Where to rent a car when leaving London towards Dover?
 

Hello all :)
My Husband and I have begun our serious planning but I am concerned about where we should rent a car for our driving tours after leaving London. I know we will be heading towards Dover and then driving along the coast west to Brighton.... but is there a best way to get to a rental place by underground? Should we take the Train to a neighboring town? I know rental in the city is more expensive... but we also need to think about returning it on the other side of London after our loop :)

Thanks to all who reply :)
M & M

Dont know if this is the best answer, but we took the train to Gatwick and rented it there. Hubby didnt want to drive through the city...

Have you thought of getting the train to Dover then picking up a car there

Otherwise I'd suggest picking up at London City Airport or Gatwick

London City Airport's on the DLR (a sort of Tube) and a mile of uncongested, straightforward, road from the Blackwall Tunnel, where the A2 road to Dover really starts. Apart from that first mile, it's then dual carriageway till about 10 miles before Dover.

It's a lengthier drive from Gatwick to Dover - and a further and costlier distance to get there from the centre of London than to LCY.

Geberally, hiring a car in a town that's not London exposes you to the depressing truth that all urban driving in Britain can be stressful if you're not used to it. The only difference between London and other towns is that London traffic's more disciplined.

It mostly depends on what you plan on visiting enroute. If you just want to get straight to Dover - either as suggested, LCY or train to Dover and then collect your car there.

But if you want to visit places like Hever or Knole or Chartwell etc - then train to LGW and drive from there.

Pickups at airports are more expensive than most others.

Yes, I wanted to try something other than the airport because it is so much more expensive. We planned on going to Canterbury and Dover but when I searched for cars in Canterbury nothing came up! I have tried Greenwich too with the same results. I know avoiding an airport rental car might not be possible... but I was hoping to hear otherwise :)

So far that is the only option I can find.

This is difficult. I can only suggest that you check out all the major companies and see where they have depots. Hertz has Dartford, and Europcar has Maidstone, but you will have to check both pick-up and drop-off locations.

Many of the rental companies in provincial towns are small firms dealing with local customers who will collect and return to the same place.

Just one option in Canterbury

http://www.enterprise.co.uk/car_rental/home.do

...and Enterprise are excellent btw

Yes - airport collection sometimes cost more. But there are usually some real advantages too -- like being open every day and for long hours (which city centered locations definitely aren't), being w/i easy access of motorways/main routes (also not typically true of city locations).

If you are driving on a weekend, an airport like LGW will be your best bet. Most city locations are closed weekends -- or only open for a few hours on Saturday mornings.

We ended up renting from City Airport and Returning at Heathrow - mainly because our pick up day is Easter Sunday and everything else is closed!
Thanks everyone!
M & M