Drivalia UK - MANCHESTER AIRPORT Reviews 

Rahat really looked after us at the Manchester office - very friendly and helpful - gave us good advice about electric v hybrid cars . Would highly recommend

This was the second time I have used Drivalia. To be fair, I was quite surprised again. I booked through a third-party company, Economy Rentals, and got a really good rate.
When I collected the car, the process was easy. They were very honest about the minor scratches before I took the car. They took photographs of the car and emailed them directly to prove the condition of the vehicle. They also insisted that I take my own photos to confirm the car’s condition.
I booked a Peugeot 3008, but they gave me an alternative renault hybrid model instead. It was a nice car.
The drop-off was just as easy. They checked the car with no funny business, unlike some cheaper car rental companies that try to blame you for scratches that were already there before the rental.
They also picked me up from the airport and dropped me back there afterwards.
I will use this company again because they provide a good service. No complaints at all.

I always use Drivalia when coming home to Manchester. Always an easy, efficient and friendly service. I would never use anyone else. Shout out to Ryan!!

No response from management – key issue still ignored

Following my previous review, I have still not received any meaningful response from management.

I want to restate the key issue, as it continues to be overlooked: we did have a physical credit card available at the counter. My partner had her card ready to use, yet your system would not accept it because she was not listed on the booking. We were also not allowed to amend the booking to add her.

As a result, we were left with no option but to pay an additional £800 just to proceed with the hire.

This is not about customers failing to meet requirements. This is about rigid systems and a lack of practical solutions, even when a valid payment method is present.

The lack of response and accountability from management only reinforces the experience.

I would strongly caution other travellers.

1st time renting a car and got a Nissan Quasqui from their Manchester depot. Very smooth online process. Very friendly at pickup and very friendly at drop off. Also their own shuttle bus. Also accept debit card which is great. Will be using them again.

This was one of the worst experiences I’ve had with a car rental service.

I tried repeatedly to contact Drivalia by phone, but they simply did not respond on 00:20 even though it is with working hours. There was no support or communication at all when I actually needed assistance.

The next day, I was told that my reservation was no longer available, despite having already booked it. This is completely unacceptable and shows a serious lack of reliability.

To make matters worse, I was then asked to pay a much higher price than originally agreed. This feels misleading and highly unprofessional, as customers should not be pressured into paying more due to the company’s own failures.

Overall, the service was unreliable, poorly managed, and extremely frustrating. I would strongly advise others to avoid using Drivalia and consider more trustworthy alternatives

Have been using Manchester Airport Drivalia for over 3 years. Always timely collection, efficient staff and clean maintained cars. Would recommend.

Pick up from the airport was very efficient, Immad on the desk was pleasant and informative no pressure to take any extras even gave me a larger vehicle to fit my case. Will definitely be returning!

Rahat at Manchester Airport provided an excellent service during the check in process Keep up the good work

Customer service shocking, we booked the van from 8am, due to a RTA we were late to pick up. Arrived at 9am. There was only one person on the desk and one customer... We waited 30minutes to be served. We shared we were in a rush, was there anyone that could support as needed the van to move house... Told us we will have to wait.Despite two other men being in the warehouse! Shocking service. Will not use again.

UPDATE:
Dear Drivalia Manager,

As mentioned in your response - I have contacted the branch again as, we were promised a full refund. We have not received a response however, notice a part refund was given... we are unable to add any more to the portal as our current complaint is not resolved... i have therefore sent the following email to the branch manager:

I am writing further to my email dated 5 May, to which I have not yet received a response.

I have now noticed that a partial refund of £95 has been processed. However, we are expecting a full refund of £130.01, as we did not receive the service we paid for through no fault of our own.

As outlined in my previous complaint, we were informed on the day of collection that we had failed the credit check, yet no explanation could be provided as to why. This was particularly frustrating given that:

We had already received confirmation that the van booking was secured;
We had completed the online pre-check-in two days beforehand;
We were only informed of the issue at the point of collection, despite having travelled to the branch and waited over 30 minutes to be served.

This situation had a serious impact on our day, especially as the van had been booked to assist my elderly father with his house move within a limited timeframe.

We also do not understand how the credit check could have failed, as we have an excellent credit history and encountered absolutely no issues when subsequently hiring a van from Arnold Clark, located less than 500 yards away from your branch, on the very same day.

Given the circumstances, we do not believe it is reasonable for Drivalia to retain any portion of the payment for a service that was ultimately not provided.

As previously advised, I have now raised a formal dispute with my bank regarding the transaction.

Please arrange for the remaining balance of £35.01 to be refunded immediately, bringing the total refund to the full £130.01 originally paid. In addition, I ask that Drivalia considers appropriate compensation for the inconvenience, stress, and disruption caused by this experience.

I would appreciate a full response to my complaint without further delay.

Yours sincerely,

Denise Nicholls

Courteous and knowledgeable staff, especially matt

Typical experience from a cheap vendor. Incompetent desk staff, hidden terms and conditions that lead to an attempted upsell, passed off as 'doing you a favour'. Avoid these buffoons at all costs and just go direct to a reputable provider. I only tried them as I landed late (and still had to wait over an hour for their shuttle service). I walked out after they tried to increase my booking by £80 a day...clowns.

James was a great help with the hire and mileage
Would use again

Rahat was very helpful and clear made checking out the van very easy

Suberb. Cant fault

Really smooth service and no pushy upselling by James..

All good. Rafa was very helpful

Mat was so helpful definitely use this company again

Gurdas dealt with to hire car was amazing Experiance nice and polite and helpful

I will never use Drivalia again. This was not a car rental; it was a strategically engineered exercise in consumer exploitation. I arrived for a pre-paid booking only to be told it was "void" because I was over 60 minutes late. Despite having already paid in full, the staff member — who possessed the worst customer service skills I have ever encountered, informed me the only way I was leaving with a car was to start a new agreement at a staggering £525.55. They effectively held my travel plans hostage. Knowing I had an urgent event to reach, they forced me into a "new" contract that included a £90-per-day "UPGRADE" fee. I didn't want an upgrade; I wanted the service I had already paid for. This is predatory upselling under duress, plain and simple. To make matters worse, the "premium" car they forced me to pay over £500 for (MD22 0JK) was a disaster:

Mechanical Safety: The steering wheel suffered from violent vibrations at speed, casting serious doubt on their "roadworthy" claims.

Health Hazard: The interior absolutely reeked of stale cigarette smoke, to the point it felt like a health risk for the entire four-hour journey. Cosmetic

Condition: The exterior looked like it had been driven through a rally stage, with heavy scratches and alloy wheels in appalling condition. Drivalia uses "hidden" terms in their fine print—contradicting their own 2-hour grace period mentioned elsewhere—to cancel pre-paid bookings and force customers into extortionate new rates.

They are a disgrace to the industry. Advice to others: Avoid at all costs. They will take your pre-paid money, cancel your booking on a technicality, and then fleece you for hundreds more at the desk.