly 20x the cost of the vehicle rental.I have used other hire vehicle companies from Johannesburg Airport in the past and have never had this issue.Always got an email confirmation that the vehicle was returned satisfactorily and deposit back within 24 to 48 hours. Car was booked through booking.comDo not do it - use a different platform and deal with Avis, Hertz for future bookingsI have rented cars all over the world and this is the kind of experience one would expect from a 3rd world operator - not an international car hire company
Richard Evans
Daylight robbery-
Daylight robbery- Charged for damage, which the returns agents agreed could not have been inflicted through one rental - repeated damage from cars opening their doors onto the rental. The damage reflects several separate incidents - highly unlikely it could have been during the course of my rental.We even completed a document on return stating the same - I now receive an invoice for a claim fee, and a repair fee, no consultation, nothing!!!They are doing the same thing with fines - R400 admin charge - yet no fine actually arrives.I travel to CPT fortnightly - I will never again use this company!
Gerald Terblanche
Europcar’s Fuel Card Failure and Zero Accountability
Europcar’s Fuel Card Failure and Zero AccountabilityI hired a rental car from Europcar and got a petrol card from them. After driving nine hours from Bloemfontein to Springbok, I needed to refuel late at night. When I got to the petrol station, the card declined. That was strange because I knew there were still funds on it. The attendants tried different machines, even one inside the store, but it kept declining. By then, the fuel was already poured.I called customer service and explained the situation. The agent was calm and told me to try another machine inside. Still nothing. After several attempts and waiting, the agent finally said there was a technical error and their system was down. I’d have to pay out of pocket. No apology. No concern. Just “pay from your own pocket.”This put me in a financial bind. Like anyone else, I have other commitments. What’s worse is that Europcar never warned customers about the system failure. No SMS. No email. Nothing.The next morning, I had to follow up myself. Still no apology. No communication. I was passed to the petrol department who said they’d sort it out. They told me to go back to the petrol station and they’d arrange for me to get my money back. The station did their part — sent statements and everything needed. All they needed was Europcar to acknowledge the debt. That never happened.They also said someone from Europcar Upington would bring petty cash to Springbok. That didn’t happen either.I made countless calls. Sometimes I couldn’t reach anyone. Some agents were rude and didn’t care. A few even hung up. I drove to Europcar Upington and got hold of management. Their response? “You’ll get your money on Friday” and that whoever promised Wednesday was just “thumb-sucking information.” No accountability. No apology.It’s now Thursday. This started Monday night. I’m still chasing a refund for something that wasn’t my fault. I just got off the phone again and was told to call tomorrow morning.I’m disgusted and disappointed. A company this size should take responsibility and communicate with clients. Instead, I’ve been met with delays, poor service, and no concern for the customer.Zero stars. Europcar has shown me nothing but incompetence and a complete lack of accountability.I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND FOR ANYONE TO GO TO EUROPCAR, NO MATTER HOW DESPERATE YOU ARE. SAVE YOURSELF FROM THIS INCOMPETENT COMPANY!!!!
Katleho Letsoane
Don’t give them your visa card
Don’t give them your visa card! They might misuse it like they did with mine
Jostein
Ignored Third-Party Claim – Over 3 Weeks with No Progress
I was involved in a vehicle accident on 07 July 2025 with a Europcar rental vehicle driven by one of their clients. I submitted all required documentation for a third-party damage claim (Claim No. 1530***) within a few days including photos, police case number, an affidavit confirming I’m not insured, and three repair quotes.Despite this, and after multiple follow-ups by email and phone, I have received no proper feedback or progress updates from Europcar’s team. Most of my communication has been with Hanli Strydom, who continues to delay the claim. I was recently told that the claim cannot be processed until the renter returns the vehicle and pays their outstanding account. I fail to understand how the renter’s payment status affects my third-party claim — which is a separate legal matter.This delay is incredibly frustrating and seems to be a common problem, as I’ve seen other customers report nearly identical experiences involving third-party claims being ignored or delayed. I’ve now been without resolution for over 4 weeks, and the vehicle remains unrepaired.This kind of poor communication and avoidance of accountability is unacceptable from a company of Europcar’s size.
Christiaan Kwagga Du Plessis
