GoldCar Rental
Reviews and Complaints

Oto tłumaczenie na język angielski:

"Our experience with Goldcar was extremely disappointing. After returning the car, we were wrongfully charged a 50-euro fee for an allegedly incomplete fuel tank, even though it was filled to the top. We submitted a complaint with full documentation proving the refueling, but since April 2025, we have received no response. To this day, the unfairly charged amount has not been refunded, and it is practically impossible to reach the company by phone. Such customer service is unacceptable and demonstrates a lack of reliability. We strongly advise against using their services!"

My father and I both rented a car and chose the Key and Go option. Unfortunately, the machine downstairs wasn’t working and there was a very long queue. We decided to go upstairs to try there instead. Because the trip from downstairs to upstairs took some time, we arrived at the machine at 23:02 — just 2 minutes “late.”

We went inside, where there was literally no one else waiting, and the woman at the counter immediately snapped at us to take a ticket before she would help us — very strange given there was no one else around.

After filling in the necessary details, she told us we had to pay a penalty because we were 4 minutes late. Both my father and I were charged €40 each. While this amount may not be massive, the principle is the issue: paying over €1750 for two cars and then being fined €40 over a 4-minute delay — which wasn’t even our fault — is completely unacceptable.

I followed up via email, but nothing was done about the fact that the downstairs machine wasn’t working. There was no help or compensation offered.

Well, this was our first and definitely our last time renting with Goldcar.

This is the first time in my life that someone has cheated us like this, they are cynical fraudsters, they cheat for small amounts and feel unpunished. I have never left Lanzarote, a fee for crossing border of 195EUR was charged from my card. He cannot say when the car crossed the border. I did not receive information about when the car crossed the border so that I could prove that I never left the island of Lanzarote. I have made many phone calls and sent many emails, but they are ignorant. The case has been reported to the Police. I will fight for justice, it cannot be that a company in the middle of Europe has such practices as in third world countries. If you want to have a peaceful vacation, stay away from this company.

I had a car hire booking with Goldcar through Economybookings.

I paid full insurance in advance.

Although at the pick up I were pushed to sign a new contract (Spanish written! - I don't speak/read Spanish!) what is written with so small letters that no one can see/read (only with magnifier) even I told clearly to Goldcar worker (we spoke English) I have vehicle coverage and CWD so I don't need anything else! .

Without my permission Goldcar tried to charge my Card x 2 times for €40 .

They stole €210 for a 7 day carhire extra.

Dear Goldcar Customer Service,

I am writing to formally complain about unauthorized charges and the unprofessional conduct I experienced during my recent car pickup with Goldcar, booked through your platform (Booking Reference: 777113753).

My rental period is from May 27th to June 4th.

Upon arrival at Goldcar, the agent, Ruth, refused to accept my business credit card for the security deposit, despite it being a Mastercard in my name.

I was explicitly told by another Goldcar agent later via phone that business credit cards in the cardholder's name are indeed allowed.

As a direct result of Ruth's incorrect information and pressure, I was forced to use my personal debit card and pay an additional €299.43 for services I neither requested nor needed.

These charges include:
* Upgrade: €66.12
* Cobertura Super Relax: €147.80
* Mega Relax Cover: €26.45
* Taxes: €59.06

This additional payment was coerced under the threat of losing my original booking, even though I had already paid €169.87 through Rentalcars.com and was covered.

A Goldcar help desk agent has since confirmed that I was unjustly forced into these extra services and that I am entitled to a full refund of the €299.43.

I have attached the Goldcar invoice detailing these charges, as well as a picture of my business Mastercard proving it's a credit card issued by Mastercard and in my name.

I request a full refund of €299.43 for these unauthorized and forced charges.

The service at Goldcar was highly unprofessional, and this experience significantly impacted the start of my vacation.
I look forward to your prompt resolution of this matter.

Despite submitting refund claim I haven’t received feedback, therefore I am contacting you personally in order to get this matter sorted.

