Reviews for Lava Car Rental in Iceland

The car was great and performed as expected.

Unfortunately bad experience
- poor logistics at airport pick-up
- unprepared car (we waited from 01:00 to 02:30 at night for it to be cleaned and released)
- the issuer convinced us that Platinum insurance was beneficial, otherwise he would charge us for all the scratches on return, we ended up with a car that would be difficult to find out which scratch was already on it and which was "new"
- Normally we probably wouldn't have taken the car (driver's door blown off by a strong wind, windshield cracked by a rock), but what to do when you're falling asleep, you have big plans for a trip in the morning and there's no other car available at the moment...
- the car was fine motor-wise and worked well for the entire rental period (a week)

They forced us to upgrade our insurance booking because, apparently, the basic insurance and no-insurance were exactly the same. That increased our booking in around 300 euros.

It wasn't the car listed above, it was a Ford Fiesta. I was told it had blue tooth, it didn't or it just didn't work. No mention of blue tooth in the Ford Fiesta audio menu. The car wasn't maintained properly. The back license plate holder had been damaged from a previous user backing into something and never fixed. So after a couple of days of gravel roads and high winds the license plate holder disintegrated and the license plate fell off. Lava were going to charge me for this! But didn't because the GPS device they gave me didn't work very well either. I won't give Lava the lowest rating as the car did get me around but I will never use Lava ever again.

Pick up and return was fine, the car from 2019 had about 70.000 km, which was absolutely okay.
The interior was not too clever designed, with some hooks or nets there would have been much more usable space in the back.
A bigger issue - the diesel heating system was smelly on the outside and really loud (a knocking) on out- and inside. As it was could we also turned the heater at night on, and even our campground neighbours complained about that noise.
But all the rest was fine & we absolutely hat no problems with our cars in 10 days.

The car was exactly what we needed and it worked really wel for us, we are definitely going to come back to Iceland.

It was ok, but the space for sleeping is for two person not wide enough.
The battery hasen‘t worked for using refrigeration and heating system. Lava offered to change the battery in a mechanic shop, but we don’t had the time.

Great service, great car, just the right size & comfort you,ll need for a short trip !

It was a good priced vehicle they only could put some more thought in the lay-out of it. The pots pans and plates that came with it were dirty and the 12v socket in the back of the car didn't work so we only had a cooler if we put it on the front seat while driving. So good priced but definetly not the best minicamper.

We waited 1.5h to pick up the car because only one person was processing pick-ups and returns. The pair ahead of us had their car changed 2 times because of the car condition (ignition issue / one side of the car crashed and stop light not working) and someone calling for assistance due to technical issue was told to wait until next day for resolution.
We took Nissan Xtrail which was advertised as 7 people, 3 bags, but actually with 7 seats occupied you can barely fit 1 suitcase (6th and 7th seat come at the expense of trunk space).

Otherwise, no issue with the car or return. On the plus side, you get a discount with a gas station chain with a large footprint across the island

Our experience with northbound and Lava cars has been perfect. The airport pickup was prompt and after a very short drive (less than 5 minutes) to the car rental site, the Lava team were very helpful. The staff were friendly and gave us a very warm welcome to Iceland. The car itself was spacious and well-equipped, with all of the kitchen utensils that we needed to make 3 meals a day easily. Though we brought a small bottle of washing up liquid with us (as previous reviews mentioned that this was not provided by Lava), all campsites have this on site so it wasn't necessary. The Lava team checked in with us during our trip to offer helpful advice about safe travel around Iceland. The return was also very convieniant for us. Since our flight was very early, we returned our car directly to the airport, where staff picked it up from. I would highly recommend this company!

The Camper was not in the best conditions:
- heater was not working properly, only went one night
- the lock of the camper also went wrong given a failure of the lateral door sensor so we could not lock the Van until we got to know the problem.
- we report all problems to the office LAVA, but the only solution was to offer a different places of mechanic which were not close to were we stayed at that moment, were in HELLA (we were going to be there the day after) we had different stories upon how it was going to be solved. Not a good response from you.
- camper conditions in general were not the best, we even found a mask from other person when we got in.
We had to solve things by ourselves, and adapt to the conditions in order to not stop our route. But not happy, without solutions.

We were received at the airport with smiles and greetings by a representative from Lava rentals. Soon we arrived at Lava office were the staff handed over the keys to our camper and on demand (with extras) gave us wifi device for our 7 day trip.

