Thrifty Malaga

The rental experience was alright. The car had more damages than in the report, so they told me to make a video and pictures. That would make any mistake a paiment from my side. So, lazy to say the least. Then its been 13 days and my card is still blocked!!! never in 10 years I got a blocked card so long, having no damages claimed.
Next monday I will have to call and request unblocking, acccording to their policy is max 14 days block

One of the worst car rental experiences we have ever had

Unfortunately, we cannot recommend Thrifty / Hertz Marbella.

Our rental car was booked through Booking.com and paid for in full before our trip. The booking included the rental charges and insurance coverage. For this reason, we arrived expecting a straightforward vehicle pickup.

Instead, we were confronted with additional insurance products and significant extra charges at the rental desk.

We repeatedly informed the employee that the booking had already been paid for and asked a very simple question: Why were we being asked to pay again for a vehicle that had already been paid for through Booking.com?

We asked this question several times and never received a clear answer. Instead, our concerns were repeatedly dismissed. In our view, the employee did not even make a genuine effort to review our booking documentation properly. Rather than examining the details of our reservation, he continually brushed aside our questions and failed to provide a transparent explanation for the additional charges.

After a long journey and travelling with our young child, we felt placed under considerable pressure. The situation gave us the impression that we had no realistic choice but to accept the additional costs if we wanted to receive the vehicle and continue our holiday.

What makes this experience even more disappointing is the way our complaint was handled afterwards. We contacted Hertz directly and requested a proper review of the case. Instead of receiving clear answers, we felt that our concerns were simply brushed aside.

Because of this, we escalated the matter and even contacted Hertz's senior management. Remarkably, we did not receive any response whatsoever—not even an acknowledgement that our complaint had been received.

To this day, nobody has been able or willing to explain why substantial additional payments were demanded despite the rental already being paid through Booking.com and insurance coverage already being in place.

For a global company such as Hertz and Thrifty, we expected transparency, professionalism and respect for customers. Unfortunately, our experience was the exact opposite.

We have now referred the matter to consumer protection organisations and will continue to pursue it.

This was one of the worst experiences we have ever had with a car rental company. We will not rent from Thrifty or Hertz again and cannot recommend them to others.

Avoid at all costs, these are scammers!

I picked up a hire car on the 24/01/2026 until 01/02/206. It was a new car, low miles, clean and full tank of fuel as you would expect. It did have one mark on the bumper not documented but I took photos in the carpark just incase.

I told the girl i had insurance and didn’t need their insurance and she said that’s fine. I signed the vehicle condition report only twice and she wrote a load of figures down on a piece of paper about charges if I don’t fill it with a full tank etc. They would take a holding payment for that from my credit card. She handed me the keys and on the paper for the insurance which I didn’t take she wrote the bay number to find the car.

I’ve now been charged for this insurance on my credit card. The same thing which is happening to other people.

The chances of getting this money back are slim to none. I will be taking this up with my credit card company.

You have been warned, I won’t used again and use another company. If you have to use thrifty take a video before and after collecting the car like I did and keep the paperwork just incase.

Good experience at Thrifty Malaga – Just be patient and read what you sign!

​I’ll admit, reading the terrible reviews online almost made me cancel my reservation. I decided to go through with it anyway, and while it wasn't perfect, it was a good experience overall.
​The Process:
The rental desk is in the parking garage, a short walk from baggage claim. There was a bit of a wait when I arrived, so definitely give yourself some extra time. I was assisted by Borja at the reception.
​My Advice to Customers:
Make sure you read everything thoroughly before you put your signature on anything. The staff is professional, but they are definitely trained to sell their own insurance. They might try to "scare" you into buying it by focusing on the large deposit they have to hold on your credit card.
​I had already purchased insurance through Booking.com, so I simply told them I was happy for the company to keep the deposit. Once I was clear about that, they moved forward. Just be firm, stay calm, and check your documents before signing so you know exactly what you are agreeing to.
​The Car:
The car was very new and in great condition. I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 only because the cleaning could have been better—it wasn't quite as spotless as I expected for a new vehicle.

Do not recommend no matter how careful you are you will get scammed, this place is well organised and setup to trick you.

I hired a car from the 24th January to the 1st February. The hire centre wasn’t hard to find and the queue wasn’t long but it was a bit manic with the desk staff.

These desk staff are clearly well trained to sell or trick you into buying their insurance. I approached the desk and had print outs of my booking through Ryanair and car insurance which I had pre purchased, clearly stating I didn’t need insurance.

I signed the vehicle condition report and then we discussed the holding payment on the credit card for if I returned the car with no fuel or damage. This is normal and my insurance said I would have to pay the excess and claim it back from them. But there was lots of writing figures on scrap paper and that is okay this is okay sign here. I then signed what I didn’t realise was the insurance agreement. When I signed it I figured out they were still selling me their insurance and I said again that i didn’t want it. The girl clearly not happy took the paper away and said okay you don’t need to worry about that we are not doing the insurance. Guess what! She still put it through.

I handed the car back and was told at drop off the holding payment would be returned to the credit card. A few days later I got charged the insurance.

I called thrifty and was told to email them the issue. They sent me photos of the insurance document and said their decision is final.

Do not trust these people! If you do sign a document and realise it’s insurance or something you don’t want take the paper and destroy it! Video the car before and after as well so they cannot hit you with additional charges.

Really angry they have used my card from the holding payment to bill this when I never authorised it. You shouldn’t have to feel pressured and worried about being scammed by them when you have the correct documents and hand over your card. Clearly the brand name doesn’t matter in terms of trust.