Goldcar Rental Reviews 

Extremely disappointing experience with Goldcar at Seville Airport on 17 August and a very stressful start to our holiday.

We arrived on time to collect a fully prepaid rental, which was booked via an intermediary, DiscoverCars.com. (I only checked DiscoverCars’ review prior to booking which seemed fine- a decision I really regret now).

While authorising the security deposit, my husband’s credit-card PIN became temporarily locked after three incorrect attempts.

We immediately contacted our UK bank, which confirmed that THE CREDIT CARD & its account REMAINED ACTIVE, that only the PIN had been locked.
We proposed several alternative ways of providing the deposit, including manually processing the active credit card using the card number(as our bank suggested), using the main driver’s debit card, and adding the same physical credit card to ApplePay to pay (thus overriding needing the PIN).
Goldcar declined every reasonable and sensible alternative we proposed.

We were told that the applicable collection/grace period was six hours. We did not leave the airport or abandon the booking and continued trying to resolve the issue. We even asked my husband’s parents to drive to the airport so that one of us could travel to Gibraltar to try to unlock the PIN using a UK-compatible cash machine.

Despite this, Goldcar reallocated our reserved vehicle to another customer less than halfway through the six-hour period, while we were still at the airport waiting for my in-laws to arrive.

We were then forced to find another rental company and make a same-day booking. The replacement car was considerably more expensive than our original advance booking (almost double in price), and my in-laws had to help us with booking it and pay for it before I subsequently reimbursed them.

We arrived at the rental desk at around 10:30 am and did not finally leave the airport until after 4 pm. What should have been a straightforward start to our holiday became an extremely stressful and costly six-hour ordeal.

The problem has also continued long after the holiday. I have spent a significant amount of time submitting complaints, gathering evidence and chasing a refund. Having received no resolution, I am now having to pursue recovery of the original rental payment through my credit-card company.

I accept that the PIN problem initially arose on our side. What I find unacceptable is Goldcar’s lack of flexibility and, more importantly, its decision to reallocate a fully prepaid vehicle while we were still present, actively trying to resolve the problem and within the stated six-hour collection period. The resulting stress, wasted time and additional expense were substantial.

The way the situation was handled made matters even worse. Daniel, who I understood to be the manager, treated us in a condescending manner and showed what I felt was an extraordinary lack of understanding or remorse for the situation we had been left in.

They do not accept many regular credit cards meaning you have to use a debit card and be charged conversion rates. We were charged €774 for excess mileage we did not do. Staff very unhelpful. Avoid!

Refused car rental at time of collection. Luckily, Expedia have reimbursed, but does not make up for the poor service from Goldcar and being left standing in 35C heat at Bari airport with no car.

We collected a pre-paid car for a 10 day rental from Reus airport in Spain. The desk was manned by a single person, it was very busy and we waited for 45 minutes before being seen. After being given a car, we weren't given the opportunity to view the car with a member of staff to note damage, we were given documentation showing damage on the car in various places (dents, scratches etc) which we photographed. Some 25 days after returning to the UK, we have charges for damage on the car for over 300EU. I am 100% confident we did not damage the car in any way, and after checking the Goldcar website I can see all sorts of very ambigus charges attached to my account - just don't bother, go with a UK recognised business, Goldcar will attempt to rip you off, we will be doing chargeback's on the spurious damage charges.

Rented a car from the Milan branch! NEVER AGAIN!!! The worst company…. Gave us a downgrade to a Fiat panda with an huge excuse we had paid for that when it was actually completely larger car. Then we had to pay for an upgrade for the car we actually had ordered! Customers service kept spinning lie after lie, they are the absolute worst!! WILL NEVER USE. Doesn’t trust them

I rented the car in Bari airport and I thought it said there was an office in the actual airport but in fact it was outside in the car park, when I got there there was quite a queue because there was only two assistance dealing with customers after a while the second assistant left maybe for a break so when it came to my turn I was already stressed out and also it took ages to fill in all the forms I don’t know why gold card doesn’t let the customer do it online and then just pick up the key at the desk. I also have been pressurised to buy excess insurance from them even though I told the assistant that I had access insurance and she said that was not the same. When I took the car back I was told that there is damage on the alloy wheels ardently visible I told the assistant that was already there and she didn’t believe me as she wanted proof I told her I’ve got proof and got photos out. to anyone make sure you photograph the car before you rent it or make video of it otherwise you’ll be stuck with their charges.

