I'm gathering some very preliminary info for a very "maybe" trip to England next summer:

1.Do any car hire companies allow drop off to be in a different city from pick up?
2.If so is there a fee for doing so?
3.Any suggestions of companies to use or to avoid?

Yes, many firms do allow this, but do charge extra (sometimes a whole lot extra). You might poke around on, say, www.europcar.com and get a sense of where their offices are and how much a one-way rental for a car of a type you'd want (size, automatic or manual transmission, etc.) would cost you.

I've used them and been satisfied, though I would have liked a smaller car than the smallest automatic they had available. Also had good experience with Budget.

My experience is somewhat different than tahl's. Check Autoeurope.com -- They're a broker, not a rental company. Most of the time there is absolutely NO drop off charge (not just w/ autoeurope but w/ most other companies I've used too)

I think in more than 25 UK rentals - I've paid a drop off once. But that was a special situation.

Janisj, you've had more experience than I have, so you may well be right. When I put in a one-way rental (Bath to Chester) just now on AutoEurope, what came up on the page where you put in your credit card info was this:

<i>Please Note: Certain restrictions may apply when picking up and dropping off at different locations, including additional fees. If the one way is permitted, we will contact you to advise of any restrictions and/or applicable fees. A voucher will also be sent for your review. You may cancel your reservation any time prior to pickup and receive a full refund.</i>

Hard to know from that language, without actually making a reservation, if they would in fact charge those one-way fees. I'm guessing it depends on which rental firm fulfills the contract, where the pickup and dropoff are, etc.

My daughter goes to graduate school in England so I am renting cars these days at Heathrow. I have used Avis(like Avis better both at Heathrow and at Gatwick) and Budget booking them on my own as it was alot cheaper. There is also a website that I will look up for you that lets you cross compare all of the companies using the same car for the same period.

Okay, its called- www.vroomvroomvroom.co.uk/

I've never rented with a drop-off charge: Glasgow to Oxford, Glasgow to Kings Cross, Gatwick to Heathrow, Marble Arch to Gatwick.

We used www.autoeurope.com in 2007 and were very pleased with the car we got (a free upgrade to an automatic - Mr. Pickle was happy). We picked it up in London at a location by Marble Arch and dropped off at Heathrow.

Lee Ann

That is 'boiler plate' text like "additional fees may apply", or "local taxes may apply", (or about the cars offered - "Fiat Punto or similar" etc.) -- just to cover the possibilities.

Doesn't happen in my experience.

We've rented cars in the UK several times and there was never a drop-off charge even though we picked up in London and dropped off in York or Edinburgh.

tahl,

AutoEurope has a toll free number you can call to see in advance of your booking if there is an extra fee or not...

All of the major hire car companies are available in most cities in the UK:
Hertz
Avis
Dollar
Enterprise
Budget etc etc etc

>>All of the major hire car companies are available in most cities in the UK:
Hertz
Avis
Dollar
Enterprise
Budget<<

Plus many major European/UK firms as well.

I usually go to Autoeurope first and get a quote. That is my jumping off point -- from there I'll shop all the various rental agency websites (and some airlines - they sometimes have tie ins for car specials).

I find that maybe 60-70% of the time Autoeurope will give you the best all-in rates. The car will be from Hertz/Avis/Budget/Sixt/Thrifty - whoever provides the best deal for your specific requirements (car/location/duration)

I'm flying into Heathrow on 19th Dec. I just booked 16 days hire over the Christmas/New Year period. My brother-in-law had been following prices, waiting for a good deal to come up and he's managed to get a deal with Enterprise (http://www.enterprise.co.uk/car_rental/home.do) to rent a large family-sized car that will accommodate 4 adults and their suitcases for just under £25 per day including taxes and CDW etc. He compared all the main players and Enterprise were by far the cheapest. They have offices all over the country and do allow one-way hire, but you'd need to check with regards to any restrictions on specific car types and/or offices to determine if they will charge a one-way hire fee.

Also, check kemwel.com. They've had better prices than autoeurope.com in my experience.

Kemwel is a sister firm to Autoeurope. Sometimes Kemwel is better, sometimes Autoeurope is, sometimes they are identical.

The difference generally depends on the exact location/particulars.

My experience is somewhat different than tahl's. Check Autoeurope.com -- They're a broker, not a rental company.>

OK but dealing with a middleman who does not have their own offices in the U.K. may be worse than dealing IME with a company that actually has offices there - in case of problems, etc.

Thanks for all the good info; this gives me some great starting places if the trip to ENGLAND (I really do know how to spell it--just skipped the "proofread the topic" step!) materializes.

PQ: That is just silly. Once you collect the car you are dealing w/ the local rental agency 100%.

Trust me on this - when the dingbat who drove the 2nd car (rented through AE) on my recent trip ruined the clutch and had to have the car replaced, it was Hertz that carried the contract and it was Hertz who gave her a brand new car . . . . W/o a hitch (except for them being 60 miles off course, not carrying the rental contract w/ them, and other '<i>issues</i>')

Hertz was the rental company - she didn't have to deal w/ AutoEurope at all . . . .

(one gets a print out confirmation from AE but the rental agency writes the contract)