Goldcar PortugalReviews 

I rented a car from Goldcar in Lisbon (contract no. 27050915) at the end of March 2025. When I picked up the vehicle, I asked if someone would check the car for damage with me. I was told to inspect it myself and take photos if I found anything. The car had multiple visible damages, and I photographed some, but it was impossible to document everything.

Upon return, Goldcar accused me of causing a scratch on the door — something that was clearly already there. I refused to sign the return declaration because I did not cause any damage. I asked for proof (such as photos of the car before my rental), but I was told there were none. Still, they insist on charging me €156.46.

I have already filed an official complaint through the national consumer complaint platform in Portugal and posted publicly on the Portal da Queixa. This is an abusive and dishonest practice. I do not recommend Goldcar or Europcar as its parent company, to anyone.

Later edit:
Goldcar emailed back admitting that the scratch was already there when I initially rented the car and issued a refund.
From the 1⭐ assigned at the incident inception to the 5⭐ awarded for admitting the initial hiccup and refunding the fee, I'll set the experience halfway through, at 3⭐.
Thanks for the resolution, Goldcar.

Initial post:
I rented a Fiat Panda in the Faro Airport from 22/02/25 to 01/03/25. The fee was excellent, around €50 for the whole period.

Upon car handover I was presented with a check-in doc listing 14 superficial body scratches. All over the place, with 5 tiny ones on the front bumper. The kind of scratches you need to lean in to see them. I also done my own checking and discovered that the fuel hose was missing, both from the car and the check-in list. The clerk added it in and reissued the check-in doc. She apologized for the miss, stating it was her first day on the job.

When returning to the Faro Airport, I had to drop off the car outside opening hours so I just left it in the carpark without interacting with any Goldcar staff member.

Needless to say, their car review discovered a 6th tiny scratch on the front bumper, evidenced by zoomed in photos. So I was slammed with a €100 damage fee.

I have no recollection of any incident with the car while driving it. The only possibility was for someone to scratch while parking. And what a hell of a coincidence to scratch it in such a way that it perfectly completed the pattern of the initial 5 "damages" marked on the check-in doc.

I've emailed Goldcar with all the above, disputing their claim. I have only received an apology for the delay in answering as they are assessing the situation. Then they just charged my credit card.

On one side, I am to blame as I haven't spotted the scratch missing on the check-in doc when picking up the car. Lesson learned.

On the other side, it smells of dubious practices from Goldcar. They were so diligently to mark all the tiny body marks but failed to notice a missing fuel hose.
Secondly, they could identify 5 tiny scratches on the front bumper but couldn't see the 6th.

My advice to you. If you decide to rent a car with Goldcar, be very, extremely diligent when picking the car up. It might be that you're set up for a trap: very low rental fee but compensated with a future damage charge.

From my side, I'm done with Goldcar. It's the second time it happened in less than a year. I will advise the people around me to avoid Goldcar as well.

One last thing. I usually don't take insurance. With this rental, the insurance was €140 euro, compared with the €50 rental charge.

Is it possible that Goldcar punishes customers that don't take insurance?

I rented a car with Goldcar at Faro airport via Autoeurope. I purchased the AE insurance because I hoped it would protect me from the usual practice of being charged for damages not caused by me.
On collecting the car I was told that the AE insurance was inadequate. Various clauses of the small print were highlighted underlined and even crossed out. I was told the only way to ensure there would be no extra charges when I returned the vehicle was to take out the GOLDCAR insurance for an extra 144 euros.
To further reinforce their argument I was told I had been allocated a brand new VW Touran and even the slightest mark on it would become chargeable.
The initial rental from AE including the additional insurance had only cost me 72GBP so this was approx double what I had already paid.
The threatening nature of the conversation left me with no real alternative other than to pay for the insurance. If I didn't I was virtually told that I was going to be hit with a big bill when I brought the car back.
When presented with the credit card terminal there was a figure of 188 euros on the screen. I was told this was just an additional security that would be refunded when I returned the car. It wasn't.
Finally I found the car in the car park and it was not a brand new VW Touran but a very old and heavily damaged KIA Sportage. It was now late at night I was tired I was angry I just wanted to get to my hotel. I took the car. The service alarm and warning displayed every time you got into the car because the service was 1,100+ km and 170+ days overdue.
The on board computer did not work all I got was "loading" and a circle which just went round and round. Nothing therefore worked, not even the radio. I believe the software was in need of an update but the device could not connect with KIA to do this.
Fortunately my phone provided my navigation and music so I was not totally incapacitated.
I've reported these issues to Autoeurope who say they will take them up with contact Goldcar but this process can take as long as 8 weeks.
I want to warn potential customers NOW to avoid anyone else suffering the same issues I faced. Whilst collecting my car there was another gentleman who had the exact same issues with the insurance despite having bought his own.

