Cheap Car Rentals at London Gatwick Airport

Car Rental at London Gatwick Airport: start exploring London and its surroundings

London Gatwick Airport opened in 1930. Though it was long considered Heathrow’s overflow airport, today Gatwick is a major hub for British Airways and is currently undergoing renovations to accommodate the very large number of travellers the airport receives each year. Located 30 miles south of London, renting a car is an excellent way to travel from London Gatwick to any of the surrounding cities and villages. Make the most of your visit by booking your rental car today.

The best time to visit the United Kingdom United Kingdom is during its mild summer, from June to September, when you’re most likely to experience dry days, though bringing a rain jacket is highly recommended.

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 inhabitants throughout the UK. French, German, and Spanish are the most frequently learned second languages.

The time zone at London Gatwick is 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.

Visa Regulations

At the time of writing, citizens of nations that comprise the European Union and European Economic Area, 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 before they depart.

Driving at London Gatwick

Located well outside of London and the major city’s typical traffic jams, renting a car from London Gatwick is a great way to independently get to your location in the comfort and convenience of a personal automobile.

Left-Hand Driving

• Traffic drives on the left-hand side of the road throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Speed Limits

• In cities and towns: 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.
• Traffic is likely to be quite heavy in most cities during morning and evening rush hours, from 7 to 10 am and 4 to 7 pm.

Other Regulations

1. Weekly parking at London Gatwick ranges between £23 and £120, and you can park near the airport for as low as £4 a day. Rather than paying parking fees, however, rent your car only for the period you need it, as shorter-term rental fees are lower than longer-term rental fees from this location.
2. Visitors to the UK can drive passenger vehicles with their domestic driver’s license alone for up to a full year.
3. Toll roads in the UK are rare but the M6 north of Birmingham, as well as a few bridges and tunnels, are subject to a toll. You will also have to pay a daily congestion charge to drive in central London and on Durham peninsula.
4. The minimum driving age in the UK is 17, though you will likely have to be 21 with a full year’s driving experience in order to rent a car, and you are likely to face young-driver surcharges until the age of 25.

Other Tips

• If you’re unaccustomed to standard transmissions or left-hand driving, be sure to ask your rental company to provide a car with an automatic transmission and to book your car well in advance of your arrival.

Cheap Car Rental at London Gatwick

Automobile hire in London Gatwick typically starts at around $9 a day. Here are some of the best deals in London Gatwick:

• Fiat 500 or similar (mini class) – $10/day
• Volkswagen Polo or similar (economy class) – $11/day
• Ford Focus or similar (compact class) – $12/day
• Volvo V40 or similar (intermediate class) – $18/day
• Toyota Rav 4 or similar (standard class) – $24/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 at London Gatwick

While the only location to rent a car at London Gatwick is the airport itself, there are numerous agencies to rent from! These include Green Motion, EasiRent, and Flizzr, as well as more expensive but internationally recognized agencies such as Enterprise, Europcar, and Hertz.

Green Motion routinely offers the cheapest car rental rates at the London Gatwick Airport. Their prices typically start at $9 a day, and these prices apply in particular to the spring and summer months, when demand for rental cars may be higher. However, it may be worth running the risk of booking your car just 1 to 3 months in advance of your arrival to drive these prices down to $4 to $7 a day.

Extending your rental period to over a week typically raises the price of rental by at least $2 a day.