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Counterwise

LIS · Report · November 2026

Lisbon Airport car hire report

Key numbers for the 21 car rental desks we rate at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), computed from our published data.

Data updated · reviewed by our editor on · Methodology

Desks rated
21
5,562 reviews analysed
Average score
4.8/10
median 4.1
Median starting deposit
€100
6 of 21 deposits known
No credit card needed
19%
4 of 21 desks, 4 not confirmed

Key findings

  • Counterwise rates 21 car rental desks at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS): 1 Great (8 or more out of 10), 3 Mixed (6 to 7.9) and 17 Poor (below 6). The average Counterwise Score is 4.8/10.
  • The best-rated desk at Lisbon Airport is EPI Rent a Car (8.7/10); the lowest-rated is Europcar (3.1/10).
  • Where the deposit is known (6 of 21 desks), the typical starting deposit at Lisbon Airport is €100 (median), from €0 at Record Go up to €1,400 at Goldcar.
  • 4 of 21 desks at Lisbon Airport (19%) do not require a credit card (debit cards accepted); the card rule is not confirmed yet for 4 desks.
  • 7 desks at Lisbon Airport are in the terminal (average score 4.2) and 14 are off-site, reached by shuttle (average 5.2).
  • The most common traveller complaints at Lisbon Airport are pressure to buy insurance or extras (18 of 21 desks), damage charges after return (17 of 21 desks) and car refused over card, licence or flight rules (16 of 21 desks).

Score distribution

How the 21 desks split across our score bands.

Best and worst desks

Lowest rated

  1. 21. EuropcarVery long waits to collect the car are reported repeatedly: many recent reviews describe 1 to 2 hours or more even with prepaid bookings or online check-in, with few staff on duty and cars still being cleaned. Forum and review-site posts describe the same pattern.3.1 · Poor
  2. 20. DrivaliaVery long waits at pickup and return are reported in a large share of reviews, often 1 to 2+ hours and sometimes much more, typically blamed on too few staff at the counter; this continues through the latest months with no sign of improvement.3.3 · Poor
  3. 19. Klass WagenVery many reviews (about 35 of the roughly 155 kept) describe pressure at the counter to buy the desk's own cover, with third-party or broker cover dismissed and high charges for minor damage cited if declined. Recent web threads report the same pattern.3.4 · Poor

Deposits and card rules

Deposits

Lowest starting deposit
€0 (Record Go)
Highest amount
€1,400 (Goldcar)
Median starting deposit
€100
Deposit known
6 of 21 desks

Not confirmed yet for 15 desks: left out of these figures.

All deposits, lowest first →

Credit card or debit card

No credit card needed (debit accepted)
4 of 21 · 19%
Credit card required
13 of 21 · 62%
Not confirmed yet
4 of 21 · 19%

Debit cards accepted at: BeRent, Avis, Record Go, Goldcar.

Desks without a credit card →

In the terminal or by shuttle

In the terminal
7
avg score 4.2
Short walk
0
none
Shuttle
14
avg score 5.2

Desks reached without a shuttle average 4.2/10; shuttle desks average 5.2/10.

In-terminal vs shuttle, compared →

Most common traveller complaints

Number of desks whose published red flags mention each problem. A desk counts once per theme; one red flag can touch several themes.

  1. Pressure to buy insurance or extras18 of 21 · 86%

    Hard selling of the desk’s own cover, upgrades or extras, or cover added without clear consent. Desks: WayGo, BeRent, Surprice, Sicily by Car, Avis, Sixt, Guerin, Budget, Record Go, Hertz, Goldcar, Green Motion, Drive on Holidays, OK Mobility, Tangerine, Klass Wagen, Drivalia, Europcar.

  2. Damage charges after return17 of 21 · 81%

    Charges for scratches, chips or dents that travellers say were already there or tiny. Desks: BeRent, Surprice, Sicily by Car, Avis, Sixt, Guerin, Budget, Record Go, Hertz, Goldcar, Green Motion, Drive on Holidays, OK Mobility, Tangerine, Klass Wagen, Drivalia, Europcar.

