Funny you mention Europcar, I've had nothing but pleasure with them.
Including one time where I hit a kangaroo and damaged the left front quarter pannel, only charged me a few hundred dollars to repair said damages which was a lot less than I expected. Though I have been almost using Car Next Door exclusively for two years so perhaps things have changed.
The first (and only!) time I used Europcar, I'd been using Avis for years and was used to their way of doing business, to the point where I didn't even bother to do a cursory handover walk-around anymore, because I knew they weren't going to be hardasses. It is absolutely essential with Europcar though (and I think Hertz too), to do a very thorough documentation of every tiny pre-existing scuff, scratch and ding.
Car Next Door is the same, but I'm willing to put up with a bit of inconvenience there to get a service I can't get at a reasonable price from the big rentals (light commercial vehicle available close by and for short periods).
Including one time where I hit a kangaroo and damaged the left front quarter pannel, only charged me a few hundred dollars to repair said damages which was a lot less than I expected. Though I have been almost using Car Next Door exclusively for two years so perhaps things have changed.