NU Car Rentals - Los Angeles Airport Reviews 48

Ladies and gentlemen. SCAMMERS. If someone sends you a confirmation email that your car has been reserved, without any disclaimer that if you don't pay online, it doesnt guarantee the car, I take it that it's reserved. I came 50. min early, but they didn't offer to wait. They said your car isn't available because you didn't pay online, so we don't have it. You have to upgrade for $150 or higher. Emailed them to dispute it, probably six times, they only said "you came early"....What a BS.......NOPE NEVER AGAIN

I have mixed feeling about NU Car Rentals in Denver International Airport.

Good part: great value for sure, car is pretty new and no problem. Shuttle bus is frequent and had no issue. Not pushing to sell any extra service.

Other parts: service is not great. First, the location is further than other car rentals so it's at least 10 minutes more driving to there from the airport. Then I have to wait long at the counter since they only had one worker there at night(and closes at 12:30am). They are small and not well organized. For example, they even don't know where the car is located(though it's a small parking lot). You need to use the remote to locate the car. The returning process is very simple though, just drop the key, left the car in the parking lot and leave.

Overall, I had good experience.

Update of Jan 6. 2026
Ticket# 350163
In response to your response of 3/6/26
Seeing as thou you make it very difficult to respond to your previous emails. I will add another review.
Looks like you dropped the ball again,,,,,
In your response you state from the review of the reservation which you were unable to confirm due to your agent not taking any notes of the original complaint so you say you ASSUME by saying the reservation was marked as unqualified and the customer (me) may not have met the local renter requirement. How dare you assume, and what is the local renter qualification, I never have experienced this is the past. sounds like you're trying to throw back your incompetency to the customer, whether I prepaid or not there was a contract of agreement and the option was to pay upon picking up the vehicle. No future worries, I will no longer patronize your establishment nor will I consider editing my first complaint and since I use Expedia, I will also stress my concerns to them as well.

We arrived for our 11 AM rental pickup
at the Los Angeles Airport at 10:30 AM After
20 minutes in line
We were told that the car we reserved was not available.
that we could come back in 2 hours and it would be there or that we could get a different car right alway for $122 (more than twice the car we had reserved).
We decided to wait the additional two hours.

Returning at 1:00 PM there was a long line a 45 minute wait.
This time we had a different agent who repeated the same story that our car was not available but we could return in a couple of hours and it would be there,
or they did have a car but it would cost $40 additional. The agent appeared to smirk when he said it. Frustrated I complained, feeling we didn't have choice at that point we agreed to it. The agent laughed as he gave us the keys and paper work.
Also while waited the second time I could other custmers who seem to be having the issuse as us.

I booked a car through Priceline with NU Car Rental for July 10, 2025, expecting a great deal—$90 for five days under a “Supplier’s Choice” option. I even canceled a more expensive $188 booking because this one looked more affordable. Big mistake.

When I arrived at the NU Car Rental location, I was informed that there would be a two-hour wait for my reserved car unless I “upgraded” and paid an extra $109. This felt blatantly manipulative. I could literally see multiple cars sitting in the lot. It was clear they were using the “delay” as a high-pressure tactic to upsell customers who were in a hurry—classic bait-and-switch behavior.

With no realistic choice and time constraints pressing, I reluctantly agreed to the so-called upgrade. End result? My rental cost more than my original $188 booking—$197 in total. So much for saving money.

But the nightmare didn’t end there. The car I received was in noticeably poor condition:

Scratches and dings all over the exterior

Interior was not properly cleaned

Gas tank was only half full, even though full-to-full is the industry norm

It’s infuriating to be forced into an upsell only to receive a dirty, damaged, and under-fueled vehicle. It showed a total lack of respect for the customer. The staff was dismissive and unapologetic, and the entire experience felt like a scam being run on unsuspecting travelers.

I reached out to Priceline and NU to request compensation for:

The $109 I was coerced into paying for an unnecessary upgrade

The lost time and stress

The substandard condition of the car

The deceptive sales practices that feel designed to trap budget-conscious renters

So far, I haven’t seen meaningful accountability from either company. This experience has left me questioning whether Priceline vets its rental partners at all—and whether NU Car Rental exists solely to exploit people with dishonest tactics.

Do yourself a favor and stay far away from NU Car Rental. And if you’re booking through Priceline, be extremely cautious about “great deals” that look too good to be true—because they probably are.

Okay. This is for thr NU car rental out of LAX. Just to make you aware, the 'savings' may not be worth it in the long run.

