Lava Car Rental
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Unsafe Car, Misleading Advertising and Terrible Customer Service!
We had an extremely disappointing experience with Lava Car Rental during our trip to Iceland from October 6th to October 18th. We rented a 4x4 vehicle (Booking Number: RE948I) advertised as suitable for "all roads and weather conditions," but it came with summer tires—completely unsafe for driving in winter conditions. This resulted in us sliding off the road into a snowbank. We were lucky to have gone off the road at the "best" place possible, as it could have been much worse. The towing service we had to call cost us $600, and the tow operator confirmed that the problem was due to the summer tires, which were not appropriate for the conditions we encountered with snow and ice. This expense and the dangerous situation we were put in could have been completely avoided if the vehicle had been properly equipped. Customer service was equally poor. We contacted the company two days before the incident, expressing concerns about the tires due to slippery roads, but received no response. When we called, they told us to “drive carefully” and blamed us for going north where it was snowing, offering no real help. The company repeatedly claimed that winter tires are only allowed from November 1st, which is true for studded winter tires. However, the Icelandic government recommends using all-season tires or unstudded winter tires when driving outside of Reykjavík, regardless of whether you’re in the north or south. We are from Switzerland and are very familiar with snowy conditions. The road conditions would not have been a problem if the car had been equipped with all-season or winter tires, but the summer tires made the situation extremely dangerous. When we returned the car, the company offered us a $100 refund, which we accepted, but we made it clear we were not satisfied. The towing cost alone was $600, and we experienced dangerous situations and emotional distress that could have been completely avoided with a properly equipped vehicle. This company put us at serious risk, and I would not recommend them to anyone looking for a safe and reliable rental in Iceland.