National Car Rental - London Waterloo Southbank

Reviews

• ST

  Sara Tayebi

  Sep 12, 2026
  1.0
  Unfortunately, our experience with this car rental location was extremely disappointing. We went to the location the day before pickup and spent almost two hours with the staff to make sure we would get the car we were looking for and that it would be ready. Despite all of that, when we arrived on the actual pickup date, the Renault Trafic that we received was in very poor condition. All of the seats were extremely dirty and looked as though someone had thrown up on them. The tires also appeared to be in very poor condition. On top of that, the steering was pulling to the left, and we had to hold the wheel firmly to keep the vehicle going straight, which was very concerning. We asked if we could get another vehicle that day, but we were told that this was the only option available. Because of the poor condition of the vehicle and the inconvenience, we were told that, as a courtesy, we could return the car 30 minutes later on the actual drop-off day than the original agreed-upon time. We were assured this was noted on our rental. However, when we returned the vehicle to a different location, we were told there was no record of the 30-minute extension in the system. We were also told that a fee would be waived, but that fee ended up appearing on our final bill anyway. What made the experience even more frustrating was the lack of communication afterward. It has been extremely difficult to get anyone to respond or even get in touch with the appropriate people to resolve the issue. On a positive note, our drop-off experience at Heathrow Airport was very good. The staff there were helpful, understanding, and very professional, and we really appreciated the way they handled everything. Overall, the vehicle itself was in poor condition, but what really made this experience frustrating was the lack of follow-through and communication from the original location. Based on our experience, we would not recommend booking with this location. The quality of the vehicle and, more importantly, the customer service were far below what we would expect from a professional car rental company.
• JB

  Joshua Burgel

  Apr 27, 2026
  5.0
  Cars, staff, and location are great. Note that Expedia directions take you to the wrong location on Coin St. Also be prepared to pay additional for the congestion charge.
• KS

  Kirsty Scott

  Aug 10, 2025
  5.0
  I get a hire car probably once a month for the last 25 years and back in the day I would say hire from another brand because their service is amazing but I would say National in London should be your only choice. Vehicles are well kept clean and the customer service (shout out Omar at southbank London and Leo at the airport) was exceptional best value for money
• PC

  Peter Cirak

  Jun 6, 2025
  5.0
  It's an Enterprise location, but they provide service to National as well. I had a very pleasant experience. I only rented the car for a day trip to Stonehenge, so I needed to return the car after normal office hours for this location. I was able to drop the car off, and then I returned the keys in the morning once they opened. This saved me from having to pay parking fees at my hotel and another day of London's "congestion" fees. It's easy to get to from the Waterloo station.
• LR

  Lindsey Robbins

  Aug 23, 2024
  1.0
  Go anywhere else. Waited over an hour for our rental car, which would not have been an issue except management was on the phone with an employee telling them not to say their ETA to the customer as it didn’t matter and that they would be with them shortly. We were then told our car was ready - an hour later and a different employee - then grabbed a key and went to clean a different car to loan us. Another family waited even longer as they could not get a key for the car. Then they over charged our credit card 2200 USD for a rental that should have cost only 210. No invoice or receipt as to why and now having to deal with this issue abroad.

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