Hi all,
I would like to rent a car while I am in the UK this August. However, I can only drive an automatic transmission and I will be the only person in the car. In the UK, it is typical that an automatic is an upgrade on a larger car. I don't need the larger car and would prefer a smaller car for the price and fuel efficiency. Does anyone know of any rental companies in the UK that offer small (meaning lowest/lower cost price band) cars with automatic transmission? (Of course, understanding that a small automatic will still cost more than a small manual).

You can get automatic transmission on smaller cars, but I suggest you book in advance rather than turning up and expecting to find one. Avis will rent you a Ford Focus 1.6 Auto for around £365 per week ($612). Shop around with the companies to get the best deal.
Automatic transmissions are not popular in Europe. My own reason for prefering manual gearbox is beacuse you are able to accelerate much quicker and have greater control over the speed of your car. That said, the UK motorway system is now one big car park and as for city driving, well it's a nightmare!

amyjane, check out the offerings at autoeurope.com. they come highly recommended from this sight and our experience with them has been good.

they have compact sized cars (think ford escort) with automatic transmission. i think the premium for an automatic in this class is about $80-$100 a week.

I don't think this is all that hard to find. In addition to AutoEurope, you can find a quote for a "CCAR" - - a compact automatic at http://www.its-cars-hotels.com/uk2.html

Best wishes,

Rex

All UK rental agencies offer small/smallish cars w/ automatic transmissions - You will just have to pay more for one.

And it is absolutely a MUST that you book ahead since the number of automatics is very limited.

Not trying to cause you undo worry - but it might be a good idea to practice some on a stick before you take your trip. Since automatics are more rare, it is possible the one you reserved might not be available when you get there.

This happened to me - I normally book a stick to save the money - but on one trip my friend wanted to share the driving and she can only use an automatic. Well - the previous renter did not return our car on time and no other automatics were available.

Luckily I have no problems driving a stick. We just went on our way in a substitute car, and the agency did bring us a new car 1.5 days later.

But if I couldn't drive a standard transmission, we would have been stuck til the new car arrived..

I know that this may not be possible or preferable, but I HIGHLY recommend learning manual, if you will be renting in Europe when you travel there, if you plan on going over more than once. You will save a lot on rental, and save a lot of headaches

Sorry, but I must disagree with GreenDragon's recommendation that you learn to drive a manual. You will have enough on your mind, driving on the left and without a navigator. Your instinct to stick with automatic will be worth the extra $$.

I was saw some Americans in London waiting for their car to arrive. They had reserved an automatic. My suggestion is to rent from a larger office (perhaps at an airport or the main office in the city) because they have more cars. May I suggest learning how to drive a manual. It's too late for your next trip but it will come in handy in the future. It's not so hard and very enjoyable. It took me less than 1,000 km (600 mi) to be very proficient in driving a manual and about 25 mi. to drive one safely.

I am renting an automatic for 294 pounds for 14 days from www.1car1.com
This includes unlimited mileage, VAT, insurance, and 24 hr breakdown coverage. I had asked for opinions of them a while back on this board and got good feedback. They do require a 200 pound hold on a cridit card at time of pick as deposit against damage, but I think this is a common practice.

I've been driving a stick for years on a daily basis and also drive in Manhattan on a regular basis, competing for space with suicidal cabs and buses. I just returned from my first "driving on the left" experience in Ireland and although I had little difficulty transferring skills to shift with the left hand, I would NOT recommend combining left side driving with driving a stick unless you are very comfortable driving stick and it's instinctive. Another thing I found was that I instinctively tried to pull out of parking lots and the like by heading onto the right side of the road - once on the roasd I was fine but it helkps greatly to have a co-pilot in the front seat who does eror checking and helps keep everyone on the right (left!) side.

I drove auto all my life until I bought a manual mustang. I learned, drove it for 6 months, then auto again for a year. Then I went to the UK, and was fine driving left side/shifting left side. The only trouble I had was on hills, as I learned to drive in Miami... highest point is the landfill!

I learned to drive on a stick shift car way back when... and I guess it's like riding a bike. You don't forget. Especially when you were taught by being put in the drivers seat facing up a hill and told you're ready when you can keep it in one place without the brake. Just gas and clutch.

Now, I've never forgotten that, even though I drive automatics now. But I wouldn't recommend someone rent a manual for a day or two and drive it around familiar territory, then try to translate that to left hand driving. Not in combination with learning different road signage, roundabouts and such. I don't think that's enough time for the shifting process to be instinctive. Could depend on the person though. Still, I'd recommend springing for the automatic unless you're already a daily manual driver, or have been in the past, even though you will pay more. If you're solo, a Focus is plenty big enough, unless you brought your tuba.

I drove manual transmission cars for years. Finally got my first automatic about 5 years ago--wish I'd done it 25 years ago. Manual is a pain in the ass, let the car do it for you. There isn't a dime's worth of difference in acceleration in normal driving for the average driver.

Nova rentacar offers a 3 door compact (VW Golf 1.6) A/T for 195.16 pounds per week. To reduce the insurance deductable to 100 pounds increases the price to 296.66. I used pickup/dropoff at Heathrow. Prices and availability of A/T vary by location.

Shop around--no one company has the best rates in every location all the time.

if you are alone reconsider if you really need a car at all. Unless you are going completely around the countryside, try trains, buses and tours. & don't even consider having a car in London -- there is a 5 pound a DAY "congestion" charge. We rented a car for 2 days and husband was driving while I navigated. It was challenging reading signs and running around hundreds of roundabouts. Stick to automatic. The only good thing for those who know manual sticks well is that the foot /clutches are the same and the stick works the same way, just with left hand and on the other side of the road....