DRIVE ON PORTUGAL Car Rental Reviews

FARO, PT - Reviewed by RAN - 11 June 2025

" Convinient and fast booking, good price "

" Excellent company, very efficient "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

FARO, PT - Reviewed by WILLIAM - 19 May 2025

" All good "

" Excellent. Efficient Courtous. "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by JAMES - 11 March 2025

" Good site "

" Efficient "

Value for Money: 8
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8
Expediency of Drop-off: 8
Condition of the Vehicle: 9

FARO, PT - Reviewed by BRENDAN - 17 January 2024

" Usually give a quote competitive with the best available. "

" I couldn't fault them at all. Prompt shuttle to the airport, great car, great price, free second driver. "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

FARO, PT - Reviewed by ANDREW - 01 May 2023

" . I never received an email confirmation of my booking! "

" Unmarked bus hard to find at Faro airport and a long walk from the terminus. The condition of this bus not great. Lots of pressure to buy extra insurance (not needed as I have an excess policy). Had to pay extra (approx. €18) for the tolls transponder. They are VERY picky about small scratches, although I was fortunate that there were no new ones at return. In fairness they do spend a lot of time checking the vehicle with you on the way out, so you know what to expect. I hate the fuel policy return like for like (full to full is best). The rental company always wins with this fuel policy "

Value for Money: 7
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 7
Expediency of Drop-off: 8
Condition of the Vehicle: 8

FARO, PT - Reviewed by FRED - 05 March 2023

" Difficult to say because the sunglasses experience. "

" My wife left sunglasses in the car and when I rang back they were gone. "

Value for Money: 5
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 6
Expediency of Drop-off: 6
Condition of the Vehicle: 9

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by MICHAEL - 16 October 2022

" As above.I think Auto Europe could do more at time of booking by gathering relevant information to help speed up Pick Up. "

" Pick up of car is extremely slow both at desk and receiving car.Why is it not possible to give Passport No,Driver Licence No etc when booking car through website, There were a lot of marks on car with one particular part of car protruding on back drivers side.This is a worry because we had experiences in the past (not with this company) seeking compensation for very minor issues. Checking out of car was extremely efficient. "

Value for Money: 7
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 3
Expediency of Drop-off: 9
Condition of the Vehicle: 7

FARO, PT - Reviewed by MARK - 13 August 2022

" Good service "

" Fabulous "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 5

FARO, PT - Reviewed by ALAN - 07 July 2022

" You guys are the best! "

" Really happy. Only downsides were: (1) very high €1500 deposit required; and (2) their airport shuttle was small unbranded van so difficult to find and could cause delays as it only took 6 people at a time. But otherwise, great efficient service and lovely car. "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

FARO, PT - Reviewed by THOMAS - 24 May 2022

" Overall happy enough with Auto Europe experience "

" Tried hard sell on CDW and insurance despite making it clear I was not interested. Desk staff were in training and a little slow to process details. Wait for pickup was in excess of 15 mins. Car was in "okay" condition and there was no attempt to conjure up false charges "

Value for Money: 8
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 6
Expediency of Drop-off: 9
Condition of the Vehicle: 7

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by NICOLA - 19 October 2021

" See above. "

" I had a pretty positive experience bar the 25 minute wait to get to the counter & selecting a VW Golf but it was clear there were no 4 door golfs in the whole place, so I found that misleading. We had a Citroen C3 which the attendant didn't know the engine size of when I asked him & told me "we don't sell cars here, just rent them." I found this quite rude. "

Value for Money: 8
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 9
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by JOE - 28 September 2021

" See above "

" They have very little staff - we were in a line for at least an hour and a half with all our cases with only 2 people looking after clients so for this reason I would not use them. It was also 28 degrees and you are standing outside with no cover. "

Value for Money: 5
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by JAMES - 15 March 2020

" No "

" Check in very slow, appeared to be under staffed and cars were not ready. "

Value for Money: 9
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 7
Expediency of Drop-off: 8
Condition of the Vehicle: 8

