CarRental8 Reviews 16,211

TrustScore 3 out of 5

3.0

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Evaluating 141 reviews, most reviewers were somewhat happy with their experience overall. Some customers have found good rental rates and an efficient booking process, with the complete cost including taxes visible upfront. A few people reported positive experiences with customer service, including receiving refunds for overcharges or booking amendments. The pick-up and drop-off process has been described as fast and efficient by some. However, many reviewers expressed significant dissatisfaction with unexpected additional charges at the counter or after returning the car, often related to insurance, fees, or deposits that were not clearly communicated during booking. Numerous customers also reported issues with refunds, with some stating they did not receive their money back even after cancellations or service failures, leading to frustration and the need for chargebacks. There are also complaints about poor customer service, with some users feeling ignored or receiving unhelpful responses when problems arose, such as booking cancellations by the rental supplier or issues with car availability.

What people talk about most

Booking process

People report ambiguous experiences with the booking process, with some customers successfully booking cars... See more

Price

Reviewers highlight negative aspects of price, with many expressing dissatisfaction over unexpected... See more

Payment

Consumers find payment to be a negative experience, often reporting unexpected additional charges despite... See more

Service

Reviewers mention negative feedback about service, with many expressing disappointment and frustration.... See more

Refund

Customers had negative experiences with refund, with many reporting that they were refused refunds despite... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

I arranged a 16 day car hire through CarRental8.com and when the booking came through, the car hire company was Avis. I arranged the "Quickpass" service online but when I arrived to collect the car Av... See more

Company replied

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Signed up for a Ford Focus in Lisbon, got a Peugeot 308 that smelled faintly of dog food. Clerk shrugged, “same class.” Price stayed low, pickup line moved fast, return took half an hour because the p... See more

Company replied

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Edit* After writing the below review a customer service agent reached out and corrected the mistake and they refunded the ~$130 that I had been overcharged at the counter. So I raised the score t... See more

Company replied

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

One car type was reserved with Car Rental 8 but when I went to check in at the Deer Lake airport (Budget) they could only provide a less than adequate replacement (downgrade).

Company replied


Company details

  1. Car rental company

About CarRental8

Information provided by various external sources

Car rentals for the United States (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Europe, Latin America, Australia and other worldwide locations. 

Car Rental 8 is a USA based corporation that offers car rental services in 125 Countries serving 17,000 locations. We have car rental supply agreements with major car rental companies worldwide and the ability to negotiate discount prices through booking volumes. These savings are passed on to you. To assist our customers, our website supports several languages as well as multiple currencies.

Our website has been designed to let you book a car through "Search. Book. Done." Simply type in a destination you are interested for a car rental, and it will automatically provide you a list to choose from. Select your dates, then click SEARCH. You will then see a variety of choices along with our low special rate. Choose what you need and then, BOOK your car. Fill in your personal and payment information, confirm your reservation, and you are DONE!

Car Rental 8 is chosen by more travelers because we provide the ultimate option – the CR8 Protect Package.  Choose this option when booking your next rental car. The CR8 Protect Package will cover a portion of your deductible or excess in the unfortunate event of an accident or minor incidents such as windshield or tire damage.  In some cases, the CR8 Protect Package may allow you to avoid paying a cancellation fee when your planned trip must be cancelled.

Go to Booking Page to start, read our Privacy Policy , or read our General Info page for more information.


Contact info

3.0

Average

TrustScore 3 out of 5

16k reviews

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Replied to 97% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 1 week

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Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Website gives error messages - cannot confirm reservation online

I had to add a day to out reservation and had difficulties doing it online because Carrental8 had changed their system since my original reservation. I was able to speak with someone who updated my reservation. Fingers crossed all goes smoothly at pickip

22 August 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out.  It seems that there was an issue with the payment link and we are looking into this.  We do see our agent was able to rebook you in our new system and all looks good with your booking.  We sincerely apolgozie for the trouble you experienced and are happy we were able to sort out the issue.  Thanks for choosing carrental8.com!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I wish i could give zero star

I wish i could give zero star. Total fraudulent website. I booked for my trip a d at counter thry charged again same amount and said its for security. Once i return car, put lot of fraudulent charges like gas was not filled, keys not put properly ( which i put)etc etc Also i at counter told i dont want insurance nd still they charge for insurance. I wish i could talk to person who ask me proof and i give him a photos. Seriously they ruined my tour

1 July 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out.  We are requesting a copy of your rental agreement with the supplier and will reach out to you directly to address the charges and the security deposit.  We apologize for any inconvenience you experienced and will get back to you once we have the information.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

