Drive or train from London to Leeds and back?

The latter - take the train from London to Leeds. Get a car there when you need it, return it there, and get the train back to your departure airport

The train to Leeds runs every 30 minutes and is a good 90 minutes faster than you can drive it. The train takes under 2 hrs 30, driving will take you about 4 hours.

All the usual car rental companies are within a one mile or so taxi ride of Leeds Station.

I agree with Kim, it's very easy to take the train to Leeds. Trains depart from Kings Cross every half hour or so and it only takes two and a quarter hours. Once you are back at Kings Cross you can easily get to Heathrow either by going to a few stops on the tube to Paddington and taking the Heathrow Express, going one stop to Farringdon and getting the Elizabeth line, or just take the Piccadilly line directly (which is cheaper but slower).

Hi -

I live just outside Leeds and I wouldn’t dream of driving to London. Trains are handier, quicker, you don’t face the nightmare of trying to drive in London traffic and you don’t get hammered by a daily congestion charge for taking your car into central London.

If you need a car to explore the areas around Leeds, hire one there. That said, dependent on where you want to go, you might get away with public transport. Ask if you are in doubt!

Ian

Yes, the train will save you both time and money.

Thanks so much, everyone! I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. Looks like we're taking the train!

Looks like we're taking the train!

In which case buy ‘Advance’ tickets ahead of time - tickets generally released twelve weeks before departure (but are bookable up to an hour before departure). Ties you to a specific train but worth it for the savings (you can transfer, but it ramps up the price, so be warned!). Also research the several kinds of railcards to see if they can save you further hard earned!

There are plenty of other posts on this subject on the forum, so I won’t go on at length here.

Ian