Practical Car and Van Rental Ltd Reviews 

I rented a van for one day from the branch in Biggin Hill. They were excellent and looked after me extremely well.
But it went very wrong after the rental.

I had been told that my deposit would be repaid within 7 to 10 days (which I naturally assume to be calendar days as working days was not mentioned). The electronic rental agreement I was sent had no deposit terms on it as a link was broken but I have researched online and the maximum refund on practical terms and condition is up to 10 working days.

It is now 19 days (and 14 working days since I returned the van in perfect condition). Practical in Bromley are now claiming (without having provided any proof) that they have released the funds and my bank are holding onto them. As Revolut has never hold held onto a single payment since I’ve had my account, and are known for making payments immediately, I do not believe this. I have now requested a return from my bank as Practical has breached his contract and proven to be untrustworthy. This is a real shame because the service from Biggin Hill was excellent and I’d hope to use them again in the future.

Easy to phone and book a reservation. staff were very friendly and efficient, especially Tanu, the young woman that processed my rental.

I am a retired 62 year old woman. Hired a LWB transit from one of their franchised locations. Hired for 2 days so I could load night before (4hours) and drive from London to Cornwall early next day in order to pick up keys of my new house. Warning lights on when picked up van but told reversing sensors weren’t working. Filled with diesel and over an hour into journey the van lost all acceleration on a busy dual carriage way. Bluntly told to wait for recovery. No enquiry into my location or safety. Limped it back to their office. Manager very stressed about how many of his vans were off the road and I considered him to be rude. I did not hear an apology and when I explained that I had to get keys the best he could do was bluntly say they would do everything they could to get me back on the road. It took me two hours to unload from one van to another in the rain. I was offered a cup of tea and extra time on the hire. A friend had to pick up my keys and I had to make a further hour detour to collect. My entire journey that day took me nearly 13 hours instead of the 5-6. Lost the money on the diesel I had put in the first van. Wipers on new van didn’t work properly on that long rainy drive and when I reported this on the return, I was told no-one else had complained. Don’t they do a vehicle safety check and not just the ‘dent’ check! before they hire their vans out??? Made a formal complaint to Practical Head office and was fobbed of with a forwarded ‘comprehensive’ email from the manager of the franchise basically calling me a liar but also saying that they could have handled the situation better! Practical head office did nothing, no investigation and similarly no apology! For your own safety don’t use this company despite their competitive rates. No apology, no refund, out of pocket financially and in time. Poor service and poor quality vehicles. Stay safe and avoid.

I had hired vans from this company on several previous occasions, including multiple-day hires and, more recently, through their Bridlington branch, without any issues until this week.

I returned the van at around 9:00 a.m. on Friday, 4 September 2026, approximately 30 minutes later than expected due to a misunderstanding over the return time.

The vehicle was a fairly scruffy, dark-grey Transit which I had hired for three days. On its return, the company identified a long but extremely fine grey scratch along the side. There was no dent or indentation, and the mark was barely thicker than a human hair. Although it stood out against the darker paintwork once pointed out, I had not noticed it during the hire. Given the amount of driving I had done on narrow country lanes, I can only assume it occurred during the rental period.

I was charged the entire £500 deposit plus VAT, making a total of £600, for this cosmetic damage.

I have been driving and owning vans for more than 30 years and, in my view, a £600 charge for a very fine surface scratch with no dent or indentation was grossly disproportionate to the apparent nature and extent of the damage. What particularly surprised me was that the full deposit was taken rather than a more modest amount reflecting what appeared to be a limited cosmetic repair.

I paid the charge because, at the time, I did not feel I was being offered any meaningful alternative.

Ironically, I had intended to hire a Luton van from them for four days the following weekend and to discuss a longer-term rental of six to twelve months while my own van was off the road. That business will now go elsewhere.

Based on this experience, I will not use the company again. I would strongly advise anyone hiring from them to photograph the vehicle very thoroughly before leaving the premises and again when returning it, paying particular attention to even the smallest cosmetic marks.

The company may have had its own contractual basis for applying the charge, but from what I personally observed, £600 for a hairline cosmetic scratch on an already well-used hire van appeared excessive and wholly disproportionate.

I run my own five-star-rated business dealing with the public for many years. I understand that businesses need to protect their property and recover genuine damage costs. What disappointed me was the apparent lack of proportionality or reasonable discretion in how this was handled.

After several previous hires without incident, this experience has ensured I will not be returning.

I was very impressed with the Chippenham Branch - especially Sarah who looked for solutions (unlike other well-know rental companies who looked for problems). The car I hired for my son from Japan was ideal - new, super clean and drove very well. The pick up and drop off were quick and friendly. I will use them again without any hesitation.

Very rude customer service in Gloucester branch, got bad experience and checked google map reviews and found out it wasnt just me dealing with rude abd disrespectful person , emailed the head office abd it seems no one realy care how customers are being treated under company nane , i would strongly advise you stay away of them or keep record of any conversation with them bec69 out of 10 you end up being scummed by them , either take your deposit or charge you more .

