SIXT Portugal Reviews 

We had the worst experience with Sixt. When we returned the Car in Sixt Albufeira, we were accused of stealing the tyre kit. We never used the tyre kit, nor opened that part of the car. When we received the car, it was never shown to us properly, we only received the car keys and the guy only talked about CarPlay. They never opened the back of the car, nor mentioned the kit. They emailed me saying they were going to charge me 341.94€ for the missing kit, which obviously was never in the car when it was given to us. I had to contact my lawyers who will now proceed with next steps. Sixt keep insisting that they do very detailed analysis of each car rental, which is clearly not true. Someone else must’ve stolen the kit and now they’re accusing us, when they did an unprofessional job at checking the previous car rental! I rented the car in Estefânia and dropped it back in Albufeira after a direct trip to Sixt Albufeira from Lisbon. They analysed the car for around 20 minutes following multiple steps and also accused me of a <5 cm scratch which I also didn’t do. I unfortunately hadn’t read past reviews, but I now I’m aware that lying and accusing clients of things they haven’t done is common practice to steal money from them. I’m truly disappointed and frustrated that I will now have to start legal action.

Rental car in bad condition. I filmed and took picture upon retrieval.
A wheelcap falls off while driving completely smoothly on a highway. They want to charge me 700€+ for a plastic cap. Customer service replies within two days, as long as they want my money. I tell them the cap was loose when they gave me the car. And they should have fixed that before renting it out, if they wanted it not to fall off. They do an 'internal review', decide They didn't register that flaw and therefore send a message to invoicing to take my money, without giving me a chance to either accept or prove my case. Money is reserved on my account within a few hours from that email. I have a life, so I reply to that email a couple hours after receiving it,close to their closing time, with all my proof.
I haven't heard from them in over a week despite several emails to remind them I exist, even though they got what they wanted: to rip me off for not doing their job correctly twice: did not repair the car sufficiently before renting it out, and did not register the damage in their files.
Maybe with this review I'll finally hear back.

SCAM-ALERT. Do NOT rent a car in Lisbon airport provided by Sixt. They will charge you after the rental in every way possible. Instead, look around in the same area, there is a lot of other trustful companies, that are willing to help you without any troubles after your rental. Just be aware, this Sixt department is unrecognizable from what you're used to.

After 3 weeks i'm still waiting for my deposit money what they charged on my creditcard.

When i return the car nobody was available to do any check-out with me. After 2 weeks i received an email, that i made damage and the ''full'' insurance doesn't cover anything of it.

Again, people...Watch out and go to another place to spend your holidays without any trouble.

After being mis-sold an insurance product which we were told would cost 10 euros we were charged in return AFTER our holiday for 450 euros for a superior insurance we DID NOT agree to
They made us sign a tablet and did not show us the agreement or send us a copy or give us any paper copies even after they took the money they never sent us any emails with any invoices or correspondence
Booked through jet 2 car hire and they managed to obtain a copy of the invoice for us and when I have tried to
Dispute it direct with SIxt no one has replied in over a month AND when I went to the desk on my return to Faro no one would help me and the manager “was not in” to assist.
I will still continue to email for a refund as this is absolutely appalling behaviour from such a “reputable” company- robbed in daylight !! Will never use again and will continue to contact for a FULL refund.

employee at the lisbon location lies
scammers not trustworthy location

Hired a car from the Portimao branch. Car was great but upon return, issued with an invoice with out of office charge and also a charge to fill up the car applied. This was despite being at office within opening hours and delayed by their staff as to how car ignition started ! also asked whether I would like car to be refueled on return but no mention of additional charges to be applied when suggested. Appreciate we would have paid more for Sixt to refuel but having an additional charge which was never communicated when collecting car , was poor. Eventually have had out of hours charges refunded but has been a nightmare trying to get hold of customer services. Book them at your peril!

Original reservation 653 Euros for a midsize SUV (Peugeot 5008). On arrival, vehicle class unavailable and offering was a van or station wagon. Neither was suitable as I would need an off road vehicle. I was forced to upgrade the vehicle to a Volvo XC60 at "a small daily increase". No printed receipt, only a copy emailed was the policy at the Lisbon Sixt Station. Upon review my card was charged 2,251 Euro for the rental. Oddly, my original rental agreement was "canceled" and the prepayment refunded. No customer service via phone, I "MUST return to the airport and change out the vehicle. I am sorry I do not know the inventory or if they have your class of vehicle available."