Very rude staf at Lisabon Airport.

First I had to wait 50 minutes for my car. Employee's did not care at all - found this normal and where 'hanging bored' agains the wall.

After this, when I wanted to pay the +/- 1500 euro caution by debit card (in stead of a credit card lock) the employee was annoyed he could not do a simple credit card lock, and threatend I would not get back my caution. At the moment I kindly pointed him at his rude behavoir he almost refused me to hire me my (allready paid for) car.

Also they force you to take a toll badge for 2 euro per day (these things cost 0,50 cents per MONTH to activate) which I did not need at all!

"Disappointing Experience with Unfair Damage Claim"

I recently rented a car from GoldCar and had a generally smooth experience until the return process. Upon returning the vehicle, I was surprised to hear that the company was claiming there was damage to one of the wheels. The issue is that I was told by the manager at pickup that the minor existing damages didn’t need to be documented, as they weren’t significant enough to note. Unfortunately, I didn’t take photos of the car at pickup because of this reassurance.

Now, I’m being held responsible(EUR 134.83) for damage I didn't cause, and it feels unfair. There was no indication of any major issues with the car when I returned it, and the damage in question is extremely minor. I understand that things happen, but it’s very frustrating when the company doesn’t follow through with proper documentation, leaving renters like myself in a difficult position.

I’d advise future renters to be extra cautious and take photos of the car at pickup, even if they are assured that minor damages don’t need to be noted. Unfortunately, I won’t be renting from again based on this experience.

I am a loyal Goldcar customer since 2013 and I cannot get better support and customer service in Lisbon Airport when it comes to rent a car. At the past with lovely Fatima Fernandes and just recently with Simão and José, super professional, humbles and doing everything at their best to support on my local enquires and on my online reservation!

It's always delightful to have Goldcar amazing service and I fully recommend this company for the last 12 years! Brilliant!!

Terrible company! They gave me a car full of dents so it was very hard to see if everything was on their form. We asked about some but they said don’t worry. When we came to give the car back they pointed out a big scratch which wasn’t on the form and said we had to pay. Because we didn’t trust them we had made pictures and films of the car. So we could prove it was already there! For sure the next costumer will have to pay for the same scratch. This is how they can offer the cars cheap and earn their money from insurances. Never again will I rent from them!!!

I rented from Goldcar once before and it was a disaster, but it was years ago, so I decided to give it another chance.
But NO, nothing has changed. Still very rude staff trying to cheat you with every trick in the book. I had booked and payed online (and had a voucher), despite this they wanted me to pay three times more for the car then it was online. RUDE SCAMMERS!! I wrote in the complaintbook and left the building without picking up my rental car. Never again!!

Charged three times for one booking. Deposits returned but with unwarranted deductions. Sadly not responding to complaints despite providing evidence. Was a loyal customer - but no more!

Terrible company stay away from Goldcar !! Be extremely careful when renting from this company I arrived at Malaga airport and when I didn’t take their insurance they requested a my credit must have embossed numbers as in their terms and conditions I pointed out that these cards are no longer issued and why would they require outdated cards (clearly a ploy to refuse renting at the price agreed when not taking their insurance)I was left with my family at 11pm having to get a taxi to my apartment and now claiming my credit card payment back !! Don’t use this company as a complete scam !

