First Time Car Rental Tips

Are you going directly from London to Bristol or planning to make stops? If just there and back, take the train. One and a half hours without a change of trains. You can sit back, relax, have a cup of coffee, enjoy the scenery and not have to worry about traffic, driving on the other side of the road, buying petrol, trying to understand the crazy rules for driving in London without getting ticketed for driving on the wrong days, parking, etc.

Fares as low at 17 pounds each way.

I'd normally take public transport but this time I'm going to be VFR Visiting Freinds and Relatives and Maid of Honour in a Wedding. I'd like to be independant since I'm playing a major role in the activities.

I'd realy like to know some do's and don'ts of Car Rental. I don't want to make a mistake and wish I had taken some extra precautions. I just need to know what those precautions might be. I'm totally new to this...

Train would be much easier, as Frank saysBut if you feel you have to do it by car:1) No one here in the last year has recommended driving in London, so pick up & return the car well out of London (Heathrow?)2) the steering wheel is on the right side of the car and you'll be shifting with your left hand, 1st and 2nd are closest to you3) buy all the CDW insurance you can afford, for damage to the car, just in case4) Stay left, that's not a problem on the "M" controlled access roads but will get interesting for you when you get into city traffic, esp. at intersections, your instincts will be totally wrong in the turns5) for a short rental pay the extra to rent a GPS from the car rental provider6) Rick covers everything else here click

How about taking public transport to Bristol and renting a cary locally while there.

Driving in London really is a pain and I'd suggest you get the car at one of the airports rather than in town?

Do you drive a stick now? If not, do you really wnat to be hassling with that while remembering to drive on the other side of the road?

I've never rented a car in Europe but have rented many in the U.S. Find a reputable company, get a good rate, check to see what your home auto insurance or credit cards will cover insurance wise, and then decide if you want/need the extra insurance.

And, as can be expected, there are a few places on the RS website with info on renting cars:

http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/graffiti9.html

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/carrental_2005.htm

Oh, and have someone explain roundabouts to you....

Some basic points.

Get a representative of the rental company to explain where all of the controls are. Make sure you are comfortable with them before you drive off.
When you pick-up ask the rep if there is any place local where you can practice driving until you feel comfortable with both the controls and driving on the left ( there are plenty of places around the service hangars if you pick up at Heathrow ).
Before you drive off set all the mirrors and the seat ‘just-so’, that way you are going to be more at ease.
Make short journeys. The road from LHR to Bristol is a major motorway ( M4 ) and has services about every 25 miles, use them to relax.
Some people take to driving on the ‘other’ side of the road like a duck to water, some find it very difficult. If you fall into the second group don’t be shy about returning a rental car early and using other forms of transport.

F.A., I trained it to near Windsor and collected the hire car from there. Driving in Greater London didn't appeal to me at all. If you are not in a hurry, take the more minor roads and see some of rural England. Freeways are unexciting anywhere, especially if you want to look at the view.

Here are some general tips. I have never been to the Uk, but this is useful anywhere. I would highly recommend the insurance. I would think it would be less stressful that way. "It's insured" say it and smile. The big thing would be to do a once over when picking up the car. 1) Start the car while making sure the parking brake is on. 2) Turn on the headlights and hazard flashers. 3) Walk around the car and check to make sure all the lights and flashers are working. 4) While walking around also check for scratches and dings or dents. MAKE A NOTE OF ANY AND ALL no matter how small. 5) Make sure the wipers and washers are working. 6) Check to make sure the interior lights are working and that you know how to turn them on and off. 7)Familiarize yourself with the basic functions. Example, does the trunk or hatch open from the drivers seat? A little known tip. Some vehicles will disable the inside release if you turn the key in the actual locking mechenism completely the other way from the opening position. Does the gas cover open from the seat area, the dash, or outside? Finally, when returning the vehicle, if the mileage is unlimited, no worries. If you are alloted an amount, it might be a good idea to take a picture of the odometer upon its return. Try to return the vehicle back to a live rep. If this is not possible, take pictures of the outside. I have read here that some people have been charged for nonexistant damage when returning the vehicle to an unmanned drop off area.
I hope this helps. Good luck and remeber to look right!

How many days? If more than 17 leasing is a better deal. Even with the extra charge to pick up outside of France, it will save you money. Leases also included full CDW insurance in the price.

On the Continent, diesels are the better deal. They run great, get better mileage and the fuel is a little cheaper. I'm not sure if that applies in Britain.

I'm sure you have been to England and had to think twice before crossing the street because you want to look the wrong way. It will be like that for driving.

