We have investigated the structure and hydrogen storage properties of a series of Ti, V, Zr, Nb and Ta based high-entropy alloys (HEAs) with varying degree of local lattice strain by means of synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and manometric measurements in a Sieverts apparatus. The obtained alloys have body-centred cubic (bcc) crystal structures and form face-centred cubic (fcc) metal hydrides with hydrogen-to-metal ratios close to 2. No correlation between the hydrogen storage capacity and the local lattice strain delta r is observed in this work. Both bcc and fcc unit cells expand linearly with the zirconium-to-metal ratio [Zr]/[M], and increased concentration of Zr stabilizes the hydrides. When heated, the hydrides decompose into the original bcc alloys if [Zr]/[M]<12.5 at.%. The hydrides phase-separate in a hydrogen-induced decomposition type process for [Zr]/[M]>= 12.5 at.%. The result is then a combination of two bcc phases, one with a larger and the other with a smaller unit cell than the original bcc alloy. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.