Driving In England
 

What are the requirements for a US Citizen to drive in England?

Just a valid US driver license. AAA offices will try to convinve you that you MAY need an International DL in the UK...that is b/c they sell them (make $$ on them somehow)-and it is untrue-just the US DL and you'll be fine-have fun!

Heathrow car rental place (National - Alamo) didn't have a problem - my Canadian drivers license was sufficient.

Pay extra and get a car with an automatic transmission! Your trip will be much more enjoyable.

Nerves of steel, excellent eye hand coordination and a navigator.

Armi- I had to get a good chuckle out of Carla's answer- She hit the nail on the head-- but we have done it 4 times and have lived to tell our story!<BR><BR>Definitely get an International Drivers license from AAA_ it is NOT required but IF you have an accident, it makes the entire scenrio easier to take care of---<BR><BR>Also do NOT get a HUGE car as the roads are quite narrow-- some are even 1 lane Old Roman roads==and a larger car is harder to manuver...<BR><BR>A AUTOMATIC--- YES---that is a GIVEN--esp.when you hit those roundabouts-hard enought to figure out WHERE you need to steer off, but if I had to shift gears also, I would be ready for divorce or the funny farm....<BR><BR>All in all- YES, Go,DRIVE,ENJOY and stay SAFE!

There have been several recent threads by "veterans" here trying to disple the myth that an automatic transmission is somehow needed to survive the "horror" of driving on the lefthand side of the road. I do NOt think that driving a standard shift is so hard to get used to. It's just part of the left-right transition. You get used to it within minutes.<BR><BR>Here's an excerpt from one of those messages - - not sure why I can't ind others right now.<BR><BR>Author: Patrick ([email protected])<BR>Date: 10/14/2002, 08:26 am<BR><BR>Message: Although I am one of those people who does not know how to drive a standard shift, my travel partner does. Our first trip to the UK, we had a coupon for a free rental, but followed most suggestions we got which was to upgrade to an automatic. That upgrade cost us more than the original standard car would have cost normally! And after just a day of driving, my partner wished he had stuck with the standard. Driving was not that difficult, and he later learned that once you are switching to driving on the "wrong" side of the road and being on the "wrong" side of the car, that adding the shifting is really just part of the same picture -- and not difficult at all.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

But there have also been comments from people who tried driving a "wrong side" standard and just couldn't make the adjustment. Everyone's coordination and capacity is different. I'd be more cautious, get the standard, and have one less thing to worry about.<BR><BR>There's absolutely no need to get an international driver's license for the UK, it's basically just a translation and has no real legal standing.

On our recent trip to Scotland our rental car (from Hertz) was standard 5 speed. I had driven in England before so the idea of left hand side of road was not strange. However, all previous rental cars had been automatics. I did not find the 5 speed to be undue burden, but I am also able to drive a standard transmission. For someone that has never driven a standard car, and in the US many people have only used automatics, then this could be a problem.<BR><BR>One thing that Hertz furnished was a sticker that you could stick up on the windshield that was a large blue circle with a white arrow pointing to the left, and underneath that in several languages the wording "DRIVE ON THE LEFT". A visual reminder for newbies. While I did not stick it on the glass, I did bring it home, and it makes a nice addition to our trip scrapbook.

What you will need is lots of money! When I was there in September, gas was 75 pence per litre. That's $4.50 a gallon! We put on 3500 miles over the month we were there and the gas cost us over &pound;200. <BR><BR>However, the biggest expense was the car rental itself. I had arranged for what I thought was a reasonable cost of &pound;105/week for a compact car with an automatic. I assumed that my credit card would cover all extra insurance charges. However, when I got there I discovered that in the UK, one must have unlimited 3rd party liability insurance. If your own insurance does not cover this, you must buy insurance from the rental company. I had no documentation so I had to buy it at a cost of &pound;11.50 a day which basically doubled the cost of my car rental. So, make sure you check what the car rental company you use charges for 3rd party and bring documentation if your own insurer will cover you for your car rental. I have since checked the different websites and it seems that the companies that have cheap rates charge the most for 3rd party while some of the larger companies charge very little for it but make up for it with expensive rental rates. <BR><BR>We had a great time in spite of the surprise and I'm sure you will as well.

I can't believe any European rental company, let alone a UK one, would price a rental without third-party insurance. By EU law, all cars must be rented out with minimum insurance, which is unlimited third-party cover. What you had to pay, though it's strictly speaking optional, was almost certainly collision damage waver and theft cover. Without them you would have been liable for a big deductible, sometimes the full cost of the car. Many US gold cards cover them automatically, while US auto insurance doesn't extend to rentals abroad.

Alec, my credit card covers all collision damage waiver and theft cover. When I asked at the rental company, which was Rent Rite, they clearly distinguished 3rd party liability insurance and collision damange/theft waiver insurance; they are totally separate. I was able to decline the collision/theft because of the coverage with my credit card by I was not allowed to decline the 3rd party as I was told it was a legal requirement. <BR><BR>Actually, the man at the rental company was very helpful and friendly. He showed me almost every car rental web-site and, sure enough, in the fine print, was the statement that 3rd party liability was a requirement. Every rental car company charged, with the cheapest places charging more and the more expensive ones charging less. The end result was that combining the rental rate with the required 3rd party cost, all of the car rentals ended up being nearly the same total cost. The one I had rented was still a bit cheaper but nowhere near the difference I had thought when I booked the car in Canada.<BR><BR>The man at the rental company said if I had unlimited 3rd party for my own car insurance and had brought along a letter from my insurer stating that, I would be able to decline the insurance but otherwise I had to pay. Here in Canada, our 3rd party is never unlimited; mine was $5 million but that was of no help. <BR><BR>We definitely had a great time but the additional unplanned expense certainly left a sour taste.

3rd party liability is indeed a requirement, but it is always included in the price of the rental.

You do not need a International DL in the UK. The International DL is used to translate your license into other languges, since your license is in English there is no need.

I rented a car in England in September with just my US license. I had the misfortune to have an accident, serious enough to render the car useless. No need for an international license. The police make you take a breathalyzer test automatically if they are called to the scene (luckily, alocohol was NOT an issue).