Drivalia UK - MANCHESTER AIRPORT Reviews 

Was happy with the service. The staff were great and helped get us on the road quickly

Terrible service. Damaged unclean car. Fuel only 1/4 full. Excess mileage charges (anything more than 100 miles) and still waiting for them to release “reserved” funds (1500 pounds) 30 (THIRTY) days after the car was returned. Located miles away from the airport in a grubby industrial estate.

Would not book again . Over charged
Last year there booking staff very clever what they get away with there charges regarding Insurance be very very careful at Manchester branch they Over charge me by 2 hundred pounds. Did not realise till I got home
Please be careful

Read this before you decide to rent from this ‘company’ so you know what you might have to deal with.

UPDATE:

In my original review, I explained that I was charged £200 for a small scratch on the passenger-side mirror that was clearly pre-existing and documented in the inspection photos emailed to me before the rental. At the time of return, the staff member initially blamed me, but after I showed him the original photos, he acknowledged the damage was already present and accepted the vehicle.

Despite this, £200 was later charged to my card.
After my review, the company replied here on Google asking me to contact them through their official channels so they could investigate. I did exactly that and submitted complaints through the “Manage My Booking” portal, email, and other contact channels.

Since then, I have been completely ignored. No one has contacted me or responded to my dispute.
Charging for damage that clearly already existed — and then ignoring the customer after publicly asking them to get in touch — is completely unacceptable.

(Ref: 3484905) - This photo was taken and emailed to me by the ‘company’. I showed it to the staff member, but they still charged me.

On a very wet November evening 2025 I waited over an hour in the cold and rain to be collected from Manchester airport. On arrival at Drivalia we had an uncomfortable discussion about insurance.
I was then sent outside to inspect the car for scratches in pouring rain and darkness(around 5.30pm Nov) which was clearly impossible. When I got into the car, the passenger-side wing mirror didn’t work. After initially feeling dismissed, this was eventually confirmed and I was given another vehicle, again without any realistic opportunity to check its condition due to the rain and lack of light.My suitcase was left inside the first car and I was told the keys would be found so I could transfer it, all while standing in heavy rain. I am 77 year old woman and no consideration was shown for either the weather conditions or my age. On returning the car a few days later in daylight, I could see that Drivalia has covered garage parking. This made the whole experience feel completely poorly managed. A very stressful start to what should have been a straightforward car hire. NEVER AGAIN!

I dropped a car on 3rd feb with a small bump and advised them of it. But they have still not provided me with a receipt of the cost so can not claim it back from my insurance.
Have written twice (the maximum allowed) on customer service but am being ignored. Have used messenger and phoned the branch but no solution offered. In the meantime I'm outstanding £1500!!!!!!! which I can't afford. PLEASE SORT THIS OUT!!!!!!!

James was very helpful, answered all our questions and was able to give it a good deal on insurance

WARNING- This company is an absolute disgrace. We booked through Easyjet. Our booking was for 00.05am they were not there when we arrived as they close at 11pm. So why can bookings be taken for these hours?
The following day we were told the booking was cancelled so we would need to pay extra to get car. I it was cancelled how come we coukd not be refunded the original payment and do a new booking for a cheaper price.
Their attitude was disgusting, no customer service, they were rude to my Husband abd everyone in there were complaining. The seat belts did not work in the rear of the car but we were to scared to tell them because they would have blamed us and made us pay. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY.

Very poor company, the pick up bus wasn’t in location, finished early, I called 4 times, before there closing time, was on the called for over 20 minutes and nobody answered,
U got a taxi to the car collection point that was also closed, I stayed over in a hotel get another taxi back to collect my car at 8am they said it’s gone, then said it’s cancelled, they then stated I needed to pay another £150 for a new booking! I walked out, they wouldn’t refund me! These companies structure it so this happening to get more money out if you,
The manager at the Manchester brand was very rude and not helpful at all, zero customer service experience.
I’ll never use Drivalia again and

Do not use this company. I arrived over an hour late as my daughter wasn't well. I also called to advise of this, said it was ok.
They refused to provide me with the car and asked for me to pay the full price again plus an extra £50 (extra £181) for the only car they have left. I had pre- paid in full including the full insurance option
Terrible customer service, just want to get more money from you
Update - I left without a car. I looked on the website on way home and there were multiple other cars immediately available at that branch small, medium and large cars. I actually booked numerous cars and then cancelled. I have submitted a complaint. I have looked at others reviews and Drivalia have lots of bad reviews regarding upselling and damage claims. Be careful.