The vehicle was extensively used, yet in good shape and cleaned just before we rented it. Technically we had no issues with the car, person at the desk gave us an overview of the car, sleeping, water tank, cooler and heating system.

Vessels and cutlery was sufficient, though I would have liked a bit more equipment like a can opener and a set of paper rolls to start the trip.

On the whole, I would recommend renting it through Northbound and in particular Lava car rental.

As always, I would like to put forth some constructive remarks. It might be useful to upgrade cars (mileage on this one was inching closer to 100,000 Kms), additionally, since it rains and is mostly windy in Iceland, might be worthwhile to explore an extendable plan on the rear of the car and a retractable roof cover in the back to help cook on a windy and rainy day. To be honest, it would be a luxury to have such a setup, not a must have though.

We managed to cook inside the car on the wooden plank provided, works like a charm.

Just go ahead and rent a small camper through Northbound for the best rates and also Lava car rental for a great experience.

Perfect

The car was ok, the service so so
The car was ok and we got one a bit bigger than the one booked ( a Hyundai i20 instead ofi10). It worked properly but the seats were quite dirty. The arranged pick up time was 12 but they didn’t come until we called them. So we got it 1/2 h later. And the people at Lava car not specially friendly or kind just doing their work.

The 2021 Nissan Qashqai that we rented from Lava Car Rental through Northbound was great. New(ish), clean, and functional.

All ok

Communications was really good. Had to wait an hour for the car to be ready (cleaning) and some issues with getting things to work. It would have helped if there was a manual for the basics like heating and the cooler. Also heads up how difficult it is to get the tank filled unless you have a pin code for your credit card. Heater barely worked, windshield fluid system did not work neither did the USB for the WiFi. I would think a Monoxide detector should be mandatory it was a bit worry some with a questionable heating system. With all that said the car was actually a really good runner.

Renting a car through Northbound.is was easy and convenient. Website is with clear information about the rental cars. Communication was very well. Northbound may provide additional discount (which you may not get if booked directly at the rental company).

Good, solid car. Smooth highway driving, adequate acceleration. No issues whatsoever. Lava Rental personnel were friendly and informative and professional.

The 2019 upgrade from the 2017 Dacia was not at all worth it the extra costs, especially since the newer models do not have cruise control. We also found out that you cannot extend any rental very easily so you need to really book the exact hours ahead of time.

The customer service at Lava Car Rental was very kind. They even drove us to a local bakery while we waited for the car. The van itself was nothing special. It didn't feel very clean or well built. It was reliable and got us all the way around the island, but it wasn't the most comfortable ever.

The Toyota was very good but the collection experience from Lava cars was not. The car was not ready when we arrived and they didn’t have an alternative so we had to take it without being cleaned and with a sensor problem. We were delayed for an hour or so before we could take it and they were pretty inefficient.however, luckily the car worked Ok but we felt we should have been given a discount as it was very expensive. We won’t be using your company again. I shall go direct to the supplier so that I know who I am dealing with.

The car itself was ok, but we didnt like the standard inside the car. The bed was very narrow for two adults and it was made in a very simple way, that had not been repaired, so it was almost broken when we got the car. The table was also broken and the kitchen plates and knifes was dirty and very simple. I would suggest that Lava Car rental did more, to make the standard a bit better. It could easely be done, and make the experience much better. When we arrived at the office the young man who served us, made a mistake so we payed much more, than we should have done. As the islandic money wasnt normal to us, we didnt realise the mistake until 5 days later. When we came back we told it to another man from the staff, and he agreed that it was a mistake. We had payd the duble amount than we should have done. We wonder why the company had not been aware of the mistake themselves. I expect to have the money back during next week. Im sorry to say that I would not choose to rent a car at Lava car rental next time!

The car was great, no problems at all. And the customer service was kind and friendly. However we had to wait almost 90 minutes to pick up our car when we arrived, because they did not have a car available for us. And when we returned the car, it was not at all as long, maybe 30 minutes between the cue and then waiting for the shuttle to the airport. Perhaps they are understaffed.

Super convenient and loved that they had a car available at 6:30 AM when we arrived.

the “Duster” have plenty of room

The car and rental process was great. Unfortunately it did leave a bad taste in the end. I returned the car 1 full day early and did not receive a refund for that day.

Evan

We very much enjoyed our trip and the camper van was a major part of that. It was very easy and comfortable to drive and find parking even in Reykjavik's city center.

