Quick question... If you pick up a car at one location, can you drop it off at another location? I know that's a common thing to do in the states but am not sure how common it is in Scotland. I would expect it to cost more if it is an option. Anyone have experience doing this?
Posted by
NYC area
2903 posts
Hi Cynthia,
I would ask when getting a quote. We've rented many cars in Germany and have never had an extra fee for dropping off within the same country, such as pick up in Frankfurt and drop off in Munich. Drop off fees are mostly associated with picking up in one country and dropping off in a different country. Always best to ask though.
Paul
Posted by
white plains, ny, usa
4140 posts
Yes , there sometimes is a drop fee , but without digging through . my paperwork , it's minimal , maybe 50 - 100 bucks . That is certainly not enough to warrant driving back to your start point . I picked up the car at Heathrow and dropped it in Glasgow , I think it was about 60 pounds .
Posted by
OP
72 posts
Thanks Paul and Steven! I appreciate the feedback and will definitely call ahead when making the reservation to sort out the drop off. That will be tremendously helpful!
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5326 posts
Drop off fees in Great Britain amongst the majors are low to zero, as the cars can be rehired from any location. This is not true for the UK as a whole as Northern Ireland operates its own separate car administration (tax, safety checks etc).
Posted by
white plains, ny, usa
4140 posts
Cynthia , one other point about my recent rental - If you are an AARP member , be sure to look at the Avis pricing they offer . On my recent trip to the UK , the weekly rate , including total insurance ( theft , glass , tires , liability and complete buy down of the excess ( deductible ) ) came out to 500USD / week . The price was more than double on Avis' and Hertz' standard website . Also this was an automatic transmission .
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
My experience is like Marco's. I have tested various drop points on www.AutoEurope.com, for instance and not noticed any price change for my car rental quotes on that island.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
I've done this several times and agree that the fees are nowhere near as awful as the U.S. one time I took the train to Inverness and then drove back to Edinburgh. I did the reverse another time. The first time I drove in the UK I picked up in York and dropped off in Glasgow.
Pam
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7347 posts
We rented cars 3 times during our Scotland trip this past summer. On both the Shetland and Orkney Islands, we picked up and dropped off at different locations with no additional fee (although in both cases those points were not tremendously far apart). On mainland Scotland, using Arnold Clark car rental we picked up in Inverness and dropped off at the Edinburgh airport, quite some distance apart, and again there was no additional fee for the convenience. That policy could vary from one rental company to the next, though, or could even depend on what pick up and drop off locations are involved.
We have been charged a nominal fee elsewhere in Europe when dropping off a car within the same country in which we picked it up, and once had an exorbitant fee for picking up in Portugal and dropping off in Spain, but that was better than having to backtrack to Lisbon, which would have really complicated our itinerary and generated other expenses.
One question for you . . . are you OK with driving on the left side of the road, and going clockwise in roundabouts?