I've only driven on the left in Australia. I was surprised how quickly I adapted to shifting with my left hand and staying on the left. When you first start out, however, you have to keep your mind on your driving to avoid disaster..

I would second many of the reccomendations. Pick up at the airport, consider an automatic since this is the first time driving in UK (one leass thing to hassle with). check airlines website to see if they sponsor any discounts. Check for any other discounts with major firms(we use AAA with Hertz) Consider Auto europe or other consolidators.

It is easier to drive on major roads, I have driven in UK 4 times, only made mistake twice(both times when turning left)

Good Luck!

Tom

Hi everyone...Just thought I'd briefly check in before I head out. Wow! Thanks so much for all of the tips! Many of which I had never even thought of! I'm taking notes and transferring them to my email and printing out a compressed copy for my journal.

I will need to be in Bristol for a four day period, arriving on a Thursday early AM into LGW and departing LGW Monday around noon.

I'm really glad that the suggestion was made to pick up the car outside London. That sounds like it might be a wiser choice. I'll look into that, for sure. The no driving zones at certain times of the day concern me. And isn't there some sort of "traffic congestion fee" around London?

I drive a 5speed (Mitsubishi) Eclipse back home so Stick is good for me. I also heard that standards are somewhat more feul efficient and less expensive to rent? Is that right?

I'll check out those other links as well. Thanks so much everyone. Pls keep those tips comming!

Gotta Fly...

F/A

Learned this lesson the hard way. When you reserve you car, reserve a GPS at the same time. I didn't and they didn't have one available when we picked up the car. We managed but lost a lot of time getting (not lost) but off track.

Auto Europe is a good consolidator that works with the major car rental companies. We're renting with them in a few weeks and got a price for National Car Rental that was considerably below the price from the National Car Rental website itself.

Don't worry much about the left side of the road driving business. I rented a car when I took my parents to England and they were very worried about my driving a right-hand-drive vehicle for the first time. So I fibbed to them and reassured them that I done it plenty of times before. (Actually, my husband had always driven on our past trips to the UK.) And you know what? Once you get on the road, it's surprisingly intuitive. It does feel a bit strange shifting with a hand not accustomed to doing that, and it is weird to drive on the motorway in what would be the passing lane in North America, but frankly, I found it to be a non-issue.

As Esso used to say in their ads, Happy motoring!

If you are picking up in one city and dropping off in another, be sure you have good directions for the drop-off site. We rented a car at the Dublin airport, drove around the coast of Ireland and returned to sight-see in Dublin for a few days before flying home. I had specified that I wanted to drop the car at their downtown location and was assured that it was no problem. However, the "downtown" location was 10-12 miles out of Dublin in the suburbs. It took us hours to find it (on a Friday evening) and we still had to catch a bus back into downtown Dublin. Find out the exact location of the drop point prior to renting or you may be dropping off in a most inconvenient location.

Flight Attendant, I've driven in the U.K. a number of times and can offer some observations.

• As someone else mentioned, make sure you have good CDW coverage! Don't rely on credit card plans or whatever, as the exclusions, etc. can be complicated.

• I would strongly suggest renting an auto transmission. I've found that especially in busy traffic areas, it makes driving a lot easier.

• A GPS would be a really good idea, however be sure to have a good map as well (the basic maps from the rental firm are a good start, but a Michelin or whatever would be good as well). I travel with a Garmin Nuvi 370 these days.

• Be sure to review the protocols for Roundabouts. It's not complicated but it helps to be up to speed on the rules.

• Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the layout of controls in the vehicle.

• I'd suggest flying into Gatwick and renting the car there. From there, it's a fairly easy drive to Bristol (try to stay off the M25 though, as it can be BUSY).

continued...

Flight Attendant, one further comment...

As you'll be attending a wedding and will be "playing a major part" in the activities, you might want to consider a slightly larger vehicle. When the rental firms specify that a vehicle is sized for three passengers with luggage (for example), that assessment is fairly accurate. If you're going to be driving guests or part of the bridal party around, you don't want to be stuck with a vehicle that's too small!

Finally, pay careful attention to the parking regulations anywhere you stop. You don't want to be "clamped" or ticketed (that can become VERY expensive!).

Good luck and happy travels!!!

I always get a standard. Standard transmissions are cheaper since most tourists request automatics.

Standard transmissions use less fuel.

I also get better acceleration out of the smaller engines with a standard vs an automatic transmission. I'm not a speed racer but it's nice to be able to get up to speed when getting on a highway.

Get an automatic transmission. Fuel savings with a standard are minimal. Its safer to use an automatic too. The last thing you want to do is to be bothered by shifting with your left hand.
I've rented cars 3 times in England, including London, whick wasnt the best idea.