Your quick travel guide to Bristol

Car Rental in Bristol: a vibrant and friendly city

Bristol is a historic center of metropolitan activity in the southwest of England, renowned for both excellent and interestingly ugly architecture. It is also a very popular city for weekend pub and party activity among the English and tourists alike. Though the road infrastructure can be a bit confusing due to the numerous one-way streets, a rental car is the best means of transportation to explore the surrounding countryside and make your visit to the southwest of England complete! Book your rental car today.

Summer is the warmest and most comfortable time to visit temperate Bristol, and the summer months are also typically the most exciting times to stay in the city, as numerous festivals take place.

English is the primary language of the countries that form the United Kingdom, though Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Irish, and Scots are also spoken by residents. French, German, and Spanish are the most frequently learned second languages.

Bristol is in the Greenwich Mean Time Zone, UTC+0.

The currency in the UK is the pound sterling (pound or quid in colloquial speech). Credit cards are widely accepted and ATMs frequently available. If you are travelling from Northern Ireland or Scotland to Wales or England and the pound notes you received in the north are met with skepticism, you can exchange them free of charge at any bank.

Cheap car hire in Bristol is available in 10 locations, including Bristol Airport (BRS), Avonmouth, Horfield, and downtown.

Bristol is an excellent base from which to visit the beautiful rural Cotswolds (about 48 miles northeast) and the Mendip Hills (22 miles south), both taking about an hour to reach by car.

Visa Regulations

At the time of writing, citizens of nations that comprise the EU and EEA, as well as Swiss nationals, do not require a visa to enter the UK. Citizens of a further 80 or so nations can enter with a valid passport and stay visa-free for up to six months. All other nationals will need to apply for a visa from a British embassy or consulate in their country of legal residence.

Driving in Bristol

Although navigating Bristol’s roadways can be challenging for newcomers, a car will certainly make your visit to Bristol more independent and convenient, particularly for visits to Bristol’s beautiful surroundings.

Left-Hand Driving

  • Traffic drives on the left-hand side of the road throughout the British Isles.

Speed Limits

  • In the city: 30 miles per hour (48 km/h)
  • Single carriageway highways: 60 mph (96 km/h)
  • Dual carriageways and motorways: 70 mph (112 km/h)
  • Police monitor speeds, cell phone use (which is illegal while driving), and erratic behavior in both marked and unmarked cars throughout the UK.
  • You can expect a good deal of traffic during morning and evening rush hours, 7:30 to 9:30 and 16:30 to 18:30 respectively, although travelers can sometimes avoid congestion by taking advantage of car-pool lanes on a variety of motorways around the city.

Other Regulations

  1. Street parking is difficult to find in central Bristol, though there are frequent car parks throughout the city. To avoid driving in the city entirely, take advantage of the park and ride lots on the A4 and A370.
  2. Visitors to England can drive passenger vehicles with their domestic driver’s license alone for up to a full year.
  3. The only road on which you will have to pay a toll in the UK is the M6 north of Birmingham, though driving a few bridges and tunnels and into London also require fees.
  4. The minimum driving age throughout the United Kingdom is 17, though you will likely have to be 21 with a full year’s driving experience in order to rent a car.

Cheap Car Rental in Bristol

Car hire in Bristol typically starts at around $25 a day. Here are some of the best deals in Bristol:

  • Toyota Iq or similar (mini class) – $25/day
  • Vauxhall Corsa or similar (economy class) – $27/day
  • Volkswagen Golf or similar (compact class) – $28/day
  • Volvo V40 or similar (intermediate class) – $29/day
  • Volkswagen Passat or similar (standard class) – $30/day

Note that prices vary depending on the availability of each specific car and the season in which you rent. For the most accurate offers, use the search bar above.

Tips for Renting a Car Inexpensively in Bristol

At most locations, rental cars cost about $22 to $29 a day throughout the year, with the slightly higher prices falling during the popular summer months. Whether you rent from Dollar, Keddy, Avis, or Hertz, these prices vary only slightly throughout the city. However, you can often beat these prices by at least $10 by renting from Green Motion at Bristol Airport!

If you rent from Green Motion’s desk at Bristol Airport in the months just before your arrival, particularly if you’re arriving in the winter, rental cars are available for as low as $4 to $7 a day!

Prices tend not to drop much when you extend your rental period to over a week, regardless of whether you rent from Hertz, Avis, or Green Motion.

Experience the top locations with car rental in Bristol

Bristol Airport
Green Motion
8.6

All car rental in Bristol

Discover the cheapest car rental in Bristol

Cheap Car Rental in Bristol Renault Clio
Renault Clio
5
2
5
M
From US$ 20.33 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Bristol Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf
5
1
5
M
From US$ 22.42 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Bristol Fiat 500
Fiat 500
4
1
3
M
From US$ 17.55 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Bristol NISSAN QASHQAI
NISSAN QASHQAI
5
2
M
From US$ 43.32 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Bristol VAUXHALL INSIGNIA
VAUXHALL INSIGNIA
5
2
4
M
From US$ 42.20 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Bristol FORD GALAXY
FORD GALAXY
7
3
M
From US$ 95.55 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Bristol NISSAN QASHQAI
NISSAN QASHQAI
5
2
M
From US$ 68.06 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Bristol FORD TOURNEO CUSTOM
FORD TOURNEO CUSTOM
9
1
A
From US$ 122.74 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Bristol Kia e-Niro Electric
Kia e-Niro Electric
5
1
5
A
Electric
From US$ 47.96 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Bristol MERCEDES C-CLASS
MERCEDES C-CLASS
5
1
4
A
From US$ 286.11 per day
*

* Disclaimer: Prices displayed may not reflect today's rates.

What our customers say

Car rental companies in Bristol

We have prepared a shortlist of top rental companies in Bristol. To save both time and money compare offers on EconomyBookings.com to find the best deal.

Green Motion
star
8.6 /25 reviews
Available in 1 location
Time it took to drop your car off9.6
Cleanliness of the car9.4
Overall condition of the car9.1
Time it took to pick your car up7.8
Enterprise
star
8.7 /20 reviews
Available in 1 location
Time it took to drop your car off9.5
Cleanliness of the car9.2
Overall condition of the car9.0
Time it took to pick your car up7.7
Alamo
star
8.6 /8 reviews
Available in 1 location
Time it took to drop your car off8.8
Cleanliness of the car9.0
Overall condition of the car8.9
Time it took to pick your car up7.0