Drive Hellas レビュー 173

La società mi voleva imputare un danno persistente al momento della riconsegna. In data 15/06 ho ritirato l'auto con prenotazione Ryanair, nonostante mi abbiano fatto effettuare un video al momento della consegna dell'auto, l'impiegato in data odierna 19/06, al momento della riconsegna, è stato molto bravo a negare il microsegno già presente al momento del ritiro (coperto con un ritocco di vernice bianca). Fortunatamente dopo 30 minuti di discussione siamo riusciti a non farci trattenere il danno dalla cauzione di 930€ che sarebbe costato centinaia di euro. Noleggio auto dalle più note società e non mi è mai capitata una situazione simile!

This review is based solely on the experience with the company. The car itself was fine, but the way they treat customers is unacceptable — hence this review.

There are two major issues: 1) scam tactics and 2) the way they talk to and treat customers.

1. Scam A – Debit card & insurance upselling
Arriving late at around 10:15 pm, I was pressured into buying additional insurance based on the false claim: “You have a debit card, not a credit card.” They claimed this made it impossible to authorize the deposit — even though my bank has never had any issue with this, and I’ve used the same debit card at other rental companies globally for years. I even double-checked with my bank beforehand.

Their excuse: buying insurance reduces the required deposit, making the debit card “work.” This is clearly a sales tactic — they never even attempted to place the deposit hold. I asked at least five times to just try it. Had they done so, it would’ve worked, just like always.

As a result, my total cost went from €120 to €389 (!), including €80 for the late pickup — a fee I knew about, but which is still excessive for a 15-minute wait.
The worst part? I ended up being triple insured: once via Check24, once via my American Express Platinum, and once via the forced insurance from the rental company. Completely unnecessary — and clearly exploitative.

Scam B – Cleaning fee attempt
Upon returning the car, the station manager claimed there was some sand on the seat (see attached pictures) and tried to charge me a cleaning fee. He insisted I had been informed the car must be returned in the same condition (I wasn’t). I refused and didn’t pay. Charging for minimal sand on a seat — in Greece, where roads and beaches are dusty — is absurd. Just another scam attempt.

2. Treatment of customers – aggressive and unacceptable
When I questioned the card issue, I asked to call my agent (Check24). The DRIVE employee got visibly annoyed and said I should hurry because he “wants to go home.” My agent confirmed that debit cards aren’t accepted but couldn’t explain why either.

When I pointed out how dishonest the upsell felt, the employee completely lost his temper. He started shouting that “renting a car for €8 a day is the real scam” (I paid way more) and that of course they have to sell insurance. This was an open admission of their business model — and a clear sign that this was all about profit, not policy.

When I said I might call the police, he exploded further: grabbed his phone, yelled he’d call the police himself, and barked at me to leave immediately — that he wouldn’t rent me a car. I asked why. His response: “Because I don’t want to.” That level of aggression and arrogance is absolutely unacceptable.

I reminded him I had a valid reservation and a contract. He claimed he’d cancel it and I’d get a refund — which my agent later confirmed was a lie and absolutely not possible.

He then offered to drive us back to the airport — at 11:30 pm, with no other rental agency open and a taxi costing €110. I refused, so he stormed out of the office and drove away, leaving us stranded.

Thankfully, another employee showed up — calm, professional and respectful — and offered to rent us the car if we paid the extra €189 for the insurance. Out of options, we agreed.

The aggressive employee was about 1.75 m, slim, short dark hair, short beard. His behavior was threatening, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable. No one should be treated this way — ever.

Final statement:
Avoid this company at all costs. Choose a reputable agency instead. I rent cars globally 5–10 times a year for business and private use — and I’ve never experienced anything remotely close to this.

