Renting a car at London Heathrow
 

I plan to be at London Heathrow at about 9am on Oct. 22. I live in the States, should I plan to reserve the car in advance? I will need it for two days. Any ideas of approximate rates?

Youu REALLY should pre-book from the States. Rates are usually 30% or more higher if you book from the UK and even more if you just show up w/o a booking.

For a short rental period you can expect to pay £50-£60 a day or even more. But there are discounts/specials to be found with searches - no one company is cheapest all the time so you really need to look.

For the absolute cheapest base rate check out EasyCar - but read ALL the limits/rules. Since you are going to the Cotswolds you won't be driving too awfully far so EasyCar might work out for you. They only have a small daily mileage allowance and it really adds up after that - but for short trips they can be a bargain.

I agree with Janis that you should pre-reserve from the US for the best price. Check all the major companies in addition to autoeurope.

For short term rentals I've often used 1car1.com and have been very happy. One all inclusive price. A slight drawback is that their "Heathrow" pickup spot is the Sheraton Skyline which is a 10 minute taxi ride from the airport. Even with the taxi fare, I've saved bucks on a two day rental. Ballpark guess at the rate would be about $130 for 2 days.

Are you comfortable driving a stick shift? Hope so, because an automatic will really increase the price of a rental.

Jenson:

Another vote for reserve the car in advance.

We found a good price earlier this year when we booked through www.nova.co.uk - Rental was with Alamo. You can get a quote immediately on their web site along with the name of the car rental company.

Sandy

Thanks all. Very helpful. Just got a quote from Europecar at www.nova.co.uk for 83 GBP for three days unlimited mileage. Is Europecar a European car rental agency? Never heard of it. All sounds good, but it doesn't say where you pick the car up (other than Heathrow) ... just want to make sure I'm renting a car that has pickup right at airport terminal and not somewhere far away ... Anyone know?

None of the rental agencies have pick up right at the terminals at LHR. All of them are off site - some offer shuttle buses, some require taxis, and some are in hotels where you take the Hotel Hoppa bus.

Most rental agencies are between 3 and 5 miles away - but a few are farther. it is not like many US airports where you simply walk up to a desk and then to the car a few yards away.

Meant to add - some small local companies don't even have "offices". They meet you at LHR w/ your car and you complete the paperwork right there in the parking garage and then take off from there - but that would not be any of the major companies.

I picked up a car from Europecar at Heathrow this summer. There is a desk in the terminals (where you go first to show them your reservation) and a free shuttle bus (from right in front of the terminal door) to the car lot (5 minute ride).

Check rental rates with the airline you're flying. They frequently have very competitive rates. In March a rental with Hertz thru BA for 1-5 days was $29 per day for a Ford Focus with manual, $39 with auto. The inclusive rate was $38 and $45. You add the location service charge to these rates.