Autovia Car Rental Reviews 

I recently had a deeply disappointing experience with this car rental company, and I feel compelled to warn others to stay away from them due to their unethical practices and poor customer service.

I rented a vehicle during peak season, and while I understand the need for flexibility with vehicle availability, I do not believe that the replacement vehicle I received was in the same category as the one I had originally booked. Despite this, I accepted the substitute car without issue, recognizing the challenges of peak demand.

However, upon picking up the car, the staff did not bother to accompany me to the vehicle or provide any form of inspection or walkthrough. I was merely handed the keys and directed to where the car was parked. No one from the company pointed out any existing damage or demonstrated the features of the vehicle, which I found unprofessional and concerning.

When I returned the car, the staff did however have the time to conducted an inspection and began making outrageous claims of damage. They pointed out alleged damage to the underside of the car—an area I would have had no reason to inspect at the time of pick-up—and also highlighted minor scratches on the hubcaps that were barely noticeable. It became clear to me that the lack of an initial inspection was intentional, allowing them to make false damage claims upon return.

Weeks later, I was emailed an invoice for over 200 euros in alleged damages, which I refused to pay as the claims were entirely baseless. Despite my refusal, the company went ahead and charged my credit card (Amex) without notifying me, roughly six months after the rental period had ended.

This situation is currently being disputed through American Express, but I find it alarming that this company can get away with such dishonest practices.

Im not sure if this rental company may be encouraging staff to fabricate damage claims as a means to extract additional money from customers. Whether this is a result of individual staff members misconduct or a systemic issue within the company, it is highly unethical.

I would strongly advise anyone considering renting from this company to avoid them at all costs. Their practices are deceptive, and they show no respect for their customers. Once my refund is processed, I plan to take further action, including filing complaints with consumer protection agencies.

Please think twice before renting from this company – you may end up being scammed just like I was.

BIG scam! They stole €475 from my almost 70-year-old father-in-law. They claimed that his door key lock was damaged and demanded €475 before they would take him to the airport. However, you don’t even check the keyhole since you open the door with a remote control. Payment was only possible with cash or debit card — no credit cards accepted, so no way to claim your money back via your credit card company.

Don’t rent here!!

Booking number ECO-24257413 for full refund please!

This is the worst luring company I have ever come across and they single handedly spoilt my trip to a beautiful part of Italy
Took a full package out with them through the broker , at the desk the guy told me the package was bad and I should take the company one .
Not wanting to be caught out I did that .

Second day car broke down in the mountains , tow truck come and said we would have to make our own way back , the company said I had to pay for a taxi and I could claim back €120
The fee was a whopping €250 .
I declined the taxi and took the bus wife my wife a daughter .
Had we not of caught the bus this company would have left us there or severely out of pocket .
No replacement car offered unless we go back to the airport again more cost to us .
Please don’t have you holiday spoilt by this terrible service .
I would avoid if I was you

Operating model of this company is to cancel the original booking and to offer a new rental agreement 5 times more expensive. Absolute thieves.

Unpleasant staff that refuses to recognise official documents from aborder EU Member State. The solution proposed is to take full cover! I.e. an extra 150€. They are thieves! Stay far away from them!!!!

easily the worse car rental company in italy. After 4 days the car had a flat tyre. Autovia sent a large breakdown truck , cost 250 euro. The garage had every tyre known to man but Autovia would not allow the garage to change the tyre, cost 280 euro. We were told by Autovia to pay for a taxi to Pescara to pick up a car, Cost of taxi 160 euro. Man at desk told us where is our paperwork , we were at the beach, and come back in the morning and pay for a b n b. He would not even ring up Ciampino office to verify our story and only after my wife contacted the breakdown firm that he give us a car. By this time it was after 10 at night, the car park had lights but not the brightest. we missed a very small dent/scratch and got charged , cost 300 euro. The total extras came to over 1000 euro. i have contacted this scam car rental company many times but the only reply is that i signed the contract and thats it.
Please stay away from this company. The cars have a lot of body damage which does not get repaired eventhough you are charged. I have rented cars in Italy for over 30 years and Autovia is the worse. Complete scam. Stay away

Booked via Ryanair and wouldnt except my Barclay as it only had my initial and Surname not full Christian name and then had to re book with them and cost us almost 6 times more and it was the same car I originally booked, disgusting

My car broke down after 3 days, I had to fight to (partially) get my towing costs refunded. I got a replacement and brought the car back full. Now they are charging and SUEING me for the fuel costs of the broke down car. Ofcourse it wasn't returned full, it broke down and got towed due to a mechanical issue! Absolutely despicable company

Florence - All the negative reviews are right; Booking.com and their Rentalcars.com are complicit in facilitating this scam operation. I was refused a rental as they claimed I needed an international drivers license; I immediately rented a car at the same airport from a reputable agency no problem. My full prepayment via rentalcars.com never to be seen again.

