Is This What I Can Expect To Pay For Car Rental??

Prices are also influenced by the time of year you are traveling. When are you planning to go?

September. Standard transmissions are half the cost, but it's been 10 years since I drove a stick, and 20 years since I drove anything in the UK.

Kayak is showing (Glasgow, ten days in Sep): $24/day for std, $31/day for auto.

I did a 7 day rental in May out of the Edinburgh airport for £ 284. It was a mid-size, auto transmission from Avis. Basic rental part was £ 162 and the other £ 122 was for extra insurance (collision/theft), premium location fee (i.e., the airport) & misc fees. This included the 20% VAT. The auto transmission wasn't that much extra & I got peace of mind having the extra insurance. Be prepared to pay a ransom for gas; my first fill-up was £ 65 which at the time converted to about $ 110.

Tim, I altered my plans and booked an automatic VW Golf for just under 500 pounds for two weeks. I think that puts us in the same cost-per-day range. I did not see anything significantly cheaper for the same kind of car. A Golf is not considered a tiny car in the UK, like it is here. I'm tall, and know I fit in a Golf.

You could get a sub-compact MANUAL at Glasgow airport for 120 pounds -- an AUTO is going to cost you three times that amount. www.carrentals.co.uk is the best place to start.

Be prepared for extra fees for 0 deductible insurance, and GPS rental (~10 pounds/day). You WILL need a GPS! No road is straight and easy in the UK! The M's are ok, but any town will drive you crazy!

Given that you will be driving on the other side of the road, an automatic is worth the extra cost. Also, do pay for the full insurance. Even knocking a mirror off can get expensive without the insurance. (voice of experience, thankfully bought the insurance). As to GPS, maybe. The Michelin maps are very good, and you can do Google Maps before you go on key towns. We found signage good enough to get us where we needed to be every time.

I always get the insurance,Keith. It's a ripoff, but it's either that or risk serious expense and hassle. Credit card coverage, as far as I know, always reimburses you after you pay the rental company. Not interested.

We recently returned from a 21 day driving trip through England, Wales and Scotland. The rental cost from Hertz -which does not charge a drop-off fee- was 441 pounds sterling. Sounds good, BUT - this did not include a 600 pound fee that I was forced to pay for a small "fender-bender" accident that was not my fault. (we were hit from behind while stopped at a roundabout waiting to merge into traffic coming from the right) It is an expensive lesson to learn. I declined the "Super Inclusive C.D.W." thinking that 1. my credit card would cover it or 2. if not my fault, the other person's insurance would cover it. My mastercard only pays C.C.W.for rentals of 15 days or less. Hertz charges the full 650 pounds ($1,040.) deductible irrregardless of who is at fault.
Kyle & Jan Tulsa, OK