Uk Car Hire

[ellen10]

I've never come across charging for Roadside Assist, obviously a new thing. For $3 a day, it's certainly worth it for peace of mind.

I think it’s basically it’s cover if you get a flat tyre, lock yourself out or need a jump start

Yes it is for what you said Kelvedon. When I told my husband about it he wasn't so keen, muttering something about they should supply a reliable car in the first place!

Maybe I won't tell him about paying it unless we need it!

I got a quote emailed to me from Auto Europe for the deal through Enterprise. $144 airport surcharge ouch! But I think they all charge that. At least the payment is in AUD dollars, Just not so keen paying that up front for a booking in May. But I guess the prices will only go up closer to time.

 

[SYD]

I also find if I logged in for some of the big providers it said there were no cars but if you didn't log in then there was. Prices also varied widely compared to if you were logged in or not

Possibly a function of car type/rate linked to your default AWD. I recently removed my default AWD from my profile as it would override any manual entry I tried to enter.

 

[Askance]

When I told my husband about it he wasn't so keen, muttering something about they should supply a reliable car in the first place!

Europecar gave me a car that started flashing warnings about the tyres while i was in the middle of Scotland last year, a most inconvenient place for hire car repairs. The counter guy had talked me into roadside assist but i always wondered if they knew that car had issues in advance and just didnt care. The AA said it had warnings all over the logs that pre-dated my hire

 

[Flashback]

Thanks @kookaburra75 for the comparison. I will investigate further.
Yes I used Sixt in NZ, but they are closed at Gatwick on saturday afternoons.

I am also aware that a oneway drop off will cost more, but we fly out of LHR.

Have you considered dropping back to LGW and then getting either the train + Elizabeth Line out to LHR; or the National Express coach?
Pickup of the car from LGW is nice and easy at least, they're parked either just behind the pickup counters, or these days, mostly in the carpark across the drive.

Yes it is for what you said Kelvedon. When I told my husband about it he wasn't so keen, muttering something about they should supply a reliable car in the first place!

Maybe I won't tell him about paying it unless we need it!

I got a quote emailed to me from Auto Europe for the deal through Enterprise. $144 airport surcharge ouch! But I think they all charge that. At least the payment is in AUD dollars, Just not so keen paying that up front for a booking in May. But I guess the prices will only go up closer to time.

Have you tried Autoslash? Works beautifully for me, will give you decent pay later options (and sometimes a saving on pay now) as well as tracking the reservation, so if/when the price drops, it'll reprice for you.

 

[ellen10]

Thanks @Flashback . I hadn't considered dropping the car back to Gatwick. But it is a very good option. Have you used the National express? it seems quite a cheap option.

I will also look at Autoslash. I'm still looking at different options.

 

[Flashback]

Thanks @Flashback . I hadn't considered dropping the car back to Gatwick. But it is a very good option. Have you used the National express? it seems quite a cheap option.

I will also look at Autoslash. I'm still looking at different options.

I haven't used it, but lots do. Just consider the traffic on the M25 and allow enough time.

 

[drron]

AutoEurope having a Black friday sale so looked at the 2 weeks in the second half of January. Europcar is the cheapest for most but they have dudded me a couple of times so I don't touch them.

 

[SYD]

AutoEurope having a Black friday sale so looked at the 2 weeks in the second half of January. Europcar is the cheapest for most but they have dudded me a couple of times so I don't touch them.

View attachment 354549

With a decent discount code AVIS is cheaper (as probably are the others). The mini is AUD$510 then upwards.

Edit: used 17-31 Jan 2024 LHR to LHR

 

[TheRealTMA]

Depending on what vehicles you want, Avis prestige out of UK airports is very good. ”free “ meet and greet off plane or delivery to hotel and airport drop off or collection from hotel If you have airline limo pick up from hotels. Full insurance cover.

We always use them. Have seem them cheaper than europcar at times with excellent service.

edit: and guaranteed vehicle choice.

 

[ellen10]

@drron why don’t you use auto Europe? I had been looking at their site.
@SYD where do you find their discount codes?

I was hoping to get it sorted by this weekend.

 

[drron]

I have used AutoEurope. It is Europcar that I won’t use as too many times they tried to charge me for pre existing damage.
I also won’t use Avis anymore after a similar couple of incidents and they threatened to put me on their can’t rent list so I put them on my won’t rent list.
Prior to that I rented many years through Avis and had no complaints just as others are saying.