The location is odd. It's tucked inside of a Renaissance hotel, which makes it very confusing getting there on your own and a little confusing using the airpirt transport. You don't go stand at the car rental pickup location. You have to go to another location (pink lax bus pickup), to take a bus which goes around the whole airport before dropping you off at a big random parking structure. Then you just kinds wait around for someone to pick you up. There's not much there and you don't know when you will be picked up so be prepared to wait. I spoke to a driver for another rental car company. He said that NU doesn't go as often so it may be a longer wait for me. So maybe call them and let them know you're coming, maybe that will help.

Then I got there late, combination of jfk delays and confusion as to where to go left me late to pick up the car. The lady told me that the delay meant that my rate for the car I paid for, was now gone. She told me it was going to be another $112 to move forward with my booking. I didnt get a fancy car, in fact I chose the least expensive one I could to be budget friendly. I had already paid $150 for this rental. So for this new price, I could have honestly gotten a nicer car as a better car rental place without the hassle of what I went through to get there. She kept saying it was a change of car fee and that I was concidered a no show when I was late so essentially I had to do another booking. I went online to check and I could done a whole booking for $109! So not only did it not help me in the slightest to make a booking online, it actually cost me $200 more at the end of the day. I said that to her and she said i would be losing thenoney I already paid to do a new booking. I said I was loosing that money already cause the price she's quoting is a the cost of a whole new booking. She just kept saying the same thing. It was odd though because when she had me sign everything on the pad, it said I had to sign to confirm the car upgrade. When I questioned her she said that it was just the fee to change the car as my rate was now gone. I had booked a standard suv, basic, least expensive one. When we did collect the car it was bigger and definitely not in the same price bracket as the one I asked for. So I think she chose a more expensive car to surreptitiously get me to pay for an upgrade. Cause I saw the cars in the lot. There were a few small hatchback and other small suvs I could have taken. I wish I knew cars to properly convey this to you but there you go. I felt duped. I ended up deciding to still go with them instead of a new booking as I had already paid for the insurance portion which was $55. It would have been lost otherwise. Otherwise I would have left and made a booking somewhere else. The preplanning did not help me here. Oooh and she snubbed the insurance plan I got. I went through travel guard, the usual one on Expedia. Worked with eveything else. But she kept saying im still going to be responsible if something happens to my car so I should take their insurance. She said I should take there's and try get a refund from the one I got. This is on the day im picking up my car, I think she knows full well that there was no way I would get a refund on insurance I got, especially on the day I was meant to pick up the car. So sales tactics were too aggressive for me here. She also looked at me like a peasant everything I said no to an upcharge. Didn't care for that.

Oh and they hold $500 as collateral for the car. There was a couple I saw as I was getting my car, they couldn't afford the deposit. It was really stressing them out. They had already paid for this car, they were late to where they needed to go and they had to call someone to loan them the money. This isn't NUs fault. Just something to keep in mind. If you're getting something cheaper because you don't has the disposable income to go without that money for the period you're here, there are other options. I overheard them speaking about a place that only requires $200 deposit. They did this place, again because of all the money they had already paid to this place. Sunken cost is a real thing.

I think thats it.

Major take aways:
You should contact them if you're late or may be late
You should call them to get them to pick you up in a timely manner
Don't buy the car insurance when you rent the car online
Be prepared for upcharges
Give yourself extra time to get there

At the end of this whole thing. I felt duped. You want your customers to feel like they just won by using your company. I felt taken advantage of. It was not a great feeling. I would rather pay a but more upfront that go through them again.

This is a review for NU Car Rental's DENVER location.

I am disappointed in myself as well as your employee who handled my transaction.  During the process of logging in your representative asked me where I was going.  When I said I was headed to Steamboat Springs he said that the Gladiator I rented was a 4 cylinder that would struggle at certain parts of the drive that had a grade incline.  He recommended that I upgrade to a 6 cylinder Rubicon.  He stated that the DIFFERENCE WAS ONLY $25. He neglected to say it was per day.  Naturally I was ready to get going and I agreed to the upgrade and I didn't read the contract once I signed.  If I had, I would have canceled the upgrade. On the way to Steamboat I saw many four cylinder vehicles going up to Steamboat with no issues.  In fact, the elevation changes were very gradual and would have been easily manageable by a 4 cylinder Gladiator. I am upset that I paid 128% over the original price.  I understand that upselling is part of the job but I believe your employee was fully aware that I did not fully comprehend what I agreed to.  I feel I was conned.  I am 68 years old, so I should know better; however, I will review your company accordingly

Update 3/24/25: I reached out to the company and their response was that I used the vehicle therefore there was nothing they could do. Apparently they didn't read my complaint, or they would know that I had to use the car before I realized I had fallen for their bullshit.
Just be aware that you're going to be tired from traveling and they're going to try to upsell you. Like I said...my fault.