Complete scam upon returning the car. The guy claimed we did smoke in the car for which we were fined £250 + £80 administration costs, which is complete nonsense. In addition, the guy (who introduced himselves as Mike, but turned out to be Mo) created some claim of damage costing another £270. From the pictures, you cannot even see it's the car that we drove. The claims are 100% fake for which I will ask a refund from Drivalia. 100% SCAM

Another great experience. Immad was very helpful and got it all sorted very quickly for me!

I knew from the moment the representative tried to sell me insurance on arrival for £210 then complained the company was only getting £8 a day for our week long rental, that they would invent something to charge us for when we returned the car. They did. Charged us £175 for supposed damage to an alloy that was already chewed all around the edges. Avoid this company like the plague

I am a frequent traveller and I regularly rent cars, both for work and for leisure. I therefore have a very clear benchmark of the service quality offered by different car rental companies. My experience with Drivalia – Manchester Airport has been, without any doubt, the worst I have ever had.
I rented a city car with only the basic insurance. My stay went smoothly and I did not cause any damage or encounter any issues. However, from the moment I picked up the vehicle, I noticed a clear problem: the rear right door would not open. I immediately reported it to the staff member, who dismissed it by saying it “wasn’t an issue”.
Unfortunately, once I reached my destination, I discovered that when locking the car with both the remote and the key, that door – along with the front one – remained unlocked, leaving the vehicle completely exposed. This is unacceptable, both in terms of personal safety and vehicle security.
When I returned the car and reported the issue again, the staff member simply shrugged and tried to charge me for an alleged “dent” on the driver’s door. A dent that does not exist, as shown in the attached photo.
It was obvious that this claim was entirely unfounded, likely because I had not purchased their additional, misleading insurance packages.
The behaviour of the staff was unprofessional, dishonest, and borderline fraudulent. I intend to pursue this matter further, because what happened is disgraceful and completely inconsistent with the image the company claims to uphold internationally.

Never ever rwcommend this company to anyone.
I have booked qith them online to collect my car from the airport on sunday 25th 01 2026 at 9pm.
They send me confirmarion booking and coll3ction address and collecrion spot with phone number to call when i get there.
I got the airport and went to that spot which it was shullter D amd i have called the office number more than 20 times it saying our office close.i took a taxi which cost £10 to the address when i get ther there is no Drivalia rental i did asked the reception ther eit was from enterprice told me qhy they gave me this address they moved long time ago.. he gave me address i took tazi there cost me £13 .i got the office was realy fuming .. i told the guy there why no one answer the phone , he said this is not true no ome call... so i rang the phone infront on him n he was lostening to answer machine saying we are closed... he has no answer just saying could be pro lem with the line.. anyway my booki g was £27 and he asked me for £1500 to leave on hold n rhis will may not back to my back and will sruggle to get them back because i booked through jetcar website
.the only option to pay him another £34 somthing to reduce ot to £200 qith them booking.. i have no time to discuss why so i paid the extra coz i knew it its con people .. be aware to be honest pay more with welknown companies better than con companies like Drivalia

Ive used them twice now. Fast transfer both times, nice car (got an upgrade), friendly staff. The bus driver was especially helpful and friendly on Monday 26/01, I don't understand the negative reviews. Also not pushy for extras when I explained I have private full cover.

I had an excellent experience with Drivalia UK at Manchester Airport, and I want to give special credit to James. This is not the first time he has helped me, and once again he absolutely delivered.

James provided exactly the right car, with the correct mileage and no surprises. Everything was clear, smooth, and handled professionally. His customer service genuinely stands out. He is a man of his word, which is rare enough these days to deserve public recognition.

Over the last couple of years, James has helped myself and my partner more than once, and this year he did it again. Thanks to him, our anniversary weekend went perfectly. If I could rate him 100 out of 100, I would. He made the whole experience stress-free and memorable.
Highly recommend Drivalia, and especially James, for anyone who values reliable service and people who actually care.

Great customer service from Rahat 😊