SIXT is a SCAM ---> DO NOT RENT FROM SIXT !!!!

Absolutely appalling experience with Sixt at Porto Airport. I would never use this company again.

We rented a car for a week but, after discovering that the insurance cover was not what we expected, we contacted Sixt for advice. Their telephone representative specifically instructed us to return the vehicle to another branch and start a new rental with the appropriate insurance.

We followed that advice, only to arrive at the branch and be presented with an extremely expensive new contract or a substantial additional charge to keep the existing one. The representative had refused to give us a price over the phone, so we had made the journey without being given the information needed to make an informed decision.

As a result, we had no reasonable option but to return the vehicle after only around two days of a one-week rental.

The whole experience was frustrating, expensive and completely unacceptable. The advice from Sixt was contradictory, the communication was extremely poor, and we were left feeling that nobody was taking responsibility for the situation.

The vehicle was returned undamaged, yet we are now having to pursue Sixt for refunds and the return of our deposit. Of course, they have not acknowledged or responded to any emails.

I am genuinely disgusted with the way this was handled. I would never, ever, ever use Sixt again.

I prepaid my rental through CarTrawler, with the booking stating that 1 credit card was required. At SIXT Lisbon Airport, I was refused the car because they required 2 credit cards. This was not clearly disclosed for the specific vehicle booked.

I offered to have the full excess pre-authorised on my card, but SIXT refused, as well as my wife's card and any alternative vehicle. The manager would not even speak to me.
Travelling with my wife and 3-month-old baby after a long flight, I had to rent another car, with another company, for around €800.
Extremely poor customer service and transparency. I would not rent from SIXT again.

New update! August 21st .

Have yet to receive a reply from Sixt on this issue, but they are quick with promotional emails. I will no longer book anything with Sixt moving forward. You have lost me as a costumer. I advise anyone needing to rent a car in Portugal especially to go with someone else. You have been warned.

Update August 14th 2026: 10 days have gone by since I have emailed them initially, did received the auto reply that they received the email and they would get back shortly. After a few days, I posted here in to which they replied as well that they "found my email and would reply soon" it has been now 3 days and still waiting for that reply. I encourage anyone traveling to Portugal or anywhere else to rent with another company. The customer service at Sixt is ridiculously a joke.

After Sixt publicly replied saying they had “located my email,” , I still have not received any contact from them. There has been no follow‑up, no clarification, and no support regarding the toll charges or the issues I previously reported.

I will update this review again if Sixt actually reaches out.

I have been renting vehicles from Sixt since 2019, across multiple countries — Portugal, Spain, Greece, Italy, the UK, and France. My wife and I travel frequently, and Sixt has always been our preferred rental company. Over the years, there were small issues — for example, being told I was receiving a “free upgrade” only to later see charges on the invoice. I take responsibility for not reviewing every contract line before signing, but the pattern has always felt misleading and deceptive.

Still, we continued renting with Sixt because we travel often and trusted the brand. Unfortunately, 2026 has been the worst experience we have ever had, and it has reached a point where I feel obligated to warn others.

April 2025 Rental – File Number 9517966039
During this rental, I paid for the Via Verde toll device (as I always do) and the full toll charges directly to Sixt. Their own invoice clearly shows:

Daily Via Verde rental fee

Toll Costs charged by Sixt

Over a year later, I received a letter from Via Verde/Cedars Business Services stating that the tolls were never paid. The letter claims I owe:

~16 EUR in tolls

Plus administrative fees

Plus late fees

Totaling over 100 USD

This means Sixt failed to forward the toll payments, even though they charged me for them. I am now being billed a second time, along with penalties caused entirely by Sixt’s negligence.

May 2026 Rental – File Number 9610190829
This rental was a disaster.

The first car began showing electronic failures, including:

Alarms

System warnings

Messages saying the car needed maintenance

We were over 2 hours away from Lisbon Airport, yet we had no choice but to drive all the way back to swap the vehicle.

The replacement car was not any better. It had:

A remote that wouldn’t unlock the doors

Repeated tire pressure alarms

More electronic issues

When I reported these problems, I was essentially told the car had “no issues,” implying I was making it up. (Tip for anyone renting a car: record everything.)

Sixt promised me a 50 USD voucher as compensation for this rental.
That voucher was never issued, despite multiple reminders.

Customer Service Failure
On August 4th, I emailed Sixt Portugal with:

The Via Verde/Cedars toll notice

The Sixt invoice proving I paid the tolls

A detailed explanation of the situation

A reminder about the voucher from the May 2026 rental

I received only an automated message saying someone would respond “soon.”

