Reviews for

Lava Car Rental in Iceland

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.

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

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.

The car was OK. The service was bad. PICKUP from the Airport after 2 calls (we and others had to wait 1 hour). They had only one car running for pickup but 2 persons from the staff and therefore only space for 6 persons. No help with baggage. We had a wheel damage during our journey. We took the most expensive insurance. After a call with LAVS Cars we had the wheel repaired at our own costs. After 6 weeks we are still waiting to receive our money back. DISAPPOINTING Up to you if you would like to order a car with LAVA Cars.