Are you renting a car while traveling? Check which companies are better to avoid
Renting a car on vacation is not always advantageous. Check out the list of unrecommended companies created by experts.
When vacationing abroad on their own, tourists often decide to rent a car at their destination. This is intended to help them in their sightseeing, especially if their plans include, among others: a tour of the island or a trip in a larger group. Always be careful with companies offering such services. Various types of scammers are particularly active during the peak season. Now the choice may be easier thanks to the latest ranking of car rental companies presented by consumer group Which?.
Car rental on vacation. They warn tourists
Dailymail.com cites the latest research by Which?, which involved approximately 3,600 consumers. He points out that hidden fees and poor price transparency can be particularly troublesome when renting today.
To help tourists choose, well-known companies were classified based on criteria such as: customer service, value for money, ease of waiving additional fees, transparency of the final rental cost and vehicle condition. In 2026, a total of 16 brands were on the list. There were also comments from people using their services.
A special list was created from worst to best
The lowest ranking Which? the company went out of business Goldcarreceiving an overall score of just 48 percent. The report shows, among other things, that 28 percent of those surveyed who rented cars with Goldcar told Which? that they had been charged additional fees – sometimes even weeks after they returned home. “The risk of additional fees after the end of the contract outweighs the lower price. Avoid them at all costs,” one customer reportedly commented.
Among the companies that were criticized were: tactics of putting pressure on customers to persuade them to purchase additional insurance at the point of sale, slow pace of payment collection and customer service, or lack of transparency of contract terms.
At the very end of the list are the most recommended companies. They managed to win the prestigious Supplier badge Recommended Which? and they are: AutoReisen based in the Canary Islands, Arnold Clark and the global brand Alamo.
Below is the full ranking list:
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Goldcar, 48 percent
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Dollar, 62 percent
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Avis, 64 percent
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Hertz, 65 percent
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Budget, 65 percent
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Thrifty, 66 percent
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Europcar, 67 percent
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Drivalia, 67 percent
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Sixt, 68 percent
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Enterprise, 74 percent
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Centauro, 74 percent
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TopCar, 75 percent
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Alamo, 76 percent
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Arnold Clark, 82 percent
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Cicar, 85 percent
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Auto Reisen, 93 percent