I advise anyone to be very careful when dealing with Goldcar. This was our first experience dealing with this company and will be surely the last, we completely lost trust in them.
The employee who handed us the car made a very concerning comment, saying that he was going to retire and therefore “didn’t care.” We later discovered that some items were missing from the car when we returned it, Goldcar charged us for those missing items. This was extremely suspicious, especially considering the employee’s previous comment.
And instead of properly investigating what happened and protecting the customer, the company charged us for the missing items. If a company cannot ensure that its employees are trustworthy and cannot protect its customers from situations like this, how are customers supposed to trust the company?

We had a reservation with Goldcar Italy ( to collect a car at Catania Airport on June 29 at 9:30 PM. Our flight from Naples was significantly delayed, meaning we could no longer arrive at the scheduled time.

Before the rental office closed, we made every effort to notify Goldcar. We tried calling the branch using all the available phone numbers, but nobody answered. We also sent an email in advance, providing our booking number, flight number and updated estimated arrival time, and asking whether they could wait for us. We received no response whatsoever.

When we landed in Catania the Goldcar office was of course closed. We went the following morning to the office at 8:00 AM, we were told that our reservation had been cancelled.

We urgently needed a car to continue our trip, so we had no choice but to make a new booking on the spot, costing us an additional €300.

What is most frustrating is that we did everything reasonably possible to inform Goldcar about the delay before the scheduled pick-up time. The lack of communication and assistance from the branch was completely outside our control.

We have formally requested a refund of the cancelled booking and reimbursement of the additional €300 we had to spend as a direct consequence of the situation, with not even a response or feedback from their side.

Very poor customer service and communication. If a customer makes a genuine effort to contact you before the scheduled pick-up time, the least you should provide is a response or some form of assistance. Unfortunately, we received neither.

Took money from my account without permission. Do not use a debit card with these thieves for your deposit, they insist on it unfortunately to make it harder to dispute/reverse the charge.

They gave me back a pdf saying no charges then invented a late return fee, no one told me about it I just saw a transaction I didn't recognise and had to ask them what it was.

The car was returned on time of course.

This company took me by the nose. They suggested an excuse (given name not 100% same) not to deliver the rented car, even if paid in advance by card. Milan Malpensa airport. Never got my money back. They then offered to rent the same car at 2x the price. The same happened to others at the counter.

I booked a rental car through DoYouSpain for my holiday in Mallorca. Unfortunately, the experience was extremely disappointing.

After arriving at Goldcar, I joined the queue at approximately 10:42 p.m. and did not receive the keys until around 1:00 a.m. Waiting for more than two hours to collect a pre-booked vehicle after a flight is simply unacceptable.

The vehicle provided was considerably smaller than I expected for the category I had booked. Although DoYouSpain maintains that it was within the same category, I disagree and felt that the car was not equivalent to what I had reserved.

I was also required to pay mandatory charges at the rental desk that I do not believe were presented clearly enough during the booking process. In my view, any compulsory charges should be displayed prominently as part of the total price before payment, rather than being buried in lengthy terms and conditions.

I raised these issues with DoYouSpain, but after several exchanges they rejected my complaint, stated that everything complied with their terms and conditions, refused any compensation, and closed the case.

Because of this experience, I will not use either DoYouSpain or Goldcar again. Since then, I have rented a car through Alamo in Santander, purchased my own independent excess insurance, and experienced a quick, transparent and hassle-free collection process. The difference in customer service was significant.

Based on my experience, I cannot recommend either DoYouSpain or Goldcar.

Robbery: I get an absoluteky dirty car quite damaged.
They are charging me 237€ for à damage that was already on the Vehicle.
ROBBERS

AVOID. AVOID. AVOID booking car hire with Goldcar if possible.

Honestly one of the worst pieces of customer service I have experienced. I arrived into Malaga Airport at the Goldcar desk on Saturday 18th of July, 2026 where I can only describe a Goldcar agent being abrupt & aggressive with a Moroccan man ahead of me in queue. I was taken aback by this.

I proceeded to desk when it was my turn when I was greeted again abruptly a female member of staff. Again very rude. I went through the whole process to be told at the very end of the car hire process that she was refusing my Revolut CREDIT CARD as it was a PREPAID CARD. I asked numerous times how a CREDIT CARD can be a PREPAID CARD & was told ‘Sir you either pay the extra insurance of €235 or we won’t be giving you the car’. This despite me already taking our car insurance for the car as a back up through Ryanair to whom
I made the booking through. Due to it being late at night & no other means of transport to get to my destination. I was left with little option as I was getting nowhere.