It is now August 10th, and I have received no response at all.
No follow‑up.
No clarification.
No support.
Just silence — despite this being an urgent matter involving financial penalties caused by Sixt’s own error.

Summary
At this point, I am dealing with:

Toll charges I already paid to Sixt

Administrative penalties caused by Sixt’s failure

A promised voucher from a different rental that was never delivered

A forced vehicle swap due to electronic failures

A second car with more issues

Years of misleading “free upgrades”

A complete lack of customer service

Emails ignored for nearly a week

After being a loyal customer since 2019, I can confidently say that Sixt Portugal has provided the worst rental experience I have ever had.

I strongly advise future customers to be extremely cautious when renting from Sixt Portugal, especially regarding toll processing, vehicle condition, and customer support.

Took one and a quarter hours queuing while they tried to hard sell all their customers on extras. Telling them all they’d be liable for the whole price of the car etc etc. Never ever again

Absolute scammers! They overcharge you give you no information on the car just toss you a key and don’t acknowledge other insurances you have purchased from :rd parties they work with. Need ridiculous amount on money to be secured all around a shit company never again.

I am extremely disappointed with this service. After returning the car following a one-month rental, I was charged more than €120 for cleaning fees that I believe were unjustified. The amount was taken using my credit card details without any prior discussion or clear authorization. I would not recommend this company based on my experience.

Renter Beware – They charge for pre-existing damage

I rented a vehicle from SIXT Portugal for just 36 hours. After returning the vehicle, I received a damage claim totalling approximately EUR 900—more than three times the cost of the rental.
The claim included three alleged items of damage.

I immediately disputed it and requested the evidence supporting SIXT's conclusion that I was responsible. In particular, I asked them to explain how they distinguished the alleged rim damage from pre-existing documented damage, what evidence they relied upon to conclude that the alleged damage was not already present at the start of my rental, and what technical assessment justified the replacement of the tyre and luggage compartment cover.

Despite several exchanges of correspondence, I did not receive what I consider to be a substantive response to these questions. Instead, I received general replies that repeated SIXT's conclusions without explaining the factual or technical basis on which those conclusions were reached.

Despite my ongoing dispute, my credit card was charged for the full amount before my concerns were meaningfully addressed.

I have now submitted a formal complaint to the relevant Portuguese consumer protection authorities and will continue to pursue all lawful avenues available to me. I will also continue to document my experience publicly so that other customers can make an informed decision.

My disappointment is not only with the financial outcome, but with the complete lack of transparency throughout the claims process. As a customer, I expected clear evidence, meaningful explanations, and fair handling of a disputed claim before my card was charged.

Based on my experience, I cannot recommend SIXT Portugal.

Absolutely shocking experience with SIXT in Portugal.

To start with, my car wasn’t even ready at the agreed collection time, meaning my rental got off to a frustrating start. I was then moved between vehicles before eventually being given a different car.

Before leaving, I took photographs of the vehicle because it already had visible damage, including to the car door. I did not take a photograph of the key because it was handed to me directly by the member of staff, and it was already wrapped in tape. It was so obvious that I assumed it had already been recorded by SIXT. The employee handing me the key would have clearly seen its condition, and I had also been told the vehicle had already been inspected before collection. I didn’t expect that I would have to do their job for them by documenting something so obvious.

I returned the car at 5:00 a.m. on 20 July without any issues. Then, 11 days later, on 31 July, I received an email claiming I was responsible for damage to the key that was clearly already there when I collected the vehicle. I find it very concerning that this claim was only raised so long after the rental had ended.

To make matters worse, I have had to call Portugal from the UK to try to resolve this issue. I have been left on hold on an international call that I am being charged for, meaning this situation has already cost me additional money on top of the considerable amount of time I have wasted trying to defend myself against a claim that should never have been made.

I completely reject this claim and refuse to pay for damage I did not cause. I encourage SIXT to review their CCTV footage from the handover, which should confirm the condition of the key when it was given to me.

At this stage, simply cancelling this unfair charge is not enough. SIXT should also reimburse me for the costs I have incurred and compensate me for the time I have spent dealing with a problem that resulted from their own failure to identify and record pre-existing damage.

This has been an incredibly stressful and disappointing experience. Instead of taking responsibility for their own vehicle checks, they appear to be attempting to hold customers liable for pre-existing damage. Because of this experience, I’ve already advised my family and friends—many of whom are travelling to Portugal for my wedding—not to book with this SIXT branch.