DONOT GIVE THIS COMPANY YOUR CREDIT CARD DETAILS. THEY TOOK MONEY FROM US WITHOUT DISCUSSION, REPORT OR REASONING. 150 Euros taken from our account.
I came online to write this review, and was horrified to see what happened to us is frequently occuring. I have rented cars from Lisbon airport multiple times a year for 20 years, and I've never experienced anything like it.

Having read all the reviews how is Goldcar being allowed to continue trading at Lisbon Airport?
Heres my review in the hope it prevents someone else having the same happen to them.

We returned our car for the GoldCar agent to do their review. From the start, her demenour was off. She had her torch out and seemed determined to find something wrong with the car. Very different approach to when you receive the car on your own in the dark surroundings!

Thankfully for us, her attempt to charge us for scuffed wheels was futile as we had taken photos. She checked the photo time stamps against our contract, huffed and continued her long winded search.

Patricia was on her hands and knees in the back of the car, found a 'mark'. She started writing a report , but would not discuss what she was doing or what she deemed the issue.

What should have happened next is a reasonable conversation about what she wanted to discuss. Instead shes in the car snapping away photos and I repeatedly asked her to show me where and what she was doing and reporting. She pointed out two, so i cleaned them easily with a small amount of water and a towel one of the Goldcar cleaning staff gave me. I thanked the lady with the towel and she rolled her eyes at the woman writing the report. It looked maybe a tiny bit of dirt, even though it wasnt ours, I cleaned it and it took a matter of seconds. It was fine. I took photos of it clean. Cleaner now than when they hired it to us.

Bearing in mind we were 2 people in a car, never ate or drank in the car, and we didn't even enter the back of the car. Luggage went in the boot. So it would have been an existing small mark. Patricia didn't care, she wasn't going to have a reasonable discussion, she had a report to write

She refused to acknowledge it was now clean. Continually rudely walking off and saying the report is closed and we needed to go to the Goldcar office in the terminal.

When we arrived there, we explained and showed my proof of clean seats, and the Goldcar representative told me the file was still open so he couldnt do anything. I returned, but Patricia now is still walking off like a petulant child and is painfully unresponsive. It was a total farce.

I asked but was refused a supervisor and was told she was a contractor and id have to email customer service to challenge her findings. To take photos and forward to them as proof. Annoying but something I guess. Extra admin for us but they would see common sense when we showed them our photos (or so we thought!)

A few days later, WITHOUT any communication or warning Goldcar charged 150 euros, no covering email or explanation as to why the money was taken. Only just by looking on our online bank did we spot it. So, we returned to the airport to investigate , and were told its for a level 2 deep clean on all the seats. I showed them my photos and said which bit required a deep clean, they said email customer services. Not interested.

I did receive one email from Goldcar thanking me for cleaning the car (wtf) but the report still stands due to the 'deep clean' . I have asked repeatedly but have never been shown or sent the report.
They have not confirmed to me what criteria they deem as so dirty a 150 euro 'level2 deep' clean is 'required'. Given a single wipe had removed the marks. My last email still sits with them and I doubt they will reply

Its unreasonable, unfair and totally shouldn't be able to be getting away with making false claims and taking people's money at will
All because they rented us a 'dirty' car

Stay away from Goldcar!

We picked up this old, scratched and dented car and did a walk-through with the agent. There were defects in every single body panel. We went through the over 50 defects on his tablet computer and I signed the contract.

When I returned this car that had over 100,000 km on it, it was not possible to do a walk-through with an agent. We were instructed to just drop the keys in the box.

An hour later I got an Email telling me "....this car has been involved in an accident....." They then sent me a photo of the rear bumper with a tear in it.

This defect was already there when I picked up the car.

I unfortunately did not have a photo of the bumper upon pickup. As mentioned above, the car had so many defects all over, it was not possible to make a note of them all.

As far as I can tell, their business model is as follows:
-they have old, junky, dented cars
-they rent the cars for a low price
-they show you 90% of the dents upon pickup
-they go over the cars with a fine tooth comb on dropoff and then make a note of the 10% of the dents that you didn't see upon pickup
-they charge you for the damage
-they don't fix the cars as they need cars with lots of defects for this scam to continue
-they also charge lots for tolls and try hard to upsell you to their insurance.

