Sources and rules
Everything the checker say comes from the sources below (checked 2026-11-14). Where sources conflict or could not be confirmed, we say so. Corrections: [email protected].
EU law
- Unfair Contract Terms Directive 93/13/EEC: art. 3 and Annex 1(e), 1(q) (penalties; shifting the burden of proof). EUR-Lex
- Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU: art. 22 (express consent to extra payments), art. 16(l) (no withdrawal right for dated car rental). EUR-Lex
- Payment Services Directive (EU) 2015/2366: art. 75 (blocking only the consented amount), arts. 76-77 (8-week refund request), art. 71 (13 months for unauthorised transactions). EUR-Lex
- EU ODR platform closed on 20 July 2025 (Regulation (EU) 2024/3228). EUR-Lex
- CPC Network action with Avis, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt (2017): fuel options, damage inspection procedure, price transparency. European Commission
Help and complaint routes
- ECC-Net car-rental guidance. eccnet.eu · ECC offices: European Commission list
- ECRCS scope, rules and participant list (FAQ). ecrcs.com. Leaseurope describes "cross-border" differently (leaseurope.org); we apply the stricter ECRCS FAQ.
- ECC Malta car-rental advice. eccnetmalta.gov.mt
Country rules
| Country | Burden of proof | Consumer rules | Authority / complaint book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | Article 217 of the Spanish Civil Procedure Act (Ley 1/2000, LEC) | Articles 82, 87.5 and 88.2 of Royal Legislative Decree 1/2007 (TRLGDCU), which make clauses shifting the burden of proof onto the consumer, or charging for services not actually provided, abusive | Regional consumer office of the region where you rented (OMIC / Dirección General de Consumo); national ministry: Ministerio de Derechos Sociales, Consumo y Agenda 2030 Hoja de Reclamaciones |
| Portugal | Article 342(1) of the Portuguese Civil Code | Decree-Law 446/85 on standard contract terms and Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms | AMT – Autoridade da Mobilidade e dos Transportes (handles rent-a-car complaints); Direção-Geral do Consumidor Livro de Reclamações |
| Italy | Article 2697 of the Italian Civil Code | Article 33(2)(f) and (t) of the Italian Consumer Code (Legislative Decree 206/2005), which presume unfair any clause reversing the burden of proof or imposing manifestly excessive penalties | AGCM – Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (unfair commercial practices and unfair clauses) |
| Greece | Article 338 of the Greek Code of Civil Procedure | Law 2251/1994 on consumer protection and Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms | General Secretariat of Commerce and Consumer Protection (complaint via gov.gr); Hellenic Consumer Ombudsman (ADR) |
| Croatia | Articles 219 and 221a of the Croatian Civil Procedure Act (ZPP) | the Consumer Protection Act (Zakon o zaštiti potrošača, NN 19/2022 as amended) and Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms | State Inspectorate (Državni inspektorat); consumer information system szp.hr |
| Malta | Article 562 of the Code of Organization and Civil Procedure (Cap. 12) | the Consumer Affairs Act (Cap. 378) and Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms | MCCAA – Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (mediation; then the Consumer Claims Tribunal) |
Card disputes (general information)
Chargebacks are card-scheme procedures; your card issuer decides. Typical scheme windows are around 120 days but issuers may set shorter ones (Adyen documentation). We do not give financial advice.
Market context
A 2018 Which? survey of about 150 readers found that 59% of those charged for damage said they never received supporting documents (reported by Travel Weekly, 5 March 2018). Small, self-selected UK sample.
Full research notes with every source are kept in the project's docs/RESEARCH.md.