Nationwide Vehicle Rentals Reviews 

Don’t use this rental company…, I used this car rental company few weeks ago and I was really disappointed to have used them, they don’t want to return your deposit and they come back with various charges on the van that was returned in a satisfactory condition. Don’t trust them and be really careful if you are dealing with them.

Changed my booking last minute due to flight cancellation - staff were incredibly helpful. Found me the perfect alternative vehicle with no extra charges. Service that goes above and beyond!

8-seater minibus for our Cornwall trip was perfect - plenty of space for luggage and kids. The rear entertainment system kept children happy for hours. Air conditioning worked brilliantly in the heatwave!

As a consultant who rents weekly, Nationwide is my go-to. Their business portal saves hours of paperwork. Loyalty program has earned me free upgrades twice this year already!

Sadly like so many others I have not had my deposit returned.
Its 2025 guys, deposits do not take 8 weeks to return.
Your systems work fine when you are taking our money.
Give it back

DO NOT USE
Awful experience like many here. Hired a 9 seater to go to Europe for a weekend. As well as taking the £750 security deposit at the time of booking (in January, 5 months in advance), like many others on here I was then unable to get this money back. Here’s their process. They collect the vehicle and the collector signs it off (2 Jun) However this then needs to go back to NVR which takes them up to 5 working days to confirm (10th June). You then get an email confirming a clean return and that your deposit will be refunded in 7-10 working days(!) (it doesn’t take that long for them to take the deposit obviously). This period passes without success and then you try to contact them. They take details, promise call backs from accounts which never materialise and then start to simply put the phone down when you call. Long story short - had to claim back via PayPal complaints who processed refund in 48 hours. Finally got it today (8th July)
The vehicle needed an Adblue top up, had a slow puncture which needed sorting twice and an overdue service light as well as over 40 noted dents, scrapes etc.
The attitude of their call-handling staff is awful.
They claim 22 years experience on their website but the limited company was set up in 2019. They claim to “prioritise customer service”, “no surprises”, and a “stress free” experience. These are all lies and I do not believe any of their 5 star reviews.
My guess is they are using our deposits to keep the company afloat - check their last accounts which took 15 months to file and are now over 2 years old.
Go elsewhere - we had used Europcar for years and only went here because they closed the local depot. I would walk 10 miles to collect a vehicle rather than use these charlatans again
Avoid at all costs
I am now just waiting for the standard banal reply they put at the end of every review

After trying every major rental company, Nationwide stands above the rest. Fair prices, quality vehicles, and genuine customer care. UK's #1 for good reason!

TLDR - Never again, avoid like the plague !

The good bits first:
Van arrived (albeit later than booked).
It was fine for the job and nothing broke.
The bad bits:
It should have been collected on Sunday, and was eventually picked up on Tuesday. This was very inconvenient as it was left at a friend's house and the communication was virtually nonexistent, meaning he (very kindly) had to basically sit at home for two days waiting to see when the driver would arrive.
The £1000 deposit took seven and a half weeks, multiple emails and phone calls to get back. I was repeatedly fobbed off, put through to dead lines and given multiple excuses "your PayPal account won't accept payments" (it was fine) etc.
As they are late posting their accounts on Companies House I can only assume they are hanging on to as much customer cash as they can to keep trading.

Needed hand controls - they adapted a vehicle specially. Life-changing service for disabled drivers. Truly inclusive.

I do not recommend this company. Very poor service and it appears that they will never release my deposit, despite confirmation that it would be released.

I've been chasing the refund of my deposit over their customer service line since it was released on 19-May.
Today is 01-July. I wrote them this email on 25-June but haven't had a response, despite chasing again today.

I am writing in regard to the van I hired from your company from 10 through 12 May. Please find the relevant documentation attached.

On 19 May, I received an email from them confirming that my £250 deposit had been released. However, as of today, the refund has still not been credited to my account.

Since 3 June, I have contacted your customer service team by phone multiple times about this issue. In each instance, I have been told that the refund is “being processed,” but I have yet to receive it. Over the past week, I have also requested to speak directly with your accounts department or a manager. Each time, I was informed that there was no direct contact available, though I was assured that my details would be passed on.

