Goldcar Rental Reviews 

Collected our Goldcar rental from Malaga airport on 16th May. As the main terminal rental office is closed, we had to go to the car park site and queue for over an hour. There was nowhere to sit, it was stuffy and a Goldcar member of staff was smoking around the office, which just added to the stifling conditions. Finally, we were then met by an abusive individual who claimed he was ‘the boss’ - Frankie, although there are a number of impolite names I could and would like to give him. Shouting at myself, although I was following instructions by another member of staff, and shouting at the female member of staff who had issued the instructions to me. His arm was, unnecessarily, in front of my face. That he was shouting in this way is inexcusable - very unpleasant, loud and aggressive. In the UK, there would be consequences to such behaviour, especially towards women. The agent who was dealing with my husband apologised for the behaviour of their boss, and it was clear to all, the agents thought their ‘boss’ was a joke. No complaints about the car, or the agent, both were great, but getting the car was a horrible start to our holiday, and we won’t be booking Goldcar again.

AVOID this company at all cost: we rented a car at BERGAMO Italie via Expedia and due to a name difference on the creditcad the saw this as a no show. creditcard was P.W. and booking was pw..... cost us 60 euro and no car

One of the worst customer experiences I have ever had.

We prepaid our original Goldcar booking in full, arrived at the airport, and were then told my partner could not drive because his license had expired. Fine — mistakes happen. But instead of simply changing the driver to me (I was standing there with a completely valid license), the staff claimed it was “impossible” and forced us to make an entirely new booking and pay AGAIN for a more expensive car.

They also claimed there were suddenly no cars available in the category we had already booked and paid for — despite the fact that our original car should already have been reserved for us. It felt extremely manipulative and like we were deliberately pressured into paying twice because we had no other option standing there at the airport.

Then comes the fuel scam.

We returned the car after filling it completely at a gas station only 2 km from the drop-off point and drove directly there. The car was returned with MORE fuel than when we received it. Goldcar did not even provide the car with a full tank in the first place, despite later claiming otherwise. We disputed this immediately at drop-off, but the employee simply brushed it off.

Now after returning home, Goldcar has charged us an extra €33 for fuel anyway.

And customer service? Completely nonexistent. It has now been over a week with no response to our formal complaint, and the email they send regarding the final charges is a no-reply email that you cannot even respond to. Convenient.

This company’s entire business model honestly feels built around trapping customers with hidden charges, pressure tactics, and impossible customer support.

Avoid Goldcar unless you want to risk being double charged, ignored, and fighting over false fees after your holiday.

I had an extremely disappointing and stressful experience with Goldcar at Cagliari Airport.
I arrived fully prepared with everything clearly stated in my booking:
Valid driving licence
Passport
Booking confirmation
Despite this, I was refused the vehicle at the desk because I did not have an Italian national ID card — a requirement that was never disclosed in the rental terms at the time of booking.
Let that sink in: I met every listed requirement and was still denied the car.
As a direct result:
I was left stranded at the airport with no transport
No meaningful help or solution was offered at the desk
I had to urgently find an alternative rental on the spot
This cost me €379.35 for 4 days, more than three times my original booking
The staff showed no flexibility, no accountability, and no attempt to resolve the situation, despite the fact that I had valid identification and had clearly complied with the documented requirements.
This is not just poor service — this is a failure to provide the booked service due to unclear and undisclosed conditions.
If specific documentation is required depending on nationality, that must be made absolutely clear at the time of booking. In my case, it was not, and I paid the price for it.
What makes this even worse is that the entire burden falls on the customer, even when the information provided is incomplete.
I would actively discourage anyone from booking with Goldcar after this experience. Being denied a vehicle due to requirements that are not clearly disclosed is completely unacceptable.

AVOID this company!! Goldcar Malaga Airport refused to honour my car hire booking via Doyouspain as I declined their additional waiver insurance £200+ & upgrades meaning they made no commission so zero interest in renting me a car I had already for paid through a third party resulting in me & my wife being stranded at the airport without transportation for the 9 days holiday! Goldcar always try to upsell in the past but never with this amount of blackmail and total disregard for my welfare. The staff at the office did not care in the slightest in the unacceptable situation they had left us in purely based on their own greed & commission. Please be aware when hiring from Goldcar (direct or 1/3 party) that upon collection they will be extra charges & will leave you stranded at the airport unless you pay their demands.

