Hi guys,
Any recommendations on how to find a car to rent in the UK at reasonable price?
Cheers
London Car Hire
abently on 07/03/2023 - 23:41
Comments
What’s that?
Bing?
Hotukdeals?
AskJeeves?
Altavista or nothing maybe
Travelling later this year and doing a road trip from London up to Wales and Scotland. We're hiring only on the day we leave from London and returning it on the day we get back into London. We're also collecting returning to a depot just outside central London to avoid any congestion charges and any 'downtown' surcharges by avoiding entering London CBD. We found National car rental had pretty reasonable rates. Best of luck!
All the majors have pretty poor reviews and lots of upselling….
For anyone else trying to avoid a bad trip, might be worth going private through Turo.
Where in London are you looking to pick up from? I have used Sixt recently and it was fine. I would say regardless of location, upselling is something that always happens.
If you are driving in central London be conscious of the congestion charges.
SkyScanner. I rent a fair few cars in the UK and you can get incredible prices through the searches on SkyScanner. Make sure you take photographs of any and all damage to a rental car over there and get any noted on a the rental inspection form. Depending on the company, I think they make most of their money from charging exorbitant amount for tiny scratches on return. I’ve had three people come out and start looking at a car on return and being most disappointed when they found nothing. Pay attention to any scratches on wheel and make sure to look down low on the body.
Ive often found https://www.economycarrentals.com/ to be the lowest priced when travelling to the USA. Might he worth it for UK too
Just looked for a car for our 3 week trip next year lax to lax. Rav4 $16k - wtf!!!! Cheaper to buy a car. Found a 2016 Toyoto Miria for sale in l.a. $6995. If renting is now double the price of buying I will buy. I hope it will get cheap as we get closer to April next year.
Internet.
Please explain.
It's suppose to be The Information Super Highway. I hear there are lots of things there. Lots of uninsured people having accidents on there seeking advise.
Have been travelling to UK for years and always use Kendall.
They can provide airport collection drop-off, if needed.
Consistently the cheapest, but they don't have a branch in central London.
They are S London and SE England based.
Have just booked to use them again this year.
I used Sixt last time i was there (5 years) I am English. Picked up from Gatwick, dropped off at Gatwick.
It was quite reasonable back then. Just be aware driving in London is a nightmare, not so much because of the traffic, but because of the zones.. ridiculously low speed limits and on camera every 50 meters on most roads waiting to fine you. Add that to resident parking, tow away zones and over zealous councils and it is like driving and stopping in an obstacle course. You will get a ticket for being 1cm over a line ir 1km over the limit, and in lots of urban areas the limit is 15 or 20kmph!
Congestion charge is the least of your worries..
Another tip. DO NOT drive into central london if you stay on the outside of the centre. Just park your car at a shopping centre as close as you can to a tube or train and get the train in. There i no need to traipse around the centre in a car.
For example, I stay in north london and park the car at Wood Green Shopping City and get the train in.. its like 25 minutes.
I had a car when I lived in London many years ago. it was fairly chaotic back then but now - especially for central parts of London ie.g. . historical areas you have to be mindful of Congestion Charges, ULEZ and DVS zones.
if you rent a diesel car then watch out as you will be charged fees in certain areas.
my cousin was recently charged ~₤14 for accidentally driving his diesel Skoda into a certain central area
more info here https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/low-emission-zone/about-the…
I would certainly avoid driving in London itself if at all possible. Traffic is shocking, congestion charges are frightening, and road/parking rules are enthusiastically policed.
You typically won't need/get much benefit from a car in central London in any event so if you're planning on driving around the UK, arrange to pick up/drop off the car somewhere else. Many years ago, I arranged the rental in and out of Oxford and then drove out into the broader UK from there.
Sounds expensive - as in expensive enough that you could taxi everywhere for less. Not that you would need to. If you're in London you can just take the tube.
It won't be cheap. Good luck.
Wow, thanks for all the advice guys.
Sounds like I should just hire a car for the days I need to be out of London…..
Cheers
Use the tube when in London with an oyster card. Trains come every 3 or 4 minutes.
Just fyi for anyone else in the future thinking about this….
Travelling outside of London, definitely hire a car, preferably ULEZ certified to minimise potential charges and fuel cost. (I used Turo with a Debit Card to manage any dodgy excess claims if needed).
Inside the congestion zone, we used the bus mostly, was quicker according to Google Maps and definitely no hassles parking etc. Picked up the car early morning before congestion tax hit and dropped it off late at night.
There is ways around the parking and congestion fees, just have to plan ahead. Some areas in the congestion zone have unrestricted parking after 5.30pm (or 8pm) till 8am so it's doable but not recommended unless its a must.
Google?