Car Rental at Heathrow

The international driver's license is really for the benefit of non-English speaking/reading police officers. That said it's $20 at AAA. As to car insurance well.... Your credit card probably offers coverage and you'd have to check with your personal car insurance company to verify overseas coverage. The rub here is that you may very well have to pay for any damage upfront (up to and including the time your rental car is out of service for repairs) and be reimbursed by your insurance/credit card company later. Also there can (although not always) be a big hold on your credit card by the rental agency (case by case here). Add into the mix you will be traveling on the other side of the road (remember "right shoulder to the center line" (put it on a sticky note on the dash). CDW insurance does really pack a punch to the overall rental cost but I'd never drive without it.

Budget a minimum of $60 per day for car rental and you should be ok. This would include their CDW and separately purchased 'excess refund' coverage. Gas (petrol) is at least $8.00 a gallon.

You can't figure any set amount per day. It depends, mostly, on how long you'll have the car. Kayak, right now, for midsummer, is saying forty bucks per for a couple of days and twenty-five per for a couple of weeks. See what your credit card covers in the way of insurance - - that method has always suited my needs in the UK.

Check these two websites: https://www.thecarrental.co.uk/?page=homepage&a=1 http://www.carhire-excess-insurance.com/?gclid=1stukcarrentals.com For just a few days, you might consider trains and buses (coaches in UK speak) rather than renting.

It's hard to answer whether the cost of insurance will "bankrupt" you since we aren't aware of your overall budget. With that said, I would count on the zero deductible insurance (super cdw as it is called) to be about the cost of the car rental per day (given that you mentioned you'll be renting for "several days"). We found it to be manageable and well worth it to just go with the rental car company's insurance rather than buy our own given the complications after the fact if you should happen to wreck the car somehow (meaning walking away clear versus paying for it and having to be reimbursed). Your current car insurance will not cover you, so you will need to get something. Start playing around. Go to a rental car website, put in your dates of rental and see what prices come up. Research super cdw versus regular cdw, which will come with your rental unless you decline. For the super cdw, you would actually have to add that. I wouldn't think you would need an International Driver's License (IDL) since yours from the US will be in English, the language spoken in England. As mentioned, IDL is basically a translation of your driver's license and nothing else.
The areas you are going are more enjoyable in a rental, in my opinion. But, there is public transport options and tours that may help you out if you find the cost of rental to not be within your budget.

Thanks so much for your responses. We'd need the car for 4 days & it looks it will cost $300-$400 depending on the size of the car. Another question, please - there are 4 of us, all traveling with carry-on size bags. The descrption on most mid-sized vehicles says there's room for 2 large bags abd a carry-on. How accurate it that? Think we can get 4 carry-ons in a mid-sized trunk? Thanks!

Super CDW ($0 deductible) doesn't seem like a good deal to me, and it is telling that the rental desks push it very hard -- it is a high margin item for them. Unless CDW is mandatory (e.g. Italy), I typically take the basic insurance, decline CDW and use credit card rental insurance to ensure I am covered for unusual incidents like accidents or vandalism. Just make sure you read the small print on your credit card insurance policy as there are typically exclusions like luxury vehicles or SUVs. I have claimed twice on Amex car rental insurance for tire damage and a vandalism incident out 50+ times I have rented a car in Europe in the last 10 years. This is the coverage that comes "for free" with the Amex card. I was fully reimbursed in both cases by Amex -- it works when you need it. Mathew

What Ed said. Its OK to display "P" plates. They indicate that you have jsut passed the test and are a really new driver. I don't know any reason not to pop one on the back of the car. "L" plates are reserved only for learner drivers using a provisional license and accompanied by somebody who has had a full UK license for over one year. A member of the Constabulary having a rough day could give you a rough day by doing you for "driving other than in accord with your license" or some similar words. Nasty.

Ooh, just noticed that Steve from Hudsonville puts his L plates in the windows. Ooops. There must be nothing obstructing the view out the windscreen. Nothing can be within the sweep of the windscreen wipers.

We recently rented a Toyota Avensis through Europcar at Heathrow. Great vehicle and it had a hatch with a station wagon type rear area with a cover. It would be perfect for what you are describing. Good luck ! Be sure to visit the Slaughters, Bourton on the Water Etc. If you make it in to Bibury you can turn east from there and head to Northleach which is a quaint old town. I also suggest taking a "B" road from the Bourton area over to Winchcombe and visiting Sudeley Castle if its open.

Whenever I have to drive on the left, I get a learner's sticker for my front and back windows. This big, red letter " L " doesn't help me drive any better, but it does help other drivers with their patience & understanding of some of the tentative moves I might make.

Wild guess: it's against the law to disply L plates unless the driver has a provisional license, is accompanied by. . . . , etc, etc.