WARNING AVOID

WARNING AVOID. They are OK when all goes smoothly but a very expensive nightmare when things don’t.
Had to cancel as airline cancelled my flight due to industrial action. I have emailed carrentals8 customer service 5 times over 6 days and they don’t/won’t respond. Personally I will never use this company again and unless anyone wants to risk the price of their booking suggest to everyone else try to avoid. There are far more reliable companies out there

18 August 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out and we are sorry for the delay in response.  We are sorry that your flight was cancelled and we are nvestigating your complaint and will get back to you directly.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

No customer service Not what I’d asked for

- Customer service does not reply to emails, 4 days running now
My rental did not comply with their terms of Agreement.
My terms stated full to full fuel. I received the car with less that a quarter of a tank. It was not the local firms fault. Those are their terms which CarRental 8 had misrepresented.
My car was NOT an airport pick up, as I’d been told and as I’d requested. The main body of the letter said airport pickup but I didn’t notice in the small print the hire firm was 3km away. Again not the local firm’s fault. The number I was given did not reply and we had not been given instructions where to wait. It was chaos.
I’m still waiting for Custoner Service to reply to 4 emails that I’ve sent then each morning

17 August 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out and we sincerely apologize for any confusion with the supplier's location and the fuel policy.  We strive for a transparent and problem free rental from beginning to end and the pick up instructions were included in the confirmation.  We do show that the Green Motion location is off airport.  The fuel policy seems to be like for like and we are looking into this further and will get the policy on our site changed as necessary.  Thanks for choosing carrental8.com.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Terrible experience

Booked a 7 seater car. Turned up to an Italian airport with three young children in tow. They did not have a car for us. Could not even give us 2 cars instead. Told us to cancel and sort out own car. This was nearly 11pm at night. Had to get a taxi to our accommodation and waste half the next day trying to sort a car. Shocking customer service telling us different things. Have been told we can have any extra costs reimbursed but are still waiting for a reply to original e mail.

4 August 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out.  Your experience is a concern and we are investigating your complaint with the supplier and will reach out to you directly.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Incredibly bad service

Incredibly bad service.

From sending me an e-mail requesting a payment to cancelling from their end 45mins!!!!
You literally gave me no chance to even process the payment.

Terrible!

Avoid this company

19 August 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thanks for reaching out.  We are requesting your booking # so we can research this but have not received a response.  Please provide this information so we can investigate your concerns.  Thank you.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Terrible - avoid

Terrible - made a booking they sent me details of a website (no number) and got the time wrong so the rental company wasn’t there when we got there - had to wait over an hour - book with somebody else these guys are charlatans ref 275126409

16 August 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out.  We sincerely apologize for the long wait to collect your rental vehicle and for the trouble you had reaching us.  We see that you were able to contact us and we do hope that everything else went well with your rental.  You can reach us at customerservice@carrental8.com.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Case number is 4589798 or ZEZNLZ-DGXXP

Case number is 4589798 or ZEZNLZ-DGXXP.

I paid for additional insurance cover. However you have not provided any details of the terms and conditions of the insurance, how to make a claim and who the underwriter is. Please respond to my emails and queries..

15 August 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for raching out.  The details of the coverage can be found in the Terms & Conditions in your confirmation.  We will respond to your e-mail with the details and answers to your questions.  Thanks for choosing carrental8.com.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I rented a 12 passenger van for my…

I rented a 12 passenger van for my family vacation. I show up to Budget car rental at the airport. I gave them my booking number and they said they didn’t have my vehicle I had reserved and paid for over a month prior. They said there was nothing they could do other than give me my money back. It’s been two weeks after my rental and I’ve tried to contact them over 6 times and they still haven’t given me my refund. They said it will be another 10 days.

2 August 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

We are very sorry to hear that your rental vehicle was not available upon arrival.  This is certainly unacceptable and the issue has been escalated to the supplier's management team to address.  In the meantime, a full refund was issued to you and we will reach out to you directly with the details.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Issue when collecting hire car

Issue when collecting hire car. Tried to call car rental 8, 3 times and sent 5 separate emails to try and get them to help resolve it.
After an hour with a 5 and 2 year old who were very distressed, there was still no response. We ended up having to pay out of pocket for another hire car.
We sent another 2 emails after doing this and over a week later, we have still not heard from car rental 8. Extremely disappointed. Hopefully they will read this and finally reach out as the 7 emails and phone calls we have made have gone unanswered for over a week.

