wats123

Hi All,

I just booked up and am looking to get a hire car, it's been a while since I've been back, so just looking for recommendations i.e. which companies to steer clear from, if there anyone has any discount codes etc? Thanks for your time!

ChrisBan

Which airport? I've used Hertz at LHR without issue at a reasonable price. Usually I stick with Enterprise in Canada and would probably have done so in UK too

Just be aware that there are plenty of codes out there, some rental locations WILL check you are eligible if you use the wrong ones (Amex, employer specific ones etc)

Car Rental Savers, car rental coupons and car rental discounts! has coupons for most big rentals.

Aviator

Enterprise in the UK take a £200 deposit. Unlike rental companies here that just put a hold on that amount, in the UK they take the money and refund it, with FX conversions, most times I get back $30 less than they took.

SchnookoLoly

We just use kayak.co.uk to compare car rental prices, and then just go with whoever has the cheapest. A quick google of the company name plus 'reviews' in your search gives you a decent idea in case it's a name you don't recognize; we've usually ended up with either Hertz or Enterprise as cheapest, though.

wats123

Thanks, I'm flying into Glasgow... I have been using google, but it's good to get peoples views and if they know of any discount codes etc..

SchnookoLoly

you can always try googling for discount codes but I find I have very limited success.

However, look to see if you get any "special" treatment by signing up for whatever car company's loyalty program. For example, I think it's Enterprise in the US, if you have a loyalty account with them then you get a second driver for free. Or something along those lines, can't remember the specifics.

A few other things have just come to mind:

--Check for car rental prices through whatever airline you collect loyalty points with as well. Might not be any better prices, but I know Aeroplan occasionally - OCCASIONALLY - has preferential rates on some types of assorted bookings.

--If you have a Costco membership, check to see if their travel service does car rentals in the UK. We used them for a car rental in the US back in January, and it was way cheaper to book with Enterprise through them rather than through Enterprise directly.

--Make sure you book using a credit card that gives you adequate rental car insurance so that you can turn down all the overpriced extras that you are offered by the rental company.

--Don't pre-pay gas with the rental company. They'll even try to tell you that their gas is cheaper - at least that happened in Miami. The guy told us that they sell their gas at $1.25, most places around the airport sell it for $1.33 or so... yeah, turns out once we got more than 3-4 blocks away from the airport, where gas was around $1.33, it dropped down to $1.15. So tell them you'll return the car full, top up 1-2km from the airport, then drive in on a full tank that costs you less than you'd pay to the rental place.

Hope that helps!

ChrisBan

+1 for that! You won't get refunded for anything you didn't use so always go with return full tank option.

Also, pre-paying for the rental rather than at the desk will usually get you a better rate too.

SchnookoLoly

Amusingly, back in December when I got rear-ended, I had a rental sorted throuhg my insurance via Enterprise. I didn't really get to negotiate terms on that one, so the car was given to me with a 1/4 tank, so I was told to just return it on a 1/4 tank. Cool.

So over the week or so that I had the car I was just putting in like $10 at a time just to keep it around the 1/4 mark. The day before I had to return it I had a total brain fart and put $20 in, so I ended up returning it with more like a half-tank.

They gave me a coupon for 15% off my next rental with them. Unfortunately JUSt at that location, so not sure I'll actually get to use it, but I thought the gesture was really nice. They were really, really nice there. Super impressed!! I generally quite like Enterprise.

Paul_Shepherd

Last time i was in the UK, i hired a car through Arnold Clark, it was their entry hire car, but was fine for me. It was a brand new car, I hired it for a week, cant remember price but remenber it being very reasonable, and service was very good, they picked me up form airport and dropped me off. They were based near Manchester airport.

Atlantic Xpat

I've found Sixt consistently cheapest for car rentals in the UK. Only issue is that their LHR location is near T4 so it's a longer bus journey to the other terminals. I've also booked with Enterprise, Europcar & Avis over the past year or so depending upon whose cheapest, who our travel agent booked & which location was convenient. For personal rentals I use my CIBC aerogold credit card for CDW coverage. Be aware that you will get the hard sell from the rental car agent to take their coverage. If you are happy with your own coverage be strong and resist.

scilly

definitely resist the rental company's insurance .................... last time we rented a car in the UK, their insurance coverage would have more than doubled the rental cost.

OH has a MC that has got all the insurance coverage needed ....... so do check your cards.


OH always requests the "smallest car" ................... we've always been upgraded to the next level, as there are never any "smallest" available.

In Texas a few years ago, we got a brand new Toyota hybrid SUV

ChrisBan

soo funny, exactly what I'd end up doing. I've always had good experience with Enterprise actually. In Ontario anyway, always ended up getting a free upgrade which may or may not be a blessing, depending on whether you care about fuel efficiency! I've never had the sales pitch about taking any of their insurance options or unwanted add-ons either.

Tootlepootle

Does the ICBC Roadside plus cover the same insurance needs?

scilly

ChrisBan ...........


the only pressure we have had from rental companies to take their insurance has been in the UK ............. and they used to try to tell you that it was "UK law" that you take it

wats123

Thanks all, as long as I book the hire car on my visa I am covered with insurance, So I'll be saying no to that!