Car hire in London

The Cotswolds, Stonehenge and the English countryside

London needs no introduction, but it does need one clarification: the city itself is best enjoyed on foot and by Tube, while a car is the key to everything around it. Less than two hours from the centre lie the golden-stone villages of the Cotswolds, the university quadrangles of Oxford, the enigma of Stonehenge and the beaches of Brighton. Hiring a car in London really means hiring the whole of southern England.

The charm lies in the contrast of scale. You leave a vast capital and within forty minutes you're driving between hedgerows, sheep and country lanes where the satnav struggles with impossible place names. Rural England has no rail network reaching every hamlet: without a car, the Cotswolds and the Sussex coast remain other people's photographs. With one, you choose the village, the cream tea stop and the time you head back.

Collecting the car is easy, too: Heathrow and Gatwick airports concentrate the rental offices, and both sit conveniently on the way out of the city. Many travellers do London first without a car and pick one up the day the road trip begins. It's the most comfortable plan — and the one that gives you the most beautiful miles per day of hire.

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Day trips from London

The Cotswolds — Southern England in postcard form: Bibury, Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold, honey-stone villages linked by delightful country lanes. From London, around 2 h to the heart of the region.
Oxford — The world's most famous university city: colleges, libraries and pubs steeped in centuries of history. Around 1 h 30 min away, it combines perfectly with the Cotswolds in a single day.
Stonehenge and Salisbury — Europe's most enigmatic stone circle, set on Salisbury Plain. Around 2 h from London; Salisbury Cathedral, close by, rounds off the excursion.
Brighton and the Sussex coast — Seaside atmosphere, the Victorian pier and the winding alleys of The Lanes. Around 1 h 30 min to the south, with the white cliffs of the Seven Sisters half an hour further on.
Windsor — The oldest inhabited castle in the world and a charming town on the banks of the Thames. Just ~45 min west of London — ideal as a first stop after collecting the car.
Canterbury and the Kent coast — A magnificent cathedral, a medieval old town and, further along the road, the white cliffs of Dover. Around 1 h 30 min through the so-called Garden of England.

A perfect day behind the wheel

8:30

Collect the car at Heathrow and head west: in under an hour you're deep in the Oxfordshire countryside.

10h

A morning in Oxford: wander among the colleges, climb a tower for the panorama and grab a coffee in the Covered Market.

13h

On to the Cotswolds: a pub lunch in Stow-on-the-Wold and a stroll through its golden-stone lanes.

15:30

A slow drive through Bourton-on-the-Water and Bibury, with photo stops at every bend; here, the driving is the plan.

18:30

An easy run back to London as the sun sets over the hedgerows; ~2 h return and dinner in the city.

🚦 Driving in London — what you need to know

Drive on the LEFT : for the first few miles, repeat 'left, left' at every turn; roundabouts flow clockwise.
Congestion Charge + ULEZ : entering central London costs £15/day plus ULEZ if the car isn't compliant (hire cars are ULEZ-compliant): better not to drive in at all.
Speeds in miles : 30 mph in towns, 70 mph on the motorway.

Getting around

Within London, forget the car: the Tube, buses and walking win every time. Save it for the day you leave the city; parking in the centre is expensive and scarce.
The most practical approach is to collect the vehicle at Heathrow or Gatwick when your trip begins: you avoid driving through the centre and set off straight towards Oxford, Stonehenge or the coast.
If you're staying in London with a car, look for a hotel with parking in outer neighbourhoods such as Richmond or Greenwich and travel into the centre by public transport.

When to go

From May to September the days are wonderfully long and the Cotswolds are at their best, though July and August draw the crowds to Oxford and Brighton. Spring and autumn offer gorgeous light, quiet roads and near-empty villages on weekdays. Winter is grey and short on daylight, but rewards you with pub fireplaces and a spectacular Christmassy London. It rains all year round: that changes nothing but the umbrella.

Your pick-up

Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and major British cities.

Final prices in euros · book without paying · free cancellation up to 72 h before.

Frequently asked questions

Should I hire the car in central London or at the airport?

At the airport, almost always. Heathrow and Gatwick offer more choice, sit on the way out of the city, and spare you a first day of driving through dense central traffic.

Is it hard to adjust to driving on the left?

Less than you'd think: most people adapt within the first half hour. It helps enormously to book an automatic and start your route from the airport, on wide, well-signed roads, rather than in the city centre.

How many days of car hire do I need for the classic day trips?

Two days cover Oxford with the Cotswolds and Stonehenge with Salisbury; a third adds Brighton or Canterbury. Many travellers see London without a car and hire one only for those touring days — it works out better.

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