SIXT Portugal Reviews 

Absolutely the worst car rental experience I’ve ever had. They accidentally charged my deposit twice, and despite apologising, it happened again with another charge. They then claimed I had caused damage to the car and deducted money from my account. Fortunately, I had taken a full video of the vehicle before driving away, which clearly showed the damage was already there.

It’s extremely frustrating having to fight to get your own money back because of their mistakes and false damage claims. I would strongly advise anyone renting from this company to take detailed photos and videos of the car before leaving, as you may need them.

I would not recommend this company to anyone. Poor customer service, poor record-keeping, and a very stressful experience overall. Avoid if you value your time and money.

We rented a car on Pico Island, Azores, in June/July 2026. The car was not visibly damaged when we picked it up, nor when we returned it. However, when we returned it a staff person detected scratches under the front spoiler, which were only visible when looking up from the ground, and we were charged 308 euros. We in no way damaged the vehicle and we have protested the charges to SIXT and our rental insurance provider..

Avoid Sixt unless you are absolutely certain you meet every hidden requirement buried within their terms and conditions.

We booked a Premium category vehicle directly through the Sixt website about a month before our two-week family holiday in Portugal. We deliberately chose a larger vehicle because we are a family of five with three young children, a large amount of luggage, and our daughter uses a wheelchair, so space was essential.

We paid in full before travelling, including full insurance with zero excess, believing everything was in place for a smooth collection.

As with every booking an overview of the paperwork gave us little to be concerned about and we were confident all was in place and our car would be available for collection when we arrived for the start of our holiday.

When we arrived to collect the car however we were advised the car could not be released without presentation of 2 credit cards in the drivers name. The desk clerk was keen to show us the terms and conditions which state:

* “A valid credit card in the name of the main driver is always required at vehicle collection.”
* “Depending on the vehicle category, a second credit card may be required.”

The crucial issue is that this requirement is not clearly highlighted during the booking process nor have we ever experienced this requirement before when hiring a car. It is simply hidden within the general terms and conditions. At no point were we specifically informed that our Premium category vehicle required two credit cards, or that both cards had to be in the sole name of the main driver.

At Faro Airport, we presented debit cards and even offered a relative’s credit card, but every option was refused. Despite there being only one named driver on the booking, Sixt insisted that two separate credit cards, both belonging exclusively to that driver, were required before they would release the vehicle.

Had this requirement been made clear at the time of booking, we would have cancelled immediately and booked elsewhere.

The only solution offered was to cancel the reservation and issue a refund, which would take 5–7 working days to process. Sixt had no problem taking full payment instantly when we made the booking.

What made the situation even more frustrating was the explanation we received. When we asked why two credit cards were necessary when we had already paid in full, purchased comprehensive insurance, and had no excess to pay, the desk clerk simply replied, “It’s company policy.” When asked what charges would actually be placed against the cards, we were told that no charges would be made now or in the future. If that’s the case, insisting on two credit cards serves no obvious purpose and seems completely unreasonable.

As a result, our family was left stranded at Faro Airport with three young children, a wheelchair and all of our luggage. This created an extremely stressful start to our family holiday. Instead of looking forward to our trip, we were left worrying whether we would even be able to travel, with the real possibility that our holiday to Portugal could have been completely ruined..

The lack of any clear warning during the booking process, feels misleading and unfair, and is totally irresponsible of SIXT for something so critical to the rental process. Something so unusual, which prevents your ability to hire the car, should be clearly brought to your attention, with the customer having to confirm their understanding to this specific point before proceeding.

Thankfully, Guerin came to our rescue. The member of staff there could not have been more helpful, accepted a sensible combination of payment methods and genuinely went above and beyond to save our holiday. They demonstrated the level of customer service we had expected from Sixt but never received. Thank goodness for them.

I am extremely disappointed by Sixt’s lack of transparency, inflexible approach and complete absence of customer care. I would strongly recommend that families, particularly those travelling with children or anyone with accessibility needs, think very carefully before booking with Sixt. In fact I would recommend everyone avoids this company who appears to proactively intend to deceive customers. We were not the only people seemingly frustrated in the SIXT office that day. There are far better rental companies who value their customers and communicate important requirements openly.

We booked a Premium category car rental with Sixt in Portugal through Expedia weeks in advance for a 2-week family holiday. We specifically chose the Premium option so we would have a larger vehicle comfortable for our family of 5 (including 3 young kids) plus luggage. We had secured a very good rate.

Sixt’s own Terms & Conditions (which we reviewed carefully) stated:
• “A valid credit card in the name of the main driver is always required at vehicle collection.”
• “Depending on the vehicle category, a second credit card may be required.”

