Drivalia UK - BIRMINGHAM INTL AIRPORT Arvostelua 

Drivalia is cheap car rental! However there are things you should know. First they will do everything to sell you the extra (expensive)insurance, if you do not take it the excess is 1,500 pounds. This is reserved from your credit card and not released for 30 days so if you need your credit card and don't have a huge limit on your card you may not be able to use it for 30 days. If you have to drop off the vehicle outside of opening hours then you have to pay 40 pound to drop off the key in a letterbox (nobody meets you), you then need to book a taxi or walk to the airport.

Update on this review I returned the car on Sunday morning st 07:30 having paid the out of office charge i left the car there.

When I received the check in report they noticed a very tiny chip in the windscreen which would be repaired for free for this they have deducted 1.500 pound from my credit card.

Thankyou for your answer I did this yesterday and have heard nothing as of yet

Update 17 August 2026

I am now 1 week further, after the reply from Drivalia for information I had aready provided I have heard nothing more since. The escalation form says the escalation is sent to the branch manager.

There is still 1.500 pound charge to my crdit card for a chip that the costs to repair is 72 pounds. also from the video I took upon collection of the car it looks like the chip was already there but not mentioned on the damage form upon collection.

I will wait maximum 1 more week then I will be contact the relevant organisation and solicitor.

Update 24 August.
In the past week I have heard nothing from Drivalia over this issue. the customer service telephone as mentioned on the website doesn't work, I called the reservation line which pure coincidence does work and asked them how I contact customer services they told me they have a problem with the customer services telephone and I have to email ( I have worked for many years in telecom and know that there is no issues that would mean a telephojne number is out of service for so long.) I emailed every department and still no reaction.

If you are going to rent via this company then be aware that any damage could cost you your own risk of 1.500 pounds or you take the expensive insurance that costs you more than the car rental. My advice would be to rent your car from one of the well know and established companies.

Update 31 August
After sending several reminders that I had not heard anything from them I finally got an email on Wednesday with excuses for the late reaction and that I would be contacted, unfortunately I have not been contacted.

Update 7th September. Unfortunately after many promises that I would be contacten still heard absolutely nothing.

Terrible experience, avoid this company. My flight was delayed so I called Drivalia at Birmingham airport as soon as I knew. They said they only hold the car for an hour and that if the car I was allocated had been rehired they may have to charge me for an upgrade also said this was as I had booked with a booking agency. You would think that they would hold the car for longer especially as I had paid in full when I booked and the fact that it’s an airport pick up (flights can be delayed daily) I got there 2.5 hours late and the car I had originally booked was still there but they charged me twice the amount I payed in the first place after I had payed they offered me the choice of three different cars. I had to pay and had no choice I complained afterwards but they kept saying I was paying for an upgrade which I was not as the original car was still there. At 10pm (their closing time they said your car is out there we are going and left me in pitch dark on an industrial estate with the car no explanation of the controls etc luckily I am used to driving different cars so wasn’t a problem but to someone else it could have been, too dark to video the car for dents etc I asked th about this and they said do it tomorrow just don’t drive it much tonight - absolutely disgusting Ihave never dealt with anything as bad , the only good thing was the shuttle bus driver who took me back to the airport after drop off was courteous and pleasant
EDIT - AS YOU CAN SEE I HAVE A GENERIC REPLY, have already been through the complaint procedure, and they did not read that properly either just repeated themselves then closed the complaint, even though I got back to them in the allotted time . SHOCKINGLY DREADFUL

The worst customer experience I’ve seen or experienced in my 40 years. Absolutely disgusting they should be investigated.

Horrific experience at Drivalia Birmingham airport. Hostile and rude doesn’t cover it. Took forever to locate it and when we arrived the customer service guy was on lunch. We had three groups of people in front of us and it was horrendous. This lovely girl on holiday home from Australia had hired a car for a month. Someone had run into the back of her and she called to ask if she could change it. She was told she could and left her baby with her parents to drive the 45 minutes to the airport only to be told they didn’t have a car. After explaining that she had been promised one and needed to get back to her baby urgently as she was breastfeeding, the guy asked what didn’t she understand about no car being available, clicked his fingers and asked her if she expected him to make one out of cardboard! She was in tears. Next clients where treated equally as bad as were we. Do NOT use this company! Unbelievable bad service.