Be VERY careful when renting from Goldcar, a company owned by Europcar.

I had a four day rental from Goldcar and
took photos, inside and out before leaving Lisbon airport.

On returning the car, I was told by the Goldcar employee that all was in order, there was no damage, the car was fully refuelled and I signed the iPad.

Three weeks later, I notice a charge on my credit card for €150.

When I contacted the company I was informed this charge was for a 'special cleaning.'

It seems amazing that the car is handed back in, what I was told, was perfect condition, only for a €150 charge to suddenly appear several weeks later.

I was the ONLY person to have been in the car, no person and no materials/goods were placed in the car apart from a suitcase in the boot.

This is quite obviously a rip off fee. I have received no photographs as to what necessitated this 'special cleaning'

This is, very plainly, fraud.

DO NOT RENT FROM GOLDCAR

It took 3 months of complaining and then handed over to my bank to deal with to get my £1300 deposit returned to me. I spoke directly on the phone to customer services on numerous occasions only to get the same robotic reply saying next to nothing except empty promises. I also emailed many times and was even told it had been paid to me on a certain date which it hadn't at all. I then found out I could get my bank to make a refund claim for me. They were very helpful and told me they deal with this type of problem often. My £1300 deposit was then refunded within a couple of weeks. I think if it wasn't for my banks support I may not have got my money back.

I should have checked their reputation first. Just as everyone should. This company works on a criminal level. Read these facts I dug up.

"Goldcar has been suspected across Europe of charging customers for damage that either didn't exist or was already present on the vehicle before hire — exactly the kind of thing you experienced with your deposit. (Connexion France)
So the evidence is clear — this isn't accidental or occasional bad practice. It's a systematic, pan-European pattern that has been proven in court multiple times. The troubling part is that even €3.4 million fines haven't stopped them, which tells you how profitable the model is."

Here's another example.

"Italian Court Ruling — 2024
As recently as June 2024, a court in Bolzano ruled that Goldcar's penalty clauses were unlawful — they had been charging tens of thousands of consumers €55 per traffic fine for over ten years, collecting an estimated €5 million+ in unjustified penalties in just the 2018–2021 period alone. The court ordered Goldcar to notify all affected customers of their right to a full refund."

**Terrible Service and Complete Disregard for Customers**

I strongly advise **against** renting a car from Goldcar. Our experience with this company was absolutely disgraceful. We booked a car from January 1st to 9th at Málaga Airport and confirmed in advance with Goldcar that picking up the car on January 1st at 21:40h would not be a problem. We were assured that the office would be open at that time.

However, when we arrived, the office was closed, and the key collection machines were out of service. No one from Goldcar could be reached. As a result, we were left stranded, forced to book a hotel and pay for taxis—costs that were entirely Goldcar’s fault.

Since then, we have **repeatedly contacted Goldcar, requesting compensation for these extra expenses and a credit for the lost rental day. Instead of taking responsibility, they continue to blame us for their own failure.**

Goldcar is **unreliable, does not honor its commitments, and abandons its customers.** If you want a stress-free rental experience, **avoid Goldcar at all costs!**

Do NOT rent a car with Goldcar via EasyJet Car! As with any reputable car rental company, I was prompted to take out a full insurance when booking, as I always do. Little did I know (as it's not advertised anywhere when booking) that I had to pay a so-called Couverture Super Relax cover when picking up the car in Bordeaux. This mandatory cover (yes, it is mandatory no matter which way you put it) was 233.76 EUR for 6 days. The car itself was 80 EUR. Make it make sense.
Furthermore, we were FORCED and bullied into paying this cover, or the agent would not hand over the keys. Simple and plain. Our options were to be stranded at the pickup counter late evening with two small children, or pay up. When complaining to EasyJet Car, they came back with "that was an optional cover" and "you didn't record the conversation so you can't prove that it was forced". This is an elaborate scam where Goldcar blames EasyJet Car and the other way around. Never in a million years will I use either one of these companies again. It should be noted that I have filed a complaint under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, on the grounds of being mislead and pressured into buying additional insurance at an extortionate rate. I'm currently waiting for EasyJet Car to reply, but let's just say that my hopes are not very high.

