Drivalia Portugal Reviews 

The team provided great customer care, they explained everything clearly and I had a prompt return. I would recommend a d come back again.

The sympathy and competence of the staff.

Great service for the price, good personal. But i don't like to pick-up a car with dents and large scratches, for example the second car that I pick-up had the door with a big dent. If the prior driver had to pay the damages, they have to fix them.

The staff was incredible and helped me with all my questions, everything went ok and as expected. I was a bit afraid due to previous reviews, but my experience was 5 stars.

Everything went well. Excellent service!

Excellent! Recommend.

Had an amazing experience with Drivalia — super friendly staff, easy pickup and drop-off, and a clean, reliable car. Everything went smoothly with no hidden costs. Definitely renting with them again!

Great team and efficient Rental service.

Everything was perfect 👌🏼

Do not use this company!
On arrival, we waited at the Faro airport meeting point for shuttle almost 40 mins. Called company several times only to be told they will be there in 5 mins…..
Eventually arrived at their office to get the car, the guy would not accept our credit card because although it was in main drivers name(as requested) it had business on it too, apparently he can’t accept business cc. We offered him other credit card with wife’s name on it who was also at the counter, but he would not have it ( never been a problem with any other rental in other Europe countries, US, Africa). I went on drivalia website which stated”companion person present at the counter can use their credit card for security deposit even if not main drivers name)
Anyway asked for manager, apparently the guy at the counter was the manager…
To get the car rental after 1.5h of discussing the issue, he said we needed to pay further €103 to get full cover and then he doesn’t need our credit card and can give us the rental. We have already purchased full cover through company we booked the car through but he was not interested unless we paid €103 extra or loose the booking.
Awful service

I had a business travel to Oporto and i used Drivalia services during 2 days. All went good at the Oporto Station and the car was perfect. I´ll use Drivalia Services in the future for sure.

Where to start
Drivalia Lisbon pick up and Porto return
The first car was not the one advertised and I had to swap it because safety issues, the swap was fast and effective although had to drive a faulty car for an hour. Plus point

Everything went smooth until drop off

There was a small scratch on the left front door smaller then a 1 pound coin
On the 2/09/2025 I was charged with 419.55 euros I emailed back to question and photos on the day pick and day return car, there is reasonable doubt that the scratch was there before.
No response to any of the emails

The company has aggressive and sometimes purely rude approach, been renting cars for years now, first time this happens.

No answer regarding any of my questions regarding the invoices

We have rented multiple times from the SETUBAL OFFICE and each time has been excellent! The office is professional and the terms are crystal clear. Special thank you to the amazing Ana who is expert at what she does -- including conveying a sense of both comfort and confidence when working with foreigners unfamiliar with Portuguese car rental and geography. We will ONLY rent from Ana!

When arriving at airport it took over an hour for transport to pick us up. After dropoff we had to wait another 20-30 mins just to see an agent (only 1 working while multiple others on phone and doing nothing). I initially drove car off without noticing major issues then thoughout journey the car was getting harder to start in first gear. I had to dropoff before business hours due to flight departure time. A few days later I receive a bill for a new clutch stating that I misused vehicle. The clutch was definitely slipping by the end of trip but not due to my use as I'm an experienced driver of manual transmissions with over 30yrs driving experience. The estimate provided was from Autovista Group and not from an actual repair shop. The storefront in Lisbon has failed to reply to any inquiry from me. It seems to be a ploy to get money out of a foreigner. DO NOT USE!

When we picked up the car they aggressively tried to rip us an insurance that we already had. I got a car, totally damaged and no one wanted te walk around to see en rapport the scratches. After two days of nice driving we came back and the girl walked around the car en asked if I had a picture of one scratch on the bumper witch she didnt see on the rapport. This was a scratch from a former rent and she tried to let me pay for it. All on all they give me a bad feeling over the whole vacation. Afraid of damaging anything. Bad compagnie. Will never go here again.

6 weeks after returning the car I am still chasing the refund I was promised in a few days

Avoid , I hire car in Faro take over 1h for collect ,they say not car available same client return car they give me the same car dirty car inside and out , I hired car for 48h only I travel to lisbon and back, on return they ask me for go hover the car or they charge 90 euros, is completely scam .
One of member staff speak to me outside and say , they are forced to do that if not lose they jobs ,they work overtime not get pay ,,they admit clients are ripped off.
But they have not choices if they want keep the job .
Avoid Drivalia

★★★☆☆ (3 stars)

I’m giving Drivalia 3 stars, mainly due to past experiences with the local agent in my town — more about his attitude than the company itself. I’ve never had major issues, but customer service has often felt lacking.

Most recently, I rented from the Coimbra branch after Drivalia closed another location, which I was told was a financial decision with little thought for the customer — disappointing. Sadly, the service I received in Coimbra was well below expectations. As a paying client, you’d at least expect basic politeness and clear communication.

When I returned the car, a staff member looked it over without a word and simply walked off, expecting me to follow. Back in the office, there was no explanation, no thank you, not even basic courtesy.

Poor service overall — and unfortunately, I won’t be returning.

I had an absolutely terrible experience with Drivalia in Portugal.

First, they did not provide any clear instructions on how to contact roadside assistance. I had no idea where to find the phone number, and there was no explanation at pickup.

Second, there was no guidance on how the gas pumps work in Portugal. Maybe it’s common knowledge in Europe, but I live in the U.S. and didn’t know that “gasóleo” means diesel. I accidentally added the wrong fuel because the two types of gasoline and gasoleo were in the same pump. I thought gasoleo was a cheaper kind of gasoline. It was my mistake.
Third, and most unacceptable, it took two hours for someone to assist me, and when they finally did, they only sent a tow truck. The driver left me alone on the side of the highway with all my luggage. I had to call and pay for an Uber back to Lisbon myself. When I arrived at Drivalia, no one acknowledged what had happened. They simply gave me a new car and told me to wait for the costs.

When I returned the car, they charged me €740 for cleaning the tank, even though I didn’t drive the car after fueling to avoid damaging it. I booked through Expedia and had insurance, but they still charged me. When I tried to explain what happened, the Drivalia employee told me I had been “negligent,” and even implied that was why no one came to help me, as if leaving a customer stranded on the highway was a punishment.

And when I asked for reimbursement for the Uber, I was mocked. The employee sarcastically asked if I really had the receipt or had lost it, in a tone that made me feel humiliated, as if I were stupid for making the fuel mistake.

This was the worst experience I've ever had while traveling. The lack of customer care, the judgmental and unprofessional attitude, and the unsafe situation they left me in were all unacceptable. I will never rent from Drivalia again, and I hope this experience warns others.