EUROPCAR CAR RENTAL REVIEWS IN NEW ZEALAND

Overall, the experience was smooth. Since I didn't file any claims, there wasn't anything major that needed communication.

The process was smooth, and the car was in good condition.

The queue at Europcar was very long. In fact, it was the only hire car company with a queue. There was only one person working the counter so, it took almost an hour and we were third in the queue. The staff were friendly but, there was no urgency at all. To be fair to the staff, upon return, I left my mobile in the car. When I went back to retrieve it, they had it at the front desk. This was a big positive. In addition, I believe this is the first time I received the exact car that I was told I would get. This is also positive.

The car rental service was quite good. I booked a Mitsubishi but got a Haval H6 instead. It's a bit large, but I got used to it and found it quite fuel-efficient.

Overall service is good, very enthusiastic.

The Europcar Interational terminal was understaffed causing a queue of customers who had to wait for a hour. We were sent to the Domestic terminal Europcar branch because QEEQ had booked the wrong terminal. The domestic terminal staff were very helpful, even staying after closing time to ensure we were served. They kindly gave us an upgrade because of all the trouble we had gone through being at the wrong terminal

Very convenient, and the car is quite new.

The service is quite good.

Overall, it was decent. The rental process for foreign companies is complicated and requires patience for queuing and waiting.

This car rental experience deserves a poor review for Europcar: We rented a Jimny specifically because it was winter in New Zealand, and we were concerned about rain and snow. The goal was to ensure driving safety with a 4WD vehicle, and also to take the opportunity to enjoy driving a Jimny during the trip. When we got to the rental counter, the staff saw that we had booked a Jimny and immediately whispered to someone nearby. Then, she came back and told us: "You booked a Jimny or an equivalent vehicle. There’s currently no Jimny available; instead, you’ll get a car of the same category." Hearing this, we were already halfway disappointed. However, we thought as long as the replacement was a 4WD, safety would still be guaranteed. So we explicitly told the staff that our itinerary included snowy mountain roads and that we needed a vehicle with 4WD for proper control and safety. To our surprise, she gave us a Yaris Cross (renting this car costs significantly less than a Jimny, by the way). I asked her three times to confirm whether the car was four-wheel drive (All-Wheel Drive) and if there were any other 4WD vehicles in the same category available. She insisted that the Yaris Cross was a 4WD, said there were no other options unless we paid for an upgrade, and started pitching various insurance options to us. In the end, we reluctantly agreed to take the Yaris Cross, added snow insurance as she suggested, and proceeded to pick up the vehicle. So far, everything seemed fine. Once we left the airport and headed to the parking lot, there it was—a shiny Jimny parked right next to our car. And as for the Yaris given to us, its door and body were covered with scratches and scrapes. At that point, we were feeling pretty unhappy, but we decided to overlook it since the damages didn’t affect functionality. Moreover, we wanted to make it to the lodge before dark, so we didn’t go back to argue. Little did we know, the drama was far from over. Driving from Queenstown to Wanaka went relatively smoothly, but upon reaching Mount Cook, we encountered lower temperatures and roads with a light mix of ice and gravel. Every time I stopped at a stop sign and tried to accelerate, the front wheels felt like they were slipping, as if losing traction completely. This alarmed us, so we looked it up online and discovered that the Yaris Cross isn’t even a 4WD! For the remainder of the trip, we had to drive extremely cautiously. We were fortunate not to encounter heavy snow; otherwise, the potential risk would have been unthinkable. Throughout this trip, we couldn’t understand why the rental staff falsely claimed the Yaris was a 4WD, why the available Jimny wasn’t rented to us, and why multiple insurance options were heavily promoted.

Excellent service.

Your office open hours is until 2AM. In some cases it's crucial! If you supposed to be open till 2AM, you have to be open until 2AM without any exceptions.

Following the public information about Europcar open/close hours, they should be open until 2AM. We came to counter an 1:20AM and they told that we are very lucky because the office is going to be closed at 1:30AM. Didn't get the reason.. Some kind of renovation in the area and they close the area earlier. This mean that we had a good chance to spend the night at the airport in the case we spent a little bit more time at New Zealand biosecurity.

The staff lacks problem-solving skills, and even the employees moving cars mentioned that his arrangements were unreasonable.

Very good.

It's okay, pretty standard.

Pretty good, quick check-in process, but the car model was changed.

The reserved car was provided without any changes, and the procedures were handled quickly.

Not bad, but they changed the car.

Quite convenient.

The Agent at Wellington spoke incomprehensible English.