The best and worst car hire companies for summer 2024, named by Which? – and Spanish company Goldcar is bottom (again)

Which? has ranked the best and worst car hire companies this summer, with Goldcar coming in last, as it did in 2023.

The consumer group surveyed over 2,000 members of the public and its members, asking them to rate their experiences of using car rental companies and brokers based on a range of criteria including customer service, value for money, clarity about additional charges and the condition of the vehicle before awarding them an overall customer score percentage.

Spain’s Goldcar took last place in the survey with a customer score of just 52 percent, the sixth time at the bottom of the table in recent years.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the table are Canary Islands-based car companies AutoReisen and Cicar, and broker Zest Car Rental – the Which? Recommended Providers achieved an overall customer score of 92, 91 and 90 percent respectively.

The survey found that travelers still face all kinds of problems and scams when renting a car. Nearly nine in ten (86 percent) of respondents said they fear they are being scammed.

Canary Islands-based AutoReisen has topped the Which? annual survey of the best and worst car rental companies for 2024

Which? surveyed over 2,000 members of the public and its members, asking them to rate their experiences with car hire companies and brokers across a range of criteria, including customer service, value for money and clarity about extra charges, before giving them an overall customer score percentage. Goldcar came last with a customer score of 52 per cent

Common issues reported include feeling that there is ‘a lot’ of pressure to take out additional insurance at the counter (one in six respondents (17 percent)), being charged more than was initially indicated (one in ten respondents (11 percent)) and that there are problems with the condition of the car (six percent).

The consumer group notes that these figures are even higher among the worst-performing companies in the survey.

The survey found that a fifth (20 percent) of respondents using Goldcar reported having issues with the condition of the car and a quarter (23 percent) reported being charged extra fees when picking up or returning of the car.

The company received only two stars for the extent to which the description of the vehicles corresponded to reality, customer service and value for money, and three stars for the age, condition and mileage of the car.

Previous Which one? Investigations have revealed that Goldcar engages in pressure sales tactics to encourage customers to purchase additional insurance at the counter. This year’s survey found that a quarter (25 percent) of Goldcar customers reported taking out additional insurance at the counter – compared to just over one in seven (13 percent) of respondents overall.

Cicar received five stars in categories including clarity on additional costs, clarity on final car rental costs and clarity on fuel policy – and received four stars for customer service

One respondent told Which?: ‘The lady at the counter was adamant that I needed to take out extra cover. I was in a hurry so I gave in,’ while another said: ‘We were left with the distinct impression that there was no other option.’

A separate Which? analysis of car hire insurance found that Goldcar was among both the ‘most expensive’ and ‘worst rated’ policies of all policies checked.

Other car rental companies that ‘failed to impress’ include Dollar, which received a customer score of just 56 percent, Record Go (57 percent) and Budget (61 percent).

Dollar received just two stars for customer service, and three for the car’s age, condition and mileage, and value for money. According to Which?, one respondent complained that the condition of the car was ‘poor’, with ‘marks and scratches everywhere’, a dead battery in the key fob and a maintenance light on the dashboard.

Worryingly, three in ten (30 percent) of people who used Dollar said they were charged extra fees when picking up or returning their car, one in seven (13 percent) said their car had a fault and a quarter (27 percent) said they had to wait 30 minutes or more to pick up their car.

At the top of Which?’s best car rental agents is Zest Car Rental. The company received an ‘excellent’ customer score of 90 percent

Centauro received an overall score of 83 percent, scoring five stars for the age, condition and mileage of the car. Goldcar received only two stars for how well the description of the vehicles matched reality, customer service and value for money

Record Go (57 percent) received just two stars for customer service and how well the description matched reality, and three stars for the age, condition and mileage of the car, and value for money.

Which? notes that a fifth (19 percent) of people who used the company said they were given a different car to the one they booked, one in five (22 percent) said they were charged extra fees when picking up or returning the car, and a quarter (25 percent) had to wait more than 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, top model AutoReisen received a range of five-star ratings in key categories including communication, clarity on extra charges, ease of opting out of extra charges, clarity on final rental costs, clarity on fuel policy, age, condition and mileage of the car and where for your money.

With a reported average price of just £21 per day, AutoReisen was the cheapest company in the survey, ‘demonstrating that excellent service doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag’. say.

It also received four stars for customer service. According to the consumer group, one customer said: ‘I’ve used Autoreisen for years – consistently excellent.’

Cicar also scored five stars for clarity on extra charges, clarity on final car rental costs, clarity on fuel policy and four stars for customer service. None of the customers reported being charged extra charges when picking up or returning the car.

Other high-scoring companies include Centauro (83 percent), Alamo (73 percent) and Enterprise (73 percent), but these lagged behind Which? Recommended provider status is only awarded to companies with a customer service rating of four stars or higher.

With the only two recommended car hire companies based in the Canary Islands, holidaymakers heading elsewhere may want to consider using Which? recommended broker Zest Car Rental to find reliable local car hire companies.

The company received an ‘excellent’ customer score of 90 percent and a range of ‘impressive’ five-star ratings for communication, clarity on extra charges, ease of excluding extra charges, clarity on final rental costs and clarity on fuel policy, clarity of information on provider and customer service.

The consumer group said: ‘Despite being the cheapest broker in the table, its rates always include insurance with no excess or deductible, free cancellation up to 48 hours before pick-up and, in some locations, a free second driver. It carefully checks the providers it works with and, unlike some brokers, does not work with Goldcar. As one customer put it: “Zest was just a breath of fresh air.”‘

Rory Boland, editor of What? Travel said: ‘Booking car hire should be easy, but all too often it feels like the Wild West, with travellers complaining about fraught experiences, poor customer service and bogus reimbursements. 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 company. Our which one? Recommended providers are all excellent choices, and if you use a good broker like Zest Car Rental they can also advocate on your behalf in the unlikely event of problems.’

Commenting on the survey results, Goldcar said: ‘Goldcar is naturally disappointed with 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 revised annually based on customer feedback.

‘We offer very attractive prices, making travel affordable and giving our customers the freedom to choose additional options, including premium insurance coverage for a seamless process should any damage occur during the rental.

‘Our customers of course have the right to choose to purchase their cover separately, but if they do they will be charged for any damage incurred during the rental and will need to reclaim the cost from their chosen provider. We make every effort to investigate all incidents where a customer believes they have received a service that does not meet expectations from a budget brand, and we continue to invest in staff training and best practice.’