London to Edinburgh Road Trip

[jase05]

Obviously a smaller car? Whats a good size for Old England?

Really depends on your needs.
I’ve used Sixt 3 times now and the first time we got a Renault Captur which is fairly small but drove nice and was fun to drive in Scotland being a manual and with the narrow one lane roads and numerous pull over bays. We picked that up at LHR and dropped off at ABZ.
The next time I booked a Kia Wagon and got an upgrade to a Peugeot Wagon, that drove beautifully and had plenty of room for luggage plus I was able to pick up the rellies in Manchester and go for a few drives with them.
The last time I booked a Tesla electric as I wanted to see what they were like and we scored an upgrade to a BMW electric and that was absolutely brilliant to drive

 

[Happy Dude]

How is the electric car charging situation in Britain?

Not good according to a few posters here. Preparation is paramount.

C

Thread 'Hertz Pick Up at LHR - Beware [Forced an Unsuitable Vehicle for Planned travel]'

May 15, 2023

Last month I picked up a Hertz car at the Hertz LHR depot, having booked it online several weeks prior. I had a confirmed reservation for a compact car with petrol engine, for my 600-mile round-trip to the North of England, to see some relatives. As I was travelling alone, that's all I needed.

However, when picking up the car I was told by the agent that there were no petrol powered vehicles available and that I had no alternative but to take an EV (at the same price). I told the agent that this wouldn't be suitable, due to range issues, but in the end I had no other practical choice if I...

• clifford
• Replies: 33
• Forum: Car Hire

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[RooFlyer]

Obviously a smaller car? Whats a good size for Old England?

Emphasis on Old England. Smallest as you may be comfortable with. Very narrow parking spaces & very tight parking in general in many places, plus expensive fuel. Very narrow roads out in some of the country.

Of course no matter what you book, the car rental company will give you anything that’s in the lot that day that’s convenient for them. I’ve been stitched up a couple of times with ‘ upgraded to a big car’ and both times I pushed back and once I even got a rebate on the extra fuel consumption when I couldn’t get what I wanted. If possible I would pick the car up the day before you are driving out of anywhere so that if you get stuck with a bigger car than you want or need at least you’ve got a day to swap it.

 

[BCons]

Anybody mentioned Bletchley Park ? Worth a visit, on the S side of Milton Keynes.

Apart from that, take a week for this drive, you'll need it with the M1, M4, M6 et al.. Driven sevrl times in last few yrs Lon to Lakes district and def took time off my life expectancy.. Roads are often difficult and u need eyes in the back of yr head on the m'ways

 

[kookaburra75]

I see so many reports that say ‘Collect car outside London City’ - is that really necessary?

It depends where you are staying in London, and how much time you want to spend in traffic. If you're staying out of the centre, then anywhere near the M25 loop road is good. If you're in the city, I'd recommend using the train (Heathrow Express or Elizabeth Line) to get to Heathrow and pick up the car from there. If your plan is to take in Oxford/Stonehenge/Cotswolds, it's easy to jump onto the M4 or the M40 to get going. Use the back roads and loop through Henley-on-Thames, it's a picturesque drive through the green stuff that England does so well.

Recommendation for car hire companies please thanks
Especially one way?

I've used Avis, Hertz and Sixt, and they were all much the same for one way hires. I selected them based on where their offices were, especially the drop off point. I picked Avis when we went Glasgow to Heathrow a few years ago as Avis had an office in the T5 terminal, so we could just walk from the car to the check in for BA. I don't think they're there now, maybe Sixt?

Obviously a smaller car? Whats a good size for Old England?

A small as possible, and as large as necessary (as @RooFlyer suggested) - given the width of the roads and the shortage of parking spots, especially in the towns and villages. I normally go for a Ford Focus/Hyundi i30/Renault Captur, which are comfortable for one with a suitcase and extra bag, or two at a squeeze.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Recommendation for car hire companies please thanks

Especially one way?

We always use Avis Prestige. They deliver and pick up from hotels. Been very happy with them over the years.