Got to the airport on Thanksgiving with a prepaid reservation for a car. The rental car lot was off-site and there were NOT any directions explaining how to get there. I finally get online and find them. Only to be taken by a shuttle to a parking lot a few miles away where I was told to take another shuttle.
Another rental car agency was there and said the NU Car shuttle hadn't
been there in a long while, so we should walk. Ended up being 2 LA city blocks that we walked to the hotel, only to find out they had NO cars available. No text or email ahead of time to let me know my PREPAID, NONREFUNDABLE reservation was now no good.

The only reason why I gave 1 star is because the people at the counter found me another rental car at another agency and NU Car refunded the entire amount - as the new car was an extra 50% above what my reserved car was. But a complete cluster and waste of time. I will never rent from them again!

this a scam rental car company, don't even go there to get a car rental, they'll try take more money even you have reservation agreement.and don't even think to get money back from refund. last word good luck if you rent from them.

I had a disappointing experience with Nu Car Rental and would not recommend their services. Initially, I rented a car for 4 days at a rate of $75. Knowing I’d be running late on the return due to being far away, I contacted Nu in advance to request an extra day, fully expecting an additional charge. However, they refused to allow it, and there was no mention of what that extra cost might be.

Upon returning the car, I was hit with an $80 charge for that extra day—more than the entire cost of my original 4-day rental. When I reached out to Nu to understand the charge, they stopped responding to my emails altogether. To make matters worse, they kept my $110 deposit without any explanation.

A rental that should have cost around $75 ended up costing $270, with no support or communication from Nu. This experience felt unprofessional and unfair. After writing multiple emails to NU and giving them a fair chance to fix this issue, I had no other choice after 3 Months but to file a dispute.

I waited ten minutes for the shuttle and took the hotel shuttle.
My flight had been delayed, but after talking to them, they stayed late so I could get my car. They were incredible friendly. The car was in excellent condition. The staff at the desk and at the car check-out were very friendly.
I had no unexpected charges.
If your drop off is later than your pick up, rent an extra day to avoid the hourly fee for late drop off.
Earlier this year I was at a different airport where we had almost an hour wait. Many places are short staffed and have really long waits.

I've just left them zero-star reviews (if could, I would!) on Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor. I just wanted to make sure this reached as many travelers as possible. If anyone can think of another site for reviews, please let me know. Avoid this place at all costs. It's not worth the hassle.

I just needed a car for a few hours as I was in LA just connecting flights at LAX airport. When I picked up the car, I could see it had a few dings and dents. But when I mentioned to the employee there she said, "don't worry, that has been noted, just return the car as is".

I returned just a few hours later and they didn't mention anything. I flew home and I noticed it was more than $500 charged to my credit card. When I wrote to them fora clarification the invoice said "$500 was car damages". No explanation of what these damages are, or pictures of the damage, nothing. I was "selected" as the guy to pay for those dents. And I wonder how many people had been selected too. They are crooks. I wrote back complaining. I never heard from them again.

Do yourself a favor. Rent only from reputable car rentals. This company is a scam.

Run run run away….believe all of the bad reports about this car rental place! My friend and I booked a car 5 months in advance; we phoned to confirm availability one week before arrival….then we arrived to a packed waiting area of unhappy people.

We were told by the man behind the desk when we first made it to the front of the line that “we may not get a car today and that if we really needed one…we should go to Budget Car Rental across the street!”

People had been waiting there for HOURS (one family missed a wedding event and had been waiting there for 5 hours without luck…eventually they ended up paying $1000 USD to rent from Budget and canceled their rental with NU rental).

We thankfully found a much nicer and more helpful lady behind the desk (I think her name was Brenda or Diane?) who actually helped us get a car….but the stress of the experience was not worth going through again.

Their prices might be cheaper….but trust me, it will cost you much more in the long run, both in time, money (everyone else we met that day had to rent through another car rental at much higher prices) and aggravation! Absolutely not worth renting a car from this place!