When I called again today, I reiterated my concerns and informed your team that if the matter remains unresolved, I will be left with no option but to pursue it through the small claims court or engage legal representation. I was on this occasion told I would be transferred to someone who could assist, but after being placed on hold, I was informed that no one was available to take the call. I again requested direct contact details for your accounts, complaints, or management team, and was finally provided with the two email addresses to which I am now writing.

I also want to express my dissatisfaction with the overall experience:

The vehicle was delivered several hours late with no prior communication from your team, requiring me to call for an update and incurring additional labour costs on my end.

Hours after the vehicle was due to be collected and after repeated follow-up calls from me, I was advised simply to leave the keys on the passenger-side wheel. This caused significant disruption to my workday. Then, the vehicle wasn't collected until a later date, again without communication from your team that the collection was even further delayed.

Lastly, I have had to spend time chasing the refund repeatedly, despite written confirmation that it would be processed over a month ago and verbal confirmation from your customer care team.

This has been a highly frustrating experience, requiring far more time and effort than should be necessary for a straightforward van hire. I would appreciate your immediate action to resolve this matter by processing the refund without further delay. Please reply to confirm once the transaction has been completed.

Like so many others I am waiting for my deposit back. They emailed me on 13 May to say it was being released. It's now 30th June and nobody answers emails, the phone only goes to sales who say they'll pass it on and that's it. Have now informed my credit card supplier to see what they can do.

So, ths is the 2nd time I've used NVR, they were late wth the deposit first time round but I stupidly gave them the benefit of the doubt.

This tme round it's been worse and I've tried caling for 4 days straight, no answer, just left on hold.

It's now the 30th June, I received an email saying my deposit would be returned in 28 days wayyy back on the 23rd.

I am furious with this behaviour and will take matters much further if they continue to hold my desposit.

Never using these again after this, not worth the hassle, the worry, especially when moving.

Do not use this company…. All fine until you want your deposit back!

Like many other reviews on here 3 weeks and I am still waiting for my deposit refund of £250. Phone rings out then cuts off. Email saying will check with accounts., still no money!

I have contacted my Barclays Bank fraud team who have logged this and will be chasing.

Tomorrow will be 34 days since they supposedly refunded my £250 deposit. Have tried to contact feedback@ customerservice@ and reservations@ no response from any of them. This is the second time we have rented from them and the second time it’s taken over the stated 28 days for the refund to be received which in this day and age is ridiculous. Gave them the benefit of doubt last time won’t be using them again.

Had a minor issue on the motorway - their 24/7 assistance was brilliant. Sorted within the hour. Peace of mind worth every penny.

Pre-booked for my Heathrow pickup - no queues, car waiting. Perfect when you're tired after a flight. Even got a free upgrade!

I had a worst experience in my life renting their vehicle. I

Despite multiple chasers they have still to return my deposit months after I handed back the van. Vague messages about “we will ask our accounts department” and then nothing further. Will now be instigating legal proceedings to recover the debts and interest charges. Clearly their business model relies on them keeping deposits to assist cash flow. DO NOT USE THESE PEOPLE

I just wish I never discovered this rental site... Booking was very smoth as well as the vehicle delivery,vehicle was pretty new low miles etc,and all the fun began when the vehicle was supposed to be collected,never happened on the day when it was supposed to be collected,why would you even let me choose the time for collection if you guys available in the mornings only?(I've chosen 6pm) So the vehicle been collected few days later(at no extra cost of course) I had to leave work in the middle of my shift as there was no way they could collect the vehicle at my chosen time. Very poor communication,the receptionist who answers the phone sounds like she wishes she never worked there,rude and not nice at all(if you read this please consider a different job for yourself) and and finally the refundable deposit,vehicle been collected on 28th of May,no signs of deposit yet (20th of June) no response to the emails,no updates. Please save yourself some time and nerves,choose something else for a hire vehicle 🙏

Received an email from NVR on 13/05 stating that my rental was successfully completed and that my deposit amount of £500 would be refunded to my card within 7-10 days. On 11/06 I tried to call them. The first time after 10 mins of music I was hung up on as I even said 'hello' and the 2nd time I gave up as no one picked up.

I sent an email asking them about an update on my deposit and I get an automatic reply on 11/06 (a Wednesday) at 11:41 am stating that I'd reached them during out of office hours and that their office would re-open at 8 am the next day!!