Sincerely,
[redacted]

Tried to pick-up car, told I needed to show Int’l DL. Didn’t have it on me at the time, traveled 70 Km to retrieve it, returned, showed them within required 6 hour window and was then told they couldn’t give me a car because their system was down! Agent told me I could get refund if I called Spain Client Services. Called, WAS DECLINED! They said I hadn’t picked up the car on time even though I couldn’t and it was THEIR FAULT SINCE THEIR SYSTEM WAS DOWN! Absolutely worst company EVER! STAY AWAY!

Ref: 3475343
Contract: [protected]

Fuerteventura airport.
No one available to check over car when returning.
Changed for damages that already existed. With proof damage existed prior my rental
I have sent emails with the proof to be told it’s still my fault.
It’s such a scam.
I have all round photos of the car before even stepping in it.
I have sent these photos to them as evidence the damage they are saying I did was already there.
They are still pursuing to claim

I rented a vehicle from Goldcar at Málaga Airport from August 12 to August 18, 2024. After returning the vehicle, I was incorrectly charged for driving 2,062 km, which is far more than the actual distance driven. I only drove 238 km during the rental period, which is supported by the following details:

Starting mileage: 7,973 km
Ending mileage: 8,211 km
I took photographs of the vehicle’s dashboard upon returning it, clearly showing the correct mileage. I have already provided these photographs to my credit card provider, Halifax, and to EasyCar, the intermediary through which I booked the rental. Both are supporting my chargeback dispute.

The additional charges were applied after I returned the vehicle, without my knowledge or consent. I believe this is an administrative error, as the correct mileage driven does not align with the charge made by Goldcar.

Despite my attempts to resolve this issue directly with Goldcar, I have not received a satisfactory resolution. I am now seeking assistance from Europcar, as the parent company of Goldcar, to review this matter and ensure a fair and prompt resolution.

Please let me know if you require any additional information or documentation, including the photographs I have submitted as evidence.

I recently had the misfortune to hire a car from Goldcar for my use during my family holiday to Italy.
I say misfortune because on Friday 19th July, one week after picking up the car, I noticed that the oil light kept flashing on when turning corners.
I checked the oil dipstick, and it registered NO OIL in the car engine. I made numerous telephone calls to various telephone numbers I had for Goldcar and spent nearly an hour on the telephone trying to find out what to do. How much oil to put in the engine, what type of oil, etc. I could not get through to the breakdown service number provided by Goldcar, there was no answer.
I eventually went to a local agricultural mechanic, he put 2.5 litres of oil in the engine, he also added 2 litres of coolant because there was also very little coolant in the system. He checked for oil and water leaks and found none. He also said that looking at the oil filler cap the oil had never been changed in the 86,000 Kms the car has travelled, the deposits on the inside of the cap proved this.
I really found this all very difficult to believe, that I rented a car using Goldcar because I thought they were a reputable company, not realising that the car I hired from them could potentially have had a seized engine whilst travelling at 130kms per hour on an Autostrada leading to a very serious if not fatal accident involving myself and my family,in other words a deathtrap.
When I returned the car on Wednesday 24th July to the rental desk in Pisa airport, I was told that every car is serviced before every rental. This is a lie! This car had never been serviced and no-one has ever checked the oil and the fact that it also needed coolant should tell you that this car had never been serviced in all of its 86,000 Kms.

I asked Goldcar to check their telephone logs to verify what I stated, my telephone number to be found in their records is; +44 (0) *************.

I attached a screenshot of the receipt I received from the mechanic. I realise that this was not on headed notepaper, but it is all I could get from the mechanic I used. Given that I trusted Goldcar to provide me with a safe well maintained vehicle for my holiday, and they failed I expected they would be able to trust me when I told them that the receipt attached was genuine, and I required a refund of €37.50 for the oil used to maintain their vehicle in a safe roadworthy condition. Just for completeness, I gave the mechanic €50 for his service, the extra €12.50 was for his labour, but I had no proof of this.
Goldcar claim they have now refunded me but one month later and there has been no credit to the account I supplied them details of. They have refused to refund the €12.50 labour charge because I did not supply a receipt. They have now stopped replying to my emails and refuse to escalate this complaint to managerial level.
They did not even issue an apology for the appalling service I received nor for putting my life and the lives of my family in such danger, a seized engine travelling at 130kph would have led to a very serious accident at the very least if not a fatal one.