Important detail: There was only one named/main driver on the booking. At the Faro Airport counter we presented his credit card and debit card, along with additional cards from the second adult. The staff insisted on two credit cards both exclusively in the single main driver’s name and refused all other options, including debit cards.

Sixt had full details of our booking and vehicle category but never specifically informed us that a second credit card was required for this category, or that both had to be in the one main driver’s name only. Had this been clearly disclosed with proper notice, we would have cancelled immediately.

We never even saw the vehicle or set foot in it. Payment had already been processed by Expedia, and alternative providers at the airport quoted approximately 3 times our secured rate due to peak season — making last-minute rebooking impossible on our budget.

We were left completely stranded at the airport with 3 young children and all our luggage. This forced us to completely replan our entire 14-day holiday (transfers to Lagos, Vilamoura, return to the airport, and all planned family activities), causing major stress and disruption right at the start of our vacation.

This does not appear to be a Faro-only issue but a general Sixt policy. Their vague wording in the T&Cs combined with zero specific warning feels like an unfair trap for customers. Other rental companies at the airport were more flexible with debit/credit card combinations.

Extremely disappointed with the lack of transparency and customer care. I strongly advise families and anyone relying on clear terms to avoid Sixt entirely for car rentals in Portugal and elsewhere.

Absolutely appalling firm. Over an hour just to get to desk where you had to put in all the information already given online. Understaffed as they kept going off leaving empty desks as the queue got progressively bigger. Then came back and went in phone. They just didn’t care they were ruining the start of your holiday. DON’T USE

Lisbon rental agent Rafuela (Lic # BR56UA) processed us quickly and with great pleasantness and information. On return she went out of her way to provide us with more information for our next trip to Portugal.
Car was great.
The whole experience of check out and return was very favourable. And on return they had a good record of the very very subtle imperfections to the surface of the car (that we had not even noticed in our haste to leave) and were quite frank that hey knew they were preexisting and not caused by us.

Sixt Portugal insist on two credit card in the drivers name. It is buried in the terms and conditions, is contradicted elsewhere, and is not visible at any stage of the booking process. I booked through booking.com and they even reiterate only a single card is needed in the confirmation email.

Staff in Lisbon were zero help as was their customer service - the just blame booking.com. I had no choice but to spend €1200 with Avis. They will hide behind t&cs and leave you stranded.

Avoid them at all costs!

Update: I went around in circles with their customer ‘care’ but got nowhere. Save your the time and money - go anywhere else.

Poor communciation, unexpexected huge charges afterwards and no answers. They do not take any responsibility, very customer unfriendly. Never again!!!!

According to your answer. Yes you did finally, after more than 1 week replied. After I have used sociale.media. but your reply is not solving our problem you put us in and irl is very unfair!!! You have no proof, can not send us a proof and never informed us!!!! Very much thank you. Never again

I pre hired a car through Booking.com in January 2026 which included full Insurance cover, for a holiday to Portugal mid-June 2026, and paid in full up front.

During the hire collection process, I explicitly told the Sixt operative that I had already purchased Insurance and I did not need any additional cover.

The Sixt operative showed me a desk tablet that I needed to use to confirm my hire contract, which did not show me any additional charges up to the time it froze and was not able to complete the hire process.

The Sixt operative asked me to sign the contract on another desk tablet, also which did not show any additional charges and was only a signature field.

Upon return to the UK I find Sixt had charged my credit card an additional €456 for full insurance cover, which I had explicitly refused at the collection process.

I fully believe this insurance cover has been added without my consent, permission or signed agreement, and I have been mis-sold insurance that I did not want or need.

Be fully aware and question everything during the collection phase of your hire contract.

I will not be using Sixt Hire Car again.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but I feel it’s important to share this experience so other travelers can make an informed decision.

I reserved a Full Size vehicle with SIXT Portugal for a 10-day rental at a quoted price of approximately CAD $826. The reservation indicated the vehicle was suitable for five passengers.

When we arrived to collect the vehicle, we discovered it could only accommodate one of our four suitcases. We were then presented with progressively more expensive upgrade options. The first upgrade fit only two suitcases, the second fit three, and the vehicle we ultimately accepted still required one suitcase to ride in the rear passenger compartment for the entire trip.

Our final rental cost was CAD $2,450.75—nearly three times the original reservation.

I understand that upgrade pricing can vary and that vehicle categories have estimated luggage capacities. My concern is that a vehicle advertised for five passengers was not practical for four adults traveling with four standard suitcases on a 10-day vacation.

After returning home, I contacted SIXT customer service and gave them multiple opportunities to review the situation. While they responded professionally, they concluded that the charges were consistent with their policies and ultimately offered a €30 voucher as their goodwill resolution.