I will continue to challenge this claim and, if necessary, I am prepared to defend my position through the appropriate legal channels. I expected a professional rental experience, not to have to defend myself against a claim for damage that I know I did not cause.

I strongly advise against renting a car with Sixt in Ponta Delgada. When picking up the vehicle, the agent pressured me into taking a "prepaid fuel" option, using false information about local gas prices. He explicitly promised that if I returned the car with a full tank, this charge would be canceled. I fulfilled my part and returned the car completely full, possessing the gas station receipt and dashboard photos as proof. However, they still charged me for the prepaid fuel. I have contacted customer service to dispute this wrongful charge and provided all my evidence, but I have received absolutely no response. They are completely ignoring my emails. I highly recommend avoiding this rental company due to their dishonest practices and non-existent customer service.
​AVALIAÇÃO EM PORTUGUÊS
​Aconselho vivamente a não alugar carro com a Sixt em Ponta Delgada. Ao levantar o veículo, o funcionário pressionou-me a aceitar a opção de "combustível pré-pago", utilizando informações falsas sobre o preço local da gasolina. Prometeu explicitamente que se eu devolvesse o carro com o depósito cheio, essa cobrança seria cancelada. Cumpri a minha parte e devolvi o carro com o depósito completamente cheio, tendo o recibo da bomba e fotografias do painel como prova. No entanto, cobraram-me na mesma o combustível pré-pago. Contactei o serviço de apoio ao cliente para contestar esta cobrança indevida e forneci todas as provas, mas não obtive qualquer resposta. Estão a ignorar totalmente os meus e-mails. Recomendo vivamente que evitem esta empresa de aluguer devido às suas práticas desonestas e ao serviço de apoio ao cliente inexistente.

Buyer beware.

I recommend that anyone renting from this location take comprehensive photos and videos of the vehicle at pickup and return, and insist on a joint inspection before leaving.

In my case, the vehicle was handed over wet and dirty, and no damage was noted at pickup. At return, no representative came to inspect the vehicle with me or discuss any concerns. Days after I had already returned home to Canada, I received a damage claim.

I repeatedly requested clear, high-resolution photographs and evidence showing that the alleged damage occurred during my rental. Those requests were not satisfied to my satisfaction. Despite advising Sixt that I disputed the claim and objected to any charge until I received sufficient supporting evidence, my credit card was charged anyway.

As a customer thousands of kilometres away, there is little practical ability to inspect the vehicle, challenge the allegation in person, or verify the claim. In my opinion, that makes transparency and proper documentation absolutely essential.

Based on my experience, I found the process neither fair nor transparent, and I believe customers should be extremely cautious. Make sure you thoroughly document the vehicle, insist on a documented return inspection, and do not assume that the absence of an inspection means there will be no issues later.

I have formally disputed the charge with my credit card issuer.

Update: Sixt responded to this review by referring me back to the same Damage Support team that has been handling my case. Unfortunately, that does not address the concerns raised in my review. My concern has never been about not knowing who to contact—it is about the lack of a transparent process, the failure to provide clear supporting evidence despite repeated requests, and the decision to charge my credit card while the claim remained disputed.

Terrible car rental company, I would not recommend. The car that I booked and agreed to pay for was not available. There was only cars from a different category available so as a result of this I was promised a completely free upgrade. When I got to my hotel I realised that I was in fact charged for this upgrade despite me asking and confirming that the upgrade was completely free multiple times.

SIXT customer service is also extremely poor as I have not been able to get in touch to speak to anyone for over a week now.

What a scam company! When I signed the contract on the desk, no information was given how and what will be charged until you received the invoice upon return the car. Customer service does not exist, calls won't be picked up and email no reply. Avoid at all cost.

Do not rent from this company. We waited nearly an hour to speak with an agent at the airport, only to be misled about the charges added to our rental.

We clearly declined the highest level of liability coverage when it was offered. However, the agent added it to our agreement anyway and told us the higher total was due to a refundable deposit. We later discovered that the additional €200 was not a deposit at all, but the insurance coverage we had specifically declined.

When we contacted customer service to dispute the charge, they refused to provide a refund or take any responsibility for the agent’s conduct. This experience felt deliberately deceptive, and the company’s unwillingness to address it demonstrates a serious lack of integrity and accountability. Carefully review every line of the agreement before signing, as the verbal explanation we received was not accurate.