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by JAMES - 16 January 2020

" Very happy "

" Very satisfied "

Value for Money: 8
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8
Expediency of Drop-off: 9
Condition of the Vehicle: 8

FARO, PT - Reviewed by AIDAN - 05 November 2019

" As in 3 above. Dont understand why you ask the same question twice "

" Very courteous, top class service, yet again "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

PORTO, PT - Reviewed by BRENDAN - 31 October 2019

" I get suitable cars at a good price from reputable suppliers "

" Efficient and meets my needs, mostly, for a free second driver and cheap cross border "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

FARO, PT - Reviewed by AIDAN - 27 October 2019

" As above "

" Always great "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

FARO, PT - Reviewed by AIDAN - 03 October 2019

" As above "

" Always great. On return on this ocassion the person dealing with me gave out about the dirt of the car. We had been to the beach with a 6 year old and there was some sand and crumbs in the back. I have never known a rental company to complain about the interior of any car i have used over 20 years. "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 7
Condition of the Vehicle: 9

FARO, PT - Reviewed by BRIAN - 28 September 2019

" The different contracts are confusing and need to be aligned "

" We had a contract with Autoeurope which stated 'full tank' return as part of the hiring conditions. We picked up the car with a not full tank (3/8)however mindful of the full tank return we filled the tank and brought back the receipt expecting a refund on some of it. We were totally dismissed and told to take it up with Autoeuope as they had a different policy. "

Value for Money: 1
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

FARO, PT - Reviewed by CIARAN - 21 September 2019

" Very good "

" But slow at counter at check in but after that everything perfect. "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 9
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

FARO, PT - Reviewed by JOHN - 18 September 2019

" Good no problems "

" Tried to push insurance by saying that auto Europe insurance only covered excess in event of accident "

Value for Money: 8
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8
Expediency of Drop-off: 8
Condition of the Vehicle: 7

FARO, PT - Reviewed by AISLINN - 09 September 2019

" This has left a very bad taste. Please delist this company immediately. "

" I would like to make a formal complaint against Drive-on and apply for a refund. The car tyres were in bad condition (we have photos to prove this). The car punctured resulting in our having to make an emergency call out to get the wheel changed. Drive-on then charged us €250 on return of the car which they deducted from our deposit. We were driving on regular roads around Quinta do Lago and the car would not have punctured if the tyres hadn't been in such bad condition. I would like a refund of the €250 please through AutoEurope. We will never use Drive-On again and based on the other very poor reviews online, I would strongly suggest that AutoEurope should not list them. I rely on your reputation to verify the quality of the companies you list. I look forward to hearing from you. "

Value for Money: 1
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 1

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by MICHAEL - 08 September 2019

" As 3 Above.Company not able to cater for volume during Summer Period. "

" Had to take Taxi at my expense to get to Drive On Holidays Premises or else we would have been delayed another 30mins to wait for Shuttle Bus. It took nearly 2 Hours to get car at Drive on Holidays. We were told Car was full with fuel but only couple of miles on road when I noticed it was empty.Communicated with Drive On Holidays and issue was resolved by bring car back empty which was accepted. "

Value for Money: 5
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 5
Expediency of Drop-off: 9
Condition of the Vehicle: 8

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by VIRGIL - 26 August 2019

" 1 hour waiting at airport for transfer to rental car office I and then 1 1/2 there is not acceptable "

" 1 1/2 hours to wait in line to pick up car is ridiculous "

Value for Money: 5
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 1
Expediency of Drop-off: 7
Condition of the Vehicle: 7

PORTO, PT - Reviewed by PETER - 13 August 2019

" I liked the way they unblocked you r credit card immediately "

" The best discount car hire company i have ever used "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

FARO, PT - Reviewed by SEAMUS - 10 July 2019

" Very quick at paper work on hire and return "

" Very efficient company "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

FARO, PT - Reviewed by PETER - 01 February 2019

" Staff do a good job. "

" Pick up excellent.drop off slightly delayed "