I would like to lodge a formal complaint regarding the treatment I received and the charges I incurred at Palma de Mallorca airport on 16th June '24.

The four charges I would like to dispute are: Upgrade, Cobertura Super Relax, Smart Return and Mega Relax Cover.

I arrived at the desk expecting to be offered additional extras and ready to decline as I did not need anything additional to what I had reserved. I told the lady at the desk that I want exactly what I have ordered online, nothing more. However, I wasn't asked or offered anything. The additional charges were added to my bill without my consent. When I queried the bill, I was told that all charges were obligatory but that was a lie. I had read the terms and conditions on the website ahead of arrival so I knew I was right, but I was unable to collect my car without paying these fees.

Insurance

In my booking I had 3rd party cover. I knew that I needed to bring a credit card with sufficient allowance on it for a security deposit to be taken. I had also taken out my own excess cover insurance. I did not want nor need any upgraded cover and I made this clear to the lady at the desk but she told me that it was obligatory. The terms and conditions clearly say that this is optional. I also don't understand why I was charged for both Super Relax and Mega Relax.

Smart Return

This was not mentioned at all at the desk. I had booked with a 'full to full' fuel policy (as per the terms of my booking) and I was told to return the car full with gasolina 95. I have now read further into what smart return is and I am sure that this was not outlined to me and was falsely sold.

Upgrade

I hadn't asked for any upgrade but I was told, 'Because you are English, you need an automatic car'. I have never before driven an automatic car which is exactly why I did NOT want this, but I was given this anyway despite initially saying that I didn't want anything extra and then challenging this twice more after seeing the receipt. Again, I was not able to proceed without accepting the upgrade.

These four additional charges then all contributed to the increased 'Cargo Oficina Premium' which I understand is 12% of your bill.

I was expecting to pay €19,62 but instead had to pay €205,44 (+ deposit). Having now had time to thoroughly read the terms and conditions and understand my bill, I would like to be refunded for the extras that I was falsely charged.

I was told by Customer Services that because I had signed the contract, there was nothing more that they could do. But I was left in an impossible position where if I hadn't signed, I wouldn't have had transport to get to my hotel. I have read the Code of Best Practice and my experience certainly does not meet the outlined standard

On 06/07/2024 we arrived at Malaga airport to collect our hire car vehicle from Gold car.

The car was 2 hours late and we had to wait with our 8 month old crying baby. My partner had to take our baby away and I dealt with the forms as I am the car driver.

I was told by the man at the booking desk I was to pay 183euro only for the car deposit. I asked why is was not 2000 euro as my original booking stated and he assured me it is just 183 euro now. He said this would be returned when the car comes back with full fuel and obviously not damaged. I agreed to this and inserted my credit card as instructed. There were no numbers on the pad, but again he confirmed the amount is 183 euros only. There was Spanish writing on the card reader. He then asked me to sign to authorise this deposit amount.

After this he then said the car still wasn’t ready and to wait for it. After another 30 minutes he finally handed us a folded leaflet and told us to go upstairs into the car parking lot and collect the keys. I never saw any documentation at any point.

After another very long delay waiting for the car upstairs we finally got into the car and drove it away. I did not look at the leaflet until the next day as we were exhausted and very delayed by the car pick up.

I then the next day noticed a charge on my credit card pending for way more than 183 euro and immediately checked the leaflet they gave us. The man at the desk added on “super relax coverage” and two other extras I don’t understand as I don’t speak Spanish.

They have taken my signature from the card reader (when I paid my deposit) and forged it onto a Spanish document. The document details the correct deposit amount, and then they have added on extras and charged my credit card for them.

I never authorised this. The charges include “super relax insurance”. I had paid for my own excess insurance with my travel insurance. The man at the desk spoke English and there was no breakdown in communication that could have led to these charges. I was very clear as was he, that I was paying only 183 euros refundable deposit.

After this incident I have read into goldcar and Europcar reviews, and they are doing this to many many people. They have even been investigated by WHICH.

