Thrifty Anmeldelser 

Have rented cars all over the world without issues. Booked through Doyouspain.com on a full to empty fuel policy expecting to pay slightly over the odds for a tank of fuel. On arrival told of an additional non-refundable 60 euro fuel service fee on top even if the car brought back full - daylight robbery in action. Contacted Doyouspain.com as not mentioned specifically in their terms as non-refundable and failed to get an answer. Lots of unmarked damage on arrival requiring extra time to get them to note properly, and no-one on site during opening hours to check the car on return, concerning given the previous reviews about unexpected later charges. Shame as the car was otherwise quite good and modern, supplied under Hertz branding. Will avoid in future and wanted to make others aware of this trap.

DO NOT USE THESE SCAMMERS! No one had made me aware of the extra insurance that has been added to my order when I collected the car. They have added it there without my permission as I had pre-paid for my booking at the time of making the reservation. No discussion had taken place about any extras and I did not give any permission to take any extra amount from my credit card other than blocking the funds for deposit. Yet, they have still taken the funds from my card for insurance that I had never taken!

dealing with these people is not a pleasant experience, i booked through rental cars, when i got to the desk, they guy tried to make me pay 189euros which was more than the rental or he gave me three options of excess, saying people opening doors would damage the car bla bla, the proper hard sell, no I'm fine. then he tried to upsell me a car saying id need a off roader for the island, being here 5 times before, no i wont.
then they get you to sign for the car which includes the existing damage document, how can I sign for something I haven't inspected??? then he said it would be emailed (it wasn't) when I got to the car there was a big dent over the passengers door which a blind man would see so i went in and go the lady, now fair play to her she was allot more honest and helpful than her colleague, I told her my document hadn't arrived and i wanted to see if the damage on the door was on it, so she came out and checked with her tablet, low and behold (don't have to be a genius to work out the other guys game) it was so we inspected the car again and marked up on her tablet and she emailed it, this time it came to my inbox. Do not use these people, not worth the anxiety they give you, who needs it on their holiday, manure houses.

I'm astonished at how many reviews mirror my experience at Malaga airport of additional charges being added for "super insurance" which never came up during signing of the papers. I have hired cars for many years and am quite used to the push to upgrade or take out their own insurance which wasn't the case here and so initially was pleasantly surprised. All I was asked was the standard pre authorisation on my card for petrol/excess damage. They didn't actually take the extra charge until weeks after I returned from holiday. I assume they are relying that people wouldn't be expecting it and likely it would be missed.

I reported the situation and explained that their staff's practices were potentially fraudulent and not once did the complaints process "Hertz being the parent company" even acknowledge this as a concern. They even tried to tell me I had delivered the car a day late (the staff reported the car checked in 6 hours later than it was) until I produced the time stamped receipts of the petrol station around the corner after which they stopped responding all together. I will never use them again and probably will not return to Malaga in a hurry which is a shame, but it really does ruin you holiday having to spend weeks sorting out these issues and from the other reviews it would seem that this is a systemic problem with the company rather than an isolated incident which they have no interest in addressing.

Very disappointing experience

I’ve used Thrifty at Alicante Airport before and, until now, never had a problem. Unfortunately, this experience has completely changed my opinion.

I was charged over €100 for additional services/charges that I did not agree to and which were not properly explained to me when I collected the car. Had these charges been clearly explained and agreed to at the time, that would be one thing — but simply adding unexpected charges afterwards is completely unacceptable.

I have contacted Thrifty to challenge these charges and request a refund, but regardless of the outcome, I certainly won’t be using Thrifty again.

Sadly, they’ve now become just as bad as all the other car hire companies at Alicante Airport that I’ve always tried to avoid. Very disappointing, especially from a company I had previously trusted and had never had an issue with.

Check your paperwork very carefully before driving away — and make sure you question every additional charge.

Horrible service offered by their counter staff. They were rude and unhelpful despite the high price of their cars. Avoid at all cost

Alquilé un coche con esta compañía y desde HERTZ (empresa matriz del grupo al que pertenece THRIFTY) me realizaron un cargo dos meses después, sin darme ninguna explicación ni notificármelo previamente. A la hora de pedir explicaciones, después de mucho insistir a través de diferentes medios de contacto, me comunican que el cargo se debe a la gestión de una multa de tráfico, pero resulta que no es por el pago de la multa, sino por comunciar mis datos a la DGT. Increíble, 40€ por un click. Por supuesto, voy a interponer acciones ante las autoridades de consumo y acudiré a la vía judicial si no se me devuelve el cargo.

Valencia Airport, never again.. As many others has confirmed, upon leaving the car we were charged additional cost for "super insurance" which never came up during signing of the papers... 350 € extra from the original cost of 280€ at bookings website.

You can’t thrift when using Thrifty

I hired a car from through Booking.com where I had already purchased Full Insurance Protection. I made this clear to the representative at the desk that I did not need any additional insurance or waiver cover.

During the collection process, the representative did not explain that I was being sold the company’s optional “Super Cover”, nor did he ask whether I wanted to purchase it.

Like so many others, I was specifically told that my credit card was required for the security deposit only, for fuel. The way he navigated around the summary sheet (in hindsight) was deliberately misleading and the fact he was super friendly is a kick in the teeth. He absolutely knew what he was doing and from other reviews here and on Trust Pilot this is an established practice for Thrifty.

I only discovered after returning home, when reviewing my credit card statement, that I had been charged for Super Cover on a daily basis. I have submitted a formal complaint and requested a full refund. I won’t hold my breath but will be involving my credit card company.