If you are planning a family vacation or traveling with multiple suitcases, my advice is simple:

* Do not rely solely on the passenger capacity shown during booking.
* Carefully verify the luggage capacity of the exact vehicle category before you travel.
* If luggage space is important, consider reserving a larger category than you think you need.
* Ask for the expected vehicle model in writing before arrival whenever possible.

I have rented from SIXT previously and had hoped to continue doing so, as my wife and I travel to Europe several times each year. Unfortunately, this experience and its resolution have caused me to reconsider using SIXT in the future.

I hope this review helps other travelers avoid the unexpected costs and stress that we experienced.

I would like to make a serious complaint about the sixt car rental in faro airport. We paid €1200 to hire a car and paid for the car and all insurance up front. When we went to collect the car we were told we needed to provide a credit card in the named drivers name. No where did it say this was required before we booked as my husband doesn't have a credit card so we would 100% not have proceeded if this was pointed out to us before booking. It was pointed out to us that it was in the terms and conditions but of course this was in small print once we had booked. We were NEVER advised on this before we booked. I was able to offer numerous credit cards but that was not acceptable as it was not in the main drivers name. They also couldn't advise what the credit card was for. So we were then told the only option was to cancel the reservation and rebook in the name of the credit cardholder and add a second driver. We proceeded with this only to be told the price was now €3000 as opposed to the €1200 paid. Please note no email advise us of this rule. In the what to bring section it never said bring a credit card in the drivers name ever. It's so small in the terms and conditions I doubt anyone sees it which is true given the amount of people that were hit with this issue when we tired to the collect that car. Be warned it is an absolute scam by Sixt. We have never have to produce a credit card in the drivers name in any other country we used Sixt. Any credit card would do. Its clearly a scam and I ill try my best to warn anyone I know about Sixt in the future.

Really really aweful. Booked the car and appointed somebody else as primary driver. Upon arrival the primary driver needs a credit card in his name. Everything was prepaid - so you expect to just pick it up and have no more formalities. Primary driver didn’t have a credit card. Boom - reservation cancelled and 200 euros for another, smaller, car… unreal. Never again

We were hit with a fraudulent misfueling charge that they only backed down from once we provided a duplicate copy of the fuel we bought provided to us by the gas station. It took us a month of communication to SIXT Portugal and the corporate office in Ft. Lauderdale and filing with the Portugal consumer complaint office to get this dropped!!

Shocking customer care and after care service.
No reply to emails or answering of phone calls.
Quick to take a large security deposit and then it’s been more than 30 days without security deposit return. Car return and return voucher all received on day of return. No damages to the car reported. Unacceptable customer service

I rented from the Airport in Porto. Brought the car back and was later charged damages for some scratches under the bumper. You could not see the scratches unless you were on your knees and looked up from the ground. I am not sure if they were there when I picked the car up. They charged over 600 Euros to fix these scratches and I never received any backup on the charges or whether the scratches were really repaired. They were also very slow to tell me this. It took about one month before they notified me. Seems that this is the way they make there money.

In Madeira Sixt car rental is a ripoff, I booked a car 9 months before my trip and payed for the rental, got to the airport to pick up the car, they refused to give me the car saying I did have the North American licence which did not meet the international agreement there for I lost about $600.00 dollars and have a hustle to get the rest of my money refund back. I strongly recommend not getting a car from Sixt Car Rental, They are not honest upfront with clients and rip you off . Save yourself a big hassle and your money.

Had booked a car in advance, unfortunately the Credit Card I had ordered did not arrive in time, however I could add it to my digital wallet through my bank app right away. Since on the website it does not mention that it needs to be physical, I thought it would be fine. Was I wrong... I get told no, cannot do it without a physical Credit Card. No alternatives nothing, although I had a physical debit card, even offered safety deposit. Nothing. Was told to try other rental companies, and lo and behold the very next one, Guerin, where I explained the situation, accepted my card. All went well, they got their money, me the car, all good.
Sixt? Never again, leaving a family stranded with a baby and telling them to go somewhere else is beyond ridiculous.

Very bad and unreliable company! I had to wait for 32 days to get invoice for the rental car damage to submit it to car insurance company!!! The time frame to submit invoice to insurance company to be reimbursed for car damage is 28 days!!!

Absolutely shocking got the conformation it said need one credit card got to Portugal
The staff said you need 2 so on are conformation it said 1
Apparently the staff read the back of shampoo bottles as I said I only read the one on the phone , so now stuck at the airport with 2 kids no car and no cash for a taxi
Absolute joke of a company

Hidden charges which were not highlighted at the time the car was being rented. It was only later when the was returned and I was back home then a charge was levied against my card for extra charges which had not been previously explained to me. Total rip-off and customer service not in the least bit helpful. These extra charges were NOT related to any damage, just to be clear. Avoid this company!!