5 August 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

First of all, we sincerely apologize for the trouble you had reaching us and the delay in responding to you.  We are in a bit of a backlog and our agents are working hard to respond as quicly as possible to our valued customers.  We will have one of our managers reach out to you directly to gather more details as to the trouble that you experienced picking up your rental.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Cancellation out of nowhere

I booked a reservation on Aug 09, 2025 for Aug 13, 2025 - Aug 18, 2025 and was confirmed by carrental8.com, card was charged and basically everything went through. On Aug 11, 2025, I received a email saying that my reservation was cancelled. I clicked on the link to find out why and it said that it was cancelled by ME. I then called the first customer service representative and was provided that my reservation was not confirmed by Avis and so it was cancelled, there is nothing else they can do. I asked to speak to a supervisor, who named Genet Mahti and was given that the reason for the cancellation was due to a fraud in my credit card. I told Genet to send me something in writing explaining this and was given an terribly written email with wrong dates. I asked to speak to someone else and she basically said "Nope, there is nothing more we can do, no more helping, this is your problem now." At this time, I was given three different reason why my reservation was cancelled. I called my bank and verified that everything went through and nothing is suspicious. I also called Avis and they said that they have confirmed the reservation but then it was cancelled the the third party company - which is carrental8.com. Absolute horrible customer service. I am now stranded with looking for a different option that is more than doubled my initial price due to last minute booking. DO NOT RENT WITH THIS COMPANY!

11 August 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out.  We are investigating your booking further as it appears that our system cancelled it for fraud.  We regret that no one reached out to you and that our agents were not able to properly explain the cancellation.  One of our managers will reach out to you directly this morning.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I would strongly advise avoiding…

I would strongly advise avoiding CarRental8. We arrived to collect the car we had booked and paid for, only to find the location closed. The closing time was not made clear at the time of booking, and as a result we were left stranded and had to rent a vehicle from an alternative supplier at additional cost.

We requested a full refund since we did not use their service at all and the lack of clarity was entirely on their part. However, they refused, showing zero understanding or willingness to resolve the situation. This was a deeply frustrating and disappointing experience, and I will not be using them again.

11 July 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out.  We are investigating your concerns regarding the location hours.  Your booking was made for a 9 PM pickup and the location is reflecting closing time of 10 PM (noted on your voucher).  Nonetheless, since a chargeback was issued by you, we will have to check this further as this must now go through the dispute process.  Thank you for choosing carrental8.com.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Booking canceled still waiting for refund

I booked a car through CarRental8 at Thrifty cars for July 15th. I was unable to get the rental due to car availabilty. I immediately notified CarRental8 on 7/15 after leaving Thrifty( with no vehicle) and requested a refund. I have been calling almost everyday and they keep telling me it is still processing, or they are waiting for the vendor response. I keep getting put on hold, and when the operator comes back they tell me my case is going to be "escalated", at this point it has been "escalated" about 10 times, and next week will make a month that this occured, and there is still no sign of my refund. This is the first time I decided to use a 3rd party to rental a car, I will never use them again,

15 July 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out and we apologize for the delay in responding.  We are cancelling your booking and one of our agents will reach out to you this morning to verify the details.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Bring patience and an air freshener

Signed up for a Ford Focus in Lisbon, got a Peugeot 308 that smelled faintly of dog food. Clerk shrugged, “same class.” Price stayed low, pickup line moved fast, return took half an hour because the printer jammed. It’s fine if your bar is thrift-store efficiency—just bring patience and an air freshener.

5 August 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out and we are sorry to hear about the condition of the rental vehicle you received.  If you would be kind enough to provide us with your bookings number, we would like to escalate your concerns to the supplier's management team.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Money taken from account for 3 day car…

Money taken from account for 3 day car hire. When I check the booking online it says it was "cancelled by me" ... Sent emails that have been ignored and now I have to go to another Company to get a car AND report the CarRental8 to my credit card company for fraudulently taking money and not providing the service.

4 August 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out and we sincerely apologize for the delay in responding to you and the trouble you experienced with your rental.  It seems that there was a system issue and we will reach out to you directly to address your concerns.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Still no refund after 6 weeks – Claim unresolved

Title: Still no refund after 6 weeks – Claim unresolved

Text:

> I submitted a claim under the No Risk Warranty for Booking #703960856 on June 23, after being charged €650.31 by Europcar France for a disputed scratch. I provided all required documents, and CarRental8 confirmed escalation to accounting. Since then, I have received only vague updates asking me to wait another 7–10 business days — twice.

As of today (August 5), I still haven't received any refund. My bank cannot currently receive EUR or USD directly, so I provided valid KZT account details with full SWIFT/IBAN for an international wire transfer. They confirmed this was acceptable, yet no funds have been received after 6 weeks.

I regret the lack of urgency and follow-up. I now consider filing a complaint with the BBB and pursuing chargeback options.

