Car hire from Heathrow for 37 days

Kate_v

Hi there

We're in Sydney and our family of five (2 adults and 3 kids) is visiting family in the UK this June and July.

We need a full-size hire car (enough luggage to sink the Titanic) plus two car seats for 37 days to pick up from Heathrow.

All the on-line quotes I've tried are astronomical - there doesn't seem to be any discount for such a long hire built into the calculations .... Any suggestions for who I should do a deal with and how?
Thanks so much
Kate

richardw

What is the cheapest cost per day you have found so far in £?

benjus

You could try looking into long term rentals... you can get something like a Ford C-MAX or S-MAX for about £550 - £700 per month (depending on model and mileage) including insurance. Bear in mind that some long term rental providers do not provide insurance - it would be a pain to get insurance separately, so go with one that can provide its own insurance.

Those prices came from http://www.long-term-car-rental.co.uk/

jamesbrownontheroad

Kate_v wrote: »

All the on-line quotes I've tried are astronomical - there doesn't seem to be any discount for such a long hire built into the calculations .... Any suggestions for who I should do a deal with and how?

You could try renting away from Heathrow. Airport rates are much steeper than neighbourhood rental locations, and you've less bargaining power.

However - it might not be practical for you all to arrive in one big jet lagged group to go trudging off to a different location to rent.

Try Enterprise Month-or-More but don't mention that you'll be collecting from Heathrow immediately. Just say west London to begin with. Worst case scenario is you all arrive and one of you heads into town on the tube to pick up the car and then heads back a few hours later to collect your family.

And PS... be prepared for a minor coronary at the fuel pumps. Prices across the UK for a litre of unleaded are somewhere between £1.30 and £1.40 (A$2-2.15). Up in the north-west of Scotland a few weeks ago I even passed a few stations with unleaded well above £1.50/litre. If you're hauling as much luggage and as many people around as you say, you should be prepared for some poor fuel consumption and heavy fuel bills.

Kate_v

richardw wrote: »

What is the cheapest cost per day you have found so far in £?

Around 900 pounds for that period - for a (to us) small-ish car

Kate_v

jamesbrownontheroad wrote: »

And PS... be prepared for a minor coronary at the fuel pumps. Prices across the UK for a litre of unleaded are somewhere between £1.30 and £1.40 (A$2-2.15). Up in the north-west of Scotland a few weeks ago I even passed a few stations with unleaded well above £1.50/litre. If you're hauling as much luggage and as many people around as you say, you should be prepared for some poor fuel consumption and heavy fuel bills.

EEeeek - fuel prices have risen since we last lived in the UK then! Thanks for the warning - we're used to paying under the 90 pence mark over here.

richardw

Kate_v wrote: »

Around 900 pounds for that period - for a (to us) small-ish car

That's about £24.32 a day in med/high season from a busy high demand international airport, what price were you expecting?