Location de 9 jours à Faro Airport, fin janvier 2025.
Insistance extrêmement lourde pour la souscription de l’assurance CDW qui triple le prix de la location (CDW à 6488 € / an !).
Au terme d’une inspection initiale de 2 minutes, la voiture a 31 petits défauts de carrosserie et des essuie vitres en mauvais état.
A la fin de la location, je ramène la voiture avant l’ouverture des bureaux (vol de retour très matinal). A l’ouverture de l’agence, le personnel trouve immédiatement et encore de nuit un 32ème défaut que je ne parviens pas à distinguer sur la photo (je ne sais même pas si c'est la voiture que j'ai louée).
On me demande 98 € pour le 32ème défaut de carrosserie, invisible sur la photo, que je n'ai pas provoqué et qui ne sera pas plus réparé que les 31 premiers, ce qui me prive des services de l’assurance par ma carte bancaire. Je crois que c'est une vengeance pour ne pas avoir souscrit le CDW. S'il y a réellement un nouveau défaut, c'est peut-être une autre voiture ou c’est peut-être eux qui l'ont fait. J'ai l'impression d'avoir eu affaire à une bande d'escrocs. J'étais un client régulier, je ne reviendrai jamais.
Je recommande donc, quelque soit le loueur, de prendre un maximum de photos du véhicule à la livraison pour dissuader ce genre d’arnaque et, en outre, à tous ceux qui veulent éviter ce genre de mésaventure de souscrire une assurance CDW auprès de sociétés spécialisées (par exemple serenitrip) pour une toute petite fraction du prix exorbitant demandé par les loueurs.

9-day rental at Faro Airport, end January 2025.
Extremely heavy insistence on taking out CDW insurance, which triples the price of the rental (CDW at €6,488/year!).
After an initial 2-minute inspection, the car has 31 minor bodywork defects and the windscreen wipers are in poor condition.
At the end of the rental period, I return the car before the office opens (very early return flight). When the office opened, the staff immediately found a 32nd fault that I couldn't make out on the photo (I didn't even know if it was the car I'd hired).
I'm charged €98 for the 32nd bodywork defect, invisible on the photo, which I didn't cause and which won't be repaired any more than the first 31, which deprives me of the services of my credit card insurance. I think this is revenge for not taking out CDW. If there really is a new fault, maybe it's another car or maybe they did it. I feel like I've been dealt with by a bunch of crooks. I was a regular customer and I'll never come back.
I therefore recommend that, whatever the hire company, you take as many photos of the vehicle as possible on delivery to discourage this kind of scam and, in addition, that anyone who wants to avoid this kind of misadventure should take out CDW insurance with specialist companies (e.g. serenitrip) for a tiny fraction of the exorbitant price charged by the hire company

Over an hour wait at Goldcar to pick up the car :(

I hired a car from Goldcar pickup Lisbon Airport, i hire a car in Lisbon more than 6 times a year (with 0 issues with all the other Lisbon companies). I have never had such a damaged car, every panel was damaged with more scratches than i could mention. I took a video walking around the car on pickup as normal, it did not occur to me that i should video underneath the car from floor level. So on return the Goldcar employee immediately crouches down and looks underneath the front bumper on one side only and tells me i scratched it, you cannot see unless literally underneath the car. Goldcar is just simply a scam/fraud. Don’t use ever.

My credit card statement shows various costs for Goldcar yet I have had no invoice or any evidence as to what they are for. I have raised a dispute and have been waiting over a month and have not heard anything back yet. The documents I got back confirm there was no damage etc. So I can only conclude that Goldcar are total scammers. Avoid! Their customer service do not care or respond to important matters such as daylight robbery like this. I am now having to raise the case with my credit card company. Honestly it is not worth the stress. Do not go with this company.