Ho noleggiato diverse auto in questi anni soprattutto in Grecia appoggiandomi tramite Autoeurope a Drive. Alla restituzione (aeroporto Preveza-Aktion Lefkada) mi e' stato contestato che i tappetini nn erano puliti come alla consegna pretendendo 25 euro per la pulizia. Sono degli approfittatori e maestri per spillare soldi. Da parte mia questa compagnia di noleggio è cancellata, vi invito a sceglierne altre.

I am writing this to warn you to NOT rent from this company. I had a similar experience 1 month ago to many of the reviews. I was fined 351 euros (almost $400) for a barely noticeable 3 mm scratch. Once they knew I had insurance they insisted on scamming me so they could take my money and force me to file a claim (with foreign conversion fees I am still out of pocket $30). Total fraud. They said they had to 'paint' the minor mark. I bet you they haven't even touched the vehicle. Avoid this company at all costs so it won't cost you later.

July 22nd- I am updating the review to respond to the company. It was a brand new car so there was no pre-inspection. I did take photos of the barely noticeable 3mm scratch during the final inspection that they insisted that had to be painted. My fault is not with the policy of final inspection, but ridiculousness of the claim and the lack of regard for the satisfaction of the customer.

Tourist Scam Warning – Avoid This Rental Car Company in Crete!

I’ve rented cars all over the world—from the U.S. to Russia, across Europe, and even in Africa—but I have never experienced anything like the blatant rip-off I encountered with this rental company in Crete.

From the moment we arrived (late at night), something felt off. They inspected the car excessively, using flashlights to check even the tiniest corners. Still, the car looked brand new and perfectly clean, so we accepted it and drove off. Unfortunately, I didn’t record one specific area where later, they would claim there was “damage”—a tiny speck, like a bug had hit it. Never in my life would I have imagined someone would charge for that.

Before returning the car, they even required me to wash it. I’ve never been asked to do this by any rental company anywhere in the world. Still, I complied, wanting to avoid any issues. I didn’t even park it on the street during the rental just to be extra careful.

But when I returned it, two people started inspecting it like detectives looking for a crime scene. They checked under the bumper and eventually claimed there was a microscopic paint chip—most likely from a small rock on the road. As a result, they charged me €470, including a ridiculous €65 “file fee” and a made-up €78 “radar sensor repair”—even though the car had no such issue!

When I asked for explanations, they just shrugged and said, “It’s the system. We can’t do anything.” No accountability, no transparency, just preying on tourists who don’t have time to fight back.

This is nothing but a scam—profiting off of minor, everyday wear that they probably never even fix.

Tourists, beware. Take extensive video (even under the car!) and prepare to be extorted. Or better yet, avoid this company altogether.

Deux petits éclats de peinture ( 1/2 mm chacun ) sur le part choc, nous ont été facturé 550 euros. Nous avions pris cette voiture de nuit, et déjà de jour les deux éclats étaient à peine perceptibles.
A totalement déconseillé.

Sehr unfreundliche Mitarbeiterin am Flughafen Heraklion. Angeblicher Schaden, Plastikteil am Hinterrad sollte 426€ kosten... Rechtsstreit um Kaution läuft. NIE wieder

Low costs, great service. Would definitely recommend. They brought us back to the closest metro rather than the airport (standard) as an extra free service.

I was charged for €375 non existent scratches to the front bumper. There were already scratches on the bumper which Drive acknowledged I did not do. They said I did more scratches but there were no scratches by me. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY.n9

One day before arrival my creditcard was blocked, because of a phishing message within Booking.com
After a phone call to Drive Hellas, i was promised that they would arrange something for me.
Gladly they lived up to their words.
I was able to rent an car and start my roundtrip through the mainland of Greece.
A big shoutout for the great assistance of Manos.

It is for me unclear why Drive Hellas only scores 2.1 on TrustPilot with just 123 reviews, while on Google Maps they are rated an excellent 4.7 out of 5 with 2500 reviews.

Sehr unkomplizierte Abwicklung, keine Kaution erforderlich, günstige Aufzahlung für Vollkasko.