we arrived last night and it took forever,nor because of the staff but because of people uneducated, uninformed people who do not book prior to travelling. I wanted to congratulate the 2 gentlemen working between 20h30 and 22h00 - you have the patience of Job! To the DUTCH group of cycling men that were insulting the staff member ... you were absolutely disgusting! the syaff member informed you RESPECTFULLY of what happened and the due to YOUR mistake he cannot edit legal documents. YOUR THREAT to get his name only showed everything you are about. YOU WERE THE OWN THAT COULD NOT SPELL YOUR OWN NAME CORRECTLY and now you tried to pin it on him ?? Tell me, in Holland do they let anyone edit legal documents?? no right??? you were disgusting ! I congratulated the staff member for his conduct and applauded his professionalism and kindness... maybe you should do a shift with him a learn a few things ... your entitlement makes you an embarrassment!

My husband had his passport, uk driving licence and credit card in his name. He now lives in the uk. They refused at the counter in the airport at Cagliari to let him have the pre booked and fully pre paid car we had rented. They stated he also needed an Italian identity card. He does not live in Italy anymore so does not have an identity card. Their website requirements for renting a car state passport, driving license and credit card - my husband had these and still they refused to let him have the car we had paid in full to rent. In 22 years of living in the uk and renting a car in Italy multiple times a year have we ever been refused car rental when he has all the documents that the website said are needed. Tried phoning gold car multiple times to be just left on hold. Disgusting customer service which left us stranded at the airport. We had to rent a car from another rental company who did let us rent with the documents my husband had. So have now had to pay for two car rentals. Still waiting to hear back from gold car……… never again will we rent with gold car and would never recommend anyone else too.

First they withdrew a high deposit (1,500 Euros) from my card. When I brought back the key, nobody checked the car in person but later they sent me a photo of a "new" scratch. When I pointed out it was made after I returned the car, they wanted a photo without the scratch from the time of arrival! In the end, I lost about 350 Euros they charged for the "repair".
This is the experience from Málaga airport office. Never ever use Goldcar.

This was one of the most frustrating and disappointing car rental experiences I’ve had, and I strongly advise others to avoid Goldcar Warsaw.

First, let’s address the biggest issue that isn’t made clear at booking: **this is NOT an airport-based car rental**. After collecting the keys from the Goldcar office, we were told to **walk nearly 3 km** to where the car was actually parked. There was **no shuttle**, no assistance, no clear warning beforehand.

This walk was not through a pleasant or safe route. We had to:

* drag luggage after **2–4 hours of travelling**,
* walk along **terrible, poorly maintained roads**,
* navigate sections **against incoming traffic**,
* with **no proper pavement or pedestrian path**.

For an “airport” car rental, this is completely unacceptable and honestly felt unsafe. After a long journey, the last thing anyone expects is a long roadside trek with luggage just to reach the vehicle they’ve paid for.

Unfortunately, the problems didn’t end there.

After returning the car, **unexpected charges** were taken from my card. I accept the late pick-up / out-of-hours fee, although this was **not clearly communicated by staff at the time**, causing confusion. However, I was also charged a **petty and completely unjustified cleaning fee**.

The car was returned in a perfectly reasonable condition:

* it was not dirty,
* it was not soiled,
* it was not in any unacceptable state.

At no point during the rental was I informed that the vehicle needed to be **washed before return**. I have rented cars many times in multiple countries, including Poland, and this has never been a requirement. Receiving an email later claiming the car was “not washed” feels like a convenient excuse to apply additional charges after the rental is complete.

To make matters worse, **customer service was non-existent**. Multiple emails were sent and ignored. No proper explanation, no photos, no evidence — just money quietly taken from my account.

This isn’t about a small amount of money. It’s about **misleading practices, lack of transparency, and extremely poor customer care**. Between the unsafe walk, misleading airport location, surprise fees, and complete silence afterward, this experience felt more like a trap than a service.

If you value honesty, safety, and clear pricing, do yourself a favour and **choose another car rental company**. Goldcar Warsaw is simply not worth the stress.

Finding the office after getting off the plane is very complicated. Then picking up the car is even more difficult. They charge a €900 deposit or additional insurance on top of the one I already had, with an extra €100 deposit that they promise to return within 48 hours, but in the end, they never do. Returning the car is no easy feat, even just getting to the location. In conclusion, I'd rather pay a bit more with Avis or any other reputable company than be misled by these low-cost companies, which end up costing the same or even more than the good companies, and on top of that, they return the car with the windows and mirrors covered in grease. All in all, a very bad experience with Goldcar at Milan Airport MXP (Malpensa); I wouldn't recommend them to anyone!

