Drivalia Italia Reviews 

Dear Drivalia Support Team,
I am writing to formally dispute your refusal to refund booking IT26FLX6puzb3 (ref. 1184867779) and to escalate this matter.

On the day of collection, your branch refused to release the vehicle because I presented a Bunq Mastercard. I want to be clear about the facts:

1. The card I presented is a Bunq Mastercard Credit Card. It is issued and branded by Mastercard as a credit card and is accepted by merchants exactly as a traditional credit card, including for hotel and car rental deposits. It is not labelled or marketed as a prepaid card. Classifying it as “prepagata/ricaricabile” was your staff’s interpretation, not an accurate reflection of the card product.

2. I asked to purchase additional insurance/coverage so that the rental could proceed. Your staff refused to offer me any option that would have allowed me to take the car.

3. Your branch employee explicitly assured me, verbally, that I would be refunded. I relied on that assurance. Your email now contradicts a direct representation made to me by your own staff. She even gave me the printed version of why i should be refunded. (see below)

4. As a result, no service whatsoever was provided to me. I paid for a rental I never received. The clause you cite concerns deposit guarantee conditions — it does not entitle Drivalia to retain payment for a service that was never rendered.

The consequences to me were severe: I lost prepaid hotel bookings, my entire travel itinerary collapsed, and I incurred significant additional costs. I had to find emergency accommodation the same day.

No refund no contact . After the opinion the money was refunded

ABSOLUTELY AVOID !!!!! THEY ARE CROOKS !!!!
VEHICLE BREAKDOWN AND BREAKDOWN SERVICE ABUSIVE BILLING WITH REFUELING !!!

I update my April comment of the DRIVALIA disaster. The past weeks confirm their fraudulant approach. In sum the status: Drivalia:
- provided one single contact number ("office number") which is though never taken up by anyone, for many days
- sold me an "insurance" for emergency pickup (electric car) - but NO contact number for emergency
- I needed the emergency... had to google-search DRIVALIA emergeny number . which is though FAKE! the guy told me that he cannot help/send an emergency pickup and that he does not work for Drivalia but some subsidiary.
- I had to organize and PAY the pickup service
- Drivalia NEVER resolved it , no customer service, no reimbursement.
A horrible company of fraud!
Nino

We rented a car in the Milan office. There was only one person so the wait was very long. However, the main problem was that the car we were given had some permanent stains and the tank was only one quarter full. We went back inside the office to report this twice and we even took a picture of the tank level. The woman said it was all fine and she would amend the contract. Still, we returned the car and have been charged for the petrol anyway. Still trying to get the money back. Also, the stains appeared as damage but luckily we had full cover so were not charged for that. Very disappointing considering we rent cars very often and have never had a similar experience. Will not rent from them again.

Worst experience i ever had with an rental car company, my reservation was cancelled 3 hour before I arrived, the receptionist was so rude, they told me that they dont have a car and they dont care, it was 9pm, i was with a kid and impossible to find another car at that time. Avoid this company!!!

Rented a car at Florence airport with Drivalia. The desk staff were polite and professional, handling the procedures quickly and accurately. The rental car was perfectly suited to my needs. Even the return, which took place at a different location, was without any problems. Once again, I want to praise the courtesy and professionalism of the staff. Recommended.

They claim that they don't have the car i made reservation for and make me pay extra for bigger size car.
They make me sign the contract at Bari terminal counter as full tank of gas and gave me the keys to pick it up at there parking lot with no attendant there, i found out the car was half full of gas not full, i took pictures and send it to there supervisor on WhatsApp number, Giusy + 39 389 498 2582, responded and asked me to send picture which i did and never responded again. At delivering the car they charged me for the gas as full tank. And the fee for bigger car which I didn't need.
BE CAREFULL DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING BEFORE YOU SEE THE CAR. WILL NEVER RENT FROM THEM AGAIN.

Very disappointing experience.

We collected an EVO 6 in Naples that was extremely dirty both inside and outside and had a significant amount of pre-existing damage. The vehicle was parked in a very dark area and no proper inspection was carried out with us. When we pointed out existing damage, we were told everything was fine and that we could leave.

Because of the condition of the vehicle, we immediately took extensive photos and videos with timestamps. These photos show multiple areas of pre-existing damage that were not properly recorded.

At return, we were presented with a damage claim of €692.61. We specifically showed the employee photographic evidence that damage in the claimed area already existed before the rental began. Despite this, the charge was still applied and we refused to sign the damage report.

We immediately disputed the charge, provided photographs and supporting evidence, and sent multiple emails requesting a review. What is particularly frustrating is that when we initially contacted customer service, we received replies very quickly. However, once photographic evidence was provided disputing the claim, communication effectively stopped. Despite multiple emails and supporting documentation, we have received no meaningful response while the charge was processed.

We have repeatedly asked for evidence supporting the charge, including photographs, inspection reports, and repair documentation, but have not yet received the information requested.

We have retained timestamped photos, videos, emails, invoices, and supporting documentation and continue to dispute the charge.

My advice to future customers: inspect the vehicle extremely carefully, take detailed photos and videos of every panel, wheel, bumper and the interior before leaving the rental location, and keep all documentation until the rental is fully closed and all charges have been resolved.

Based on our experience, I would not rent from this company again.

this company does not release the deposit. for example, I had 3 months of rented cars and they are looking for all kinds of reasons not to release the deposits. I mention that the car was returned without any defect or violation of the rules set by them.. so be careful when renting cars from them.

Customer service is very good on time and very reliable. I will rent again every time I come back to the very excellent service.

