Shahlax

Will be travelling to the UK in 3 weeks with a 8 month old. Given my parents don't have an infant car seat and are picking us up at the airport, I guess I have to take my US car seat with me. Has anyone else done this and does a graco snugride fit into a ford fiesta?!

Hubby and I are also thinking of renting a car over there. Anyone know of cheap websites to do this on or is it better just to ring up Avis, Hertz etc while out there?

neil

I haven't done this yet, but it might be worth getting your parents to ask around - my parents are borrowing a car seat from a friend of a friend of theirs when we go at Christmas so we don't have to worry about it.

Shahlax

Yes my parents are also asking around and might get one. I hope they do as it's one less thing to carry from here.

elfman

We took our (then) 10 month old daughter to the UK in summer 2006 and took our US graco car seat with us - it fitted fine in the car we rented, but that was a Vauxhall Safira. Also that summer I had to go back separately for my grandmother's funeral and I rented a Vauxhall Astra from Enterprise at Heathrow - can't remember exact amounts but I thought they gave me a really good deal at the time. Did it online before I left NJ.

Bob

As for rentals, do a search as there were a few good threads in the US forums as well as moving back to UK section...be cheaper renting from a place that isn't at the airport and all that.

Scouse Express

Hi,

Just returned from the UK at the beginning of this month. My wife and I rented a Vauxhall Xafira from Avis, which is technically a 7 seven seater, although it is more like 5 adults + 2 kids. We picked it up at London Heathrow.

I booked it online, through Avis's own website and saved $200 over using the phone-in reservation system. For 8 days, the cost was about $700. It is classed as an "Intermediate Van."

Four adults + an infant in a baby seat + luggage, in a Fiesta, isn't a good idea, in my opinion.

Hope this helps.

Jim.

kins

I was very impressed with Enterprise rentals - they were helpful and cheaper. They will also rent you a cellphone where you pay for the minutes you use but nothing for the phone.

Worth looking at smaller local companies too. I steer clear of Hertz, Avis etc.

naomi

I've taken an infant car seat to the U.K., you will need to use the seatbelts in the car as U.K. cars don't use LATCH (they use a different system). I personally think it's worth taking one rather than renting one, you never know the history of a rented car seat.
Naomi.

lapin_windstar

FWIW, I have always found holidayautos.co.uk to be the cheapest company for rentals. You're not allowed to use a US contact address for some reason.

Hobnob

I always use 1car1 when I go over and never had any probs with them and they are a lot cheaper than the big guys.

Dan725

Some newer ones use latch - last time I was over we rented a Citroen Picasso - it had the latch system. Personally, I'd look for that because I find just using the belts seems insecure and a faff. The previous trip we rented a Nissan Primera - no latch and it was a pain.

Bob

the good thing about hertz, you get a AAA discount...Enterprise ain't bad, but if your under 25 they won't let you near them, well over here at least, not that that's an issue in this case.

Shahlax

My parents live 3 miles from LHR so might take a black cab as my parents' fiesta will be too small to hold all of us and our luggage + stroller. Called black cabs at terminal 3 and they couldn't give me a definitive answer about the law re. car seats in cabs but said they carry plenty of babies on parents' laps!

lapin_windstar

Ha! They hate that - they all want 70 quid fares into London. **** 'em.

If you're interested in the legal position, contact the Public Carriage Office of Transport for London: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/businessandpar...hire/2807.aspx . However, I would have thought your *legal* liability was practically zero. The safety aspect is different - it's "low likelihood, high impact".

Ash UK/US

In the UK they use ISO-FIX which is the same as latch. I used it on my US Graco and it worked perfectly.

I agree on the renting one... you don't know who's had it or what they've done to it