I booked a car initially via Ryanair and accidentally selected the wrong return date. They would not allow me to extend the contract for three day when i collected the car and advised that i needed to bring the car back and set up a new contract. I therefore set up a new contract online and bought the initial hired car back. On returning the car i went to the airport desk to pick up the new contract and spoke to an extremely unhelpful person called Tisani and was advised that i needed to present my passport which i had left in my accommodation. I had presented my passport a few days earlier and i had a photograph of it with me but she said it was company policy that the original passport needed to be shown and would not allow the contract to progress. This resulted in an expensive taxi journey back to my accommodation.
I have never experienced such ridiculous behaviour and someone sticking to company rules without being reasonable. I strongly recommend you chose an alternative company for your car hire

They are running a scam operation. We were charged for a tiny scratch on the side mirror which was definitely there before. Be aware!!!

The check in procedure was cumbersome due to the machine not functioning correctly. The staff at the counter seemed annoyed that they had to do something to help. On returning the vehicle an hour or so later than scheduled due to a motorway accident, I was assured that there would be no further charges. Goldcar, however, automatically charged me about an extra €90 for the late return saying that their employee has no authority to commit the Company to anything. This company are a bunch of opportunistic sharks and should be avoided like the plague!

I am really disappointed with GOLDCAR Italy services, they have a policy to not let a driver under 21 years of age drive their car and i am 20 years old, but the problem is that they let me pay online for the car without checking my age and then when i got to the airport and tried to take the car they told me this policy and said that is impossible to refund my money. That’s not professional at all they have to verify drivers age, before letting him rent the car, because otherwise this act can be considered illegal in some countries.

declined a documents, even it was printed at their webpage, but anyway declined - no car provided and no refund as well. Unprofessional stuff

Avoid this one, they made some changes to the rules what driver license is acceptable and even if yours one is international, if you are not from EU, you cannot rent a car.

Avoid at all costs, and do not be misled by a cheap price. When picking up the car, “All-Risks” insurance was presented as almost obligatory (€400). Then the car broke down, and I had to take a taxi (€250) to pick up a replacement vehicle. I was told the taxi cost would be reimbursed, but it was later refused.

The breakdown was apparently considered my fault, so the All-Risks insurance did not cover it (€500). The second car had a non-functioning air conditioner—two weeks in Puglia in the summer with no A/C. I could exchange it, but I was required to drive to the office myself, a two-hour trip each way.

A complete drama and 1100 euro extra costs!

I rented a car in Bari airport, I must say the guy at desk was rude and insisting I took their insurance to cover excess and I was telling them that I had my own insurance as it was much cheaper than gold car one, I am Italian living in the UK so I spoke the language and understood everything. At the end he gave me the car.
After a few days one morning when turning engine on an oil light on dashboard came up and a message to check the oil, when checked the oil there was none. Called the emergency number where a rude guy told me to go and by oil and I said no as its no my responsibility and don't want make damage to car, he then said he would come and take the car away with a recovery truck and I needed to get a taxi to the airport and get a new car. Tried to contact by email Bari goldcar office, nothing, called Goldcar custumer service and the girl didn't have a clue and didn't have a number for Bari airport Goldcar office and to go and buy oil. I was at about 3 hours from Bari airport taking a taxi was to much and nether they said they will bring a car to me or replied at emails. Eventually I found a garage near the hotel and got oil, still waiting for a refund after 3 weeks.

Valencia Airport.
Booked through Booking.com and thankfully took out extra damage waiver insurance. On collecting the vehicle and checking paperwork noting the existing damage it was a case of trying to find an undamaged part of the vehicle rather than damage i.e., too many faults to accurately check.
Almost 1 month after returning the vehicle I'm hit with an unexpected bill for alleged damage to the two rear wheels i.e., a photograph of two wheels without any indication of the position on the vehicle (the pre collection damage report notes the front wheels are already damaged).
Failed to respond to two emails containing a video and stills that I took when I collected the vehicle which show the rear wheels were already damaged!
Given the excessive damage to the vehicle, I wonder how many other fraudulent damage repair claims they have previously submitted without actually repairing the vehicle?
The repair costs have been taken from my credit card without prior notice or my consent (consent is probably in the small print), fortunately the insurance company are reimbursing me but it's companies like this that drive up insurance costs through their shady practices.

Rather their employees are incompetent or their system is designed to rip off customers. There is no possibility to pay the deposit by Debit Cards, nor Prepaid Credit Cards. They don’t even accept cash. To pay a deposit they charge you 95 euros extra. No alternative was offered.