Lava Car Rental Reviews

Vi havde bestilt biler med vinterdæk hjemmefra , men der der var sommerdæk på bilerne da vi ankom. Og ikke tale om at det kunne skiftes til vinterdæk. Så det blev rigtig træls kørsel i den uge vi havde bilerne , for vi havde rigtigt fint vintervejr hele ugen med masser af sne hele ugen

Great - was raining heavily when we got the car so I just trusted them re dings but all was good and no issues when dropping back. Quick note: pick up from airport is from the left side of the airport as you come out

Vi var en gruppe der lejede en 5 styk SUV med 4 hjuls træk, til en fotorejse i det nordøstlige Island i perioden fra den 10 oktober til 18 oktober, en periode hvor det kan blive vintervejr med frost og sne, derfor bestilte vi vinterdæk til alle bilerne. Vi fik 4 SUV med nedslidte sommerdæk og 1 SUV med helårsdæk. Det blev vintervejr med frost og sne, i den region vi kørte i var der typisk mellem, 10-20 cm sne og vejene blev ikke ryddet og flere af vejene vi havde planlagt at køre på blev direkte lukket på grund af vejret. Vi var ikke trygge ved at bruge bilerne og en af dem punkterede også da dækket var helt tyndslidt.

vi have på forhånd lejet 5 biler og der blev tydeligt gjort klart at vi skulle ud og køre hvor der med stor sandsynlighed skulle bruges vinterdæk trods det blev alle 5 biler leveret med tildeles nedslidte sommerdæk på den ene bil var der så helårsdæk på og på en var dækkene så nedslidte at det punkterede det hele resulterede i at vi ikke kunne komme der hen vor vi havde planlagt vi tilbød at vente medens de skiftede til vinterdæk men det ville de ikke ( de er åbenbart ligeglade med deres kunders ve og vel )

Jeg var chauffør på en af de 5 biler vi lejet vi skulle nord på og det snet en hel del i dette område og bilerne var monteret med sommer dæk og vi ville gerne vente på de skiftet til vinter dæk men det ville de ikke og snekæder havde de ingen af ,det satte sine begrænsninger på hvor vi kunne køre hen så nogle steder fik vi ikke at se

Part of a group how rented 5 4wd cars for 8 days. When we got cars delivered we claimed that there was a lack of rubber left on the tires. The weather was winter -5 /-10c and snow. Lava Car rental answers that it was the drivers responsibility to manage to drive the cars and they don't use better tire In Iceland 😓🙈 Even after few days driving other one car the steel belt of tires sticking out !!!

A refreshing change to the usual car rental nightmare. Collected promptly from the airport to collect our vehicle. The car we had reserved was out of stock, therefore we were upgraded, very happy. Encouraged to check and photograph our vehicle before leaving, so that we were happy with any existing damage. Lava also keep a log of any existing damage on the vehicle. Returned the car a week later all good. The fuel tank is full when you collect it and they ask you to make sure it’s full when you return it. Simple no hidden fuel charges. A pleasant, helpful and professional company. We will definitely use Lava car rental again when we return to Iceland. Which will hopefully be soon, what a fantastic place!

Very nice brand new car, easy to drive and had winter tyres on for our journey around the ring road and into the north. Appreciated an email at the end of our trip from Lava cars to warn us of the wind weather warning which would have affected our plans. It made us leave earlier than planned to miss it. Easy process for dropping off the car back to the airport, but did have to call a couple times to get picked up from the airport, but we weren’t in a rush. Overall a great experience renting a car.

Lava Car Rentals are a fantastic company to hire through. The booking process was streamlined and the pick up from the airport and the car pickup was very smooth. The staff were friendly and very helpful. The company recommended a 4wd car which was modern and suited the road and weather conditions which made driving stress free. The drop off process was just as smooth which topped off a great time in Iceland. Would definitely recommend them and would hire through Lava again.

I had a traffic infraction and the fine was around $10. Unfortunately, Lava charges $50 as an admin fee on top of this! Seems very excessive. I was trying to use a local business vs a traditional provider. I looked past the fact that it took well over an hour of shuttle waits to get from the Airport and I had to leave my family there to get the rental. I thought maybe they were understaffed that day and was willing to give the benefit of the doubt.

Right from the beginning of the process from looking through the choices of the car, information on website, ease of booking, through to post-booking support, like emails and calls, all worked very well. There was a delay of half an hour to 45 minutes at the airport for the shuttle which was unpleasant due to the wait in the cold wind. However, once got through the phone to customer service, shuttle van came quickly. Car was nice (Nissan Qashqai); it smelt of moisture / musty, but very likely due to the washed out mats which were still quite wet and hence may be had less time to dry before we picked the car up. Once used with warm AC, the inside dried up over a couple of hours of driving and from then on it was a pleasure to drive and manage 4 days without unpleasant odours. Returns process was quick and smooth as well. Their location is very convenient next to the N1 petrol station which makes it easier to fill up and return. Overall, a good experience. Will rent again from them if visit Iceland again!

All ok but pick up shuttle difficult to find. Better two shuttle.

