This is unfortunately the case during peak season (i.e. Italy or Spain in August). On the other hand, during off-season periods, the queue is often in the realm of 15 mins.

The thing I've always found though is that off-season in EU is _way_ cheaper than US. Went to Italy last month, 1 week for a medium sized car was something like 100 euros. And it's not unusual to rent a car for ~6 euros per day.