Practical Car and Van Rental Ltd Reviews 

I would like to personally thank Rachel for going above and beyond. Ensuring there was a vehicle there for me to collect when I had booked last minute due to having car troubles and due to take my children away the process was straight forward and I was made to feel comfortable whilst completing the booking and collecting vehicle it was straight forward. Very postive atmosphere in the office and cars are maintained to a high standard. Also thank you to Bailey for his amazing customer service skills making sure the vehicle was clean to a high standard even though it was ready to go on my arrival and very thorough when checking the vehicle etc both smiley and approachable which instantly makes you feel at ease all round positive experience and would highly recommend, I definitely will continue using for future hires also like to add how smoothly they run things at practical thanks again

Great team at the Stockton branch, fast service, excellent transparency and polite staff. I took a 9 seater for a family trip and everyone was completely satisfied. Definitely recommend.

AESC UK Plant 2 Ltd and AESC UK Plant 1 Ltd have been using Practical Car and Van Rental Washington branch for both a number of long and short term rental of Cars and Vans. The service received is excellent and attentive.
Personally I would not use anyone else other than PCVR Washington branch for Car and Van rental going forward.

The complexity of long and short term Car rental requirement for Engineers coming over from Germany, Japan and China to help install Equipment into a Giga Factory was never a problem and PCVR Washington branch worked around the language barriers to deliver the end user a trouble free service.

Used the Cramlington branch to hire a Luton van. Everything was perfect from start to finish. The van was lovely and clean and Ronnie showed us around the van and how to use the tail lift. Will definitely use again thankyou.

We have rented 3 vehicles from the Stockton-on-Tees branch and have had a great experience. Any problems or issues have been dealt with promptly by Rachel who is always ready and willing to help. I wouldn't use any other car or van hire company.

We used Practical Car for the first time and we received first class service. Ronnie Dobson was excellent and sorted everything out for us very professionally . We would highly recommend Ronnie and Practical Car to anyone and we will definitely be back. Well done Ronnie, keep up the good work!

I use practical cramlington regularly and would always turn to Ronnie to get anything sorted I need. Always makes it easy and goes out of his way to make it work. Keep it up

Excellent service from John and Cathy at practical van Washington. Hassle free from start to finish. Excellent quality vans.

We booked a car last minute. The lady who arranged this for us was brilliant throughout. Very professional but also friendly and down to earth. From pick up to return all the staff we dealt with were brilliant.
Car was brilliantly economical and easy to drive.
Will certainly be using Practical Stockton again and would recommend to anyone. 5 star service from the lady we dealt with and the young guy who dealt with our drop off.

We have been working with the Washington Practical team now for many years and can honestly say they always go out of their way to ensure we receive the great service we do - they are always very supportive to our ever changing requirements & offer a great service with so much flexibility to allow our business to operate smoothly - happy to help staff & very reliable Well done Cath & John. - Thanks Marcus

The cramlington branch are amazing, customer service is second to none. Ronnie is very approachable and helpful. Would highly recommend

The staff was very helpful and extremely polite fantastic service I will most definitely be dealing with them again I would highly recommend the Stockton on tees branch to everyone. Thank you From Alan.

The Staff at Practical Car & Van Rental Washington are always friendly and helpful with my Car requests with a fast turnaround service

Easy company to deal with at the Stamford Hill branch, quick with no messing about. I have hired different cars on several occasions with no trouble at all.