I booked and paid for a vehicle but got no confirmation of receipt. At the airport no one could help and we spent nearly 3 hours trying to get head office to allow us to proceed with an authorisation so we could have a car. Eventually we booked and paid (again) but were upsold to a bigger and more expensive vehicle (€380 to €500) Felt very much like we were conned.

quick online reservation
quick car pick-up
and even quicker care return

all smooth and with no problems

⚠️ SYSTEMATIC FRAUD — Payment accepted via debit card, service denied. This is not an isolated incident.

Drivalia Brindisi Airport, 22 May 2026. Booking ref: 733355731.

I arrived at the counter with my family — two children, aged 5 and baby 11 months — after an international flight. I presented my valid debit card. The staff refused to issue the vehicle, citing a "credit card only" policy for the deposit.

Here is why this is not a mistake — it is a business model:

1. DEBIT CARD ACCEPTED FOR PAYMENT, REJECTED FOR PICKUP
Drivalia (via Booking.com) happily processed €483.47 from my debit card. The same card — the same piece of plastic — was then declared unacceptable at the counter 4 days later. If a credit card is genuinely required, why is a debit card accepted for the initial charge? The answer is obvious: they want your money before they find a reason to deny service.

2. THE FINE PRINT TRAP
The confirmation email lists "credit card in the main driver's name" in a general checklist alongside passport and driving licence — formatted identically, with no emphasis, no warning, no explanation that debit cards are categorically refused and that this will result in total denial of service. This is deliberately misleading. Under EU Directive 2005/29/EC, this constitutes an unfair commercial practice.

3. THIS IS AN ESTABLISHED PATTERN
A quick search of Trustpilot reveals dozens of identical cases. Same script. Same outcome. Families stranded at airports across Italy. This is not incompetence — it is a repeatable, profitable scheme: collect payment, deny service, keep the money, let the customer fight for months.

4. ZERO ASSISTANCE ON SITE
No alternative offered. No refund initiated on the spot. Staff showed complete indifference to a family with small children left without transport in a foreign country. We were forced to arrange a last-minute rental at more than double the cost.

5. CONTACT IS DESIGNED TO FRUSTRATE
their customercare(at)drivalia.com address bounces with a server error. Their phone goes unanswered. The only option is a web form. This is not an accident.

Formal complaints have been filed with:
— Booking.com (as the payment processor)
— European Consumer Centre Croatia (ECC-Net, cross-border EU dispute)
— Card issuer (chargeback: service not rendered)

If you are considering Drivalia: the low price is the bait. The credit card policy is the trap. The profit is the gap between what you paid and what you will struggle to recover. Book elsewhere. Always.

“Terrible experience with Drivalia.

I made a car reservation including a child seat through Rentalcars.com. When we arrived at the office, we were traveling with two very young children — one 8-month-old baby in a carrier and a 3-year-old in a stroller.

The reservation process was completed, and just before leaving to collect the car, I asked the employee about the child seat. She replied that it was not included in the booking. I immediately showed her the reservation confirmation on my phone, clearly indicating the child seat request.

Her answer was unbelievable: “Now it’s too late, you should have mentioned it earlier. The procedure is already closed.”
Honestly, how can you see a couple standing there with two small children — including a baby literally attached in a carrier — and not even think to ask whether they needed the child seat included in the reservation?

The only solution offered was: “Go to a shopping center and buy a new child seat, it will cost you less.”

Because of their incompetence and lack of responsibility, we were forced to travel from Bergamo to Milan without a child seat, putting our children’s safety at risk.

Absolutely unacceptable customer service. I would never recommend this company to families traveling with children.”

car was broken after 20 miles

DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY. If I could give less than 1 star, I would.

We arrived at the Florence office to collect our car only to be told that there were none available. Unfortunately, I do not have the employee’s name, but she was incredibly rude and defensive, not only towards us but also towards other customers, rather than being helpful.

We were left with no options, no assistance, and no apology. We urgently needed a car as we were travelling south for a wedding, but there was no effort made to help resolve the situation. What was most disappointing was that she refused to provide the confirmation we required for a refund claim, stating that it would make the company “liable.”

The complete lack of professionalism, accountability, and customer care was shocking. It is unbelievable that a company operating this way is considered credible. I would strongly warn anyone considering booking with this company to think twice. Based on our experience, there was absolutely no level of decency or customer service shown.

We had a very bad experience with Drivalia. We were traveling with elderly parents, one of whom was sick. We arrived to pick up the car slightly after the scheduled pickup time--because we prioritized caring for a sick parent--and learned that Drivalia had already rented the car to someone else AND charged us the full price of the two-day rental. I could understand Drivalia charging us if we never arrived to pick up the car. I could maybe understand if there was some penalty for arriving after the scheduled pickup time. But I do not understand a policy where Drivalia cancels the reservation AND keeps all the money. There are so many reasons that someone might arrive late to pick up a car. To cancel the reservation and still charge the full price seems like an incredibly excessive and unfair penalty. Drivalia got paid twice for renting a car once. We paid the full price and all we got in return was frustration. I've never dealt with a company that has that kind of customer-unfriendly policy and I would encourage others to seriously consider alternatives before booking with Drivalia. We were incredibly disappointed with the company.

I gave Drivalia one star because, although I acknowledge that the cancellation of the reservation was partly my fault — as I failed to notice that the security deposit could only be paid with a credit card — I do not consider the way the situation was handled to be fair. I agreed with the local representative that we would return the following day with my wife, who has a valid credit card, and she would be added to the contract as an additional driver. Despite this agreement, the reservation was cancelled in the meantime. Rebooking the car at the local office would have cost almost two and a half times more than the original online price, plus an additional fee for the second driver. Previously, with another rental company, we were able to pay the deposit using a debit card, which is why I find it especially unacceptable that even a partial refund of the prepaid amount was refused.