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Counterwise

OPO · Report · November 2026

Porto Airport car hire report

Key numbers for the 27 car rental desks we rate at Porto Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO), computed from our published data.

Data updated · reviewed by our editor on · Methodology

Desks rated
27
6,408 reviews analysed
Average score
5.3/10
median 5.0
Median starting deposit
€100
10 of 27 deposits known
No credit card needed
11%
3 of 27 desks, 6 not confirmed

Key findings

  • Counterwise rates 27 car rental desks at Porto Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO): 2 Great (8 or more out of 10), 4 Mixed (6 to 7.9) and 21 Poor (below 6). The average Counterwise Score is 5.3/10.
  • The best-rated desk at Porto Airport is Autounion (8.9/10); the lowest-rated is Freerent (1.7/10).
  • Where the deposit is known (10 of 27 desks), the typical starting deposit at Porto Airport is €100 (median), from €0 at Klass Wagen up to €5,500 at Tangerine Rent A Car.
  • 3 of 27 desks at Porto Airport (11%) do not require a credit card (debit cards accepted); the card rule is not confirmed yet for 6 desks.
  • 1 desks at Porto Airport are a short walk from the terminal (average score 5.7) and 26 are off-site, reached by shuttle (average 5.3).
  • The most common traveller complaints at Porto Airport are damage charges after return (20 of 27 desks), pressure to buy insurance or extras (20 of 27 desks) and car refused over card, licence or flight rules (17 of 27 desks).

Score distribution

How the 27 desks split across our score bands.

Best and worst desks

Lowest rated

  1. 27. FreerentDozens of recent reviews report the desk refusing a credit card (only a first-name initial, 'online bank', or debit/credit card) when travellers declined its insurance, leaving them to pay roughly €230-700 extra or lose the booking; a Tripadvisor post and a DiscoverCars page describe similar problems.1.7 · Poor
  2. 26. BravacarPickup problems are widely reported: waits of 40-90 minutes, no shuttle at the airport, and the desk being closed or unstaffed at the confirmed time. Four reviews in the last 12 months describe this, and many older ones do too.4.0 · Poor
  3. 25. SurpriceAbout two dozen reviews report charges for small scratches, marks or cleaning at return (typically €70-€600), often with a threat to keep the card hold, and several say pickup photos were missing or incomplete. A 2026 travel guide also names post-return damage claims at this operator as a recurring issue.4.0 · Poor

Deposits and card rules

Deposits

Lowest starting deposit
€0 (Klass Wagen)
Highest amount
€5,500 (Tangerine Rent A Car)
Median starting deposit
€100
Deposit known
10 of 27 desks

Not confirmed yet for 17 desks: left out of these figures.

All deposits, lowest first →

Credit card or debit card

No credit card needed (debit accepted)
3 of 27 · 11%
Credit card required
18 of 27 · 67%
Not confirmed yet
6 of 27 · 22%

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

Desks without a credit card →

In the terminal or by shuttle

In the terminal
0
none
Short walk
1
avg score 5.7
Shuttle
26
avg score 5.3

Desks reached without a shuttle average 5.7/10; shuttle desks average 5.3/10.

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. Damage charges after return20 of 27 · 74%

    Charges for scratches, chips or dents that travellers say were already there or tiny. Desks: GoDrive, CAEL, OK Mobility, Guerin, Record Go, Klass Wagen, International Car, Tangerine Rent A Car, Goldcar, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, Drive on Holidays, Budget, Centauro, Sicily by Car, Green Motion, Surprice, Bravacar, Freerent.

  2. Pressure to buy insurance or extras20 of 27 · 74%

    Hard selling of the desk’s own cover, upgrades or extras, or cover added without clear consent. Desks: Carfast Rent A Car, OPO Rent, Hertz, CAEL, OK Mobility, Guerin, Klass Wagen, International Car, Tangerine Rent A Car, Goldcar, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, Drive on Holidays, Budget, Centauro, Sicily by Car, Drive4Move, Green Motion, Freerent.

