So, I decided to give Sixt a shot for my one-way rental from Lisbon to Faro because they were significantly cheaper than other rental companies. Little did I know what a massive mistake that would turn out to be, and boy, do I wish I had listened to the warnings about them. The horror story began when the agent sneakily added a “prepaid fuel” charge to my reservation, making it seem like some kind of bonus for renting in Portugal when, in reality, it was just an unnecessary extra cost.
Then there was the car itself. Oh, where do I even begin? The thing was a disaster on wheels, with a laundry list of damages that included dents, remnants of past crashes, cracks, and scratches. It was like they had picked the most beat-up car in their fleet just for me. But the cherry on top of this rental nightmare was when, upon returning the car, they tried to claim that I had caused new scuffs on the rear bumper. Seriously, these scuffs were in a spot so inconspicuous, near the bottom lip of the car, that it was almost comical. Thankfully, the photos I had taken when I picked up the car clearly showed that the damage was already there.
Even though I had the evidence to refute their claim, I can’t shake off the feeling that they might still try something shady later on, especially since the pictures were taken at night and weren’t the best quality to clearly show the damages. This whole ordeal was hands down the worst rental experience I’ve ever had. I mean, I’ve rented from National, Avis, and Hertz multiple times, and none of them have ever given me such a nightmare of a car or wasted so much of my time during the return process.
Needless to say, I will be steering clear of Sixt in the future if I can help it. The few bucks I saved with them are not worth the hassle, stress, and potential headaches that come with dealing with their shady practices and subpar vehicles. Next time, I’ll gladly pay a bit extra to rent from a company that actually values their customers and provides decent cars. Lesson learned, the hard way.