Overall it was relatively comfortable for camping. The diesel heater was a life saver, even in mid-July. And it seemed to get decent gas mileage. The camping supplies were a bit of a mixed bag. The sleeping bags were great but the pillows were pretty sad. We ended up buying some inexpensive pillows at a discount store and leaving them with the van. The tea pot didn't have a way to close the spout which made heating water a bit of a challenge with the little camp stove in the weather conditions we were in, but not impossible with a little creativity. The camping table was a tad flimsy, and the camping chairs were a mismatched pair, one of which was not particularly comfy. The electric cooler worked well, but couldn't make it through the night with the engine turned off, and I found it worked best to move it into the cab at night so that it wouldn't get warmed up by the heater in the back.

As for our experience with Lava- Getting picked up at the airport went quite smoothly, and the driver was very friendly. Unfortunately the staff at the rental office were a little less so. They weren't particularly unfriendly just very minimalist when it came to communication. Additionally we ended up sitting there at the office for nearly 2 hours waiting for our van to be cleaned, with another customer, who had arrived nearly an hour after us, getting their vehicle (same make/model) before us seemingly due to their service agent simply being more attentive than ours. Returning the van was a breeze and the woman who checked us out was friendly enough and got us to the airport with plenty of time to spare.

Renting a camper van was the perfect way to experience Iceland as we drove the full Ring Road, followed by the Golden Circle, and a couple nights in Reykjavik. It allowed us a terrific sense of freedom to fully capitalize on the midnight sun not worrying about how late we were out and about as there was always a campground to be found.

Absolutely stellar customer service from Northbound throughout, despite several changes to our booking due to Covid etc. Thordis could not have done more to make sure we were set up for a great trip. The Dacia Duster from Lava did just fine too :)
Thanks again Northbound.

When doing the reservation there was no indication that the car has no aircondition. Had we known this we would not have reserved this car. This is something Northbound should have clarified in their site.
When the need for the AC first arrived and we realized we have none we contacted Lava. We recieved an evading answer and that was the last we heard from them despite a follow up letter we wrote them.

Regrdless of the above, the personnel at the site were very kind, nice and efficient, during both pick up and drop off.

Otherwise the car needs a front weel balance- it pulls to the right (from the first day we had it).

In general I was very satisfied. The process of receiving the car at the hotel and returning it back at the airport was quick and easy. The car was in excellent condition and we had no problem. There is one subject that was annoying: the car was delivered with nearly an empty gas tank, I've sent an email to Lava company customer service which replied that I should return the car with the same amount of gas. This was a bit annoying. Full to full is the best and easy way to do it.

I liked the car very much! At first I thought it underpowered (I normally drive a Mercedes E-Class,
which may explain it!), but after a day I realised that if you use the gears a lot and accelerate hard,
it's quite sporty. The seats were comfortable, and we easily had enough space for our luggage (2
people). The tyres on the car we had were not new and one of them got a puncture and we had to
change it far away from any garage, but all went well! The car was clean and well presented at
delivery (apart from the wheels + tyres - which looked scrappy). The service from Northbound was
personal and excellent : I always received a response to my questions and problems within an
hour. My only worry was at the airport : there was no-one there to meet me and ringing the
emergency number only produced a recorded message. EVENTUALLY (after an hour of waiting) I
was collected. Check in and return at the end of the week were both fine.

The pick up and drop off was pretty easy, the car was in great condition, customer service was very friendly and helpful

It was a great car to rent while driving around the island. I also really appreciated the gas mileage and the fact it was diesel.

We had reserved a Toyota RAV4 but ended up with a Hyundai Tuscon which was fine. Rental experience was smooth and eash and price was reasonable. Mobile wifi was super helpful since we were traveling internationally without reliable cell service.

Lava reported that there'd been a mishap with the campervan we were to have gotten, so they replaced it with a Dacia Duster for the first night, promising they'd have another camper coming in at 7:00 the next morning. Meanwhile the Duster they gave us had three indicator lights come on, so we had to call a couple times to get them to come to Reykjavik to replace it, which they did, and they brought along a wifi puck we asked to be added to our arrangement. We ended up without a place to stay that night, though luckily we were able to arrange to stay in our (short term) quarantine AirBnB. That evening we were told the camper wouldn't be ready until noon, but, getting anxious to not waster our limited vacation days, we told them we'd be there early so that in case it was available earlier, we'd be ready. When we got there, however, they told us the van that had come in that morning was already sent away with someone else. The manager was apologetic, and they sent us to the very nice nearby public pool to wait. We were glad to go to the pool, but asked to make sure we'd at least not be billed for the first night of the campervan - though we had the Duster, it was my understanding that we wouldn't be charged. Perhaps he'd meant they'd refund the difference in rental prices. They also comped the wifi puck, which in itself was perhaps $120.
So maybe this (along with the pool) was fair compensation for leaving us to ourselves to find lodging the first night, then sending the replacement van away the next morning. The manager told me directly that he would "take care" of us, but when we returned the van at the end, we were told that any refund would have to be handled by email. We had a flight to catch, so I couldn't argue, but suffice it to say I emailed and haven't heard a word back.