Please do not make the same mistake as me & booking with these jokers. They are a farce.

Worst rental company ever, totally corrupt as you can see from previous reviews.
Brand new car with no scratches, dropped off putting key through a drop-box in same condition as collected. Before going through airport check-in, i returned to the car to take a video as proof, but when i got there 3 of the staff were in the office. All three said the car had been checked and passed as ok. Once thro passport control at Murcia airport i recieved an email with a bill for 220 euro. Phoned immediately and explained to helpline, and they said we will sort it. Back in UK and email again saying an additional 50 euro admin. What a joke, they should not be able to get away with this.

Arrived to 1 hour early and didn’t release the car until the exact time made me get into a two hour queue

I would like to report a terrible and completely unfair experience with Goldcar in Mallorca (booked through the Key'n Go service).
​I picked up the car via their self-service automatic kiosk. At pickup, no staff was present for a joint inspection, and the printed contract had no notes regarding the bodywork condition or pre-existing damage in the "Observaciones" section.
​I returned the car on a Saturday outside office hours, dropping the keys in the designated box after refueling the tank. Just a few hours after returning it, I received an automated email requesting a €92.12 charge for an alleged damage management penalty (UAR - Informe de Accidente No Contestado).
​Upon my immediate dispute, customer support demanded that I provide photo evidence from the time of pickup to "prove" the damage was already there. In short:
​They deliver the car in a 100% automated mode without issuing a handover report detailing existing damage.
​Upon return outside office hours, they attempt to charge you for pre-existing damage.
​They expect the customer to carry out the inspection work that should be their responsibility.
​Aggressive customer handling based on automated processes aimed only at adding unfair fees. I strongly advise against using this company, especially their self-service options, if you want to avoid unpleasant surprises after your vacation.

1 star — Predatory practices at Thessaloniki Airport

I rent cars ~12 times a year and have done for 15 years. What happened at Goldcar Thessaloniki on 11 July 2026 is the worst rental experience I've ever had.

1. Undisclosed €25 Night Fee — not on the voucher, not mentioned during booking. My flight was delayed (they had the flight number). After charging me, the agent said his manager wanted €40 but €25 was "ok." Textbook pressure tactic.

2. Fuel deposit €159 for a 7/8 tank worth ~€79. Double the fuel value. Even a full tank is only €90.

3. They bundled the €1,400 excess deposit and €159 fuel deposit into one €1,559 charge, refusing to separate them. The agent claimed "the system doesn't allow it." False — every other rental company I've used in 15 years processes these separately. The purpose is obvious: inflate the total so your card gets declined, then sell you insurance to bring it down.

I have video evidence. Complaints filed with the Hellenic Consumer Ombudsman, European Consumer Centre, ECRCS, and Greek Ministry of Development.

Do not rent from this branch.

Poor service, intransigent, will not use again

DO NOT RENT FROM GOLDCAR. BASICALLY THEY ARE CROOKS. I ENDED UP Having to PAY 3 TIMES MORE THAN MY RESERVED CONTRACT. THEY LOOK FOR EVERY ANGLE TO SCAM YOU, NULLIFY YOUR CONTRACT AND THEN FLEECE YOU. GO ELSEWHERE AND BOOK FOR MORE WHICH WILL BE FAR CHEAPER.

I am extremely disappointed with my experience with Goldcar in Olbia.

We had a prepaid rental car booking for 17 July 2026. Unfortunately, our easyJet flight from London Gatwick was significantly delayed through no fault of our own. While we were still on the aircraft and approximately five hours before our arrival, we telephoned Goldcar to explain the situation and advise that we would not reach the branch before closing.

Despite providing advance notice, we were told the vehicle could not be held, no alternative arrangements could be made, and we would not be able to collect the car the following day.

As a result, our prepaid booking worth £293.23 was treated as a no-show with no refund. We then had no choice but to book another rental car at a cost of €569.54 so that we could continue our holiday.

What I find most disappointing is not simply the application of the terms and conditions, but the complete lack of flexibility despite us doing everything we reasonably could. We contacted Goldcar before the office closed, explained that the delay was caused by the airline, and asked for assistance. We also contacted them again the following day, but they refused to offer any solution.

I understand that businesses have policies, but I believe there should also be reasonable discretion when customers proactively notify the company of circumstances entirely outside their control.

I hope Goldcar will review this case and reimburse the cost of our original booking as a gesture of goodwill. I would happily update this review if the matter is resolved fairly.