Thrifty Car and Van Rental Bristol City - Bristol

Jaccob K.

Best car rental company and best staff.
If you lot need cars they can help you. One of the amazing guys Alex really helped.

Chris S.

as someone previously has mentioned I've had exactly the same experience....
had a courtesy van provided by thrifty via insurance from a non fault accident.
they were nearly 2 hours late and when I chased them it was if no booking was in the system.
(they were also 2 hours late picking up the vehicle)
when it got dropped off it was a hand over of the key and that was it.
they collected the vehicle when I was at work (because they were so late) so my wife signed the form, they got a signature from her, took the key and that was it.
they then did a check on the vehicle without my wife being present and low and behold found a new scratch... we are talking a tiny scratch from a bush that could potentially have been there previously. being a dark coloured grey it is something that would have cleaned off from a valet cleaner back at the yard. or even a bit of spit on a tissue! ive had scuffs and marks on cars of my own before and they always buff out easily.
my main gripe is that they didn't point out this scratch to us and then obtain a signature from my wife, as per their policy.
it seems as though thrifty have a history of conning people for tiny scratches that magically appear especially when connected to an insurance provided vehicle... easy £36 quid made from nothing.
i've hired a lot of vehicles from many places, thrifty and hertz are by far the worst for this sort of thing. Avoid and if you have no choice, photo everything at handover and get them to do one in person before and after. they even check for the tiniest stone chips on the windscreen

Giorgos T.

Staff are friendly and helpful. Prices are good. Alex is the best at customer service! Highly recommended

Mahmoud M.

Avoid this company. Initially we had considerable difficulty arranging the car hire as been told car can be delivered to my wife if I am not home, then after our car went for repair someone calls and say they can not deliver the car as I have to be physically there! Although I shared my license as requested and reassured it was fine by another staff member. They delivered the car in the evening, covered in dirt all over and the driver sent a report without a single photo saying it’s too dark. After we sent the car back they took many pictures with different minor damage that has been already there and asked us to pay the excess. Complete fraud and dishonest company and I would strongly advise avoiding them.

Inflexible T.

Would not recommend.
I did not rent by choice it was through someone’s insurance who hit my vehicle.

When the car was dropped to my house they were over an hour late despite ringing me half an hour before they were due saying they’d be on time.
When they did arrive they just handed me the keys and left. No check for Id etc to see if I was the right person. No pre check on the vehicle, photos, no walk through of current damage.

The car got picked up and within two seconds of arriving I was told there was a new scratch. Which I believe was there before. I know it happens it’s wear and tear, I did say to the man picking it up and he reassured me that I wouldn’t be charged for it so not to worry. Keep in mind the man who took the keys got me to sign saying I had handed they keys over. However ten minutes later I got an email with my signature saying that I agreed to the damage. He only told me about damage after I had signed.
Shortly after I was told I have to pay £50 for the damage. The photos that were sent I can’t tell what anything is, it just looks like dirt on the bottom of the car.

If I’m honest it’s all been a bit chaotic with them. I would just say to anyone renting from them if you really have to make sure you take photos of every square inch of the vehicle, damage or not as that’s the only way you possibly won’t have to give any money.
I regret not taking more photos.

Chris T.

If I could give it a half star I would. Having rented many cars from other providers, I have never experienced such a poor service throughout the rental process. When I went to pick up the car it took awhile to be served and then the service seemed really slow. The walk around the car was quick in a dimly lit environment and on a wet car.

At some point during the rental the windscreen was chipped in the drivers zone. When I returned the car I told the guy at the desk about the chip and he initially marked it down as a 4mm chip. A couple of hours later I received a call stating the chip was not 4mm but 11mm which meant the windscreen had to be replaced. They took the money from my account and I have been trying to chase for an invoice to confirm the charge that have been made, but it has been like pulling teeth. After chasing them, I was sent an invoice with no financial details on it, not exactly a useful document to send a customer. I've never experienced such reluctance to provide an accurate billing.

Andrew E.

I have rented a car from them a couple of times now. The service is great and so is the price. You can drop the car in a different location for a slightly higher fee. If you pay in advance there is usually a good discount. The website booking interface is easy to use. I would definitely hire a car from them again.

Ian D.

Easy online booking and great price for a van. No hassle on handing back and deposit refunded same day.