I booked for a car in Los Angeles. First of all the agency was in an other place, the informations to get in the office were wrong. i had to pay 10 dollar uber taxi to get there on time.
And when i finally get there on time they told me that there is no car available for me. So my reservation was useless even i already paid an amount of it and i didnt get my refund.
It was the worst experience with this company

I booked a car through priceline for July 12, 2024 for their LAX location. This is the very worst rental car experience I have ever encountered. I had asked for a 5PM pick- up: they confirmed with a 3:15PM pick-up time. Flying into LAX I know one seldom arrives on time. I was not allowed a later pick up time when I requested it. As expected, my flight was an hour late, getting a shuttle from airport to the rental office was a 2 hour wait as they have a remote location so it requires both airport shuttle t one parking lot and then another to reach the rental office. When I arrived I was informed my reservation was cancelled as I was not there at 3:15 PM ( though I had contacted them multiple times through several numbers- but no contact number given allows you to speak to or text a live agent) The agent at the rental desk pointed out to me that I had received far too low a daily rate, therefore I should not expect there to be a car available when I arrived. She then informed me that they had no car for me and referred to another independent agency a few blocks away. She also told me she was processing my refund and I would have it in 5 days. ( as I write this it it 12 days later and I have just been hung up on by an agent I finally managed to reach at a number I found online. This number afforded me a message and a call back.) I do wonder if this is some kind of scam- they take your reservation and then refuse you a vehicle and send you to another independent rental car operation with a kickback, perhaps? The reason I question the integrity of this rental car agency is because the car I rented at this other rental agent cost nearly 4 times my original reservation. It was a very unusual and questionable situation. The Nu Car agents were rather rude until I agreed to go to their recommended rental agency. all of this took me a great deal of time from the time at landed at 2:45 PM. It was 9 PM when I at last reached my hotel having missed a scheduled meeting at 7PM. I now learn the BBB has this company listed at only 1 star due to all the complaints. I wish I had known that sooner. DO yourself a favor: stick with the known rental car agency and beware of NU Car rental no matter how good the daily rate seems to be. It isn’t worth the frustration and the cost!!!!! BTW they are not located at the Westin near LAX despite the address allowed in this app.

This company needs to be shut down. What horrendous agency with horrible employees and location. I reserved a car a week prior from the LAX location. They DID NOT have my car available when I arrived (after waiting an hour for the first shuttle, and having to take a second to their inconvenient location) and I was left stranded costing me my entire trip. All they said was that they’d call me when a car was available. What’s the point?!?
Avoid this company at all costs.

Worst experience ever.
I rent cars at least 25 times a year and this is by far the worst company.

I rented at LAX and later receiver a bill that overcharged me by more than 500$.
They actually lied about:
-Bringing the car late / I brought it back half a day early !
-tank not being full / I filled her up last than a mile from there.
-keys were lost / was not the case and I have photo proof.

I keep writing and calling and they do not follow up at all !!

Do yourself a service a do not rent from them.

If I can rate ZERO star for this car rental company, I WILL. Our group reserved 2 cars. When we arrived, they just simply told us that they could NOT HONOR our reservations even though we made them through their website and showed them the confirmation email. Imagine if you travel and at your destination, the car rental refused your reservation, causing a big headache in the very first moment of your vacation. NEVER RENT FROM THIS COMPANY!

6/26/2024: NU Rental replied to this review as soon as it was published and promised to reply. They opened the Ticket 749090. However, 6 days already passed and nothing happened. Even they have my confirmation numbers and my contact information. DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY!

No car available when paid two wheek in advance. Need it to wait 2 hour for car available.

DO NOT rent with Nu Cars! I had my own insurance and they wouldn't approve of it. They wanted me to pay an extra $800 ontop of the $370 USD that I had already paid for the car. Staff was rude and did not assist whatsoever. I had booked through hopper had just landed off a 14hr flight. Low on phone battery calling hopper to assist me as Rosie (Nu Car staff LAX) was not helping at all!!! Appalling customer service!!!! I had my insurance broker on the phone Rosie refused to listen to what they were faxing. I wasted another 6 hours with incompetent Nu Car staff and an entire day out of my 10-day vacation. I was surprising friends only to call them to come and pick me up as she wouldn't release the car to me. I am frustrated just thinking about it now!!!! I ended up being fully charged for a car that I didn't end up renting. Still waiting on a refund that was promised by hopper!!! Traumatising Experience!!!! Never ever rent with Nu Car Rentals.