My first ever BAD experience with SIXT.
My first ever BAD experience with SIXT.
I've rented from SIXT many times across different countries and have always had a good experience, until this branch.
I was planning to drive into Germany and needed a German low-emission sticker. SIXT's website says this must be requested in advance, so I contacted customer service before my trip. I was explicitly told that no advance request was necessary.
When I arrived to pick up the car, the staff told me the exact opposite: that I did need to request it in advance and customer service had given me incorrect information. Fortunately, the car already had the sticker, but if it hadn't, my trip could have been seriously disrupted.
The next issue was even more frustrating.
Because the vehicle was registered in Germany, I needed to buy a Czech motorway vignette. I know there are many unofficial websites that look legitimate but charge inflated prices, so I specifically asked the SIXT representative to direct me to the official Czech vignette website. Instead, he sent me to one of the unofficial websites, where I paid roughly double the official price. Luckily, I was only driving in the Czech Republic for one day, so it only cost me about €9 extra. Still, I find it unacceptable that a car rental employee in the Czech Republic could not direct a customer to the official government website.
The biggest issue, however, was the payment.
At pickup, I explicitly chose to be charged in CZK, not my home currency, because I wanted my own bank to perform the currency conversion. I even verified on my card during pickup that the transaction was processed in CZK.
After returning the car at Amsterdam Airport, I discovered that the charge had somehow been converted to ILS instead. The exchange rate used was approximately 6.4% worse than the market rate, costing me about €174 more than if I had simply been charged in the currency I selected and agreed to.
When I contacted customer service, they responded by saying they were "not responsible for what the bank does after we charge the card."
That explanation simply doesn't hold up. I've used this same card for purchases in USD, EUR, CHF, and many other foreign currencies without any issues. Banks do not randomly convert merchant-selected currencies after the fact. The transaction should have remained in CZK, exactly as I requested.
Despite being a long-time SIXT customer, and despite asking only for some form of goodwill credit toward a future rental, they refused to offer any compensation or take any responsibility.
Three separate issues in a single rental:
Customer service gave incorrect information about the German emissions sticker.
Staff directed me to the wrong website, causing me to overpay for a Czech vignette.
I was ultimately charged in a different currency than the one I explicitly selected, costing me approximately €174, and nobody was willing to resolve it.
I have had excellent experiences with SIXT in Germany and Austria, but based on this experience I cannot recommend SIXT Czech Republic. If you are renting a car in Prague, I strongly recommend considering another rental company. A company should be able to provide accurate information, direct customers to the correct official resources, and, most importantly, charge customers exactly as agreed.








