Europcar Porto/Maia in Maia

AVOID IF YOU CAN - EUROPCAR MAIA ARE THIEVES. I ended paying double my original booking fee on hidden fees presented to me at pick up. I see on recent reviews that someone already commented on hidden fees at Europcar Maia. The hidden fee that shocked me the most was the "cross border fee" at a whooping 150eur - just like that (plus other hidden fees). This is shocking practice. Needless to say I will be reporting this via the official channels. Never again.

Hidden Additional Charges at Porto Airport I was deeply disappointed with my experience with Europcar at Porto Airport. Despite having pre-booked through Check24/autovermietung.de with clear terms stating that driving to Spain was included in the rental price, the counter staff forced me to pay an additional "Assistance Fee" before releasing the car. We were given an ultimatum: either pay EUR10 per day upfront or agree to be charged EUR12 per day upon return, even though cross-border travel to Spain was already included in our original booking. When we showed the booking conditions confirming this, they still refused to hand over the car without this extra payment. We had already purchased full insurance coverage including roadside assistance through Check24, but this was completely disregarded. We ended up paying an additional EUR160 (including taxes) for our 13-day rental period for a service that was supposed to be included in our original booking. This feels like a classic bait-and-switch tactic. The staff was inflexible and essentially held our rental hostage until we agreed to these unexpected charges. Such misleading practices and hidden fees are unacceptable for an international car rental company. I cannot recommend Europcar at Porto Airport, especially if you plan to drive to Spain. Despite what your booking may say about included cross-border travel, they will force you to pay substantial extra fees at the counter.

We rented a small van to do some removals when moving house. The team were really friendly and we had plenty of time to check over the vehicle and make sure everything is okay. The van itself was very modern and looked almost new. Staff were equally as pleasant when we returned the van the same day. The price was very reasonably and worked out much cheaper than hiring someone with a van. It's also great that it is walking distance from Botica metro station for those of us without a car. Highly recommended!

Rented a van with an injection problem. Had to drive Porto-Viseu and Viseu-Porto on 3rd gear at 50Km/h. Wasn't offered any form of compensation upon return.

As a result of an overbooked flight, we found ourselves needing to hastily rent a car for a single day. Returning the car at 4am the following morning, we encountered an unmanned station. To our surprise, upon receiving the bill after one day, Europcar had added an extra 100 EUR charge for cleaning. Upon disputing this charge, we waited 15 days before receiving a response from customer service. Their explanation cited dirty seats and pet hair on the rear seats, despite these issues not being caused by us. We suspect the pet hair may have come from our cats, who were confined to a transport box throughout the journey. This experience has left us deeply dissatisfied, and we have decided to cease our frequent rental arrangements with Europcar, amounting to approximately 60 rental days annually.

The address for pick up provided with the booking was in a completely different location to what actual Europcar pick up location actually was. This added additional time and cost and stress to the booking and pick up. The staff when I finally got to the right location were friendly enough. However, about to start dispute process for all the additional fees and charges that are landing on my credit card from Europcar. Of all the car hire companies I used in Europe, this was the worst.

Very helpful...until you have a problem with you're hire van.... several calls, from different areas...breakdown...how long is the van ? Passed around to different people , called back numerous times, same, simular questions..they eventually sent a taxi..before van collected, but at a safe place , a garage and cafe. Left keys as I know the owners...nother two calls in the taxi, one a friend of a friend lol. Customer services head office...told me I had Abandoned the vehicle! Shouted at me like a child .. I've been driving over 40 years. Told me the van wouldn't be taken unless I was stood next to it...it was over 40* and I had already been sick in the cafe with the heat! I eventually hung up after telling her how rude she was treating not only a customer like that , but someone who is disabled, and going through Domestic abuse case. Virtually homeless and emotionally fragile . I was angry and upset. Maia manager was very helpful and polite and would sort everything out. I'm waiting on an apology as asked or I'll be writing in Thier Red book. Used Europcar all over for years , never had a problem before ...reprimanded I hope and retrained customer service rep.

It all went very good. Just the first phone call I did, the lady wasn't nice, and the email of my reservation never came. But from my second call to reserve the vehicule until its return all was 5 stars.