Value for Money: 9
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 7
Condition of the Vehicle: 8

FARO, PT - Reviewed by PETER - 31 December 2018

" GOOD GROUND STAFF, INSIDE AND OUT. "

" Sad you were uncompetitive over New Year. "

Value for Money: 9
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8
Expediency of Drop-off: 8
Condition of the Vehicle: 8

FARO, PT - Reviewed by PETER - 27 November 2018

" Excellent value. Shame you did not feature among the options in my search for next 10 day rental? "

" Kept same car for follow-on rental, this was easly accommodated. Final return and connection to airport was very efficient. "

Value for Money: 9
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 9
Condition of the Vehicle: 8

FARO, PT - Reviewed by SEAN - 31 October 2018

" Got charged for something that I never used because nobody showed to meet me at airport very disappointed turned me off Portugal don't no would I return because of experience "

" No one at airport to meet me had to get taxi "

Value for Money: 1
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 1
Expediency of Drop-off: 1
Condition of the Vehicle: 1

FARO, PT - Reviewed by VANESSA - 20 September 2018

" Overall a great experience "

" On arrival we had approximately one hour delay getting our shuttle due to the amount of people waiting. Drive in should have a second shuttle during busy times to avoid such delays. "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by MICHAEL - 05 September 2018

" No problems except for a delay at pick up "

" There was a long queue for the pick up that resulted in a delay of approx 45 minutes. The car and drop off were excellent. "

Value for Money: 8
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 7
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

FARO, PT - Reviewed by PATRICK - 05 September 2018

" As above. "

" I got charged for excess insurance to the amount of €140+ that I did not ask for. I had already full insurance cover. They won't give me a refund or reply to me . Robbing bastards. "

Value for Money: 1
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 5
Expediency of Drop-off: 6
Condition of the Vehicle: 6

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by ANTHONY - 16 July 2018

" Exerything as expected, no problems, will use them again "

" Very Good "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

FARO, PT - Reviewed by LISA SKOV - 02 July 2018

" All good with Auto Europe "

" The car, the pick up and drop off excellent. It was a big problem that I spent a very long time trying to find the person who was to greet me. Other contacts with signs were very visible, but I eventually found my contact in a corner out of sight after calling the office. Also it took a very long time to actually get on to the shuttle who took me to the pick-up office. Everything else was great "

Value for Money: 6
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

FARO, PT - Reviewed by PATRICK FINBAR - 13 June 2018

" Overall good "

" Some confusion as usual in cases of car hire with insurance cover purchased. Probably purchased too much cover. "

Value for Money: 8
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8
Expediency of Drop-off: 9
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

FARO, PT - Reviewed by KENNETH - 02 February 2018

" I would like if you would add a bit more clarity when booking a car through AEC, to the excess insurance you suggest we take out. (Yes its cheaper than what the car company's charge). When you arrive at the desk of the car company they inform you that insurance should be taking out through them or you have to leave a swipe of your credit card to the value of ?1500. So I found it was peace of mind to take there insurance. I should Not be paying for two insurance policy's. "

" All good ............. "

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by GABOR - 22 November 2017

" The Auto Europe has a very good service "

" Everything was great. Just the Deposit is pretty High. "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by MICHAEL - 25 October 2017

" Unfriendly staff, long wait transfer, very poor communication Good price "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by DAINIS - 10 October 2017

" Was not so good, that we were not informed, that in car rent we will need to pay big deposit instead, that we ordered car with full insurance... We also paid more for car, than car without insurance, because we became car without insurance.. "

" Very bad car rent! 1)we offered in autoeurope car with full insurance - but they can not offer that and asked us1500? as damage deposit 2)dirty car and lot outside damages 3)we ordered car with GPS included, but they can not give us it and car was without GPS 4)some aditional cost for highway gadget usage "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by BRADLEY - 25 August 2017