Terrible customer service. Staff were exceptionally rude. Would actively not use this company again.

V helpful and friendly

After my train was cancelled and I had to get one an hour later, I arrived to collect my car 1 hour and 3 minutes late.

I was dispassionately told that I was 3 minutes over the 1 hour grace period and therefore my car has been reallocated, and the only car available was a higher grade, so I had to pay the cost of that higher grade car. My original booking was about £59. I was then forced to pay £140 for the new car. An extra £80 for being 3 minutes late, and a big car that I really didn't want. Computer said no. Had my car really been reallocated in that 3 minutes?

This 1 hour rule is only detailed deep in the terms and conditions that you have to click through to on their website. These terms and conditions are not even linked to in the booking confirmation email. The 1 hour rule is not detailed in the confirmation email nor in the advice given to ensure a smooth pick up. It feels very much like an exploitative money-making scheme.

I reserved a "Fully Electric" Compact vehicle via Booking.com (Ref: 727175769) but was downgraded to a petrol vehicle upon arrival. Despite two follow-up calls requesting the EV I contracted and paid for, Drivalia simply stated EVs weren't available and offered no resolution or support.
Having to drive a petrol car for over a week has completely altered my expected running costs and vehicle experience. Because Drivalia breached the contract under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, I am handing the vehicle back early and pursuing a partial refund, pro-rata reimbursement, and escalation to the BVRLA/bank chargeback if necessary.

Great service from Sammi

Had a pleasant experience with my rental hire. Sammi was terrific and quick with the support. Will definitely be reaching out in the future.

​I am absolutely disgusted by the illegal, predatory, and fraudulent practices of Drivalia UK. This company is running a textbook scam, forcefully robbing money from customers' credit cards without a single shred of valid evidence or basic documentation.
​They wrongfully deducted £335 from my card for alleged tyre damage. When challenged, the branch manager, Andrew, completely bypassed UK financial merchant regulations and forced the payment through WITHOUT providing any official invoice, VAT receipt, itemized repair breakdown, or cost estimate.
​Here is the most scandalous and fraudulent part of their "evidence":
​ZERO SUBSEQUENT PHOTOS: Drivalia has provided ABSOLUTELY NO photographic evidence of the alleged damage to the specific tyre fitted on the vehicle. They are forcing me to pay for something they don't even have a picture of!
​FABRICATED RECORDS: The only check-out photo their team initially managed to dig up from their system showed an entirely DIFFERENT tyre brand/model. They got caught red-handed using false records.
​Furthermore, the tyre damage they are casually trying to pin on me involves a severe sidewall tear, which renders a vehicle completely UNROADWORTHY under UK law (Construction and Use Regulations). Since they have no proof this happened during my rental, it is clear Drivalia supplied me with an illegal, unsafe vehicle, severely compromising public safety and endangering my life.
​I have also escalated this matter directly to the BVRLA Conciliation Service
​DO NOT TRUST DRIVALIA UK.
They do not inspect cars properly, they supply unsafe vehicles, and they will literally steal money from your card with ZERO proof once you return the car. Absolute disgrace.

DO NOT USE THiS COMPANY. THEY ARE SCAM. we have had a very bad experience with this Car renting company. We were 5 mins late in reaching their offices due to birmingham traffic, and they were not ready to give us the car at the previously agreed price, and demanded £50 per day more. Already paid 437 and we were asked to pay £558 due to a delay of 5 mins in reaching thier office. There were no customers around, and the reason for charging extra was quoted that they were busy and the car that was on hold for us is no longer available.
We spoke to Sami in the Marsten Green Office, and he was very very unhelpful - I have been renting car for almost 10 years but this has been the absolute worst experience.
Update: the usual response contact us - well you better contact Sami from Birmingham and may be fire him - for the booking collection on Friday 10th July 12:30 pm collection with my last name - you don’t need more.
I am going to sing every day not to use your service to anyone who is thinking or renting a car. Wasted 4 hours of my time and made me spend £500 more. And brought a strain to my married life.

