Drivalia UK - Barking Reviews 

I would not recommend Drivalia.

I booked through the UK website, but when I arrived to collect the car, I was accused of booking through the US website using a VPN, which was completely false. I live in Italian and have an italian phone/number! I PAID IN POUNDS.

As a result, I was forced to pay an additional £175 for mandatory CDW cover, more than the cost of my original booking. There was no mention of this charge during the booking process, and even the staff member at the desk confirmed it wasn't shown on my reservation.

I submitted a complaint with EVIDENCE that my booking was made through the UK website and screenshots of Drivalia's own policy stating that Basic CDW is included for UK bookings. Despite this, they simply repeated that my booking was made through a "US source" but provided no evidence to support that claim and refused a refund.

Misleading pricing and poor customer service. I won't be using Drivalia again.

EDIT: I received a reply, and unfortunately, there was no apology or real acknowledgement of the issue. They continue to place the blame on me and have still not acknowledged that their website is misleading.

Only after I pushed back on their response did I receive a more empathetic email but still no refund or meaningful resolution.

I recently travelled to New Zealand, rented a car from a local company, and had zero issues or unexpected costs. It really highlights how differently a rental experience can go when the terms and pricing are clear from the start.

The worst car rental company I have ever used.
The Barking branch was very disappointing. The cars were dirty and had maintenance issues. During pickup, I had to change vehicles twice because the first car displayed a "Check Oil" warning and clearly needed servicing.
I returned the car on 6 July, and I am still waiting for my deposit to be refunded. I have contacted customer support multiple times, but there has been been no response. Their phone numbers do not work, emails go unanswered, and my support requests submitted through the app chat have been completely ignored.
To make matters worse, deposits from other car rental companies were returned by my bank on the same day the vehicle was returned.
Based on my experience, I would not recommend this company.

The best experience with the company and with staff as Yamin

Absolutely fantastic service! Raz was incredibly friendly and handled the check-in process with great professionalism. She quickly sorted out a small issue and even upgraded my cover at no extra cost, which was a lovely surprise. The car itself (MG Electric) was excellent, and returning it was super easy. All in all, a great experience — highly recommended!

I have a good experience at barking branch with team member Aysha who provided excellent customer service and was a good communicator and I would recommend her to any of my friends in the future who looking to hire a car for a special event.

Avoid avoid avoid

I had pre-booked a vehicle online; however, upon arrival, I was informed that no cars were available. This was not an isolated issue—several other customers were left stranded, with some waiting between 2–3 hours without any resolution.

Given that I had already planned a family trip and made hotel reservations, having a vehicle was essential. I requested that the staff assist me in transferring my booking to another branch where a car might be available. Shockingly, I was told that they were unsure about availability at other locations and was asked to check myself and report back.

When I pointed out that this should not be my responsibility as a customer, I was met with an unacceptable response: staff stated that it was not their responsibility either and that they did not have time to assist. This level of service is deeply disappointing and reflects a complete lack of accountability.

The staff’s attitude suggested a disregard for customer satisfaction and a failure to take ownership of a problem clearly caused by your company. Leaving customers without support in such situations is unacceptable, particularly when bookings have been confirmed in advance.

I booked car many of the times from other hiring companies never faced a problem like this and they were very efficient and easy.I would recommend to avoid drivalia to not to have a bad day or ruin your pre planned holiday.

- Complete lack of integrity
- I booked a car online, but none was available upon arrival at the Barking branch.
- Several stranded customers were affected, with some waiting for 2-3 hours.
- I was told to return home and promised next business day delivery, but my booking was later cancelled without notice.
- The promise of next business day delivery was a deceptive tactic used solely to remove me from the premises.
- Rather than resolving the lack of vehicle availability, the Barking branch made a false commitment to 'de-escalate' the crowd of frustrated customers, only to cancel my booking the moment I was out of sight.

We completed all documentation on line as requested and yet it didn't help when we arrived at Barking. Firstly 2 people at the desk but no idea who was queuing or waiting for which company in a shared office? Had to ask after 15 mins what to do and told fill a form out. No greeting ,no apology for waiting or being ignored. Complete form amd told no difference that we completed form on line, still to wait. Then apparently computers went off line but failed to tell myself or the other 5 people waiting. Asked me to pay additional insurance of £40 a day for 16 days and i refused. 30 mins later took my drivers licence only and said sorry I failed their credit safe check????. Asked what else can I provide , said nothing and can't help so need to contact to booking.com. uk citizen, all IDV provided excellent credit reports and im not worthy....2 others failed too so which is it the system ,credit checks ir just i didn't buy your additional insurance. So now without a car,no refund as they're not interested and yet I followed all their terms and conditions, where it does not stipulate that after providing your personal data , if their checks say no then they will just dismiss you. Very bad counter service, no attention to anyone and so dismissive

Customer Service is Extremely good and Very Helpful and help you specially to choose the right vehicles for you,
Rahman ayesha all them are really helpful