Auto Rental Albania "ARA" - Makina me Qera

Do not trust this company – dishonest and unprofessional. We rented a car for 4 days and returned it on time. When we brought it back, they suddenly pointed out a scratch on the back side of the car that we hadn’t even noticed. We’re 100% sure we didn’t hit anything, and there was no visible damage during our use. It was a small surface-level scratch that could have been easily covered with €7 worth of spray paint – yet they charged us €150. What’s worse, they claimed they needed to “change the entire back part” of the car for that tiny scratch, which is ridiculous. The car already had scratches and marks all over the body from previous incidents, but they didn’t seem interested in fixing those. Why not replace the entire car then? Their logic doesn’t add up. It felt like a scam – like they were just looking for an excuse to charge more. At the end, they even tried to act like they were doing us a favor by saying, “We didn’t charge you for the extra one hour,” which just seemed like part of their drama to make us feel guilty or grateful. Totally unprofessional behavior. Avoid this company at all costs. They try to take advantage of tourists and seem to be running a damage scam. Please be careful.....

Considering our flight was 1.5 hrs delayed, and I'd emailed to make the company aware, I had no reply. On arrival our car was ready, in fact it was even there ! I'd booked a Citroën C1, but given a Peugeot 108 instead (same group). After an approx 1 hr wait and a further 10 min walk, we were presented with what could only be described as something that had been through a demolition derby. Basically we were in a position of take it or leave it as we had a 200km drive to Sarande (and our overnight hotel). As you can see by the photos (video) any new bumps / would be difficult to identify. Now the driving experience, anyone who's driven in Albania will know it's interesting at the best of times, but at to that a car who's clutch has more play than a sausage been thrown down an alley, lights that were as bright as candles ( that were extinguished). The gear box was a total pick and mix, any gear in a storm basically. As for reverse, it was there somewhere. As for the drive, it was gutless (even accepting it was only 1000cc) Then there was that lovely metal on metal grind from the front offside wheel on every right hand bend. No washer fluid in the reservoir. All this was relayed to the company on the cars return, which earned a smirk and a shrug of the shoulders. Seriously avoid at all cost !!!!

The experience with this company was awful. The people checking us in after landing was good and the person helping us to get to the car was also good however, and this is a big however, the person checking us in failed to mention that I needed to bring the car back to the airport clean, inside and out. It was a very small print on the contract stating that information. When we got to our car it was DIRTY, inside and out and we have video to confirm it. The tank was empty and we were told to bring it back with an empty tank which is ridiculous and impossible to achieve unless you want to be stranded in a foreign country while trying to get to the airport. Besides all of that, the car itself was horrible, it had wires hanging from underneath, it barely picked up speed and driving it thru the Albanian mountains I though for sure half of the time we would not be able to make it. I hate to say it but it altered our travels and plans as I was scared the car would breakdown halfway thru our trip. We couldn't go back to the airport to return it and risk getting another crappy car, so we just altered our travels and rearranged where we would go, to avoid driving up mountains and risk the car falling apart or breaking down on us. Very very unhappy and disappointed with the car that we received, and to make matters worse at the time we dropped it off, we found out at that time about the small print on the contract about returning the car clean even thought when we got it it was dirty. The person that we dropped the car off with demanded $50 dollars from me as per the contract violation, stating that the car was already rented and he wouldn't have time to get it clean, and when I stated the car was dirty when we picked it up he lowered that amount to $10. Threatening he would just charge the credit card on file the full $50 if I didn't give him $10 in cash right then and there. A total and complete scam, as we all know he put that in his pocket and gave the poor person, the next victim of their scam a dirty car. Lesson learned, do not rent in advance. Albania has so many car rental places right at the airport you can just walk up to, select the car you want and drive off. Do not do it in advance or you will get stuck with a shitty car.

⸻ “Exceptional Service and Smooth Experience!” I recently rented a car from Auto Rental Albania , during a weekend trip, and I couldn’t be happier with the experience. From the moment I walked in, the staff were friendly, efficient, and genuinely helpful. The check-in process was quick, and they even upgraded me to a newer model free of charge! The car itself was spotless, in excellent condition, and ran perfectly the entire trip. I especially appreciated how transparent the pricing was—no hidden fees or last-minute surprises. Returning the vehicle was just as easy, with a quick inspection and a warm thank-you from the team. It’s rare to find a rental company that combines great customer service with quality vehicles and fair pricing. I’ll definitely be using them again for future travel and highly recommend them to anyone looking for a hassle-free.