FARO, PT - Reviewed by NERIJUS - 27 July 2017

" Car all covered in scratches, not cleaned, only half filled fuel tank.(had to be full to full) We were told that we have no insurance covered-although I bought it while booking the car! They asked to pay another 90 or 168 euros to cover it-absolute nonsense! "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by EOIN - 07 June 2017

" Very efficient service. Despite having to get a shuttle bus to the rental office, we still feel this company are quicker (and definitely friendlier) than some of the other rental companies that are located at the terminal. "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by WILLIAM - 07 June 2017

" Some difficulty making contact with agent in terminal but everything else was ok. "

" OK "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by LINDA - 01 June 2017

" Very helpful, quick and efficient both when collecting and dropping off the car. "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by UWE - 28 May 2017

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by RICARDO - 21 May 2017

" Operator tried to charge extra fee and refuse to clearly explain the taxes he asked . Beside airport tax which I believe is included , the operator asked for a called Premium post tax correspondent to 9% of the total . On this tax the operator asked the maximum amount because he did not have the voucher value . On top of this after waiting more than an hour the car wasn´t available having to wait another more 45m . Really bad service from Goldcar "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by LEONARD - 20 March 2017

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by FRANCISCO - 13 December 2016

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by FRANCISCO - 23 November 2016

" Great service, great prices! "

" Very good car provided. "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by DON - 22 November 2016

" The office is located near the airport and not in the city centre as advertised. You will need to get a bus or taxi to the office from the airport or from the city centre. It's not conveniently located. The girl at the pickup desk was a bit pushy about selling extra excess insurance that we had already. The guy at the dropoff was very helpful and pleasant. "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by JOHN - 30 October 2016

" I felt that I was over charged I rented the the car for 95? and at the end I paid 221? what a joke "

" Left down on all grounds over priced "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by MICHAEL - 28 October 2016

" Staff very helpful and curteous "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by LAURENCE - 24 October 2016

" No more than I expected from a booking agency. "

" 1. No one at the arrivals hall, to meet and greet. 2. Waited 30 mins for collection in the carpark, we had to ring Drive On to collect us. 3. Car was filthy, stained seats, marked body work, rear compartment cover broken. As we were the last to arrive, we were given no choice or opportunity to change the car. Take it or leave it, policy. "

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by JAMES - 22 October 2016

" Used them before and would use them again "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by ALEXANDER - 19 October 2016

" A larger shuttle would help to speed up the process "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by SIMON - 15 October 2016

" Hello I am a regular car hire person renting about 7 to 10 cars a year therefore experienced. I know drive on holidays are a budget operation. but why give them 4.5 stars out of 5, a true representation would be 2 out of 5. My car and most of the cars were pretty beat up in the yard, also the red light for fuel came on with in 2 minutes of driving the car. The person at the desk was kurt and disinterested. They asked for 1800 euro on my credit card which was unreasonable for a banged up golf estate so I took there extra insurance for 120 euro as they looked like the type of outfit that would happily relive you off your 1800 euro. I have and will continue to use autoeurope however only with the main brands hertz etc. Please vet for Cowboys. "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by DERMOT ALISTAIR - 29 September 2016

FARO, PT - Reviewed by HUGH - 19 July 2016

" Wanted to update my booking with the precise arrival time. This was a major issue for you, and wanted to charge me, ended up ringing Drive On directly myself "

" Very smooth, no issues. "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by MICHAEL - 18 July 2016

" I have used AE on a number of occasions over many years and have never had an issue. AE always gets the best value available. "

" Nice car provided and pick up/drop off was hassle free and quite efficient. "

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by MARIUS - 20 June 2016

" I had full insurance with Auto Europe (CDW, THP and ZQ), but DRIVE ON insisted that it does not cover everything an d that I needed to take out their insurance to be fully covered. It cost me an additional 186 euro and Auto Europe should have warned me that this is the practise. "

" I had full insurance with Auto Europe (CDW, THP and ZQ), but DRIVE ON insisted that it does not cover everything an d that I needed to take out their insurance to be fully covered. They in effect said that best practise is to not take out any insurance from Auto Europe, but always deal with the rental company when picking up the car. I feel like I had been scammed out of an additional 186 euro. I will never deal with either company again. "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by KEVIN - 27 May 2016

