Sixt — Local services in Paris

I would strongly caution anyone from renting from Sixt. The company is very difficult to get in touch with if/when something goes wrong and the solutions offered are poor and far from compensating for their errors. I had a terrible experience hiring a car from the Vincennes location in Paris in 2021, details below.

I drove from Paris to Chateau-Thierry Tuesday afternoon without a problem, but just a couple of house later, the hybrid car would not start. A series of warning messages appeared in the car and it would not shift into gear: "Défaut système de traction électrique: Arrêtez le véhicule, consultez la notice." and "Défaut système de traction électrique: Vitesse limitée, faites réparer le véhicule." I was in a parking lot at a local food market, less than half a mile from our accommodation.

We called Sixt Assistance, explained the problem, and they sent a tow truck to pick up the car. We waited in the car (it was raining) for several hours when finally a tow company arrived around 21:00 and took the car away. The electric system of the car failed, nothing to do with our rental of the car, and not fixable. The repairman spoke with Sixt Assistance to confirm details of the tow and we walked back to our accommodation in the rain. The only option Sixt Assistance gave us was to arrange a taxi to pick us up, drive us back to Paris (1 hour) and then pick up a new car. I don't know how this would have been possible as we wouldn't have arrived in Paris until close to midnight. Needless to say, we would have returned to our accommodation around 1/2am. We opted to receive a full refund, as offered by Sixt.

I wrote to Sixt attaching photos of the warning message and the intervention slip and instead of an immediate refund, I received an invoice for 885.48 Euros. The original rental agreement for a 3-day rental period was for 264.18 Euros. I immediately wrote to Sixt demanding a full refund and they refused after I was told on the phone that of course, I would receive a full refund for the 3 of 72 hour rental period.

Sixt automatically charged my credit card 885.48 Euros, so I reversed the charge. Sixt then proceeded to invoice me 132,08 Euros (half of the original rental agreement). I again demanded a full refund for the obvious reasons 1. I was offered a refund as an alternative to the terrible taxi option on the phone with Sixt when the car broke down 2. I only used the car for about 3/72 hours rented. Any additional hours were spent waiting in the car for the tow company and 3. The overall inconvenience not only to my trip, but also the hassle of the incorrect invoice. Sixt refused the refund.

Now, three years later, I've just received a letter from a German debt collection company requesting payment for 132,08 Euros. I won't get into the details of this, but needless to say, Sixt do not value their customers. I am very disappointed and frustrated to...

On Monday, June 24, 2025, I picked up the vehicle I had reserved at your SIXT | Location voiture Paris 1er branch (15 Bd de Sébastopol, 75001 Paris). The car provided was an Audi Q7. Contract and registration details are attached.

On Wednesday, June 26, after driving only about 300 km, the vehicle displayed a warning that an oil change was required within 300 km, and the engine oil level was low.

We contacted customer service yesterday (June 25), but due to language difficulties, the communication was ineffective and led to misunderstandings. We also sent two support messages via the Sixt app, but received no reply in over 24 hours.

For safety reasons, I went today to your Dijon branch (31 Cr de la Gare, 21000 Dijon) to ask for help. On site, three staff members told us they could not do anything, had no replacement vehicles available, and could not provide repairs. We were asked to call customer service ourselves. After repeated discussion and translation support, I called and waited over 30 minutes. The operator said they would contact the Lyon branch to find a replacement vehicle and call back within 15 minutes.

Unfortunately, we never received a return call, and the staff at the branch were unable to assist further. We had no choice but to continue using a vehicle that may be malfunctioning, losing over 4 hours in the process.

Later during our drive, the dashboard showed another warning: “Engine speed limited to 2750 rpm”, indicating a possible further mechanical issue and raising serious safety concerns.

This rental experience has been extremely disappointing. It casts doubt on your contractual obligations, puts our safety at risk, and caused significant loss of time and international phone charges. The suggestion to simply drive to Lyon for a replacement is not an acceptable solution in our situation.

We still need to drive over 2000 km, and under these conditions, we don’t know how to proceed and are very concerned for our safety.

We request an urgent response explaining how to resolve this issue, and ask that you provide a clear solution and appropriate compensation. Otherwise, we will be forced to continue using this Audi Q7 for the remaining 13 days of...

In October I rented a van for one week. I picked it up at CDG and dropped it off six days later at this location Paris. When we dropped off the van, we walked the exterior to confirm there wasn't any damage and explained the tank was not full and we would pay the fee and cost to refill it. We asked for a receipt and were told it would be emailed to us.

I reserved the van online, and paid in full to guarantee the rate of approximately 1,549.48 EUR for the 8 day rental. We were told when picking up at CDG airport that we could drop off in Paris for a small fee, as stated in the contract for 19.99 EUR.

Upon returning home, I checked my Visa and in addition to the original prepaid fee of 1,549.48 EUR, I had an additional charge of 3,422,91 EUR (Equivalent of $3,761.09 US Dollars). I immediately called SIXT customer service and after being transferred several times I was disconnected. They stated that because I drove an additional 1,000kms beyond the included mileage I was being charged an additional $3,761.09. I explained my itinerary and said that it was impossible as I returned the van 2 days earlier. I sent them my rental property and hotel receipts to prove where I had been and they rejected my claim. I have written letters, and sent additional receipts to prove my whereabouts on specific dates, with not response.

This was a trip to take my father to celebrate his 80th birthday and visit friends in Provence. SIXT charged me a total of 4,859.69 EUR for a six day rental car. They have provided me with no proof of the odometer reading from when I picked up the van nor when I dropped off the van to show that I drove an additional 1,000kms. If their claim was valid, I would have driven over 3,000km during our 6 day roundtrip to Provence back to Paris.

Please don't rent from this company unless you want to risk being charged an egregious amount without any proof or...