I rented a car from Ara, which initially seemed like a good choice. After 7 days I returned the car, just before heading to the airport for my flight. At that moment, an employee suddenly pointed out a small scratch on the car and demanded €250. I explained that I had purchased full coverage insurance, and that such a minor scratch could never realistically cost that amount. He insisted that the entire door would need repainting. He also claimed that the “all risk” insurance only applies if you file a police report, and that the car may not be moved until the police inspection is completed – even for a scratch. After a few minutes of discussion, he reduced the demand to €125 “because I had paid extra for all-risk coverage.” Still unjustified. Finally, he asked me to just pay €50, saying he would “discuss it with the office staff.” Since I had a flight to catch, I paid the €50 to avoid missing it. In the end, I still missed my flight, which forced me to book a new one, plus pay for an extra hotel night and other unexpected expenses – costing me over €350. To make matters worse, the car was given to me dirty and with the fuel tank already empty(reserve tank). I actually returned it with a fuller tank than I had received. Now that I have read other reviews, I see that this is a common practice and that the money likely goes straight into their own pockets. I will take steps to recover my costs, but in the meantime: be very careful when renting here. The only positive i can say is: that albania is very beautifull, and their people are very friendly! So this was my only BAD experience with Albania

I recently rented a car from Auto Rental Albania and I couldn't be happier with the experience. The staff was professional and friendly, making the rental process a breeze. The car I rented was clean, well-maintained, and drove like a dream. The rates were competitive, and there were no hidden fees or surprises. I highly recommend this rental agency ARA for their excellent service and quality vehicles.

Dont trust this car rental anymore. This is very bad car rental in Albania. There are a lot of other car rentals other than this. The rental company is a fraud and the staff inside there is very rude. No body is good enough. The baddest rental i have ever experienced in Albania. Never rent a car from here. They will do whatever they have to get the money. Once more i am saying never rent a car from here. Trust me there are a lot of rental services in the airport and outside of the airport.

The worst car rental we ever had. First, they didn't response to our emails. When we arrived, they gave us a car in horrible condition. There was a mess in the car and it was also dirty. The day after we discovered that we have no oil in the car and they didn't respond to our calls or messages. And when we return the car back, they were laughing at us and they didn't want to solve all of this problems we had.

AVOID THIS RENTAL COMPANY – Unreliable and Disrespectful Service. I booked a car well in advance for a 15-day road trip in August, with pickup scheduled at 10:30 AM. Due to heavy traffic from Tirana, I arrived at the airport office at 11:55 AM. I had informed them of the delay via WhatsApp—the same number I had used previously for reservation inquiries. Upon arrival, I was told my reservation had been cancelled due to the delay. No call, message, or email was sent beforehand! When I asked why, they said they were too busy with other customers to warn me and just cancelled it. This was a 85 minutes delay in a 15 days reservation! I pleaded for help, explaining my entire vacation depended on this car. I had multiple hotel reservations in different towns around Albania. Without any prior communication, any reasonable person would assume the reservation was still active. There was no warning, no cancellation notice—just silence until it was too late. They offered me a car from a different category for a “special” €100 per day - five times more than the original reservation price. Reach your own conclusions. After just five minutes, they dismissed me and moved on to the next customer, calling me “annoying.” Ironically, they found time to email me at 12:08 PM—5 minutes after a left the office— just to confirm the cancellation, followed by several whatsapp replys saying that I had the moral obligation to warn them about the delay, even with the warning message I sent in front of their eyes! They’ll likely reply this review blaming me for being late – a 1h25 delay can happen to anyone who is travelling in Tirana in August. Very important information, I warned them! I have evidence of all the facts described here, which I will present here if necessary to expose any falsehood in the response. Ask yourself: If this is how they treat a customer at pickup, how will they respond if I have a problem during the rental? Will they find 30 seconds to call you back or just discard you and ruin your vacation? RUN AWAY FOM THIS RENTAL COMPANY.

We rented a car from here but after the trip they said there is a minute scratch in the car so we need to pay 150 euro for that but we didnt see that scrath before. And we just look the reviews about the car rental all are saying the same. So please look the reviews and book from here. Otherwise you will regret same us