I would prefer to resolve this amicably, but delays like this are unacceptable — especially after promising a 7–10 business day turnaround.

Roman Leontev

Update (August 2025): I have now received the full refund. Thank you to Vicki from CarRental8 for following up and ensuring the transfer was completed. While the resolution took much longer than initially promised, I appreciate that the case was eventually settled.

12 June 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out.  It seems that there was a hold up confirming the currency that your bank will accept.  We are following up with our accounting department today on this and we will reach out to you directly.  We sincerely apologize for the delay in processing.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Last minute cancellation of car hire

Booked a car through car rental 8 (for Budget car hire). My booking was not booked instantly, it was on request for two days. They cancelled the booking the morning of my car hire. Therefore I ended up paying double the price as I had to book directly on the day. There was no communication from them during this time.

28 July 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out.  You were sent an e-mail when you booked your rental on 7/26 stating that the confirmation was being worked on which could take from 24 - 48 hours.  Additionally our team tried to reach you via phone on 7/26 and left a message, and again on 7/27 by phone and E-mail in which you were informed that the vehicle booked was not available and an alternative was offered.  This is contrary to the statement that there was no communication from us..  Sometimes last minute bookings are difficult due to availability and we sincerely apologize for the trouble you experienced.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

No customer support and forced to pay £120 extra at pick-up!

AVOID AND BOOK DIRECT!!!

Extremely poor experience, would not recommend anyone.

Reserved a car through CarRental8.com to rent a car through Drivalia UK. When I arrived at their Canary Wharf office, I was given a downgrade without any compensation, and was forced to pay extra £120 at the pick-up to purchase a a Full Protection Coverage. This was despite having purchased an Inclusive Package with CarRental8 already - without it they would not rent me the car!!!

When I tried to contactCarRental8 customer support via email, nobody responded. The customer phoneline was hard to find and only has a US number, which incurred extra phone costs. When I finally got through, the line always disconnected suddenly and no support or advice was given.

The car was of poor quality, no compensation offered, so currently considering legal steps. Definitely not worth the hassle.

2 July 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out and we sincerely apologize for the difficulty you experienced with this rental.  Unfortunately, we do not have any record of your contacting us either by email or phone.  This is concerning and we will reach out to you directly to gather more details so we can investigate your concerns.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Kept my entire hire cost as a cancellation fee

Please note that all the 5 star reviews for this company are for their US services. They are practically all 1 star for the UK, which I didn't realise at first. At around 4pm today, I used this company to book a hire car from the local airport which is nearby as my own car is in the garage being repaired and won't be ready until Thursday. I've never booked a hire car before and everything seemed quite simple and painless. However, when I printed out the 'voucher', I discovered that I should expect to pay a deposit of £1,505 for the car - which was for the cheapest car available. I am on minimum wage and cannot afford such a huge deposit. Panicking, I then looked up the company that they had arranged I would be picking the car up from. They were called Green Motion. I then looked at reviews for them here on Trustpilot and also on Reddit and TripAdvisor and also read an article about them being the worst possible car hire company. Lots of reviews say that once you get to the Green Motion desk, they insist you pay more money for extra insurance - sometimes double what you have already paid to Carrental8, despite the 'voucher' showing you have fully paid. I tried cancelling as I can't afford to fork out a deposit of £1,505 to this Green Motion company and then risk them keeping it. I also don't want to be forced into paying double what I have already paid. I was so worried about it that I cancelled the booking. But Carrental 8 has taken the whole of my booking money (£166) as a cancellation fee! Please be very wary of using this company, and also certainly Green Motion. I am £166 worse off in the space of four hours. How can they justify taking all my money when I changed my mind in a short space of time? Its outrageous.

Update: 7 Aug. Thankfully Carrental8 has now refunded all my money.

2 August 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out and we are sorry to hear that this rental did not work out for you due to the security deposit requirement with the supplier.  Normally there is no cancellation within 48 hours of pickup, however, we have issued a full refund to you today as a courtesy.  Please allow a few days to see the refund as all credits go through a process.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Scam Site, Cancelled my booking

I booked a hire car from JKF and when i landed there was an email saying that My Booking 527868912 was cancelled

this caused me 2 hours worth of delays and huge expense to find another car at last minute which made me very late for where i needed to be

i called the call center and they said there had been a change of rate then the phone cut off

i will be asking my bank to retrieve the money back if the refund isnt sent

lesson learned to book direct with trusted hire car companies in future

30 July 2025
Unprompted review
CarRental8 logo

Reply from CarRental8

Thank you for reaching out.  We are researching your query with regard to the cancellation of your booking and will reach out to you directly.  In the meantime, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to you.

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