Arnaque , les prix sont attractifs, puis une fois sur place,on vous fait le coup de :_"Votre MasterCard gold est une carte de débit, on ne la prend pas(alors qu'ils prennent l'empreinte et le paiement via la réservation internet) mais sur place,ça ne va pas ... Ils acceptent que les cartes de crédit.
Il y a des règles ici en Grèce, me sermonne la dame!
Enfin, il y a des règles dans le monde entier, ce n'est pas le problème !!
La carte où tu as été au 4 coins de la terre avec, où il y a jamais eu un souci, ici chez Drive Heraklion, il y'a un problème et je te le donne en mille, leur proposition est : soit on annule le contrat, soit tu prends leur assurance et par magie,il n'y a plus aucun problème ! Allez 140e en plus.
De suite, moins attractifs et plus drôle, elle veut que je paie avec ma carte !! Qui n'est pas une carte de crédit d'après elle. Je paie en espèces. Une fois, leur assurance prise, elle te dit "il y a plus de problème, vous pouvez même rayer la voiture, c'est ok, par contre les fards et les vitres c'est pas ok!"... Sérieusement, tout ça verbalement !
A ce moment là ,il est casi minuit et demi, tout est fermé autour donc tu fermes ta bouche, tu prends ce qu'on te propose en sachant pertinemment qu'on se moque de toi et tu sais que tu ne repasseras pas par Drive et qu'il faut prévenir Lastminute qui t'a proposé cette agence malhonnête sans scrupule.

Conclusion :évidemment ta petite location de voiture qui était plus que correcte financièrement, te coute, au final un bras, vraiment pas honnête, ils peuvent t'offrir des bouteilles d'eau, parler très bien français, toujours est-il qu'en France, on dit : Va te faire voir chez les grecs, en voilà le meilleur des aperçus.ça met dans l'ambiance.
Ah vous les aimez bien les touristes !!

We arrived at the airport late at night, nobody to greet us and no instructions on how to find the rental station. We asked at the Jet2 desk who pointed us in the right direction. Before flying we paid for the full insurance cover and when we arrived at the desk we were told we had to pay an 80 euro late collection and drop off fee. I said we would pay 40 and return the car within the opening times before our return flight. We then went through an extensive and tiresome “inspection” of the car in the dark, noting down numerous bumps, scratches and scrapes on the car. I had to take photos on my phone as proof. This was to document any pre-existing damage on the car. We ordered a fiat 500 but we were given a red panda, which had very limited acceleration power. We were also told by the assistant that they would block 980 euros on our credit card for any damage which we could later claim back from the insurance company ourselves, if any damage was found. We returned the car a lo and behold some new damage was found, which according to the assistant we could have driven over something or someone else damaged it. The damage was along the left plastic sill and (in their words) untold damage to the underneath of the car. The assistant then called some younger “mechanics” to drive the un-roadworthy car away to the garage and reassured us “despite the damage” he would charge just 360 euros on our credit card (out of the original 980 they blocked) All the dealings we had with the business they continued to press how we could recover the money via the insurance policy back in England. We didn’t take the car off road and the main roads in Crete are better than UK roads so we have no idea how this damage occurred and have no proof it was missed in the first inspection. We are now back in the UK and having to sort out claiming back for the cost of the damage and a credit card bill of over three hundred pounds. We booked this car and insurance via jet2 whilst booking the holiday and I’m extremely disappointed that a family travel company that promotes good value would use a company that leaves people significantly out of pocket.