I am extremely disappointed that he has discriminated me based on my ethnicity and stole over 200 euros of money (by means of forging my signature onto a document in a language I do not speak).

Goldcar have been less than helpful with their responses. I also tried calling and they denied to speak over the phone, stating that customer service is not available other than email.

Please check the added comments from their Facebook pages and also their trustpilot reviews where you can see they do this to hundreds of people if not more.

They are also well known for trying to charge your card for fake damages after the car is returned and I am extremely worried now they have already stolen £100s of pounds from my account.

I booked car hire with Goldcar through Do you Spain. I paid for the car on line with my Halifax credit card. When I arrived to collect the car they said my credit card was not acceptable. It did not have my name or account number embossed on the front. We were then turned away late at night. We then had to make alternative arrangements to our destination. We are 74 years of age and we feel that this was disgusting. They knew my card was acceptable. It is a new card and they do not have the name and number embossed on the front. Your name and account number is on the back. This was totally unacceptable to turn away two 74 year olds late at night. We have used you several times and in January this did not apply. This occasion was the 28th May 2024.

Arrived at the location on time, at the desk I showed the reservation number, passport, driving licence and credit card.

They wanted an italian ID card as identification... exept, I am not resident in Italy, obviously I have the italian passport because i am italian but I can't have italian ID card because not resident in italy. they couldn't understand, they didn't give the car, they refused to refund me.

On returning my hire car on 20/2/24 I was told, by a goldcar representative, that the car had a scratch greater than 2cm. With the assistance of a torch a scratch was visible on the rear bumper. On collection of the car nobody inspected the car with the same vigour, or lighting that was used at drop off. I know I hadn’t scratched the car but no one at the office would discuss and I cannot find any customer service contacts. I have tried an online chat to no avail

You have all the information from previous emails to goldcar so go back and read them you hopeless bunch of cretins!

I am 73 years old and have suffered two recent strokes and don't need this..

If you have crooked employees that take cash on the pretext of returning it when customers return their rental

Full of petrol your company has a serious problem that involves outright criminality and needs a police investigation

That's where I will go to next

Rental agreement [protected] (01/23/2024 to 01/30/2024)

After arriving home from our recent holiday in Spain, I was informed by email that I have been charged an additional 60 Euros for fuel (10 Euros for ‘Tank of Fuel’, plus 50 Euros ‘Full Full Penalty’) despite having filled up with diesel just outside Malaga airport.

When returning the car, Goldcar reps refused to examine the car/check the fuel level, saying this was not necessary. Instead I was told to post the keys in the return box. (I did not think or have time to go back to the car and take a photo of the fuel gauge before posting the keys, after which it was of course too late).

I regard this as FRAUDULENT on the part of Goldcar:

(1) I checked the fuel gauge which clearly showed ‘full’ in Goldcar’s parking lot;

(2) it would have been impossible to add 10 Euros worth of fuel to the tank;

(3) the charge of 60 Euros including a 50 Euros ‘penalty’ is in any case wholly disproportionate to any technical shortfall.

Standard practice is for the car and fuel level to be checked in the presence of the customer, so that any issues (such as damage to the car) can be addressed at the time.

I have hired cars in Italy and Spain on many occasions over the past 30 years, and have never before experienced additional charges being imposed in this way.

Hi

I am not sure what they trying to do here regarding a car rental from Dec4 to Dec11 2023

First they emailed a note to say...

"Our insurance company notified us that the vehicle registration 2020MFZ, has been involved in a traffic accident occurred during the duration of your rental with Goldcar, contract number [protected]"

Then they say it has a mark on the rear door.

The very fine mark in their photo was NOT there when I returned the car at 3.30am ,in a bay on its own without a car to the left or right of it.

The car has not been out of my sight for the whole of the rental period and has been parked under cover in a private villa.