Beware if you are using them for your Malaga car hire, especially at the desk and when you put your card in!

El chico en el aeropuerto de Barcelona un maleducado y un impresentable.

Haben für Mai 2026 unser Fahrzeug über CHECK24 bei Thrifty gebucht in Valencia.
Bei der Ankunft Fahrzeug sollte ein Automatik Getriebe.
Aussage vom Service Team Mitarbeiter „es ist kein Fahrzeug mit automatisch Getriebe da, sie können aber warten“ meine Frage „wie lange“ auf sehr schlechten Englisch (von meiner und meiner Frau ) er sagte „das kann ich nicht sagen, aber ich könnte ihnen einen mit Schaltgetriebe sofort geben“ wir sagten ja natürlich hat er bemerkt das unser Englisch sehr schlecht ist und legte uns einen Zettel zum unterschreiben hin „wegen dem Auto ohne Automatik Getriebe“ auch das hat etwas gedauert bis wir es verstanden hatten.
Autoabgegeben keine Probleme freundlich und nett (der selbe Mitarbeiter)
ca. 3 Wochen später eine Belastung von € 320 auf der Kreditkarte (?) ah Autovermietung, Check 24 informiert die haben es versucht und die Auskunft bekommen wir haben ja vor Ort in Valencia folgendes zusätzlich gebucht Versicherungsschutz (Supercover) und einen Zusatzfahrer, den Zusatzfahrer hatten wir schon über Check 24 gebucht. Für mich ganz klar ABZOCKE meine sehr, sehr schlechten Englisch Kenntnisse.
Sind noch nicht ganz am Ende, mal sehen was unsere Rechtsschutz sagt.
NIE WIEDER BEI THRFTY MIETEN.

I would advise you not to rent with this company. They will go out of their way to con you out of money, and are incredibly sly about it all.

The individual who handed the keys over to us at Málaga airport was clearly taking advantage of a vulnerable and highly stressed group. I was 32 weeks pregnant, with my hysterical tired 2 year old and my near 70 year old mother with Parkinson's. My husband was stressed to get us into a car and on our way. It is despicable that an individual would use this stress to scam an extra €220 euros - on insurance that they knew we already had purchased through easyJet. The idea that someone would take advantage of this situation and a company would allow this kind of practice is abhorant and it genuinely fills me with disgust.

We will never use this company again, and we will advise all our family + friends to avoid them unless they wish to be scammed out of money.

Please do avoid giving this company your money and go with more ethical and reputable providers - even f they charge £100 more in the first instance.

Do not use this rental car. They will try to scam you with overcharges.

No utilitzen el català com a llengua d’ús habitual, els temps d’espera són molt llargs i no donen explicacions sobre els temps que hem d’esperar

Pre-booked a 7 seater automatic at Alicante Airport - upon arrival car was a manual - when we complained they informed us that there were no automatics available and a manual was the only option - they offered us an additional driver free of charge but nobody else could drive - when we queried a refund of the additional upgrade to automatic they informed us this was not possible and the only option was that they cancel our booking and leave us to re-book - basically leaving us without a car at the airport. Also, be very careful to review the contract as they charge you for "Premium Roadside Assistance" - cost us an additional £64 - this was not highlighted when we initially booked or when we collected the car. Would not use again.

Very bad experience. I was misled into paying extra because I was led to believe the charge was part of the rental cost. Only afterwards did I discover it was for an unnecessary insurance policy, even though I was already fully insured. In my opinion, this is nothing short of a scam. I would never recommend this company.

Barcelona Airport. Booked on Thrifty site. Pleasant staff...no aggressive upselling. Car upgraded as booked model not available. New car with no damage. Mistook rental return date and left back 1 day late..got phone call but no hassle...charged extra day but no late return date. Ici g o. The cake was that my charge was reduced between the time I booked and car pick-up. Excellent all round experience.

Zeer slechte service! Mondeling afspraak gemaakt met 2 medewerkers bij Girona luchthaven,dat auto later ingeleverd kon worden. Omdat onze vlucht vertraging had bij het ophalen. Was geen probleem was toch al voor die dag betaald. Achteraf 95 euro in rekening gebracht omdat auto 3u te laat was ingeleverd. Geven geen reactie op mails. Oplichters!

Pre-rental contact was good and responsive however, post-rental those same contact points did not respond at all even after many requests for a response.

I returned my hire car to thrifty office at Barcelona Airport on 5 July 2026 with a full tank of petrol and was told by the person at the desk that I would receive the deposit refund within 10 days and there would be no issues. It is now 31 July and I still haven't received by refund and though I have chased via various email addresses, I get no response.

It is wholly unacceptable that I haven't received my refund nor have I received any responses to my email asking why, nor if there is an issue. Thrifty.es doesn't reply to emails after returning the car - I would advise people not to bother buy the extra insurance and paying the deposit for the full tank of petrol when collecting the car as they will not refund the deposit even when you have returned the car with a full tank of petrol

Thrifty scammed us out of over £200 when picking up our car at Malaga Airport by claiming g that booking through Ryanair left our family insufficiently covered in case of accident. They claimed UK companies 'do this a lot' by offering poor coverage and are 'just an agent, your money was just their fees not proper insurance'. As it was midnight, with family and an hour to drive, my husband signed so we could get the car. We realised only later that this is a common scam. We have made a formal complaint to Thrifty Spain who said as we signed the form to say we understood the terms and agreed the costs, they are not liable. As this was obtained by deception, I am posting here to say DO NOT use them! Effectively we paid twice for car hire. Ryanair car booking team has not yet responded. Someone is lying, it's not us, so who is?!