My family and I are planning a trip to London. We will need to rent a car as we will be traveling to various locations outside the city. I know they have a robust rail system, but where we are going we would still like to rent a car.

Does anyone have any advice on renting one. Things to look for / look out for? Any good rental companies to use? Insurance?

Thanks in advance.
Bob

https://www.sixt.com/

Buy the extra insurance, read up on UK traffic laws, watch for cameras they are everywhere.

If you don't drive a stick be sure to ask for an automatic or you'll get a manual trans.

Have a great time.


and whatever you do keep left at the junction.

I have not rented in the UK, but I do rent frequently In Ireland.

Assuming the process is similar, here are some tips, fwiw:

1. Insurance is going to be mandatory. If your credit card covers insurance for rental cars, you should have a letter from your credit card stating that YOU are covered personally. Don’t assume that the rental car company will blindly accept your credit card’s insurance. You should request this letter no more than 30 days out from your trip.

2. I stick with the well-known rental car companies. Hertz, Avis, Sixt, etc. You will find off brands but generally you’re going to get higher mileage cars and have to shuttle off the airport.

3. Go automatic, one less thing to worry about when driving on the wrong side of the road. Be careful when you book that you’re getting an automatic transmission car.

4. Take taxis in cities. Most urban areas are a nightmare to drive in.

5. Most often damaged part of the European car is the right front tire. Be aware of that part of the car when you’re driving.

And be sure to watch National Lampoon's European Vacation before you go.

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
And be sure to watch National Lampoon's European Vacation before you go.

"Look kids! There's Big Ben!"

I've driven a lot in the UK over the past 50 years. My advice is:
1) Rent a car with an automatic transmission even if you can use a stick. As mentioned above, it will be one less thing to require attention and let you concentrate on the road.
2) Rent a smaller car than you might want so you can better maneuver in small towns and the 'C' roads. For example, a BMW 3 series is considered a larger car over there. Go with something smaller.
3) Brush up on British traffic regs and signs (also mentioned above). Pay special attention to the roundabout section. Understand the use of a lay-by especially when traveling on a one-lane road.
4) Get a good paper map even if you plan to use GPS.
5) Have fun and enjoy the scenery; it is a beautiful country.

Rented through Hertz in Italy a couple of months ago. Was pretty much the same as renting in the US. Not sure if UK requires an international driver's license. Italy does, though the rental place never asked to see it and we never needed it for anything else. I suppose we might have if we had a traffic incident. You can get it at any AAA office.

Like others said, assume a manual unless you specify automatic, which will be a bit more expensive.

I don’t know how much time you’re spending in Scotland, but I’ll tell you the rental agency we wish we had rented from, Arnold Clark. Their cars were all new looking and had built-in nav. We needed a van (there were four of us) and the company we ended up with was less than satisfactory.

Arnold Clark cars can be picked up at Heathrow and other locations in England.

Just wait until you hit your first six-lane roundabout. Have fun, and don't forget which way the traffic is coming from!

Be prepared to get a charge on your card months after you leave for the Congestion Fee or whatever they call it to discourage driving in or around the city. Most rental cars were hybrids when I was there 2 yrs ago to comply with the UK/EU regulations. A bit odd to hear nothing when you start up and everything is lit up.

was in london in 2008,, stayed not to far from Buckingham Palace,
that area has some kind of surcharge for traffic and to keep exhaust fumes down,
not sure if they still have that or how it would affect a rental,

may want to make sure if you keep it a few days that your hotel has a place to park it

Went to london/scotland in May. We took taxis in London and it was always $35 away lol. In Scotland we hired a tour guide who was also a taxi driver.
Don’t get any car bigger than a handsome taxi. The roads are crazy small. We met a former co worker there and they had rented a small fiat. 2 women, 1 small, 1 large fit fine and they had an automatic. They had been there for 2 weeks and had been fine driving all over Scotland.it was the drivers 3 rd time there. She even had a “ tourist” magnet she had put on the car like you see new driver stickers here.

Good luck-take lots of pictures

When I turned in a rental at Gatwick in 2000, the first thing the inspector looked at was the LF wheel. I concluded that drivers used to driving on the right side of the road often hit curbs on their left. The rental car had the plastic wheel covers zip tied on. Probably a good idea.

Getting used to mirrors in not normal locations was a bit of a challenge. I think a week of driving in UK caused me to lose some of auto proximity skills when I resumed driving here. A week of rental was $100 in 2000. Gas was like $6/gallon when it was maybe a bit over a dollar here I think. I had never driven a roundabout when I entered my first it was terrifying. Especially driving on the left. That was after getting used to all the other oddities in about a 1/4 mile.

Can’t emphasize this enough—don’t rent (hire) a big car.

I spent a week in London this past May and rented a car to go explore the Cotswolds. Instead of picking up the car in London and driving to, I instead took the train to Oxford and then rented the car there. Absolutely zero reason to drive anywhere in/around London, it's just too congested and the attention needed to do navigating/route-finding will leave you exhausted and unable to enjoy the best parts of your trip.

* As others have pointed-out, getting an automatic just reduces the points of frustration and bandwidth-wasting as you not only attempt to get used to driving on the right-side but, combined with navigating, watching the signs and managing the turns/lane-changes its just one less thing to manage. The roundabouts are a doozy, the small 1-2 lane ones are tame but the larger multi-lane ones can be a challenge...particuly the first couple that you encounter as you attempt to go left instead of instinctily try to go right...take it slow and clear your mind
* Go smaller, while larger vehicles are available consider the roads are narrower and parking is quite tight.
* The front left part of the car gets all the attention from US/Canadian customers upon returning the rental company, your depth perception and judgement takes a bit to get used to as you rub up along the curb. Make sure you take photos of the vehicle BEFORE and AFTER. The rental company attempted to charge me for alleged damage yet their photos showed zero damage; my credit card company's insurance rep agreed with my claim and reimbursed me the charges.
* Int'l driver's license isn't necessary but, good to have should you get pulled-over, something to consider before driving overseas.