Visiting Cotswolds.. Rental car Pickup/dropoff same location verses different dropoff

It is doable. You usually change train at Didcot Parkway when going from Oxford to Bath. From mid September, GWR will also have a direct service(s) but as of know, we do not know the timings.

Are you using one of these brokers which the US seems to specialize in?, or booking direct with the rental company.

$600 USD is not realistic for an Oxford to Bath one way rental if you were booking direct. $60 is more on the broad lines of what would be expected.

Europcar is about £25 a day difference. Enterprise is about a £50 flat charge. I've just done those price checks.

So someone is trying to fleece you.

Thank you. For the car rental booking direct. I checked several companies any any car other than a compact size (as my husband is a big guy) was approximated $150-higher per day. Total for the time $1000 plus USD. for a rental pick up
And drop off location it was approximately $500 USD. My 2 options I was thinking would be start in Oxford pick up and return there. Or start in Bath do pick up and return there

Is Oxford a requirement for your trip? It seems that you would be there just for the night and picking up the car. If so, I would go straight to Bath and pick up and drop off the car there.

Looking at the Enterprise UK website for a Large Premium car (Mercedes E Class) automatic for 15 to 20 September Oxford Botley to Bath gives a price of £366.29 pay now or £402.92 pay on collection;
or Oxford to Oxford oddly £369.36 pay now or £406.32 pay on collection.

So a touch more expensive to return to the same branch, which is a bit odd.

I agree with isn31c in that it is unusual for a drop-off fee to be so high. I've dropped off and picked up rentals in different locations three different times in the UK, and and have never had to pay more than £20 to £30. But I always go with Arnold Clark, so I'm not sure about other rental agencies.

That said, I think your idea of returning it to Oxford and then going to Bath by train is a good one.

Also, when you head to Oxford from the airport (I'm assuming you are flying into LHR), I would take the Airline Bus, rather than the train, as you will avoid having to go into London, as it is a direct bus to Oxford. https://www.theairlineoxford.co.uk/

ISN31c Thank you for the rental info I will research, possibly I had incorrect info or locations. Mardee Thank you for the info I do believe we will take the bus from LHR. I have received several recommendations as that being the easiest way. So I will go back and research my rental info, but do either of you have an opinion on visith Oxford & Bath. Would there be a better option? Have visited UK before, but really only in London so there is much to see I just thought those 2 places looked great and thought I could add one to beginning of Cotswold visit and one to the end. Love to hear your thoughts. Thank you

Be careful when choosing a car name that you may not be familiar with. I am tall and slender so what is critical to be is how far back does the driver’s seat go to allow distance to pedals. Sometimes big cars do not make the best use of internal space. Cars which are raised up on suspension (SUV’s) lose internal space due to the high ground clearance.

If you click this link, you should see a Google map of the north Cotswolds - with traffic enabled at the time you click. I suggest you zoom down and drop the yellow man on some of the roads to see what they look like. I then think you should move the map to Bath and do the same. Also check on streetview any place where you are planning to stay. Note that a big wide car can be a hindrance on narrow country lanes and more difficult to park.

I'm really loath to tell you a night split and wouldn't have done, but as you have specifically asked I think you are selling Oxford woefully short, some would say you are maybe selling Bath a night short as well.
So that would mean reducing the Cotswolds to two nights.
Now as it happens there is another thread running today on the merits of the Cotswolds (versus other areas of the UK) and over tourism there. I for one would say in that vein that the Chilterns (the other side of Oxford) are hugely under rated.
But if we stay on Oxford/Cotswolds/Bath as your entirely valid choice a possible re-allocation of nights could be appropriate depending on your likes and dislikes.
The other thing you could do is do a two centre Oxford/Bath (and from Oxford do a day tour of two by minibus from Moreton in Marsh. That would obviate the need for a car at all, whatever the details around it's pricing are. Transfer Oxford to Bath by train.

Thank you. I am going to check surrounding areas of both Oxford and Bath and see if we could just stay at one That would give me 2 days London, 2 days Bath/Oxford or other and 5 days Cotswolds. I am hoping to narrow it down with a little research. Thank you

You don’t want a car in Oxford itself, parking is hard to find and exorbitant. I don’t know Bath well but I guess it’ll be much the same in the centre. I’d try to move between Heathrow, Oxford and Bath by public transport and rent the car for the days you want to go to the Cotswolds.

BTW- I live in a town in the Chilterns. They’re nice but nowhere near as pretty as the Cotswolds in my view (although you can get parked).

Thank you. We will definitly use public transportation from LHR to Oxford and back whether it be from Oxford or Bath. Do not want to worry about parking in those areas.

Have you ever used Kemwel.com? They are out of Portland Maine. I have used them for years in Europe. I have always gotten the zero deductible and never had to use it until 2 years ago when someone smashed the back of our rental. When we turned the car in we were not responsible for one penny. Not all locations have the zero deductible but it is worth a phone call to them to check their
prices. Our one way drop off fee is about 56GBP this year. Also if you find a lower rate somewhere else for the same category, they have matched it for us in the past when we gave them a call. Good Luck

Way back in 2002, we were charged a flat €600 fee for a one-way rental from Lisbon, Portugal to Malaga, Spain, but that was from one country to another, not in the same country. Split between three of us, it was better than any other option, considering time, distance, and other expenses. We’ve also rented one-way in Ireland twice, and I don’t remember the extra charge, if any, but it can save doing a lot of backtracking.

Have you looked at the Arnold Clark company for a rental? They’re throughout the UK, and we did a very good rental in Scotland (renting in Inverness and returning at the Edinburgh airport), but have never rented in England itself.

Have you looked at the Arnold Clark company for a rental? They’re throughout the UK, and we did a very good rental in Scotland (renting in Inverness and returning at the Edinburgh airport), but have never rented in England itself.

I agree with Cyn. I've used Arnold Clark on my last two trips to the UK. In early 2024, I rented directly with Arnold Clark for a 17 day rental in England (picked up in Liverpool and dropped off in Carlisle) and then in 2023, I rented from them through their broker, Celtic Legend (14 day rental) for my trip to Scotland (picked up in Glasgow and dropped off in Edinburgh).

Both rental experiences went very well. Arnold Clark is a pleasure to deal with. Their agents explain everything to you and make sure that you understand the fine print. They are good about upgrading sometimes, and very courteous and helpful. I will always use them in the UK for future rentals. And as mentioned, their fees for dropping off at a different location are quite low.

The only issue might be location. I know they don't have offices in the Cotswolds or Oxford; the closest one is in Milton Keynes, I believe. But it might be worth looking into.

https://www.arnoldclarkrental.com/rental/web/xcr3/xcrv/xcrvlocations.p
https://www.celticlegend.co.uk/car-rental/

Mardee Thank you. I have used Arnold Clark in Scotland and they were wonderful, however there is nothing close to us in Oxford. I have decided that we will pick up and drop off Oxford. Our plans are as follows. Arrive Oxford (1 night), Travel to Stow on Wold (4 nights) return car and take bus/train back to Londond (4 nights). While in London will do a day trip to Bath and possibly one other location. Was even thinking of Brussels. That will be a game time decision and I know, even having been to London before there is still so much to do If you had any other day trip suggestions that would be great too. Did think about Rye also. Many thanks.