" excellent service, very pleasant and efficient staff "

" as above "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by ROBERT - 25 May 2016

" Booking was quick and easy and all the charges were explained up-front "

" Staff were very friendly and efficient. There was no "hard sell" of extras. Return was quick and easy once I found the office. The GPS co-ordinates on the documents didn't seem to bring me where I wanted to go! "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by MIRIAM - 21 May 2016

" Prior to my arrival I emailed requesting that I was NOT given a Fiat Punto. On arrival at Faro was met by very pleasant girl I requested not a Fiat Punto. I was then transferred to shuttle bus and very pleasant driver. I also requested not a Fiat PUnto. I was told on both occassions that they did not have any Fiat Puntos. Arrived at office and quite a grumpy young man printed my papers and car on papers was FIAT PUNTO. I asked for any other car as there were several cars on the premises. Grumpy young man got more grumpy and went outside came back in and did not address me at all and printed more papers showing a Nissan Note. I thanked him and he said it was a far inferior car in his opinion!! Anyhow apart from that car was great! "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by FRANCIS - 21 April 2016

" Very good service "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by ALEX - 06 March 2016

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by SLAHEDDINE - 06 November 2015

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by JOAQUIM - 05 November 2015

" Very good car "

" very kind staff "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by KIERAN - 04 November 2015

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by CONNIE - 04 November 2015

FARO, PT - Reviewed by MARIE - 04 November 2015

FARO, PT - Reviewed by PATRICK - 03 November 2015

FARO, PT - Reviewed by KEVIN - 29 October 2015

FARO, PT - Reviewed by JONATHAN - 27 October 2015

" Dreadful from Start to Finish. 2 and half hours to get car. Staff were rude, unhelpful and totally unprofessional. Didn't get the car we booked and were sold extra insurance, toll charges and extra driver charges. Car was dirty, damaged and totally unsuitable. On drop back of car, the attendant couldn't even produce a receipt. Their valeters were more interested in pulling handbrake turns in the cleaning area. I really hope you refund this rental, as Drive On Holidays in Faro are a disgrace. Please look at some form of compensation for this horrific experience! Yours Sincerely Jonathan White. "

" See Above!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by DONAL - 09 October 2015

" Hello car was dirty on pickup and windows had not been cleaned. Auto Europe is fully aware that the insurance cover they offer is a scam. Knowing quite well that when the customer arrives at their pickup location they have to take out additional cover.Auto Europe do not highlight this to the customer. I will not rent a car from you again and will do what ever I can via social media etc to highlight this "

" A good company and we're aware of the scam being conducted by auto europe. Pity the car was dirty. "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by PATRICK - 07 October 2015

" Because I collected the car early I was charged one extra day which I was not informed of when I collected the car. I will not be useing Drive in Holidays again.. "

" SEE ABOVE "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by KEVIN - 21 September 2015

FARO, PT - Reviewed by GARETH - 01 September 2015

" First car we were given was in a very bad condition. It was scratched to the extent that it took over 40 mins to put it down on paper and more importantly it was disgusting filthy inside (stained seats and inside the door, wasn't even hoovered properly). Only after we complained, we were given a different car which we had no problem with. Also be careful what time you need to drop the car back as we were charged 30 euro for dropping it back at 7.30 am despite the fact they were probably open anyway as there was lots of people there when we arrived. "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by ANDREW - 26 July 2015

" Very happy "

" No delays on pick up and staff were very nice and friendly "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by SEBASTIAN - 01 July 2015

LISBON, PT - Reviewed by JOZEF - 23 May 2015

" Everything was fine however we did not get the car that we pre- booked and ended up with small car practically with no luggage space. This we found disappointing. "

FARO, PT - Reviewed by ADRIAN - 14 July 2014

" Great "

" Seamless - collected from airport, brought to office and on the road in no length. Easy drop-off too. "