Rent a car outside of London: pieces of advice

Published on : 22 March 20193 min reading time

Many very touristy English cities are well served by the train: Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Brighton and many others. These are human-sized cities, which can be visited on foot and thanks to the local bus network without any problem. Large cities often have a well-developed transport network too (such as Manchester and its “Metrolink” tramway).

On the other hand, if you plan to get away from downtown, renting a car can quickly become essential. Some areas, such as Cornwall or the heart of Sussex are poorly served by public transport, with areas of forest or countryside with no station on the horizon.

Nature lovers who want to visit places like the Winkworth Arboretum or the Forest of Dean will save themselves from real transport galleys with a car.

The many small villages in the beautiful Cotswolds are also difficult to visit without a vehicle. Similarly, the Stonehenge tourist site for example is 2 miles (more than 3 km) from the nearest bus stop and 9.5 miles (more than 15 km) from the nearest station.

In short, you will understand, the need to rent a car in England depends primarily on the planning of your stay, the city where you go and your taste for travel (very “urban” stay or exploration of places more Offset).

How to rent a car in England?

The easiest way is to make your reservation in advance on the Internet. You can either go directly to an international car rental agency (Europcar, Sixt, Avis, Hertz, etc.), or use a price comparison to find the best price, we can find on many sites like Expedia, Liligo, Holiday Autos or LastMinute.com.

When you make your quote, do not just look at the car rental prices and the type of vehicle. Also think about studying:

The opening hours of the rental agency: if your plane arrives late at night and the agency is already closed, it is not necessarily practical!

The conditions of withdrawal and return of the car: should you deposit it in the same place as where you took it, do you need on the contrary another point of return? What parts do you need to present to remove the vehicle?

Special conditions related to your age or status: if you are young or have obtained your license recently, does the agency charge you more? Does it allow you to rent the vehicle you want? If you are multiple drivers, what conditions apply for you to be covered?

The services offered (GPS, etc.): sometimes, it is cheaper to buy a GPS than to rent a car with GPS … or, for people who have children, to bring your own car seat.

The rental period: sometimes, the car rental budget is more interesting by taking a full week rental rather than 5 days, simply because the rates are decreasing. Feel free to do different simulations.

Possible mileage limits: beyond the rental period, are there distances not to be exceeded?

Check also how your insurance covers you when driving abroad: many car rental companies will try to offer you additional services, for example comprehensive insurance in case of damage … which can duplicate your own insurance.

How about a P2P car rental to tour London during your holiday there?
Why going through an agency for your car rental is important?

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