We rented a car in Salerno Autovia back in July 2023. Ten months later they sent us an email with a bill attached for some damage that we apparently caused underneath the car. We sent an email straight back on the same day disputing this. We heard nothing for 4 months and then last week they emailed us the same bill with no email joined to it. The following day they took 230 euros out of my account without permission. Totally outrageous and unprofessional!

We paid 804€ for a car. We went to get it, and we were not able to get it, because we had debit card. However we could pay another 700€ for insurance, and then we could get the car. After an hour of discussion we decided to take the offer. But we didn't even get the car we ordered, instead we got a rusty, dirty car that did NOT AT ALL smell clean. It got scratches on the sides wich we filmed to prove, that we did not cause those!
DO NOT GO THERE. They rob you for money and time! its just a waste!….

Worst service ever!!!! Reservation was canceled without notice while we paid everything in advance. We lost over 200€. Do not book with this company. This is a fraud.

I do not recommend using this company. These are fraudsters. They steal money from customers. The car was terribly dirty, you couldn't see through the windshield, the windshield wipers couldn't wipe the rain off the glass, and the tire pressures were at dangerous levels. Do not rent a car from them!!!

RUN AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!!!!
Please read all reviews which are mostly negative before you decide(better not) to rent any car from this company.That was my mistake to not read reviews and that what customers wright is true.Autovia is a THIEF!! The cars are cheap to rent but Autovia will take money from your account after months without notifing you and not responding to your calls or emails.
The car which I rented had money scratches . On the form I signed they written only about 2 scratches.When Iasked the person who served me to go outside and check the car he saidhe is too busy now and asked me to send photos by email. So I did. I received car with 3/4 petrol and I returned the car with the same amount of petrol. Because we had very early flight and office was closed we have been asked to leave the car park next to the office. There was sb sitting there.For my request of signing that I have returned the car at the right time she got angry and rejected signing anything. As soos as I landed in my country I rang Autovia to ask if they received the car in the same condition and the same amount of petrol. They confirmed that everything is ok so they paid my deposit back. After 3 months I have been charged 50£ without any explanation. So I rang them and a guy informed me that there was not right amount of petrol and he can not talk to me because he was busy. He provide me with an email to complain. I have sent a few email with photos proving the amount of petrol I received and returned and it's been 2 weeks now like no one responded. Reading the reviews I am not the first one who has been charged for sth after months!! Looks like that is how Autovia earn money!!-by stealing them after months!!! Although so bad reputation Autovia is still stealing money after months from its customer!!!! Take my advice and do not rent any cars from AUTOVIA!!

I had my own Excess Insurance through the travel insurance on my credit card. I let them know and they were fine. No further pushing to sign up for insurance and no issues. We had the car for 7 days from Naples to Reggio in Southern Italy

Don’t rent from them!
They were very expensive but the only option available! My car rental malfunctioned on the day I was meant to return the car and I was advised to get a taxi to the airport which would be compensated & this was 2 months ago! All my emails to their customer care have been ignored so far!
Really bad service! Avoid!

Avoid this company!!
We were charged 450 euros for a damage that we did not cause. Upon receiving the car the employer did not go through the damages with us even though its their responsibility to do so. Later even after providing pictures they did not respond to our complaint and charged the credit card without prior consent or info.

they charged us with unnecessary insurance. We rented the car with insurance. When we got there they said that the insurance was not good enough and that we had to pay more money or we would have to pay for all the damage. We then paid 135 euros. We were then told that we had to pay even more otherwise the wheels and windows would not be insured. We looked into this later and it turns out that the first insurance we had was good. They kept insisting that we had to take out insurance otherwise we would have to pay a lot of money. This car insurance is not recommended, otherwise you should check everything carefully first.

It’s pretty much a scam. They lure you in with a small rental price but they will do anything to get your deposit. They charged me car damages I never did (thank god I had a video of the car) and a late fee when I returned the car on time.

WORST CAR RENT EXPERIENCE EVER !

Many added and unforseen expenses (extra insurance needed -175€-, extra fees requested over a year later), terrible service (nobody to show you the car or check it when you return it, nobody to help you install the baby seats in the car), close to two years after the rental, I keep on receiving emails from them demanding money I already paid long ago. And when I provide proofs I paid it already, they either don't reply or threaten to charge me even more. Completely crazy customer service.
Don't ever rent from them. They seem slightly cheaper at first but end up being incredibly more expensive and a huge hassle in the long run.