The worst Rental Experience ever and we have had a lot of Rentals
We had to wait 2 Hours before we could get the car even though we had booked it 6 months in advance Have never seen so much Damage on a car that we have ever Rented
We paid Extra for SatNav and it only worked by Apple car play
Which did not work very well
Also you get pressured into purchasing insurance which you do not need
They let us take the car out with a slow puncture and a seat belt that was jammed
So we were 1 seat down
Do not ever use this company as they are the worst’s company in Birmingham
They Yard looks like you are picking up a SCRAP CAR
PLEASE AVOID THIS COMPANY
AS THE SERVICE YOU GET FROM THEM IS THE WORST EVER. GARY

Terrible experience, long queue at their reception and very rude staff. Dozens of additional checks, and payments only to be told they didn’t have a vehicle for us. Contacted booking.com and got a refund. As we left we saw them haggling aggressively with an elderly gentleman over a car return. Do not use.

Avoid this company at all costs. Car was in very poor condition. I didn’t have anyone in the back the whole time I had it and they marked in their own review that it was average when I returned. No information on where to return. Place was closed when I got there. Customer service terrible, then they took more money because I was fined while I brought it back to where it got it for being in the set down too long. I will never book with them again

A really professional and straightforward experience :) The staff were excellent and the car also. Appreciated the efficient shuttle service between the airport and the hire centre. I will 100% be returning the next time I fly into Birmingham!

Warning: Absolute Scam. Avoid Drivalia and Ryanair!

They used a buried fine-print clause—requiring my credit card to be valid for six months past the rental date—to reject my card and force me into paying an extra £260 for their own insurance.

To make matters worse, the vehicle was handed over with extensive pre-existing bodywork damage. When I tried to report it, staff dismissively told me my forced insurance covered it anyway.

The real scam happened at drop-off: the agent verbally assured me everything was perfect, but the emailed digital report falsely claimed the pre-existing damage occurred during my rental. Dishonest, predatory practices from start to finish. Save your money and book elsewhere.

I have summited my details via your web site as requested below....

Rented a car for 2 days was a good price we were happy to pay for. Once we got to the location to pick up our car. There was fine print writing on the receipt saying that being a young driver (23-24) gets charged an extra £40 per day. If it had said this before we made the payment we would have reevaluated or at least known what we were getting into. Was super frustrating considering we had important plans for the days we had booked that completed got turned upside down. Just a heads up to any young drivers wanting to rent from this company

Booked on behalf of a business colleague for a rental car ex BHX for 1 week. Price OK and Car OK.
The problem is the service. They demanded that my colleague produce an EMBOSSED credit card and when he showed that his VALID credit card was not embossed, they arrogantly referred him to their T&Cs (a long winded 7 page document), where it stated only credit cards that are EMBOSSED shall be accepted for deposit. As my colleague's credit card was NEW and VALID, but was not embossed, he was strong-armed into purchasing the extortionate insurance before he was allowed to take the car! This seems a very devious shady tactic. Most (if not all) credit cards distributed now are not embossed. Will not book with this company again.

Avoid at all costs unless you want to be ripped off. Booked through booking.com and added insurance, very smooth and easy experience. Arrived to pick up an electric corsa only to be told they do not have that car and actually have 0 electric cars at all. Then to be told that because my credit cards are not ‘embossed’ I could not leave the £1.5k refundable deposit and must pay £350 (or there abouts) to get a car right there and then. I had 2 credit cards, 3 debit cards, my passport, driving license, bank statement and payslip only to be told ‘people make fake credit cards so we can’t accept these cards that are not embossed’ (this isn’t the customers problem unfortunately). The kicker is credit and debit card companies no longer print embossed cards! If you use this company and they say you have to pay an amount to waive the £1.5k deposit, make sure you know that this is non refundable unlike the £1.5k you would have blocked onto your credit card. Feels like a scam to make extra money.