London Car Rental

Car Rental In London

As you can imagine, there are multitudes of car rental companies in London. Here I will attempt to link to a number of them so you can browse through them and make a decision on which one to use. Remember, however, that London has a thing called the congestion charge, although you can avoid that by not driving in the center. Find out more about this at the official website.

easycar

Ok, the first company I will mention is easycar.com , because they are quite unique and could save you a lot of money. As part of the easy (easyjet etc) group, they offer cars incredibly cheaply if you book early. BUT, and this is a big but...you have to be careful. Read all the rules and do everything they ask or you will pay dearly. There are certain conditions, such as returning the car clean (otherwise £10 extra) or, more importantly, return the car on time, or actually an hour early for their check (or a whopping £75 charge!).They only give you an allowance of 75 miles per day before you start paying extra, and they require a deposit of £50 which you only get back 30 days after your rental period ends. Its like the cheap airlines..if you play by the rules and are careful you get a bargain, but if you aren't willing to pay attention to what you are doing, then it will cost you more. And the prices..well they are always different, according to how early you book, but the cheapest you can get is £4 per day (inc insurance!). Now thats a bargain if you can get it! Just remember to read their website thoroughly before hiring.

europcar hertz thrifty etc

OK, onto the multinational companies. Europcar are a big company who hire a wide variety of cars from around £45 per day for unlimited miles. It costs extra(£7) if you are between 23-25 and you wont get it if you are younger. You can hire a car in one location and return it to another, for an extra charge.

Generally the other big ones are about the same. The advantage of these is that they are good reputable companies, they always have excellent new cars, more pickup locations and you can drop off at a different place than you pick up. You pay a bit extra, but they are more flexible. But, as always, watch out for extra charges. Extra drivers, airconditioning, excess insurance etc can add up.
Here is a list of companies where you can book directly at their website...
Thrifty Car Hire
Hertz
Europcar
Budget Rent a Car
Avis
Enterprise(This company offers to pick you up!)
National Car Rental

UK Car Hire Companies

Here are some companies that only operate in the United Kingdom. This does not mean they are small backyard companies, in fact they are good reputable companies.
Practical Car Rental offers cars from £25 for a 'micro' car, £30 for a 5 door.
1 car 1 I hate the name, but their rates get cheaper the longer you hire. A week from £21 per day.
Woods Car Rental Say they are 'Large Enough to Deliver, Small Enough to Care'....

Cars You Cant Afford

Heres one, very British. They are called British Car Rental, and they are 'By Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen'. You can hire prestige cars..a Jaguar (£170/day), Lotus Elise (£132/day) or a Bentley(£395/day). mmmmmmmm. Theres another one at http://www.guysalmon.com who offer Mercedes, BMW's and more, but also a chauffeur service..8 hours for £200...

Learn to Drive

Remember when you hire a car you have to drive it. In the UK, we drive on the left hand side of the road, and the national speed limit is 70 miles an hour. You can drive on your overseas licence usually as long as it is in English, or is European. For more information about the UK road rules, you can read the highway code at http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk

Enjoy your travels in the United Kingdom

Good luck and have fun.
stu
londonbackpackers.net