London Car Rental

Go to Stansted Airport and hire a car there. Either return at Stansted or Gatwick or Heathrow.

A few things - in the UK, the default option is a manual transmission. If you want an automatic, you'll need to request it but Hertz may not have auto Mini Coopers.

The obvious way from Colchester to Kent is via the Dartford Crossing on the M25. This is a bridge going south and a tunnel going north and there is a toll which, I am pretty sure, can only be paid online. Check https://www.gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge

If you do rent from the St Pancras area you are very close to the London Congestion Charge zone (and may even be inside it depending on the exact location of the pick up point). Again, payable on-line for each day you drive inside the zone.

If you can, i think the idea of picking up a car outside central London is preferable. Driving in London is a nightmare (and I was born and brought up there) and you need to be aware of camera-enforced traffic rules such as 20 mph limits and bus-only lanes. The latter are sometimes only in force for particular periods (eg Mon-Fri 0800 to 1800) but these periods of validity can change over a short distance. from one section of bus lane to another. London in in no way unique in having these but does have an awful lot of them.

To add to what rambling’ on said, airports will normally have a larger selection of vehicles to choose from, especially if you want an automatic.

I think that I’ve mentioned this before on other threads but the previous truth about automatic hire cars being in short supply is quite out of date now. It’s still true that most cars on the road are manual but given that some 70% of new car registrations are now for automatic cars and that hire company cars will be all new or nearly new. There is a general trend towards more automatics and then there is the strong growth in EV sales, which have to be automatic. If you like you should be able to hire an EV easily now.

The Mini Cooper hasn’t even been available in a manual version for a couple years so it will be no problem getting an auto.

Automatics are becoming much more popular. It’s because the new fuel efficient engines require a lot of gear changes. My car is small but has 6 gears and won’t do anything in second so I have change constantly. I want an auto next time!

getting out of London the traffic at any time is diabolical. My instinct is a train to Colchester but I have no idea what car you can find out there. I mean, do Essex girls even drive Minis these days? ;-)

I like the Stansted idea - easy on the Stansted Express from London Liverpool Street.

When you drive over the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge you will owe the Dart Charge £3.50 by midnight the day after you cross, only on line. https://www.gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge ... don't let it lapse, it becomes very expensive ... also the crossing is notoriously busy pretty much all the time, and positively creeps northbound. Expect oodles of heavy trucks, and northbound the lanes in tunnel are narrow.

I agree with returning at Gatwick. Driving north into London is worse than driving into Essex. The M23 ends just above the M25 and becomes the slow and tedious A23. Avoid. I have family in that area and I take a back way.

Almost all of inner London is now a 20 mph zone, amd with plenty of sleeping policemen. Cameras everywhere, amd as said above bus lanes. And don't on any account come to a stop in a box junction. The London Congestion Charge is up to £18 per day now, and for 364 days a year.

The A406 is that on maps and signs but people call it "The North Circular", much like the A205 is "The South Circular"

I would never drive anywhere near London. Chester was bad enough, I can't imagine the nightmare that would be driving in London.

I would take the train to the area I was going and pick up the car there. You have to decide if driving a Mini Cooper is worth the awful stress of driving in a difficult area. No particular car would be worth that to me, but everyone is different. I think the other posters had some good comments.

I think that I’ve mentioned this before on other threads but the previous truth about automatic hire cars being in short supply is quite out of date now.

I agree. Every time I've rented a car in the UK in the past several years, I have had no problem finding automatics. It seems like there are many more on the road now.

And to the OP, I realize you said you want to rent a Mini Cooper from Hertz, and hopefully you will be able to, but if that doesn't work out, I would highly recommend Arnold Clark. I've used Arnold Clark on my last two trips to the UK. In 2023, I rented from them through their affiliate, Celtic Legend (14 day rental) for my trip to Scotland, and 2024 when I spent 6 weeks in England, I rented directly with AC (18 day rental). Both rental experiences went very well. Arnold Clark is a pleasure to deal with, no matter who you book with.

I would check with both to see what price they give you. Celtic Legend will sometimes offer specials if you book through them, like giving you free sat nav or a second driver for free. I usually don't take advantage of the sat nav because I prefer using Google Maps on my phone, and since I'm a solo traveler, I don't really need an extra driver. But it does pay to check there

The best thing about them is that when you pick up the car, the agents explain everything to you and make sure that you understand the fine print. They are good about upgrading sometimes as well (once I was upgraded to a Mercedes at no cost, and another time I received an automatica at no extra cost (I had booked a manual). They are always very courteous and helpful, and I will continue to use them in the UK for future rentals.

I know Arnold Clark has a location at Heathrow and one other location on the outskirts of London.

London's not really all that different to driving other busy urban areas in the UK. You just have to be realistic about how long it's going to take you to get somewhere if you're driving across London. I'd use my car in the evenings more when the roads were quieter.

Stratford or Ilford would work too I think. Stansted is better if you're off to northern Essex or Cambridgeshire. The trains are good to Stansted Airport and Ilford from London Liverpool Street Station. Stratford would be an all-tube connection, depending where you're setting off from.

I'd be worried about of any of the rental companies guaranteeing you a Mini Cooper. They usually rent by class rather than model. Are those companies [edit: I see it's just Hertz} able to offer a firm guarantee of a Mini?

Thank you all for your advice! As a solo traveler I really appreciate having everyone thoughts as I try and sort it out.

I like the idea of returning to Gatwick and I will look at Stansted Airport for pickup - I will suck it up and deal with the extra cost of returning to a different location. And thank you for the driving advice.

I have found that the rental websites are very clear about whether you are reserving an automatic or manual transmission. They have a vested interest in making sure I don't drive their manual transmission car so I am confident that I won't be stuck learning to drive stick in England. And Hertz has a class of car that is just Mini Coopers - I guess I am not the only Millennial who Cameron Diaz convinced that a Mini Cooper is the superior way to see England.

I hope you get the car ok. It seems it's part of Hertz's "British Collection". I'll post the link in case anyone else wants to look at it. Some nice cars.

https://www.hertz.co.uk/p/fleet-guide/the-british-collection

I'm getting "Currently Unavailable" when I try to check availability for any of the cars on that page though. Might just be me.

Stansted is probably best for Colchester, but Ilford and Stratford aren't far from the M11 and M25 either.

Just to add, I had another look at Hertz and I think it looks like they may have phased out "The British Collection". The Mini Cooper in that selection is a manual anyway. Something else that suggests it might be from a couple of years ago if Helen is correct. The only sites that carried that range in London were Heathrow and Marble Arch.

The only reference to Hertz renting Mini Coopers currently is within the class where you could still get an equivalent in that class. Reserving a particular model would be a premium service. It's just how cars are rented in The UK. I doubt Hertz will tie themselves into a contract for a particular model at reservation time for a standard rental fee.

Don't get too upset if it doesn't work out. There's other cars out there. I think the lowest class of cars like a Kia Picanto or Hyundai i10 is too small if you've got a few miles to cover. I don't think you can beat a VW Golf, or the similar Skoda or Audi or Cupra as a bog standard European car.. Not too big, not too small.