We recently hired a vehicle and were very pleased with it. Great service from the team. Pick up from airport was fine once we figured out correct place to wait for shuttle bus ( our error). Smooth and quick handover and easy to exit the airport area. Drop off again was smooth and efficient Would highly recommend.

From pick-up to drop-off of the vehicle, we have only had positive experiences. Reliable shuttle service from the airport to the hire station. Very accommodating staff. Everything was to our complete satisfaction. Any time again.

I secured a 2023 LAND CRUISER SUV for my family trip to Iceland during the last week of October, 2024. I had three adults and two teenage minors in my party; a total of five persons. I used Northbound.is for this rental trip. When I went to the Northbound.is website for my rental vehicle of interest, I made certain to search for the LARGEST vehicle possible for my trip, knowing that I had five parties and accompanying luggage and personal effects. This trip was largely a road trip, and I foresaw us spending a great deal of time in this vehicle. The Toyota Landcruiser was the largest rental vehicle offered on this website. Additionally, it was a "guaranteed model" rental. Northbound.is apparently subcontracted my rental to Lava Car Rental. The online and email processes, up until the time of my actual trip, were satisfactory in that both companies kept me apprised as to the status of my rental and how to meet with an operator at the airport for shuttle transportation to the Lava Car Rental facility for my rental vehicle. On the date of my travel to Iceland with my family, I had some airline issues and though my flight did arrive late, it still arrived on the same day I had anticipated. "Prince" - with Lava Car Rental - met us at the airport terminal in the shuttle. I recall him immediately pointing out our large group and large of accompanying luggage. He expressed to me his concerns with me fitting everyone and everything into our rental. As we traveled to the rental facility, Prince brought up to me that it was after hours and as such I would be required to pay for an insurance supplement. I wasn't immediately certain what he was talking about - as it was my understanding that Northbound provided insurance for this vehicle AS ADVERTISED ON THEIR WEBSITE. As such, I dismissed this conversation and changed the subject. At the rental car facility, things got really awkward. Prince repeated his assertion that I would be required to purchase the nearly $300 USD insurance supplement because it was after hours. He phrased this as though this insurance supplement would somehow give him a kickback for his late work hours this day. While he didn't say this outright, I couldn't understand why else he would make this assertion and near requirement for me to purchase this insurance supplement; why he would really even care. I mean, he did hand me a slip of paper which provided the legal terms and such associated with this supplemental rental car insurance plan. I tried to decline this, and even asked him what Northbound was offering, insurance-wise, and how this was any different. He did not wish to discuss this matter further and reminded me that I had to pay it because, again, it was after hours. My wife and I were unbelievably perplexed by this; but, being that we were now in a foreign country, that it was late in the evening, and that we had tight plans for this trip that did not permit us to spend any more time here, we decided it best not to argue with Prince and just allowed the last-minute insurance supplement shake down. Hadn't even barely started our trip and our first Iceland encounter is a rental car shakedown for almost $300 USD; so infuriating. To add salt to the wound, after swiping my credit card Prince hands me the keys to my rental car; the keyfob labeled KIA. WHAT??? I ordered a TOYOTA LANDCRUISER. He explained to me that they didn't have any available and was quick to advise me that my rental agreement was for a TOYOTA LANDCRUISER or similar. I asked him what model KIA this was. He told me it was a SORENTO. I looked outside and could see a silver KIA SORENTO parked at the side of the building. I pleaded with Prince that I had five parties in my group and a heaping pile of luggage. I even pointed out to him that the KIA SORENTO was almost the exact size of a nearby parked TOYOTA RAV4. Both of these were mid-sized SUV's which were maxed out at five passengers and had barely any room for five passengers' luggage and personal effects. He told me this was a winter version and was fully equipped for travel on Iceland's roads. We argued for a bit. In our back and forth, I asserted that I could care less as to the vehicle's capabilities or equipment; I needed ROOM for my party on this largely road trip. Prince made it clear that there was no alternative here, and that this vehicle was the only vehicle available to me. With my hands completely tied, my family squeezed into this vehicle like a sardine can. During this trip, I made numerous efforts to contact both Lava Car Rental and Northbound. I entirely got the run around. Lava made no efforts to address my complaints and Northbound played the blame game until both just stopped communicating altogether. DEPLORABLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. Would've rated ZERO STARS if I could. Will be certain to stay with the major brands in the future

I am a tour leader for 18 photographers who were on a group trip in Iceland. I have witnesses who can confirm my statement below. There have been numerous excuses. While it may be true that winter tires are only permitted after November in Iceland, this does not justify using completely worn-out tires. The tires were so deteriorated that the steel wires were visibly protruding. Furthermore, lying about the situation is unacceptable. Claiming that we left the Lava Car office because we refused to wait for the tires to be changed is, in my opinion, highly unprofessional and blatantly hostile towards customers. Lava Car should not be allowed to rent out vehicles when they knowingly and deliberately put their customers in serious danger. We repeatedly asked for the tires to be changed, but instead of addressing our legitimate concerns, we were met only with explanations about Icelandic regulations. No effort was made to inspect the vehicles or verify our claims. To anyone considering renting a car from Lava Car—don't. It is outright dangerous. I can only give lavacar one star because their customer service is very bad and dangerous for the people who rent a car from them. we rented 5 cars from them for a photo trip to the north of Iceland where there is snow. lavacar knew this well, but still we are given cars with summer tires, we point this out and get an explanation which according to the public regulations turns out not to be correct: 4 of the cars had tires so worn that there was no profile left. a car punctured due to wear and poor repair of the tyre. Lavacar had the opportunity to change the tires but they didn't want to, so I think they put safety aside. it is under all criticism