  3. Car refused over card, licence or flight rules16 of 21 · 76%

    Pickups refused or made conditional because of card type, licence or permit, or a missing flight ticket or boarding pass. Desks: WayGo, BeRent, Surprice, Sicily by Car, Avis, Centauro, Budget, Record Go, Goldcar, Green Motion, Drive on Holidays, OK Mobility, Tangerine, Klass Wagen, Drivalia, Europcar.

  4. Long queues or waits15 of 21 · 71%

    Long waits at the desk, for the keys or for the shuttle. Desks: WayGo, Sicily by Car, Avis, Sixt, Centauro, Guerin, Budget, Record Go, Hertz, Green Motion, Drive on Holidays, OK Mobility, Klass Wagen, Drivalia, Europcar.

  5. Booking not honoured or price changed14 of 21 · 67%

    Booked car not available, a smaller or different car, a higher price at the desk, or fees not clear at booking. Desks: Surprice, Avis, Centauro, Guerin, Budget, Hertz, Goldcar, Green Motion, Drive on Holidays, OK Mobility, Tangerine, Klass Wagen, Drivalia, Europcar.

  6. Toll device pushed or charged14 of 21 · 67%

    Toll transponders sold or charged without a clear explanation of the cost. Desks: WayGo, Surprice, Sixt, Centauro, Guerin, Record Go, Hertz, Goldcar, Drive on Holidays, OK Mobility, Tangerine, Klass Wagen, Drivalia, Europcar.

  7. Fuel charges or fuel policy13 of 21 · 62%

    Refuelling fees despite a full tank, part-empty tanks at pickup, or a different fuel policy at the desk. Desks: Sicily by Car, Avis, Sixt, Centauro, Guerin, Budget, Record Go, Hertz, Goldcar, Drive on Holidays, OK Mobility, Drivalia, Europcar.

  8. Hard-to-reach customer service12 of 21 · 57%

    Phone lines, emails or complaints unanswered for weeks after the rental. Desks: Avis, Sixt, Centauro, Guerin, Budget, Record Go, Hertz, Goldcar, Drive on Holidays, OK Mobility, Tangerine, Drivalia.

  9. Deposit or refund held back11 of 21 · 52%

    Deposits, holds or refunds released late, only in part, or not at all. Desks: WayGo, BeRent, Centauro, Budget, Record Go, Hertz, Goldcar, Drive on Holidays, OK Mobility, Tangerine, Drivalia.

  10. Other fees after the rental10 of 21 · 48%

    Cleaning, admin, traffic-fine handling or late-return fees charged after the car was returned. Desks: WayGo, Surprice, Sicily by Car, Sixt, Guerin, Record Go, Hertz, Drive on Holidays, OK Mobility, Klass Wagen.

  11. Closed desk or late-arrival problems7 of 21 · 33%

    Desk closed for late arrivals, bookings cancelled after a flight delay, or out-of-hours fees. Desks: Surprice, Sicily by Car, Guerin, Record Go, Hertz, Green Motion, OK Mobility.

  12. Car condition problems4 of 21 · 19%

    Dirty cars, warning lights, worn tyres or breakdowns. Desks: Surprice, Sixt, Guerin, Drive on Holidays.

The data behind this report

  • 5,562 traveller reviews analysed across 21 desks.
  • 6,201 recent reviews read; 639 (10%) excluded by our cleaning step as unreliable (mostly solicited staff praise: 572; about another location: 29; duplicates: 22). How reviews are cleaned
  • Data collected on 12 November 2026; scores last updated 12 November 2026.
  • Summaries and red flags reviewed by our editor on 12 November 2026.
  • Complaint themes are counted with a fixed keyword list applied to each desk’s published red flags (no AI), so the same data always gives the same counts.
  • Unknown facts (“Not confirmed yet”) are left out of averages, medians and ranges, never guessed. Full methodology

How to cite this report

You are welcome to quote these figures. Please name Counterwise and link to this page. The numbers update with each data refresh, so mention the date.

Suggested citation

Counterwise (2026). Lisbon Airport car hire report, November 2026. Counterwise. https://counterwise.eu/airports/lis/report (data updated 12 November 2026).

Permalink

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