Next May 2022 we plan to pick up a rental car in Porto, drive to stay in Nazare for a few nights and do day trips, and then proceed to Lisbon where we will drop off the car at Lisbon airport. I’ve had great experience with Sixt car rental in several other countries in Europe, but the Google reviews for a few Sixt rental offices in Porto, as well as some other rental companies there, describe a lot of apparent scams, rip-offs, etc.
Is car rental in Portugal particularly problematic? Any recommendations?
Posted by
Paris
7312 posts
Sixt is a great company when all goes well, but they do have a reputation of being tricky to deal with whenever damage is involved. As long as you have appropriate rental car insurance coverage, it will not matter.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6596 posts
I like AutoEurope. They are a consolidator with many companies to choose from. We typically end up with Europcar, but I know Sixt is typically on the list. I like AutoEurope because they are U.S. based and when necessary they are available by phone. They also have been great with trouble shooting. I have not been to Portugal. I have rented a car in Spain and in France.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
I have rented a car in Portugal about 20 times, using a variety of companies from locals to big multinationals. I have never had any accidents or caused any damage to the vehicles, so I haven’t got into any debate upon returning the vehicle. I always photograph the car before taking it off the site and ensure that any dings are noted on their paperwork.
Last time there I used Keddy, part of Europcar. They were fine and I had no issues.
I have used Sixt several times, but they were slow and disorganised latterly, so I tried Keddy. I think it depends which office you use, who is working that day and how busy they are as to the service you get.
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1826 posts
I also use Auto Europe regularly, both in Portugal and a number of other countries in Europe. I have always had excellent service with them. Like the other poster, I usually end up with Europcar, especially here in Portugal. They usually have the best prices of those Auto Europe offers.
Posted by
OP
Toronto area, Canada
174 posts
Thanks everyone for the comments. With Sixt in the past I always got full insurance coverage, with zero deductible, for peace of mind. Maybe that’s particularly important in Portugal.
I don’t know if any other car rental companies offer full coverage with zero deductible. I’ve seen full coverage with $1,000 deductible, which seems worthless if you get scammed into paying for supposed minor damage.