roadsurfer Reviews 

Sanjay was very helpful with our pickup process.

Beware of trumped up damage charges. We returned the camper van on 25th April this year . The employee who checked us in couldn't see any problems , saying it looked very clean and tidy. I pointed out some very fine scratches and he said not to worry as they would have been logged before. We were told that the van would then be taken away for further inspection - we were not invited to be present as is usual practice when returning a rental vehicle. Two days later we received a damage report listing 3 items of damage . We immediately replied contesting these allegations as we were 100% sure that we were not responsible. We had no further contact with them until and therefore assumed that everything was ok.
Ten weeks later we received an email saying 'Damage report complete ' listing items and costs.Between us returning the van and sometime during this 10 week period the van has developed a very large u- shaped deep scratch down the side .We certainly could not have failed to notice it if it had been there and the employee checking us in couldn't have failed to see it either - had it been there!! None of the photos sent to us have any time or date on them . Despite taking out the maximum insurance we confronted with an invoice for £337 ( the excess applies to each individual damage - not the total ) We replied with a very long email over 2 weeks ago to Roadsurfer , again saying that none of the damages were done by us.
We are still waiting for a response. In the meantime we are getting emails threatening legal action if we do not pay. We are in our late 70's and this is causing us a great deal of anxiety.
After reading reviews about Roadsurfer , it seems that our case is one of many similar experiences.
Our advice would be to take a careful video of the van on collection and on return.

I am a returning customer… they are amazing!!!

The camper we rented had over 100,000 km on it and was clearly showing significant wear and tear. One issue was a loose handbrake cover. This isn't the kind of thing you would notice during a standard pickup inspection—you only realize it after using the handbrake a few times.

When we returned the vehicle, I informed the employee that the loose handbrake cover was annoying to use. He acknowledged it and even told me this was normal for a vehicle with that many kilometres due to wear and tear. Despite this, the company later charged me for the damage. I wrote a dispute on my account page, but they just sent me the invoice.

When I clicked the payment link in the email, I expected to be taken to a page where I could dispute the charge or contact customer service (since I already disputed on my account page). Instead, the CLICK IN THE EMAIL took the payment automatically from the card used for the mandatory security deposit. I've never experienced this with a rental company before (is this even legal?)

The business feels like a skeleton operation: friendly student staff handle customer interactions on-site, but there are NO phone numbers either for the pick-up stations, nor for the company in general. Everything is automated and there is no real customer support.

In the end, I was charged for damage I did not cause (and I have witnesses who can confirm this), simply because I pointed out that the vehicle already had a problem.

If you decide to rent from this company (and I will never again), document absolutely everything before you leave. Test every blind, every compartment, every technical feature, and photograph or film every detail. Otherwise, you risk being held responsible for pre-existing wear or defects. Or simply refuse a car with 100.000 km that falls apart as I wish I would have done.

Very disappointing experience – would not recommend Roadsurfer

We rented a Roadsurfer camper van for 10 days in Edinburgh. Although it was our first camper van rental, we've rented cars and other vehicles many times before and have never had such a poor experience.

The check-in process was extremely slow, with only one or two employees handling around ten rentals. The van also had several existing damages, and not all of them were recorded on the inspection report. We were simply told to take photos ourselves because they "aren't picky."

The camper was also missing the entry step, which nobody mentioned before handing over the vehicle. When we asked about it, we were told, "You're young, you'll be fine." That's not the point—we paid for a fully functional camper van and received one with broken equipment.

On the very first day of our trip, a red warning light appeared on the dashboard. We lost several hours waiting for a technician before we could continue our holiday. Support even told us that if the van had needed to stay overnight in a garage, we would have been expected to sleep there because Roadsurfer would not pay for a hotel or transport. Thankfully, the technician managed to fix the issue.

Despite losing a significant part of our holiday because of a fault with their vehicle, Roadsurfer made no commercial gesture whatsoever—no apology, no compensation, nothing.

Instead, a few days after returning the van, they sent us a damage claim for damage that was already present when we collected it. We had timestamped photos proving this and immediately disputed the claim, yet Roadsurfer still deducted our £650 deposit while the dispute was ongoing. We are still trying to get our money back.

After reading many recent reviews, it appears we are far from the only customers to experience issues with damage claims and deposits. Based on our experience, I would strongly recommend renting from another camper van company instead.

What I thought was going to be a great experience turned out to be the worst experience we have ever had with a rental vehicle. DON’T RENT WITH THEM. Go with Indie Campers or any other rental company, but avoid Roads‍urfer at all costs.

I’ll start with the pros, although there are only a few:

Travelling by campervan was a great experience overall. Being able to stop wherever you want, cook your own meals, and sleep comfortably is a fantastic way to travel.
The staff during check-in and check-out were friendly and polite.
The fact that they leave food, cleaning products, and other items behind free of charge is a nice touch. However, I want to highlight that these were items left behind by previous Roads‍urfer customers, not products provided by Roads‍urfer themselves.

Now onto the most important part: the cons.

