Where to hire a car for Cotswolds

I recommend hiring the car at Heathrow. It's only an hour and a half drive from there to the Cotswolds. The hours the Heathrow rental car facilities are open are likely to be longer than in some locations well away from London (which may not even be open on the weekend, if that matters to you).

You could also head out that direction to Oxford by train or bus first, spend a day or two there to recover from jet lag, then rent a car and drive to the Cotswolds...they aren't far from there! There is an Enterprise office in Oxford that will deliver the car to you. When you drive the agent back to the office you can ask questions and get tips for driving in the UK too!

We rented a car at Heathrow upon arrival and drove to the Cotswolds. It wasn't a difficult drive. I preferred doing that over adding additional transportation options to my day. We stopped for lunch and then continued to our B&B in Chipping Campden. We didn't drive anymore that day, choosing to walk to dinner.

Great question! We were wondering the same thing. Can I add another on to this thread? If we would like to see Salisbury before hand, would it be doable to rent a car first thing in the morning, drive to Salisbury for a visit and then make it to the Cotswolds by that evening or would we be better off to take the train to Salisbury, back to London and then rent a car the next day? We have 5 nights 4 full days in the area and were wanting to spend 2 of those days in the Cotswolds. Thanks again for asking this question and for the answers.

I would take the car at Heathrow , due to another consideration - Most cars in Europe are manual ( stick ) transmissions . When renting specify an automatic . Unless you can drive stick AND feel comfortable shifting with your left hand ( driver is on the right side of the car ) , you will be more likely to obtain an automatic at the airport which has a larger and more extensive selection . In all fairness , I have never hired a car at Oxford , but many places on my trips , only manuals have been available . Fortunately I do drive stick , but have not as of yet attempted it while in England

Replying to kbug66's question: if I am understanding correctly, you are considering flying into Heathrow, renting a car, driving to Salisbury for the day, then on to the Cotswolds. I do not recommend this. That's alot of driving in one day, especially if you have just landed. Driving distances in England are deceiving. An easy day trip distance wise in the US can take a good bit longer in England.

Heathrow for all the reasons stated above. Truly easy to get in and out of and on the road to the Cotswolds. Take the tube back to Heathrow and then a free shuttle to which ever of the rental car agencies you use.

Get ALL the insurance offered. Make certain you ask and reserve an automatic and if directionally challenged rent the GPS.
Also get the smallest car you are comfortable with. Soon much easier on the back roads and for parking purposes. Put luggage in the boot so it won't be seen in the back seat.

Once you get the car use your cell phone to take pictures of it, all sides. Helps document what the car looked liked when you checked it out. Do the same when you return it. Don't delete those images for 5 months. Seriously its called CYA in case the rental car company attempts to blame you for a dent, scrape, broken windshield, etc.

SLOW down on the backroads and it may take a zip around more than once on a roundabout to get the hang of them but once you do you are aces.

I would suggest taking taxi to Slough train station, take train to Moreton-in-Marsh, after arriving in Moreton you have two options, 1. taking taxi to your B&B it hotel where you are staying that night(
(Bourton-on-the-Water would be a good location) then pick up car the next morning after a good night sleep or 2. after arriving in Moreton taking taxi to Shipston-on-Stour and pick up the car.

Robinson Goss Self Drive Hire is in Shipston-on-Stour, their website is robgos.com

Also, getting out of Heathrow is dead easy- something like 3 of the less complex traffic circles and then you're on the ramp to the M road (limited access highway) westward. You're actually making far fewer driving decisions (a good thing when you're sleep-deprived) than if you pick up a car in the middle of a small city where you work your way out through narrow roads, more complex roundabouts, and stop and go congestion.

Driving right to Salisbury after a red eye is not the most fun thing in the world, but is doable enough. I'd overnight there (the Amesbury Holiday Inn is peak concrete box, but it's right off the A303 highway and just down the road from a Tesco for your resupply needs, Old Sarum, and the park-and-ride lot that will eliminate the need to actually self-drive in Salisbury, something that IMO requires too much concentration and too many driving decisions when you're coming off a red eye flight) and then go on to more scenic lodging in the Cotswolds.

I recommend Heathrow as well. We have stayed in London for a few days, then went back to Heathrow, picked up the car, and drove to the Cotswolds- and returned on the day we flew back home. Its too expensive to park in London, and much easier to take public transportation in the city. I use Enterprise at Heathrow and have no complaints.

Happy Travels💫✨