Renting a car may seem easy, since you just show up, hand over your license & drive off—but behind the counter, some shady practices might trip up even the most experienced travelers. These aren’t your usual warnings like “read the fine print.” Rather, these lesser-known scams have actually happened and they could ruin your finances in ways you didn’t expect. Here are twelve rental car scams to watch out for.
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The “Upgraded” Car That’s Actually Downgraded
You might be told that the car you reserved isn’t available and the staff might give you a “free upgrade”—but the car you get is older, smaller, or has worse gas mileage. For example, you might be given a minivan when you booked a sedan and this will cost you way more in gas. It doesn’t matter if the company insists the vehicle was in a higher “class,” because there’s no universal standard for car classes across rental companies.
Charging You for Damage That Was Already There
It’s normal to do a walkaround and take photos of the car before leaving, yet some companies still try to bill you for dents or scratches that were clearly there before. They might even change the paperwork after you’ve driven off and remove the damage notes. You need to take photos with a timestamp & get a staff member’s signature because if you don’t, they could claim you can’t prove anything.
Billing You for the GPS That Came with the Car
Most rental cars have built-in GPS systems, but that doesn’t mean they’re free to use—some companies charge a daily fee for them, which could be $10 to $15 a day. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t turn it on because the device could activate by default when you start the car. They’ll use this as evidence that it was used and they’ll charge you unless you noticed it early.
Claiming a Key Is Missing When You Only Got One
The majority of rental cars come with two key fobs, although companies often give you just one so that when you return the car, they say you’ve lost the second one & charge you for it. There’s no way to prove you never had two keys to begin with and the fee for a “lost” fob is sometimes well over $200. In some cases, renters have had to argue for days over a key that they never received in the first place, although they have no evidence of this.
Refueling Charges Even When the Tank Is Full
Some companies charge you for fuel, even when you fill up before returning the car, with the most common excuses being that “the fuel gauge didn’t register as full” or “the cap wasn’t closed tightly.” Others will say their “system” showed it wasn’t 100% and you might also have to pay a refueling service fee on top of inflated per-gallon prices. You’ll need to show a gas receipt from right before drop-off to avoid any of these charges.
Daily “Foreign Driver” Fees That Weren’t Disclosed
In some countries, drivers using a foreign license, like a U.S. license in Europe, are charged a daily fee just for being from another country—and these fees don’t always appear when booking online. The companies will add them at the counter and you might not notice until the final bill, unless you look closely. Staff might also tell you that getting an international driving permit would’ve helped you avoid the charge, even in places where you’re not legally required to have one.
Getting Charged Twice for Insurance Coverage
You book a rental online & pay for insurance through a third-party site, but when you pick up the car, the company adds its own coverage anyway. They’ll usually say that they don’t accept the third-party policy or may just include their own by default & hope you don’t catch it. Either way, not reading the rental agreement line by line could mean you end up paying for two overlapping insurance plans.
Cleaning Fees for Pet Hair, Smells, or “Pollen”
You’ll usually have to pay a cleaning fee with a rental car company and many of them will charge $100 or more for “excessive cleaning,” regardless of whether the car looks fine. They’ll claim pet hair, strong odors, or vague things like “unusual residue”—sometimes, they’ll charge for things like pollen or dust. The scam works because they’re able to say absolutely anything once the car is out of your hands, unless you took photos of the interior at drop-off.
Daily Toll Fees Even When You Paid in Cash
The majority of rental cars come with a toll tag already stuck on the windshield and it doesn’t matter if you don’t turn it on or touch it—just having it there could trigger a daily fee on your bill. This is usually a few bucks a day and although you might’ve paid every toll booth with actual cash, the system still flags it. In cities where they only have electronic tolls, you have no real way to avoid them and will pay either way.
Drop-Off Location Changed Without Warning
While you might’ve planned ahead & picked the drop-off location, when you show up, you find a sign on the door saying they’ve “moved” or “closed early.” Someone nearby tells you to take it to another branch across town and you do it because what else are you supposed to do? A week later, you’ll get an extra fee for not returning the car to the original spot. Good luck arguing your way out of it without proof that the switch wasn’t your idea.
Traffic Violations That Come with Extra Charges Later
You might think you’re done with your rental, but that’s not quite true, as a few weeks go by & suddenly there’s a charge on your card for $200. It turns out that you drove past a traffic camera overseas and received a small fine, maybe €40, then the rental company tacks on a massive “processing” fee. There’s no copy of the ticket and by the time you spot it, the money’s long gone.
Winter Tire Fees Even When It’s Not Snowing
Some rental car companies add a “winter tire” charge automatically for a few months every year, snow or no snow. They’ll say it’s “required” or “standard policy,” although half the time, the car doesn’t even have winter tires on it. You’re completely out of luck if you didn’t ask at the counter because they’ll say you agreed to it by signing the rental agreement.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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