Drivalia UK - LONDON STANSTED AIRPORT Reviews 

We were cheated by their 'No show' policy despite having booked, paid and checked in weeks in advance. It cost us £640. This is clearly a company organised scam and something that they do on a regular basis. Don't be fooled by their low prices, they are to get you hooked and then they will cheat you out of more. Their dispute resolution service is a joke, they just refer you to clauses in their T&C which simply do not exist. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY

Stansted Branch. Do not even consider booking with them. I had booked and paid in advance for a booking with a collection time of 10am on Monday 5th January. Due to a delayed flight, I arrived to their premises by their shuttle bus
at 11:04
I was told I had no booking. That it had been cancelled because I was more than an hour late for collection (4 minutes), and they would see if there was a car available for me.

I was then charged double the original price I had paid to obtain a car which I needed as I had no other onward travel options. They know this and that they have you in a bind. Effectively I paid 3 times the price for the car.

I don't think this is a reasonable policy for an airport location where customers are subject to factors outside of their control.

The car itself was covered in snow, so I could not inspect it for damage, once the snow cleared the car is filthy and covered in road salt. The customer service person was deeply unhelpful in this regard.

Pathetic. You people send an automatic reply when anyone writes a review. But you never reply on the emails. Even against this mail they will send to reply on their website but its bot reply there as well. Guys, before using these guys services, lawyer yourself up because to get your money back from them, you will be requiring a legal help.
The most unprofessional staff I came across and the worst services.
From the front office girl in their Stanstad branch to their back office staff, they are trying to rip their customers off and excess poor service.

Excellent service throughout. Staff extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

Super & serious service

A good experience
New car
Bmw 3 series

Pleased with my experience as always

Even if you follow their terms and conditions, Drivalia operates what they themselves describe as "company policy" to charge late customers hundreds of pounds extra - regardless of the circumstances.

MY EXPERIENCE - DECEMBER 2025, STANSTED AIRPORT

I booked a Renault Clio (or alternative) for approximately £400 total.

When my flight was delayed, I called Drivalia hours before my scheduled pickup - exceeding their own requirement which states: "contact the rental company at least 30 minutes before your pick-up time."

I gave them my flight number and updated arrival time. I did everything their terms required - and more.

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I ARRIVED

Despite giving advance notice per their terms, I was told my Renault Clio "wasn't available" and had to take a BMW for £700 extra - more than double my original booking price!!!

The total rental went from approximately £400 to £1,100.

DRIVALIA'S OWN WRITTEN ADMISSIONS
After I complained, Drivalia's management responded in writing. Here are their exact words:

1. ON THEIR WEBSITE AVAILABILITY:
"Availability displayed online does not reflect real-time physical fleet availability at branch level"
THIS IS PROOF THAT: Their website shows cars as available even when they may not actually have them, which means you cannot trust what you see when booking.

2. ON WHY I HAD TO ACCEPT:
"The upgrade was accepted in order for the rental to proceed"
THIS SHOWS THAT: I had to accept the £700 charge to get any vehicle at all. It wasn't optional.

3. ON WHETHER THIS IS STANDARD PRACTICE:
"Our staff acted in accordance with company policy"

ADMISSION This isn't an isolated incident or rogue staff member. This is their standard operating procedure.

THE PATTERN I OBSERVED
I wasn't alone at the desk. I witnessed multiple other customers being told the same thing - that their booked vehicles weren't available and they needed to accept expensive "upgrades."

One staff member apologised and told me "as you can see we don't have any choice" while gesturing at a telephone - indicating he was following instructions from management. All staff were avoiding making eye-contact and CLEARLY were deeply ashamed of what they were doing.

THE KEY ISSUE: THEIR TERMS DON'T PROTECT YOU
Drivalia's terms state you should give 30 minutes notice if running late. I gave HOURS of notice.
Their terms say reservations are held for 59 minutes before being marked "no-show." Some customers I saw were barely 5 minutes late.

**But none of this mattered.**

According to their own written response, their "company policy" is to charge late customers whatever they decide, regardless of:

- Whether you gave advance notice
- Whether you're within their grace period
- Whether your booked vehicle is actually available
- Whether the price is reasonable

YOU COULD BE CHARGED ANY THING WITH NO RECOURSE, NO FURTHER OPTIONS, AND EVEN WHEN FOLLOWING THEIR OWN TERMS.

**WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU**

If you book with Drivalia and are late for ANY reason - even with advance notice - be prepared that they may:

1. Claim your vehicle "isn't available" (even if their website shows otherwise)
2. Offer only a more expensive alternative
3. Tell you that you must accept "in order for the rental to proceed" (their words)
4. Charge you hundreds of pounds extra (in this case DOUBLE the original booking).
5. Defend this as "company policy" (their words)
In my case, this meant paying £700 extra - more than double the original price.

**DRIVALIA ADMITS THEIR WEBSITE IS UNRELIABLE**

In their own words: website availability "does not reflect real-time physical fleet availability."
How can you book with confidence when they admit their website doesn't show accurate availability?

**DRIVALIA ADMITS THIS IS STANDARD PRACTICE**

In their own words: "Staff acted in accordance with company policy."
This wasn't a mistake. This is how they operate.

**DRIVALIA ADMITS CUSTOMERS HAVE NO CHOICE**

In their own words: upgrade accepted "in order for the rental to proceed."
Accept the extra charges or get no vehicle at all.

**MY WARNING TO OTHER TRAVELERS**

Based on Drivalia's own written admissions and my personal experience:

❌ Don't trust their website availability - they admit it's unreliable
❌ Don't assume following their terms protects you - it didn't protect me
❌ Don't assume being slightly late is acceptable – even 5 minute delays may trigger this (I saw this precise action on the day)
❌ Be prepared for charges far exceeding your original booking price
❌ Know this is their stated "company policy" - not an exception

Good experience as always

Really good service from Mhemet. Informative , friendly and ultra efficient.

Sergio was the best!

Incredibil service

Hired a car with drivalia , Sergio customer service was amazing very polite and professional would definitely recommend and will be coming back.

Sergio was amazing! He was so helpful and helped me and my family upgrade our car as we took the protection with him and he gave us an amazing upgrade included in the package. I will definitely be using Divala again!

Sergio was very good haloing me with the booking

Sergio customer service was on point and the car I got from him did the job properly. Couldn't ask for better service, I'll definetly come back again.

Sergio, help me with my renthel the auther day , his custumer service was amaizing, i will definatly come back :).