Centauro car hire scam
Sharing mine (and many others) experiences of renting a car with Centauro.
My particular experience was in Palma, Mallorca but this will be a scam model they use in all their locations.
I want to avoid it happening to anyone else.
For background: I’m a travel planner and I travel for work every month, which usually involves renting a car. I’ve been traveling around souther Europe for a decade. I’ve hired cars from various companies all over Europe. I know what to look out for and I know to always purchase full insurance outside of the hire company. I’ve experienced all the tricks that rental companies use to try and get money off you, but I’ve never had an experience this dishonest before.
I’m writing this because these companies shouldn’t get away with it. Since my website holds weight in the travel space for Portugal and Spain, I want to insure people are getting access to this information so they can make informed decisions about choosing a car rental. I advise against using Centauro.
When I rent in Portugal, Spain or Italy I use one of two broker companies to find my car hire and thats exactly what I did that this time. I am not mentioning the name of the broker company I used because it is nothing to do with them. They helped me massively with my claim against the Centauro. I continue to use the same broker company after this experience and I still trust them fully..
This is about the rental company Centauro that I used while in Mallorca.
Purchasing Insurance
As always, I paid for full and top-up insurance from the broker before the rental. I always purchase insurance first because I like to know I am fully covered. I’ve had several occasions over the years where I have had minor bumps and scratches. The broker’s insurance has always covered me for these and I’ve never had to pay an excess. For me that is worth every penny. My advice is to always purchase insurance for peace of mind.
Having been in the travel industry for 10+ years, I’m wise to car rentals trying to trick you out of money with various methods. A common complaint is being charged for damage to the vehicle you did not do. This is another reason I always purchase full insurance before the hire so that this can never happen.
On this occasion in April 2025 I purchased full insurance with the top up included from the broker before my hire.
⚠️CENTAURO INSURANCE DEPOSIT SCAM
Many rental car companies have tricks to get you to pay more money but what Centauro is doing isn’t just deception, it is illegal. At the start of the booking they informed me they were taking a €200 refundable deposit to cover fuel, which they told me, would be returned at the end of the rental (providing the car had the same amount of fuel). This is very normal and expected at most rental companies.
Sometimes rental a company try to sell you insurance at the desk at which point I always decline because I have always purchased it previously through the broker. There was no spoken or written mention of insurance or any other charge on my card.
On this occasion, Centauro didn’t ask me if I wanted insurance. If they had asked me if I wanted insurance I would have declined, because I had already purchased full insurance and was covered. Remember, I rent cars almost monthly so I know the drill.
The Centauro Scam
When I returned the car they told me my full fuel deposit of would be returned, which they told me was €40. When I challenged them and said they took a €200, they told me I took out their insurance policy for £156 at the start of the rental.
THIS NEVER HAPPENED. Not only did I not agree to any insurance they didn’t even offer me that option at pick up.
I was gobsmacked and racing through my memory looking for a point where I had accepted something but I never needed to doubt myself. It turns out this isn’t a one off thing; it’s happening to people daily. After the hire, I checked Google reviews and saw many others complaining of the exact same scam, within even a few days of mine. You only have to look at the company on GoogleMaps and you will see dozens of people reporting the exact same scam.
What they are doing is completely illegal. If you have had a bad experience please leave a review on all platforms to stop this happening to other people.
DO NOT USE THIS CAR HIRE COMPANY
There are lots of reliable car rental companies. Do your research before booking but whatever you do, do not rent a car from Centauro.
Please share this with your friends, family and travel contacts.