Overall, only 45% of car rental websites comply with EU consumer protection laws, according to a survey published, on Monday 4 July, by the European Commission and national consumer protection authorities.
Under the coordination of the Commission, authorities in ten EU Member States and Norway monitored 78 car rental brokerage websites, including those of airlines.
In almost a third of the websites, it was not clear whether consumers should contact the broker or the lessor in case of questions or complaints.
In addition, 28% of them did not clearly mention the name of the brokerage company and almost half did not clearly indicate what was included in the insurance.
The authorities also found problems with price information, such as incomplete information on mandatory charges (e.g. young driver charges or one-way charges).
National authorities will contact the traders concerned to bring their websites into compliance and, if necessary, take enforcement action in accordance with their national procedures.
A coordinated EU-wide action in 2017 with the leading car rental companies was successful: they committed in 2019 to clarify their pricing (see EUROPE 12221/8). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)