 

[SYD]

@SYD where do you find their discount codes?

Corporate discounts are usually the best but there are others eg Professional bodies, NRMA, etc

 

[VPS]

I have never hired from Europcar where they haven't added a small charge on - mostly not enough to waste your time on it and they are really difficult to deal with if you do want to follow it up

 

[Flashback]

I have never hired from Europcar where they haven't added a small charge on - mostly not enough to waste your time on it and they are really difficult to deal with if you do want to follow it up

I had that argument once and managed to get them to back down, but it was the last thing I wanted to do after having had a delayed BCN-LGW flight (ended up getting in 1am; 2 hours to pickup the car due to queues; 3am ..... got home 3.30, 1.5 hour nap then back to LGW for my LGW-SJO flight. I asked them to explain how when I only picked up the car a few hours earlier, did it get a scratch when I drove from there, to home, parked in an open space and then drove back - could I have gotten a scratch? They were obviously just trying it on. Never again.

 

[Logan^]

Depending on what vehicles you want, Avis prestige out of UK airports is very good. ”free “ meet and greet off plane or delivery to hotel and airport drop off or collection from hotel If you have airline limo pick up from hotels. Full insurance cover.

We always use them. Have seem them cheaper than europcar at times with excellent service.

edit: and guaranteed vehicle choice.

Thanks to the posts here about this, I cancelled my SIXT booking and took up a booking with Avis Prestige using a Black Friday Deal, basically got a Merc CLA AMG Shooting Break for a month for a few hundred quid more than what I was paying for a similar car with SIXT but for less time + Avis don't charge for a second driver and then full pick up at the airport etc as well.

They were also cheaper than a lot of companies like Europcar etc for the same length of hire.

We are in the UK from 23rd December until 24th Jan.

 

[ellen10]

Just an update on our UK car hire.

I researched a lot of companies over the black Friday sales. I looked at booking direct with companies but through there Australian sites. I almost booked with Sixt as they gave an NRMA discount.
I looked at consolidators such as AutoEurope etc.

But in the end I booked a car through Enterprise car rentals for a pickup at Gatwick airport and a return to Heathrow airport. I did not pay upfront, but preferred to pay at time of pickup for about $100 extra with a free cancel option. They did not charge me a oneway drop off fee, many others did.

 

[lovestotravel]

Booking direct is always the best and Enterprise have been good to me

 

[Flashback]

Just an update on our UK car hire.

I researched a lot of companies over the black Friday sales. I looked at booking direct with companies but through there Australian sites. I almost booked with Sixt as they gave an NRMA discount.
I looked at consolidators such as AutoEurope etc.

But in the end I booked a car through Enterprise car rentals for a pickup at Gatwick airport and a return to Heathrow airport. I did not pay upfront, but preferred to pay at time of pickup for about $100 extra with a free cancel option. They did not charge me a oneway drop off fee, many others did.

Check the T&C closely, I've had that before where it appears to not charge... but a little note then mentions the one way fee will be charged when you drop it at another location I.e., they just don't include it in the all in price even though you're clearly not returning to the same location!

 

[clifford]

I'm off to the UK next month and was thinking of hiring a Hertz vehicle in London with drop off at Bournemouth (BOH) airport.

I get a good deal with Hertz (free drop offs) due to my previous employment, but decided to go by train because of :

1. it's difficult to find a non-EV hertz vehicle in London (I've had bad experiences with those)

2. reviews of Hertz BOH suggest that drop offs out of hours are regularly charged for fake damage.

I'd suggest that anyone proposing to rent from Hertz UK think twice about it.

 

[Flashback]

I'm off to the UK next month and was thinking of hiring a Hertz vehicle in London with drop off at Bournemouth (BOH) airport.

I get a good deal with Hertz (free drop offs) due to my previous employment, but decided to go by train because of :

1. it's difficult to find a non-EV hertz vehicle in London (I've had bad experiences with those)

2. reviews of Hertz BOH suggest that drop offs out of hours are regularly charged for fake damage.

I'd suggest that anyone proposing to rent from Hertz UK think twice about it.

I always have a separate car rental insurance policy, so doesn't bother me. Funny also how when companies have tried to charge me and I start giving over the details so they can process the claim....... it's then magically not a problem