When I first arrived I was being pressured to pay a second deposit while they were also saying they couldn't rent me a van without me carrying a utility bill on me (which they hadn't mentioned) so they'd just be taking my deposit money without giving me a van (Luckily I had an alternative method). They gave me some unnecessary intrusive questioning and then agreed to rent me a van. The van already had scratches on all corners and a crumbling wooden floor inside. They said that if I didn't refill the diesel myself but just gave them the diesel money it'd cost an extra £20 just for them to do it (even though the building is just near a supermarket petrol station). The corner light touched a bin while it was rented and according to the company that means I have to buy them new parts which include bumpers, taillamp, right taillamp, brand new paintjobs, , Specialists, VAT, TWO vehicle diagnostics (not to the same level as when it was rented but like new) coming to their conclusion that it would cost £1111 to buff out an already-damaged tail light scratch. Absolute conmen. Avoid

We hired a Omoda 5 to go on holiday with to Somerset with my husband’s guide Dog Absolutely fantastic car amazing service by all the staff Especially Oscar and Lenny Went above and beyond and can’t praise the company enough.

I have used the Buckingham branch 5 times now and they make it very easy to use.

Super friendly and welcoming.

It's always a pleasure and I can't recommend them enough

Lots of options to rent and the vehicles are nice and clean.

Used their Redcar Depot and the whole experience from initial query to deposit refund was smooth as silk. The office staff were efficient and helpful, the yard guys were also awesome. They had the van gleaming at pick up and clearly take pride in their work as well as being friendly and great to deal with.

They put a lot into providing a great service so if you hire from them please treat their vehicles with respect. A 26 plate with only 6k on the clock had already had multiple dings. Yes you paid to use it but not to be careless with it. Give the guys some help to keep the vehicles pristine. You’ll enjoy the hiring experience so much more in a smart van.

I booked a van to move my daughter, I got a phone call saying the van I booked wouldn't be there so they would give me a bigger van at the same price, this is all part of the master plan as there hoping you'll scuff it.
For one there's no mention of the £3000 excess which will be on the scrap of paper you sign so read the small print
No mention of paying a bit more to reduce the excess
I scuffed the back wheel arch which had three to four little scratches, at first I was told this was nothing and would cost about £250 to sort out, within 10 minutes they relieved me of £1200 and said this was the worst scenario and I would get refunded the difference
They then sent an invoice and low and behold it came to exactly £1200
Learn from my experience and go elsewhere. THEY WILL TAKE YOU TO THE CLEANERS. You may of noticed no reply from the vendor, speaks volumes

Fantastic company and great customer service. They were able to provide a van at very short notice after we were let down by another company. Cannot thank them enough. Highly recommend.

Absolutely brilliant service from start to finish. The prices were the cheapest around but that didn't effect the customer service which was second to none even when I returned the van with a couple of issues of entirely my own doing.
I cannot speak highly enough of these giuys they now have a customer for life!

What a great experience, Craig at Sandwich helped out massively with the booking , paperwork and extending the hire ( twice ) while our car was being repaired . Really impressed from start to finish . Would definitely use you again and highly recommend to everyone

Hired a van from the Stockton branch last week. Rachael was amazing! Very easy to sort out, no waiting around or piles of paper work. Highly recommended!

This is a great company to hire a vehicle from.Good clean and well maintained vehicles.I would highly recommend Practical Car and Van Rental for value and a complete piece of mind.

Easy to book and no problems with the van I rented (Tunbridge Wells). However, I was told it had a full tank of fuel, and to please return it in the same condition. On filling up at the end of the rental I discovered the tank actually held 100miles worth more of fuel than it had at the start of the rental. I wouldn't have minded so much (this is a fairly common trick in vehicle rental) except the employee tried to claim this discrepancy was due to the team "moving the van around on the lot". 100miles worth of parking? I'll leave you to decide, but my advice would be very careful about how much fuel is in the tank when you rent from them.

Very helpful, informative and polite. The experience was good, easy booking and easy return.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Absolutely fantastic experience with Practical Van Rental Slough. I rented two Mercedes Sprinters late on a Friday (around 5:45pm) for the weekend, and the service from start to finish was exceptional.

The team were incredibly accommodating, making what could have been a stressful, last-minute arrangement feel completely seamless. Mani was especially lovely—friendly, professional, and genuinely helpful throughout.

A big thank you as well to Sunny, who went above and beyond to help arrange the return on Sunday when I couldn’t make the Monday morning drop-off. That level of flexibility and customer care really stood out.

The vans themselves were in great condition and perfect for what I needed.

Highly recommend Practical Van Rental Slough—reliable, professional, and genuinely customer-focused. I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again!

Practical cars Leicester
Great rental prices/ deals on some quality vehicles support by brilliant, friendly efficient service.
Staff are always polite and willing to go that extra mile for you.

It has to be 10 out 10 for me, keep up the good work 👌