I disputed the claim and even paid for another car on line for collection on 22 Jan 2024 but I was refused the car unless I paid £269 for the bogus damages of December2023

I then had to hire from an alternative company at £211 for a week from Feb

My £30.80 has not been refunded

My name is Luiz Henrique and I would like to register a serious complaint regarding my car rental made 20/12/2023 at Bergamo airport, contract number [protected] GoldCar / Europcar. See below what happened:

- After 45 minutes of driving the car tire blew out without having passed anything punctured on the highway or without having shown any underinflated tire warning.

- I lost control of the car's steering but as I managed to park on the shoulder. This accident almost killed me and caused a serious accident on the road involving other cars.

- The car safety kit with the reflective warning triangle and reflective vest wasn't there. Both are mandatory items by law in Italy

- I changed the car tire in the highway without these items as there was nothing around over there that I could use to call for help or available cell phone signal. - The lack of safety equipment and your company put my life at serious risk. Trucks and cars almost hitting the car all the time.

Hire number [protected],

Read the emails I sent ([protected]@gmail) and return my cash

On my first rental prior to [protected], my Credit card was billed for the petrol and when I returned the vehicle full of petrol, it was returned.

On my second hire ([protected]) your staff member at pickup center Lisbon Airport was quite aggressively said that I had to pay in cash which I did.

On my drop off of the car full of petrol, no one said they knew anything about the return of my mone

We booked car hire through Got Car Rental from 30th August to 6th September, car to be collected and returned to Ibiza Airport. We paid £151 to GotCarRental which included all insurances. At the airport a deposit of £203.77 was taken, fully returnable if the car was returned without damage and on time. The car was returned full of fuel, without damage and on time on 6th September. We are still awaiting return of our deposit. We have had one communication from Gold Car stating that the deposit may take up to 30 days to return, it is already 112 days since the car was returned. I am further concerned that despite presenting documents which showed that we had taken out insurances , we were charged for futher uneccesary insurance as part of the deposit. Please advise when the full deposit of £203.77 will be returned, or advise where I can escalate this complaint regards Claire Myers and Pete Challis

I hereby submit a complaint regarding the service of a distance car rental contract with Goldcar. on September 27, 2023 I was unable to pick up the car resulting from the distance contract. at the Palma (Mallorca) airport, the employee did not allow us to pay for the deposit or insurance using the chosen payment method. we were forced to conclude a new contract, thus spending several thousand euros more. We requested a full refund of the entire amount resulting from the concluded but not performed distance contract but the company refused to return it, claiming that no refunds can be made if the booking has been cancelled less than one hour before the start of the rental period.

We didn't cancel the booking - the company did, even though we paid in advance for the entire rental period on the day of booking.

I went to pick up the car from gold car at Alicante airport I sensed that they were trying to get the better of me instantly. They claimed that my credit card was faulty and thus I had to use my debit card which necessitated me taking out their insurance which would cost me an extra 220 euros. A scam. I called my bank about the credit card issue and they said my card was fine and it was to do with Goldcars. machines. After a long while she pulled out a concealed machine which she then claimed also didn't work. they were extremely unhelpful and defensive and my intuition was that they were scamming me without doubt. I didn't want to give them any nore of my money lost my initial payment and went to another company. Subsequent researched Goldcar and found they have a terrible reputation. Will never use them again. BEWARE. Also the refuelling cost would be 138 euros for full to empty. What looks like a good deal is a scam. Wasted an hour of my time.

Date of experience: 22 November 2023

Edit

Please book with anyone else. We booked the car with a third party and at the counter goldcar first told us insurance was not valid so we had to pay for that again. However the real problem started after we returned the car. Upon returning the car I was told the hold on my bank account woukd bevrefunded to my card for the fuel. But after a month of not getting it back I started emailing them. Yulia at this useless car company is probably the worst unhelpful customer service representative I have every had to deal with. For weeks I just a automatic message pretty much that I need to talk to my bank, and they have nothing to do with it. Only when I told them I had made a formal complaint to the econsumer.gov about this car company did this yulia girl start to look into things. They had refunded the hold to someone else's card and told me to talk to my bank again. Honestly after two months of trying to get 159 euro back they won't give it back to me. I have no words for this company and the words that I have I don't think are appropriate for this forum. Never use theae people they are scamers they won't help you even when they have done something wrong. Any car company is probably better than this one