Renting a car at Heatherow

The main issue with hiring from Heathrow is that you firstly have to get out to the airport and then take a shuttle to where the car hire offices are off site. In that time you could be in Oxford on the train.

Leaving Heathrow should be fine on. a Sunday morning though, straight on to the A4.

The reason the car hire places are away from the station was a fundamental failure of the rail engineers to foresee the need for car hire offices when they built the station in the middle of the city in the 19th century. Getting them nearer would mean demolishing much of the architecture you go to Oxford to see.

A third choice would depend on where you are going with the car. Swindon is just as quick to get to as Oxford and has an Enterprise car hire open on Sunday mornings. It's no holiday destination but that won't matter is you're driving straight away out of it.

Thank you. I will look into Swindon. As for the off site car rentals. This has happened in all major cities across the US and Europe for the same reason you state. As a frequent flier I am accustomed to this extra step.

We felt it wasn’t any more difficult or time consuming coming out of our Heathrow arrival terminal and getting a shuttle to our particular car rental agency than at any other major airport we’ve been in.

I wasn't suggesting that Heathrow is particularly difficult to hire a car from. Rather that, if you're starting from central London, it isn't the most sensible location because of the added time taken to get out there rather than taking a train from close to where you are to somewhere near you want to be.

John - that makes good sense. I understood. I will be in central London. Easier to get to Paddington Train Station than Heathrow.

another Oxford issue is the Botley Road seemingly incessant road works near the station, which having discovered an inverted Victorian viaduct have put back completion from late this summer for at least another year.

I used to always recommend getting a car near Oxford station (several right near the station) but the Botley Road issue has put paid to that. Go to Oxford. Enjoy the city - best on foot without a car (high charge now too for driving into certain parts of the city) but get your hire/rental car elsewhere.

One thing to understand about getting a car in Swindon is, especially if you are unfamiliar with driving on the British side of the road and / or roundabouts, Swindon is the home of the Magic Roundabout which has been known to flummox even experienced but unfamiliar drivers. People don't expect traffic in both directions going around roundabouts, with smaller roundabouts around the periphery. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MagicRoundabout(Swindon)

If you want to rent an automatic, the selection will be much better at Heathrow. You can risk renting one in Oxford, but they may not have the model you want. BTW, I rented a car at Heathrow on a Sunday morning and found the traffic manageable, even on the M25.

Thos from Seattle. I use Hertz for all international rentals. With my long time status as a PC member they treat me well. I feel like I will have less worries should I have a dust up with another vehicle. Have you personally rented from a non US co and without issues?

@ bbohacz I rented from Hertz at Heathrow and they did a great job getting me a fine automatic. What you may not realize is that the Hertz agency in Oxford may be a franchise, not a Hertz operation. In that case. your status may not mean very much. I have to emphasize that automatics are relatively rare in England. You are taking your chances on getting one that meets your requirements in Oxford. The safest bet is Heathrow, but you can certainly try your luck in Oxford. Happy travels.

Another wrinkle that has only recently started is that a fair number of "automatic" cars are now electric. Nothing wrong with those in principle and they can be cheaper but infrastructure can be patchy depending on where you are going

Rented from Hertz at Heathrow for my trip to Lyme Regis. Slept on my overnight flight from LA. Got through immigration and boarded a shuttle bus to the Hertz office on the Ring Road. Been a Hertz member for decades.

Got my rental car and set out for Lyme Regis. I chose a stick shift. I learned to drive in the 60’s have no problems with gear shifts. Nor did it bother me to drive on the “ opposite “ side of the road. Had done that before. Had used Google maps to plot out route. Had printed it out as wasn’t convinced I’d have good cell service enroute.

Double check to be certain your US rental company is or isn’t open on a Sunday.