So, in the end, I think all parties involved acted in a civil manner. I think we did a good job of rolling with it, and in the end, I guess I am willing to accept the pool and the wifi puck as compensation for the night of lodging, the hassle, and the lost day of our trip. I mainly don't appreciate the blow-off at the end, and what I take as a bit of a broken promise to be "taken care of." I hate to be an obnoxious American, but I do think Lava could have been a little but more upstanding in the whole thing. Our experience with them wasn't the best, but then we got a very cheap deal on a van, and it served us well on what turned out to be a great trip. So most other people's experience will likely be fine.

I am lucky to find this site for my car at Lava for my Iceland trip. I got the requested car and the customer car at Lava is also as good as Northbound! 8-)

Dustern såg lite sliten ut när vi fick den men vi har kört många mil under våra 2 månader på Island och vi har inte haft några som helst problem. Bilen tog oss överallt den är helt ok komfort mässigt, är stark men drar lite soppa!

Car was nice. Never had to use the 4 wheel drive but it was a security blanket. Your staff was very friendly and kind.

Lava was wonderful great service, picked us up st the airport, fast checkout great price

The tires were very, very worn, so I was hydroplaning all over the place even going under the speed limit. The car was also beat to hell, which I thought was the norm, but I met other people with nicer Dusters. However, the customer service was very good with the shuttles and the friendliness of the people. I’m not sure I’d rent from Lava Car Rental again because of the quality of the car, but the people at both Lava and Northbound were really, really great.

I have been traveling regularly (once a month or more, minus the COVID pause) for 22 years. Mostly for work, but also personal like this trip.
In my hundreds of car rentals over that time, I have never had an experience as bad as this.

Originally assigned a defective Hyundai Tuscan that had issues with the diesel urea system. Waited 3 hours on the original pickup day for them to "fix" the issue. Another Tuscan on their lot had same/similar issue as well, so Lava was very familiar with this problem. After those 3 hours, the car still had the issue/warning moments after I drive away, and then the next day the message "Service urea system in 800km. Otherwise vehicle wont start."

So all the way back to the airport (wasting another half day of my trip) to swap out the Tuscan for the Qashqai, the model that I had originally reserved in the first place.

Lava is seemingly a small operation, that gambles with their customer's time because they cannot maintain or properly service their cars.

The camper, in no way, can accommodate 2 adults as the advertisement said. It was the most uncomfortable camper we have had. The bench idea is terrible. Make a flat bed and put luggage and storage underneath.

Great service with Northbound as well as Lava rental

We had a good experience with Lava Car Rental. The service was quick and the entire procedure of renting and returning the car, was simple and went smooth. We received a Renault instead of the Nissan, which was quite similar. The only downside was that the side door did not open from the inside, just the outside, maybe this could be addressed in the future. The car and its accessories were clean and in good condition. Altogether, we had an amazing time and recommend Lava Car Rental to future travelers.

We got antother car from Lava Car Rental: a newer Kangoo Maxi

Everything good with the car and the utilities.
The only problen was in delivery, they daley it 2 hours.
I was trying to call several diferent numbers to know whats was happening and wasnt able to skpek with anyone. Until they emailed me and I asked then to call me.
After that was everithing fine.

Good service but first car had a broken windscreen, which we refuse to take. Friendly service and rather bad communication. They didn't tell us in advance that the office wasn't open when we should return the car. They should have informed us, we shouldn't have to ask.

We appreciated the car we rent, but we are very disappointed by the behaviour of Lava Car Rental. We had to change a flat tyre by a new one. We paid for it, we did it with Lava approval. As we subscribed insurances, we sent the invoice to Lava, and we asked to be refunded, but we didn't receive any answer to our 3 mails. Therefore, we will not recommend Lava Car Rent.

Consegna e restituzione dell’auto veloci. Ottima assistenza. Con la assicurazione Platinum ci è stato restituita la somma spesa per la riparazione del pneumatico.