Which? reveals the best and worst car hire firms and brokers - as Goldcar once again finishes bottom in annual survey

Which? is warning travellers to be wary of car hire rip-offs this summer, as Goldcar's pressure-selling tactics and dire customer service left it languishing at the bottom of the consumer champion's rankings.

Which? carried out a survey of over 2,000 members of the public and Which? members, asking them to assess their experiences using car hire firms and brokers based on a range of criteria including customer service, value for money, clarity of extra charges and vehicle condition.

Which?'s latest survey revealed that travellers continue to face a range of issues and rip-off practices when hiring a car, and nearly nine in ten (86%) respondents reported concerns about being taken advantage of.

Common issues reported feeling under ‘a lot' of pressure to buy additional insurance at the desk, affecting one in six respondents (17%), being charged more than initially quoted, affecting one in ten (11%), and issues with the condition of the car (6%).

Among the worst performing firms in the survey, these figures are even higher.

Goldcar has taken last place in Which?'s survey with a customer score of just 52 per cent, its sixth time at the bottom of the table in recent years. Alarmingly, one fifth (20%) of respondents who used Goldcar said they had issues with the condition of the car and a quarter (23%) reported being charged extra either when they picked up or returned the car.

The firm received just two stars for how well the description of vehicles matched reality, customer service and value for money, and three stars for age, condition and mileage of the car.

Previous Which? investigations have found Goldcar engaging in pressure selling tactics to encourage customers to buy extra insurance at the desk, and in this year's survey, a 

quarter (25%) of Goldcar customers reported purchasing extra insurance at the desk - compared to just over one in seven (13%) of survey respondents overall.

One respondent told Which?: “The lady at the desk was adamant that I needed to take out extra insurance, I was in a hurry so I conceded”, while another said: “We were given the strong impression there was no other option.” 

A separate Which? analysis of car hire insurance policies found Goldcar's to be among both the most expensive and poorly-rated of any it checked. 

Other car hire firms that failed to impress include Dollar, which received a customer score of just 56 per cent, Record Go (57%) and Budget (61%).

Dollar received just two stars for customer service, and three for the age, condition and mileage of the car, and value for money. One respondent complained that “the car condition was poor, key fob battery dead, service light on dash illuminated, marks and scratches all over”. 

Worryingly, three in ten (30%) of those who used Dollar reported being charged extra either when they picked up or returned the car, one in seven (13%) said their car had a fault and a quarter (27%) reported waiting 30 minutes or longer to collect. 

Record Go (57%) scored just two stars for customer service and how well description matched the reality, and three stars for the age, condition and mileage of the car, and value for money. A fifth (19%) of those who used the firm reported they were given a different car to the one they booked, one in five (22%) said they were charged extra when they picked up or returned the car, and a quarter (25%) had to wait more than 30 minutes. 

At the other end of the table just three companies managed to earn the prestigious Which? Recommended Provider badge - Canaries based car hire firms AutoReisen (92%) and Cicar (91%), as well as broker Zest Car Rental (90%).

Respondents gave AutoReisen an impressive string of five star ratings in key categories including communication, clarity of extra charges, ease of opting out of extra charges, clarity of final hire cost, clarity of fuel policy, age, condition and mileage of the car, and value for money. At a reported average price of just £21 per day, AutoReisen was the cheapest firm in the survey - showing that excellent service doesn't have to come with a hefty price tag.

It also received four stars for customer service. One happy customer enthused, "I've used Autoreisen for years - consistently excellent.”

Cicar (91%) also scored five stars for clarity of extra charges, clarity of final car hire cost, clarity of fuel policy, and four stars for customer service. None of its customers reported being charged extra when they collected or returned the car.

Other high scoring firms include Centauro (83%), Alamo (73%) and Enterprise (73%), but these fell short of earning Which? Recommend Provider status which was only awarded to companies with a customer service rating of 4 stars and above. 

With the only two recommended car hire firms based in the Canaries, holidaymakers heading elsewhere may want to consider using Which? Recommended broker Zest Car Rental to find reputable local car hire firms. 

The company received an excellent customer score of 90 per cent and a run of impressive five star ratings for communication, clarity of extra charges, ease of opting out of extra charges, clarity of final hire cost, clarity of fuel policy, clarity of information on provider, and customer service. 

Despite being the cheapest broker in the table, its rates always include either zero-excess insurance or excess reimbursement insurance, free cancellation up to 48 hours before pick up and a free second driver in some locations. It carefully vets the providers it works with and unlike some brokers, doesn't work with Goldcar. As one customer put it: “Zest was simply a breath of fresh air.”

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said:

“Booking car hire should be straightforward, but all too often it feels like the wild west, with travellers lamenting fraught experiences, poor customer service and spurious fees. Goldcar in particular is best avoided, with customers repeatedly reporting serious issues from pressure selling to poor customer service.

“To ensure you have the best possible experience this summer, make sure you book with a reputable firm. Our Which? Recommended Providers are all excellent choices, and if you use a good broker like Zest Car Rental, they'll also be able to advocate on your behalf in the unlikely event of issues.”

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

• The results are based on an online survey of 2,324adults - members of the Which? Connect panel and members of the public - conducted between February and March 2024.

• Full table of results can be found below. Sample sizes in brackets. ‘-' means not enough responses to include a star rating.

• If using this information, please link back to full Which? results here.
  
  
• Which? advice on avoiding car hire rip offs can be found here.
  
  
• Which? best and worst car hire insurance policies can be found here.
  
  
• Undercover filming - car hire lies caught on camera

Rights of reply:

A Goldcar spokesperson said: “Goldcar is, of course, disappointed about the results of the Which? report. The company takes customer care very seriously with a Code of Ethics for counter sales and a Guide of Good Sales Practices, both of which are reviewed annually based on customer feedback. We offer very attractive prices, making travel affordable while giving our customers the freedom to choose additional options including premium insurance cover for a seamless process should damage occur during their rental. Our customers, of course, have the right to choose to buy their cover separately, however, if this is the case they will be charged for any damages that occur during the rental and will then need to claim the costs back from the chosen provider. We are committed to investigating any incidents where a customer believes they have received a service that does not match expectations for a low-cost brand and continue to invest in staff training and best practices.”