  3. Car refused over card, licence or flight rules17 of 27 · 63%

    Pickups refused or made conditional because of card type, licence or permit, or a missing flight ticket or boarding pass. Desks: CAEL, OK Mobility, Klass Wagen, International Car, Tangerine Rent A Car, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, Drive on Holidays, Budget, Centauro, Sicily by Car, Drive4Move, Green Motion, Drivalia, Bravacar, Freerent.

  4. Booking not honoured or price changed16 of 27 · 59%

    Booked car not available, a smaller or different car, a higher price at the desk, or fees not clear at booking. Desks: Hertz, OK Mobility, Guerin, Klass Wagen, Tangerine Rent A Car, Goldcar, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, Drive on Holidays, Budget, Sicily by Car, Drive4Move, Green Motion, Drivalia, Bravacar.

  5. Long queues or waits15 of 27 · 56%

    Long waits at the desk, for the keys or for the shuttle. Desks: Autounion, Hertz, Guerin, Record Go, Tangerine Rent A Car, Avis, Europcar, Drive on Holidays, Sicily by Car, Drive4Move, Green Motion, Drivalia, Surprice, Bravacar, Freerent.

  6. Toll device pushed or charged15 of 27 · 56%

    Toll transponders sold or charged without a clear explanation of the cost. Desks: OPO Rent, Hertz, Guerin, Record Go, Klass Wagen, International Car, Tangerine Rent A Car, Goldcar, Avis, Sixt, Drive on Holidays, Centauro, Drive4Move, Drivalia, Freerent.

  7. Deposit or refund held back11 of 27 · 41%

    Deposits, holds or refunds released late, only in part, or not at all. Desks: Hertz, OK Mobility, Record Go, International Car, Tangerine Rent A Car, Goldcar, Drive on Holidays, Centauro, Sicily by Car, Green Motion, Surprice.

  8. Fuel charges or fuel policy11 of 27 · 41%

    Refuelling fees despite a full tank, part-empty tanks at pickup, or a different fuel policy at the desk. Desks: Hertz, OK Mobility, Guerin, Record Go, Klass Wagen, Goldcar, Avis, Europcar, Budget, Centauro, Green Motion.

  9. Other fees after the rental10 of 27 · 37%

    Cleaning, admin, traffic-fine handling or late-return fees charged after the car was returned. Desks: OPO Rent, Hertz, GoDrive, Guerin, Record Go, International Car, Sixt, Drive on Holidays, Centauro, Freerent.

  10. Hard-to-reach customer service10 of 27 · 37%

    Phone lines, emails or complaints unanswered for weeks after the rental. Desks: Hertz, Guerin, Record Go, Tangerine Rent A Car, Goldcar, Sixt, Budget, Drive4Move, Drivalia, Surprice.

  11. Closed desk or late-arrival problems9 of 27 · 33%

    Desk closed for late arrivals, bookings cancelled after a flight delay, or out-of-hours fees. Desks: Hertz, OK Mobility, Guerin, Tangerine Rent A Car, Drive on Holidays, Budget, Green Motion, Bravacar, Freerent.

  12. Car condition problems7 of 27 · 26%

    Dirty cars, warning lights, worn tyres or breakdowns. Desks: Autounion, Carfast Rent A Car, OPO Rent, Guerin, International Car, Surprice, Bravacar.

  13. Desk, shuttle stop or return hard to find2 of 27 · 7%

    Poor signs or directions to the desk, the shuttle pickup point or the car return area. Desks: Record Go, Drive on Holidays.

  14. Rude or unhelpful staff1 of 27 · 4%

    Curt, dismissive or aggressive staff at the desk, at return or on the shuttle. Desks: Guerin.

The data behind this report

  • 6,408 traveller reviews analysed across 27 desks.
  • 6,961 recent reviews read; 553 (8%) excluded by our cleaning step as unreliable (mostly solicited staff praise: 496; duplicates: 27; about another location: 18). 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). Porto Airport car hire report, November 2026. Counterwise. https://counterwise.eu/airports/opo/report (data updated 12 November 2026).

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