Which? has ranked the best and worst car rental companies for this summer – and Goldcar is at the bottom of the list as it is in 2023.
The consumer group surveyed more than 2,000 members of the public and its members and asked them to rate their experiences of using car rental companies and brokers against a range of criteria including customer service, value for money, clarity on extra charges and the condition of the vehicle before awarding a prize. 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, on the other side of the table are Canary Islands-based car company 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 research shows that travelers continue to face a range of problems and scams when renting a car, with almost nine in ten (86 percent) respondents saying they are concerned about it being taken advantage of .
Common problems include feeling that there is ‘a lot’ of pressure to take out additional insurance at the counter, which affects one in six respondents (17 percent); being charged more than initially stated, affecting one in ten (11 percent); and 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 study.
The research found that a fifth (20 percent) of respondents who used Goldcar said they had problems with the condition of the car, and a quarter (23 percent) said they were charged extra fees when picking up or returning the car.
The company received only two stars for how well the description of the vehicles matched 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.
One respondent told Which?: ‘The lady at the counter was convinced I needed to take out extra insurance. I was in a hurry so I gave in,” while another said: “We got the strong impression there was no other option.”
A separate Which? Analysis of car rental insurance policies found that Goldcar’s were among the ‘most expensive’ and ‘worst rated’ insurance policies.
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 ‘stains and scratches everywhere’, a dead battery in the key fob and a maintenance light on the dashboard.
Worryingly, three in ten (30 percent) of those using Dollar reported being charged extra when picking up or returning the car, one in seven (13 percent) said there was a defect in the car and a quarter (27 percent) reported waiting 30 minutes or more for pick-up.
Record Go (57 percent) scored just two stars for customer service and how well the description matched reality, and three stars for the car’s age, condition and mileage, and value for money.
Which? notes that a fifth (19 percent) of those who used the company reported being given a different car to the one they booked, and one in five (22 percent) said they were charged extra 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.
To ensure you have the best possible experience this summer, make sure you book with a reputable company RORY BOLAND, EDITOR OF WHICH? TRIP
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 been using Autoreisen for years, always excellent.”
Cicar also scored five stars for clarity on additional costs, clarity on final car rental costs, clarity on fuel policy and four stars for customer service. None of the customers reported being charged extra fees 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.
As the only two recommended car rental companies are based in the Canary Islands, holidaymakers heading elsewhere may want to consider Which? Recommended broker Zest Car Rental to find reputable local car rental 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 says: ‘Despite being the cheapest broker in the table, rates always include insurance with no deductible or deductible, free cancellation up to 48 hours before collection and a free second driver in some locations. 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.”
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Rory Boland, editor of what? Travel said: ‘Booking a car hire should be easy, but too often it feels like the Wild West, with travelers complaining about fraught experiences, poor customer service and bogus fees. Goldcar in particular is best avoided, as customers repeatedly report serious problems, 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 service very seriously with a Code of Ethics for Counter Sales and a Guide to Good Sales Practices, both of which are reviewed 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 cover for a seamless process should damage occur during the rental.
‘Our customers are of course entitled to choose to purchase their cover separately, but if this is the case they will be charged for any damage incurred during the rental and must reclaim the costs from the chosen provider . We are committed to investigating all incidents where a customer believes they have received service that does not meet the expectations of a value brand, and we continue to invest in staff training and best practices.”