Unseriöses Unternehmen. Sehr unfreundliche Mitarbeiter. Akzeptieren nur Kreditkarte und der Fahrer muss auch den gleichen Namen wie auf der Kreditkarte haben. Mit anderen Autovermietungen war das nie so.
Auch wurden uns 50 € mehr abgezogen, weil wir das Auto nicht in den Öffnungszeiten abgegeben haben, da unser Flug früh morgens war. Das schlimmste allerdings war, dass wir unsere Kaution in Höhe von 100 € nicht zurückbekommen haben, obwohl uns vor Ort gesagt wurde, dass dies 2-3 Werktage dauern wird, bis die Kaution auf unser Konto verbucht wird. Ich rate euch dringend ab von dieser unseriösen Autovermietung. Schaut euch vorher hier auf Trustpilot die Bewertungen der entsprechenden Autovermietungen an, so wie ich das zukünftig handhaben werden.

Hvad er begrundelsen for at man skal betale ekstra for at leje en bil hvis man er fyldt 70 år det virker som fup. Og diskrimination.

I am giving them one start only because they should inform to the customers about the parking rules in the city.
Were got to Thessaloniki after a long flights and went to pick up the car, the person explained some things but never mentioned about the parking in Thessaloniki. We found a parking close the apartment we rented and park there to the next day found a parking ticket on the windshield for €40.00 because we did not suppress to park where there is a blue line, how we could know that if the car rental doesn’t inform us about that rule? But that is not all, we went to pay the parking ticket and were had to pay not €40 but €80 because it was a rental car😡 that is totally unfair. We talk to the manager at the driver car rental to pay the half because they fail to mention the rules and he said that they will not refund us anything because we should know.
Please do not rent a car with them If you don’t want to get frustrated when you return the car back
We were not even asking to refund us the whole amount, we were asking for the half because it’s there fault for the lack of information

Blev mødt med et ekstra krav på 140 euro, til en ekstra forsikring, udover den vi allerede havde betalt.
Vi er glade for vi afviste det, især efter vi læste på Trust Pilot om alle de dårlige anmeldelser, da vi kom hjem.
Det var lige som vi oplevede det.
Fik hjælp til at få nogle af de indbetalte penge retur, gennem Booking.Com.
Lejede i stedet bil hos et anerkendt firma, der fungerede alt som det skulle.

I hired cars in my life probably more than 50 times, and many of rentals in Greece.
Drive car hire company in Preveza is definetely the worst one I ever experienced.
Completely lack of manners or just decency-not even one attempt of welcoming gesture, no smile.
Lady at the airport counter-very rude.
Took a long time to check in- not very intetested to mark any dents, scratches- best to carefully check the car - take pictures, record videos- otherwise when returning your car-they will try to find something.
Seen 2 guys returning cars- they been charged for some tiny scratches.
In my experience- I was charged 25 euros,because some small sand, tiny stones under carpet- I knew to clean a car before returning and did it.
Car har slippy clutch-and underpowered,did not accelerate- rang same day- answer was - you should have hire a bigger car- or just drive back to airport - we will have a look.
No offer to replace and deliver a car.
Greece is a such a lovely country- but Drive car hire is on the best way to ruin good memories from your holiday.
Stay away from this company.

My wife and I rented from Drive Hellas at Preveza Aktion Airport. The desk was right in the terminal, and the cars are located directly across the road from the terminal. Easy pick up and drop off process. We got the car we reserved. The agent at the desk offered us a cleaning package on the car, however, we chose to simply wash and vacuum the car ourselves for 3EUR (there are car wash points all over Lefkada, easy way to save money).

I cannot speak about the other locations, but at Preveza, nobody was pushy. Nobody was rude. Nobody tried to "find damage" and "scam" us. The staff were great.

As good as any rental agency. I would gladly rent from Drive again.

Check the reviews of this company before using their services. In our opinion, it’s just a scam. When we went to pick up the car, we found out that they don’t accept debit cards because they can't secure a deposit on them, BUT if we paid an extra €90, they would be able to secure the deposit on a debit card. They didn’t allow us to cancel the reservation, and in desperation, we wanted to pay the €90 just to get out of there, but 10 minutes later, they rented the car from our reservation to someone else, and there was no car left for us. So, we paid for the reservation, but the car was rented to someone else.