The check-in process is completely chaotic. There was only one person handling check-ins for dozens of customers, and we ended up waiting almost 2 hours. The damage inspection process is also extremely time-consuming because most of their campervans already have a significant amount of damage. You have to check every single mark against their inspection report and add anything missing. Our campervan’s damage list contained more than 80 entries.
During our trip, a red warning sensor appeared on the dashboard. We had to wait around 3 hours for a mechanic to arrive and inspect the vehicle. In the end, we were told it was just a faulty sensor and were able to continue our journey.
The campervan was in a very poor condition. It was old and clearly not well maintained. There was a horrible smell when we picked it up, which followed us throughout the entire trip, most likely coming from the grey water system. The fridge and cupboards were dirty. In short, the campervan was outdated, so don’t expect to receive the modern, clean vehicles shown on their website or during the booking process. To make things worse, the campervan was handed over to us dirty. I have never experienced this with a rental company before, especially considering the price paid.
And now, the final issue: the damage claim. One week after returning the campervan, we received an invoice for £680 for a scratch that was already present when we collected the vehicle. We disputed the charge with clear evidence: photos taken at check-in showing the scratch was already there, as well as their own check-in report documenting the same damage. Despite this, they charged us anyway. We are extremely disappointed and disgusted by how this has been handled. We are still disputing the claim and waiting for them to return the money taken from our deposit.

In conclusion: avoid Roads‍urfer at all costs. Our experience was extremely disappointing, and we feel that we were unfairly charged for pre-existing damage. We will not give up until this matter is resolved.

We found the booking process and pre-pick up arrangements to be very good. The pick up location was easy to find. Staff on site were friendly.

Our vehicle did have some damage from a previous rental and we would have preferred another vehicle but the only other options available were in even poorer condition.

We bought our own bedding as the cost to hire was more than buying new and were soon able to make the beds up. Other equipment was good and everything was in working order.

There was a fair bit of rattling going on during the drive but we enjoyed our time staying in “Mona”!

Handover was easy and straightforward at the end of our rental and we were soon on our way. Again, friendly and helpful staff. Overall happy with our rental and we enjoyed using Roadsurfer.

Good job nice people

Everything, from the van to the service, was excellent. Really high quality, well-equipped van that drove perfectly, and the team explained everything to us prior to leaving. The drop off was very quick and the team were brilliant.

Great staff. Easy pickup and return of the mobilehome.

Hiring from Roadsurfer isn't the cheapest way to get a camper van, but it's worth the money as the vans are modern and well-maintained, and the staff are really helpful.
The pickup was well done, and ran on time. The people dealing with the deposit, validating driver's licenses etc were very patient and helpful when we were struggling to get someone on video call. The van was comprehensively checked over and every issue noted, so the return was entirely fair.
The van itself (VW California Ocean T6.1) has some quirks like the fridge lid popping open periodically, but was overall extremely fun to live in, and very easy to drive. A huge step up from camping, for sure!

The return process was quick and easy - again, a thorough check of the vehicle but no disagreements or issues. It made a festival/camping experience that much more special, and we will definitely be hiring again next event.

I was Wrongfully billed for damages caused and noted by a previous renter. Still no refund or communication after 3 months 😊 worst company I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with and I’m out of pocked over $1,000 for their mistake

The worst company I have ever encountered. Kept 329 euro from our deposit because of 2 tears to the roof net 'smaller than 30 mm' (we also never touched the roof net). We had also bought the full insurance and damage protection coverage but they said it doesn't apply to damage to the roof net - ridiculous. Terrible customer service as well. Avoid using Roadsurfer.

We rented the couple cottage van with Roadsurfer Belgium, everything seemed ok and we enjoyed our trip. However, upon return the van was checked and accepted, only to be reviewed by someone else later. 10 days later we received a report that there was a scratch on the back. Which we are pretty sure we did not cause! 450 euro was kept from our deposit. It is a nightmare to contact them, and it feels like a total scam.
You better take pictures of EVERYTHING before and after rental. As this feels like a solid trick.

It was our first experience with a camper van and we'll certainly do it again. Everything was easy at pick-up and drop-off, no issues anywhere, very friendly and relaxed staff. We left our car at the local park & ride which was a 15-minute walk away but only €20 for 4 nights so a great deal.

Josh was friendly professional and helpful. He made the pick up experience smooth and enjoyable

I booked a camper, paid in full, and even left a deposit at their office. The whole check-in process took over an hour, and only after everything was completed they told me they wouldn't give me the camper and that I should just go home.

How is anyone supposed to plan a vacation with a company like this? I lost my money, wasted a huge amount of time, and had to take a taxi to their office and another one back home. They didn't even reimburse the taxi fares.

Completely unacceptable. It feels like a scam. I would never recommend this company.

Absolutely lovely, really pleased to be able to do something like this. Wonderful pick up experience and everything sorted really easily

You guys are amazing! Victor is the best ❤️

We rented a VW Beach Hostel at RS Salzburg to visit Spielberg for the Austrian GP.
The van was clean, fuelled and ready to go at the arranged time. The team on hand were friendly, informative and professional in the handover.
When we returned, the inspection process was clear and transparent.
Again, the same young ladies handled the return with confidence.
This was our first campervan hire.
Would we book with Road Surfer again? Yes, 100% we would. This has opened up new opportunities for us!
We’d give the Beach Hostel a miss and go for something a little less basic. This was an error on our part due to our inexperience with campervans.
The experience with Road Surfer was 5*.
Thanks
Dominic