Rude staff and faulty car, avoid Budget Athens
I usually don't leave negative reviews, but my experience with Budget at Athens airport was genuinely disappointing. We arrived for a weekend break and were greeted by a massive queue. It took over 45 minutes to reach the counter, and the staff member was incredibly rude. He tried to pressure me into buying extra insurance, even though I had full coverage through my credit card. He acted like my policy was invalid just to upsell. When we finally got the car, a Toyota Yaris, it wasn't clean and had a strange burning smell coming from the engine whenever we accelerated. It made driving stressful the entire trip. Returning the vehicle was chaotic too. For a major brand, the service was unacceptable. I definitely won't be using them again in Greece.
KW
Katarzyna Wiśniewska
22 Feb 2026
Athens city centre: Enterprise made it easy
Picked up near Syntagma Square. Athens traffic is brutal but Enterprise sorted us out with a solid map briefing. Car return near the airport was seamless.
Smooth Start to Our Greek Road Trip from Athens
We rented from Hertz at Athens airport for a week-long road trip around the Peloponnese with friends. Honestly, I was expecting a bit of a hassle given how busy airports usually are, but the process was surprisingly smooth. We arrived at the counter around midday and there was no queue at all. The staff member—think his name was Dimitris—was efficient and friendly. He didn't push the extra insurance on us too hard, which I really appreciated. We had booked a compact SUV and got a nearly new Toyota Corolla Cross, which was perfect for the mountain roads. The car was clean and exactly what we needed. It made the start of our holiday completely stress-free. I’d definitely use this location again.
Car was fine, process slow
Hertz at Athens Eleftherios Venizelos — car was clean and drove well but the queue took 45 minutes. Not great when you've just done a long flight. The car itself was fine though.
Athens Hertz — dependable all-rounder, but inspect for motorway chips
The operation is polished and multilingual, yet vehicles returning from island-port runs sometimes carry windscreen chips or bumper marks that should be logged before departure.
Athens Sixt — excellent fleet, relentless airport upselling
The cars are often some of the best presented at Eleftherios Venizelos, but the counter team can push premium cover and category upgrades with the confidence of a luxury retailer.
Athens city Budget — Plaka convenience
Picked up near the Acropolis. Staff warned about ZTL zones and parking. The Peugeot handled Athenian traffic fine.
Athens Airport OK Mobility — mainland Greece value
The Opel Corsa was clean and the staff explained the fuel policy clearly. Solid choice for Peloponnese trips.
Athens Europcar — good-value family option with slower exits
This is often a sensible pick for child seats and estate cars, although summer queues at the garage exit can erase the value feeling after a red-eye flight.
Solid choice for our Greek honeymoon road trip
We rented from Hertz at Athens airport for the start of our honeymoon, heading straight for Nafplio. I was a bit worried after reading mixed reviews, but the process was actually quite smooth. There was a short queue when we landed around 9 AM, but the staff moved things along efficiently. We were offered the usual insurance upgrade, which we declined since we had our own coverage, and the agent didn't push it aggressively which was a relief. We got a nearly new Toyota Yaris which was perfect for the winding roads and easy to park in the city. The only slight hiccup was the deposit hold taking a few days to clear after drop-off, but honestly, it was a stress-free start to our trip. Would use them again.
C
CityBreakClaire
26 Oct 2025
Athens Sixt — excellent fleet, relentless airport upselling
The cars are often some of the best presented at Eleftherios Venizelos, but the counter team can push premium cover and category upgrades with the confidence of a luxury retailer.
Athens Europcar — good-value family option with slower exits
This is often a sensible pick for child seats and estate cars, although summer queues at the garage exit can erase the value feeling after a red-eye flight.
Athens Hertz — dependable all-rounder, but inspect for motorway chips
The operation is polished and multilingual, yet vehicles returning from island-port runs sometimes carry windscreen chips or bumper marks that should be logged before departure.
KW
Katarzyna Wiśniewska
22 Feb 2026
Athens city centre: Enterprise made it easy
Picked up near Syntagma Square. Athens traffic is brutal but Enterprise sorted us out with a solid map briefing. Car return near the airport was seamless.
M
MainlandGreece
15 Oct 2025
Athens Airport OK Mobility — mainland Greece value
The Opel Corsa was clean and the staff explained the fuel policy clearly. Solid choice for Peloponnese trips.
Athens city Budget — Plaka convenience
Picked up near the Acropolis. Staff warned about ZTL zones and parking. The Peugeot handled Athenian traffic fine.