6 people in a rental car in England
 

Has anyone rented a car or van (preferably automatic) in England that was comfortable for 4 adults and 2 teenagers with luggage? If so, do you remember what it was?

We wouldn't be doing a tremendous amount of driving. We would plan to stay in London for several days (no car) then pick up a car at Heathrow (and return it there) in order to take a trip to York (possibly with some stops on the way)

Help!

I've rented people movers (like the Toyota Previa) for groups. Comfortable enough for 6 -- but NOT for 6 <u>plus</u> their luggage. When a group gets up to 6 it is usually better to rent two small cars instead of one huge one.

Normally the largest size minivan (called MPV or people carrier in UK) will be a 7 or 8-seater full size car like Ford Galaxy or VW Sharan. You may not be allowed to drive a larger 9 or 11-seater minibus with a normal car licence. You can sit 6 people and accommodate normal amount of luggage, but some luggage will be in view as they need to be placed on spare seats and not all hidden under a luggage cover. This is not recommended for touring and stopping en route, as car break-in is fairly common. You may be able to hire a roof box, but it depends on suppliers.

You may be able to fit in the very largest minivan - but only if you strictly limit the amount of luggage.

If each of you is going to take a medium size bag and a small carry-on there is no way it will begin to fit in the vehicle. You would either need to rent 2 cars - or check on the options of a small bus - which might mean hiring a driver.

We have found that a full size sedan is packed to the rafters with 4 adults and moderate luggage (as in stuffing carry-ons in the back seat between the passengers (and taking 30 minutes for 2 grown men to stuff the other luggage in the trunk). Cars in europe seem SO much smaller.

Would you consider other forms of transportation? For example, Megabus www.megabus.uk will get all six of you from London to York and back for as little as 60 pounds depending on when you travel. That is for the lot of you, not each. The trip is about 4.5 hours.

But once they got to York -- they'd still need a vehicle(s) to tour around.

If you are ONLY going to York, no need to drive at all. The Megabus or even trains would be better. Mostly depends on your stops/plans other than York city . . . .

I checked the Kemwel.com site... the largest vehicle they have listed is a Kia Sedona. Here's a pic of the luggage area:
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/review...-1999/gallery/

The only way I see this working for you is if everyone travels light (carry on only) and uses soft luggage which can be scrunched to fit.

Otherwise you'll need to Google and/or phone to find a 9 seater van somewhere.

I had a feeling this would be difficult. I would have loved to have stopped in the Cotswolds someplace on the way to York.

Is it easy/direct to take a train to York? We would want to stay in, or close, to the medieval section.

wrenwood - it's dead easy to take the train to York. you'll need to book early to get the best fares though.

you could get the train to York, then hire a car [or two] to drive around the area and back to Heathrow.

does anyone in your party have experience in driving that size/type of vehicle? or are at least 2 out of the 6 of you prepared to drive the two smaller cars that have been suggested?

I just looked at www.thetrainline.com.

there are plenty of train every day from King's Cross to York.

at the moment, they are showing fares as low as £29 single each way up until 10.1.12 - the furthest ahead you can book.

Do not forget the bus. We booked fares for as little as 9:00Pounds each from Edinburgh to London, so it can be done cheaply. Look at National Express: http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx

Yes! We rented a van for 4 adults + our 18 and 21 year olds. It was a Peugot (sp.?) Very comfortable for 6. I'm not sure if it labeled as a mini-van but it only seated 6. Captain's chairs in the middle and it opened on both sides in middle which was very convenient.
We each had a small suitcase (probably 22") and various backpacks, etc.
Picked up at Gatwick - returned at Heathrow.

You can easily walk from the York train station to the historic center. If you are dragging a lot of luggage, a couple of taxis will do it cheaply. I mentioned Megabus above - they also have steeply discounted tickets on the train. These would be your least expensive options for 6. The Cotswolds though are well worth seeing if you have the time and are best seen by car.

Another option is to go by bus or train to Bath - a delightful and historic city, and then on to York from there.

"I'm not sure if it labeled as a mini-van".
Doubt it, I'd never heard the term before until I started reading travel forums, in the UK it would be called a people carrier/MPV, if 8 seats and over it's a minibus. A van would be used for carrying goods.

Thanks all, you have helped immensely!

I think we will take a train (or Megabus) from London to our second destination, rent a car there for a few days, and then take the train (or Megabus) back to Heathrow. That way we can use the car (without luggage) for day trips.

I'm considering Warwick instead of York, but that's another thread, so please weigh in on that one!

That sounds like a much better plan. How much time do you have to travel around in the UK? Do you really want to go all the way to York? If limited in time, it would be a much shorter trip to Bath and you could rent a car and explore some of the Cotswolds from there as day trips. I have not been to Warwick so have no opinion but between Bath and York, I prefer Bath although it is hard to go wrong with either one.

I think we will take a train (or Megabus) from London to our second destination, rent a car there for a few days, and then take the train (or Megabus) back to Heathrow. That way we can use the car (without luggage) for day trips.>>

wrenwood - good idea. Warwick has the advantages of being a good base for touring that area, but although there are some interesting things to see there, the castle being premier amongst them, it doesn't perhaps have quite the no of sights that York has.