London Car Rentals
You should be wary of driving in London—they don't call it a "congestion charge" for nothing. Photo: _Colaco_.
Should you rent?
Renting a car can be a hassle within London, where rentals (and gas and parking and, oh yes, that congestion charge) all add up. Then there's the whole driving-on-the-left thing, which is not exactly easy to master for those of us used to driving on the right.
For getting out of London, either to experience the charm of the countryside or to visit other cities in England, rental cars can be both convenient and worth the investment. For traveling to neighboring towns and to the countryside, a car can be considerably more convenient than the train, affording the freedom to travel when and as you please.
How to rent
To find cheap rental cars in London, we recommend booking through Auto Europe. EuroCheapo has partnered with Auto Europe to offer the cheapest prices on rental cars in England and throughout Europe. (Read more about cheap car rentals in Europe.)
What you need
In order to rent a car in London, you must be older than 21 years old. Those younger than 25 may have to pay a hefty additional fee. In order to rent a car, you will need your driver license, an additional form of identification, and a credit card.
Rental prices
A good rate for a car rental in London hovers around £54 for a three-day period for an economy car. Larger cars, 4-wheel drive, and automatic transmission will all cost considerably more. It’s always less expensive if you book in advance. And we always advise purchasing the insurance package as well.
Unexpected extras
Unless you're talking sunroofs and satellite radio, unexpected extras are not often a good thing when dealing with a rental car. Often they can come in the form of a speeding ticket. The police in England make widespread use of traffic cameras and will issue you speeding tickets for even slight infractions. And for the pleasure of passing your information on to the police, your rental company will tack on a fee of their own. Read more about this unpleasant practice in our blog.
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