Recommendations on car type for England/Scotland trip

Then you should probably look at a smaller estate car, a Ford Focus, Skoda Octavia, Vauxhall Astra or similar.

See if you can get an enclosed trunk/boot for security of your luggage. It's nice to have room for your " on the road snacks and drinks". You are right about the narrow roads! We took a back road mountain pass road that had a sign before it went downhill that said "You have been Warned".

The following site will show you the cars available in Britain:>https://www.carwow.co.uk/car-reviews#gref

On our 2-couples trip to Scotland and Northern England last September we rented a Ford Kuga (or similar). A Kuga is pretty much an Escape. We got a Hyundai Tucson and it was just large enough for our luggage. For our most recent trip, we rented an intermediate, Skoda Octavia (or similar) and also got a Hyundai Tucson. I wouldn’t get anything smaller with 4 people. Look up the cargo area dimensions ahead of time to see if your carryon luggage will fit.

After making your reservation check back from time to time to see if the price has dropped. For an upcoming 21 day trip the original price was 990€. I’ve rebooked a couple times and I rebooked the same vehicle today for 572€.

Last year Hubby and I traveled with another couple with carry on sized suitcases and personal sized backpacks. We got cars in Ireland and Scotland and both were compact SUV’s. Think Honda CRV or Toyota RAV 4 sized. They had a cover in the back so our luggage wasn’t exposed, but just in case it didn’t have that I brought a large black plastic disposable tablecloth to conceal our belongings. We could not have managed with something smaller.

In Scotland I booked the car through Celtic Legend and the car was from Arnold Clark. They picked us and our luggage up at our hotel in Glasgow and when we returned the car in Inverness they drove us to our B&B. They had good prices and included in the price things that other companies charge extra for. I highly recommend them.

Will you need just one vehicle for the trip?

Thanks for the information. We are planning on just one car rental for the trip and I wasn't sure if a compact SUV would be appropriate.

Where will you be picking up the car?

We did four weeks touring Wales and England in 2017 by car.

Be careful who you rent from. I used Autoeurope and the car provider was europcar. Europcar didn't have the car that I booked and couldn't provide one of a similar size that had a navigation system. Also, they wanted to charge me an outrageous price per day for a GPS. I had to upgrade my car and it cost double what I had booked.

I suggest booking with an American company. I have used Budget and Hertz on other trips in Europe and never had a problem.

Be sure you rent an automatic, you don't need to be distracted shifting gears while concentrating on driving on the left.
Also, make sure that all your luggage will fit in the trunk (boot) of the car so you don't leave luggage exposed inside the car when it is parked. Thieves may break into your car in that case.
I did wind up with a diesel car, which did save me on the cost of fuel.

By the way, have your spouse in the passenger seat to remind you to STAY on the LEFT, especially when turning.

Thanks. We definitely want an automatic to reduce the stress of driving in the left. Our plan is to take the train from Heathrow to Swindon or somewhere else on the way to the Cotswolds and pick up the car there.

Swindon with its Magic Roundabout (with mini roundabouts around the main roundabout, and believe it or not traffic goes in both directions around the complex!!!) is not for newby UK drivers.

Oxford is usually the jumping off point to the Cotswolds...

I would definitely opt for getting the car in Oxford. Those magic roundabouts sound like they should be avoided.