Reviews for

Lava Car Rental in Iceland

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

El coche que nos asignaron (Ford Fiesta) estaba bastante golpeado. La correa de distribución sonaba al arrancar el coche y durante los siguientes minutos. También se encendió una advertencia en el salpicadero acerca del motor que afortunadamente se fue al paso de 24 horas por si sola. Todo esto no habría sido un mayor problema si no hubiéramos pagado casi el doble del precio que suele costar dicho alquiler tal y como comprobamos con otros viajeros.

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.

Northbound was excellent! My interaction with customer service over a communication problem was resolved quickly and in a friendly way. I love that they aggregate Iceland-owned companies. The Nissan NV200 was fine, but the configuration with the fold-down couch and refrigerator on the side is tight for 2 average people to sleep comfortably. I CANNOT recommend Lava Car Rental. Their customer service is indifferent and their transfer driver surly. The camping equipment is crap (all the lowest-grade IKEA) and not maintained between rentals, so I got a broken camp chair, a moldy camp chair, a dirty dish box, the table was super-flimsy, the 6” frying pan was not only too small but falling apart, a dull paring “knife,” and a sleeping bag with a broken zipper. The inside of the camper wasn’t very clean; I found an old sleeping kit bag behind the seat with dead bugs in it and there was dried mud splashed on the inside of the doors. The “curtains” were just scissor-cut strips of fabric with raw edges and no tie-backs. I looked at other campers’ kit from many other rental companies during my 3 weeks out, and nobody had such poorly chosen and maintained kit as Lava. Low price but poor service and product, so not a good value overall.

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