Vi var en gruppe på 18 personer, der i god tid inden vores ankomst havde reserveret 5 biler med firhjulstræk. Vi ankom i frostvejr og med begyndende snebyger og alle biler stod klar som aftalt. Ved gennemgangen inden afgang mod nordsiden af Island, kunne vi konstatere, at fire ud af fem biler havde slidte dæk, og så endda sommerdæk - kun en bil var udstyret med nye helårsdæk. Vi nævnte for den ansatte hos Lavacar, at vi ikke var trykke ved det, da vejrudsigterne for vores destination meldte om kraftigt snefald. Beskeden var så, at det ikke kunne lade sig gøre at skifte til vinterdæk, da der kun var én mand på værkstedet og derfor ville tage to til tre timer at skifte dæk på alle bilerne. Da vi så sagde at tiden ikke var et problem for os og vi gerne ventede, blev beskeden ændret til, at det sådan set var ulovligt at køre på “vinterdæk” inden 1. November og vi derfor lige så godt kunne lade være med at prøve at få skiftet dæk. (Vi fandt så senere selv ud af, at denne lov kun gjaldt for pigdæk og kæder, hvilket vi ikke havde nævnt som en mulighed) Derfor måtte vi begive os ud på vores lange køretur på de dæk der nu engang sad på bilerne. Vi var mere end udfordrede på vores tur rundt i den nordlige region og flere af vores planlagte ture måtte enten udsættes eller aflyses på grund af vejforholdene. Vi var på ingen måde populære blandt de lokale bilister, når vi kom kravlende 5 biler på stribe med 40-50 km/h på hovedvejen. Alle nåede heldigvis hjem i god behold, én bil havde en punktering ca 100km inden vi var tilbage ved afleveringensadressen i Keflavík - så vi måtte benytte den ene beholder af dækskum vi havde fået med til samtlige 5 biler. Punkteringen kom, da dækket var så nedslidt at mønstret var væk og en gammel lapning faldt ud af dækket. Denne behandling var dybt uansvarlig og en klar negligeren af folks sikkerhed - ikke kun vores, men også vores medtrafikanters. Vores gruppe arrangerer en årlig tur til Island og har gjort det i over 10 år - vi kommer 100% ikke til at benytte Lavacar fremover. 2025-02-18 Svar: Jeg har læst jeres respons på både Jan’s og Leif’s opslag og i skriver følgende: “ When you noticed an issue with the tires, we offered to change them, but you chose to leave the office instead.” Dette er direkte usandt! Vi havde ganske god tid i vores program og argumenterede gentagne gange for at få skiftet dækkene. I starten sagde personen ved skranken at det ikke var muligt, da vinterdæk var ulovlige på denne tid af året (vi fandt på et senere tidspunkt ud af, at personen henviste til pikdæk, hvilket vi ikke havde forespurgt), senere var afvisningen om dækskifte grundet manglende personale på værkstedet samt at dækkene ikke ville kunne hentes på dæklageret med så kort varsel. Så det var ikke med vores gode vilje at vi forlod udlejningskontoret i biler på allerede nedslidte sommerdæk.

It was difficult to find exactly where the pickup point was from the airport, I asked several airport staff and got all different answers. I think even though I got instruction when you haven't been there before it's difficult to know exactly where the pickup point was especially when there's no signage etc. When I arrived at the office the lady behind the desk was very helpful and that process was very quick. When I dropped the vehicle back luckily I had good insurance cover because on day two I got showered with stones on a road by another vehicle being an absolute a**hole which cracked my windscreen really badly and damaged several other cars in the process. Other than the long waiting time I don’t have many complaints. Just add extra time on to your pick up drop off because it will take longer than you think.

Great experience! We booked a car that wasn't prepared with winter tyres, and they gave us another car which was better. The employees were really kind with us and answered all our questions. The check in and check out was fast. So, everything perfect!

I recently rented a car from Lava Car Rental, and I was thoroughly impressed with the experience. The vehicle provided was extremely comfortable and in perfect technical condition. The staff was very friendly and attentive, making the rental process smooth and pleasant. When we picked up the car, it was spotless and had a full tank of gas, which was a great convenience. One of the major advantages of this company was their airport service: they picked us up directly from the airport and drove us to their office where we could pick up the car. The same excellent service was provided when we returned the vehicle—they drove us back to the airport, even accommodating our early morning schedule. What’s more, we received discounts for several of the most popular gas stations in Iceland, which added extra value to our trip. Overall, I would highly recommend Lava Car Rental for anyone looking for a seamless and customer-friendly rental experience in Iceland.