Northampton branch
ABSOLUTE SCAM! DANGEROUS VEHICLES & BOGUS DAMAGE CLAIMS - AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
If you value your safety and your hard-earned money, read this review and then steer well clear of Practical Car and Van Rental Ltd. Our experience was nothing short of a calculated scam from start to finish.
We rented a van for £220 for four days, with a £300 deposit taken upfront. The moment we arrived at the Holiday Inn meeting point, I instantly felt like we'd walked onto a set for 'The Real Hustle' – the whole operation reeked of shoddiness.
The first van (SWB) was an immediate red flag. The dashboard lit up with 'ABS Failed' warnings, the brakes were utterly unreliable – either non-existent or locking up dangerously. Adding to the peril, the seatbelt was so twisted and unusable it would undoubtedly fail an MOT, requiring a full unbolting to even attempt a fix. It was a vehicle that should NEVER have been on the road.
To their credit, they did offer a 'free upgrade' (a term I use loosely) to a Long Wheel Base van, which, thankfully, operated without issue for the duration of our four-day rental. This, however, was the only remotely positive aspect of the entire experience.
Now, pay close attention, because this is where the true scam began upon return. This is where Practical Car and Van Rental Ltd's predatory practices truly shine. Let this be a dire warning to anyone who, like us, finds themselves with no other choice: document EVERYTHING.
I had an unsettling feeling about the swift 10-minute swap for the second van (compared to the initial 30-minute handover) – almost as if it was pre-prepared for a particular outcome. Because of this intuition, I meticulously photographed every single inch of that van, inside and out, before we drove off. Good thing I did. Upon return, they immediately tried to claim we had caused a "fresh scratch" on the inside lining of the door trim – a part virtually impossible to damage without dismantling the door skin itself!
To confirm my suspicions about this being a recurring scam, I even went as far as paying for a friend to rent a van from them for a day (another £300 deposit taken). Despite my friend meticulously documenting the van's condition with photos taken in the presence of their representative, they STILL attempted to claim damage on the exact same internal door panel upon return. This isn't coincidence; it's a deliberate, fraudulent business model.
This company is not just overpriced; it's a meticulously engineered rip-off. Their small print is deliberately deceptive, designed to extort hefty sums for pre-existing or fabricated damage. A significant incident in one of their poorly maintained vehicles, coupled with their predatory insurance clauses, could genuinely cost you your home or a substantial portion of your life savings.
DO NOT risk your safety or your finances with this establishment. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

Edit:
I will not email your feedback as that will be a waste of time and effort. Looking at the rest of the reviews on here it's not the first time they have tried to scam people

Stoke on Trent -,Excellent service. Went above and beyond to accommodate us. Would definitely recommend.

Northampton branch. Shocking! Pre - booked online. Received email to call and confirm/pay. Made the call was asked to wait 5 minutes and he'd call me back? 20 minutes later I had to call him back. Told me I had to leave a 300 pound deposit that would be held for 15 - 20 days plus the obligatory 3 to 5 working days by the bank? Four hours later I received another email telling me that the online price was wrong and that it was in fact roughly another 30% on top for cover towards vat, roadside assistance?, etc? A roadside recovery policy isnt expensive and is paid annually,not every time someone uses the vehicle!!.I have hired many vehicles from lots of rental companies. I have never known
anyone as unprofessional as practical Northampton.

(Review for Manchester Central location)

Absolutely disgraceful experience from start to finish. The service was appallingly poor, and the staff displayed a staggering level of unprofessionalism and incompetence throughout.

We booked a large van a full week in advance, even paying a deposit to secure the vehicle. You’d think that would ensure a smooth process—far from it. When we arrived on the day of our move, they casually informed us they didn’t have the van we booked!

To make matters worse, we were forced to wait an infuriating hour and a half in a queue behind just two people. The staff seemed utterly disinterested, moving at a snail’s pace while we waited there with a crying baby at home and movers waiting for the van.

Their idea of a solution? Offering us a tiny van—far too small for our needs—which forced us to make three separate trips to complete what should have been a single journey. The entire process was made exponentially more stressful and exhausting because of their sheer inability to deliver what was promised.

And just when you think it couldn’t get worse, they slapped on an extra £10 fee for using a trolley—yes, a moving trolley, something you’d expect to be included with a van hire service, which they apparently discounted from £30! The audacity was unbelievable.

Finally, getting our deposit back turned into yet another ordeal. We had to chase them multiple times because they apparently lost our receipt—a ridiculous excuse that only underlined the total chaos and lack of accountability within the company.

Save yourself the frustration, time, and money. This business is a complete mess, and I would strongly urge anyone considering them to look elsewhere.

The people at practical van hire run the company as if it’s a hobby. Very unprofessional, fob you off and are untrustworthy. Do not use this company. They have still not returned the deposit 2 weeks later and keep saying they have issued it. They keep fobbing us off saying the person dealing with it is on holiday. Refuse to issue a complaint number and have 0 customer service skills. Use them at your own risk

DO NOT USE! Do not trust this company!

Still chasing my deposit 3 weeks later.

Calls & emails ignored. When i do get through they hang up or email to say they have previously emailed (ehich is a lie)

Documents i signed have been edited AFTER the van was handed back & signed back in with non agreed cleaning fees which they took from my bank with no authorisation.

Refusing to provide me with information requested by my bank to track the said refund they claim to have refunded.

Reported to trading standards!