Car Rental Scotland | 15 Ways to Save Money On Your Scotland Car Hire
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Renting a car in Scotland is by far the best way to see the country! With public transportation not linking to the best places to see, car rentals in Scotland are quite popular. But, before you jump on your car rental Scotland, be sure to know what you’re getting yourself into!
There are loads of car rental locations and multiple rental companies all around Scotland, we recommend using Momondo to book your rental car. Momondo offers rental car searches via exact location as well as a map view, so you can determine the best car hire location for your Scotland trip!
Learn how to save money on your car hire, what the best rental cars are for Scotland, and what to expect on your Scotland road trip! Here are 15 money-saving tips for making your car rental in Scotland the cheapest possible price!
Car Rental Scotland Money Saving Tips
1. Get Unlimited Miles
Paying for the miles you drive is almost always more expensive, especially when planning a proper road trip. Be sure your rental car comes with unlimited miles! Not only will you save money, but you surely don’t want to be keeping track of how many miles you’re driving per day when doing a Scottish road trip!
2. Manual is always cheaper
Seriously, if you can’t drive a manual car, bring someone with you who can! Automatic cars cost way more to rent than manuals, and for longer rentals, this price really adds up! Of course, if you’re not comfortable driving a manual, then it’s worth the higher car rental rates to rent an automatic vehicle.
3. Diesel cars get better gas mileage
It’s pretty common to find diesel rental cars in Scotland. Most cars are diesel, but sometimes the attendant at your rental car agency will try and give you an unleaded vehicle. The diesel and unleaded prices are quite similar in the United Kingdom, however, diesel offers much better mileage, meaning you’ll pay less for gas overall.
4. Book with a credit card that offers free rental car insurance
Rental car insurance coverage often costs more than actually renting a car in Scotland. Be sure to book your rental car with a travel credit card that offers free rental car insurance. To ensure your coverage is sufficient, you can always request a letter from your credit card agency to prove the coverage when you pick up your rental car.
We use our Chase Sapphire Visa for all our travel expenses, and it’s not only saved us loads on rental car insurance coverage, but we also get more money back on travel purchases. Sign up here, and receive an extra 80,000 points when using our referral code!
READ MORE | Why You Should Have a Chase Sapphire Visa
5. Check if the airport rental pick-up is cheaper than the city one
Oftentimes, picking up your rental car from the airport is the most convenient and cheapest price, especially when considering the extra amount you must pay for transportation to an outside car rental station. However, this is not always the case. Be sure to compare prices from both the airport locations and city locations of where you fly into!
When we rented a car from Aberdeen, Scotland, we got our car for £9.00 from the city pick-up! Much cheaper than renting a car at the Aberdeen airport!
6. Don’t rent a car while visiting cities
If you plan on spending a day or two in a city like Edinburgh or Glasgow, don’t rent your car until after you leave the city. Trust us, you don’t want to deal with driving within the city or paying for parking at your accommodation!
READ MORE | The Best Walk in Edinburgh to A Secret Village
7. Avoid the extra GPS charges with your car rental in Scotland
Don’t buy into the idea that you need a GPS built into your rental car. That skyrockets the price! Use your phone for GPS by either downloading the Scotland map from Google Maps, or by using our favorite map app, maps.me.
READ MORE | 10 Free Travel Apps for Your Holiday Abroad
8. Rent a smaller vehicle for your car rental Scotland
Smaller is better, especially on the small Scottish roads. The most popular car rentals Scotland are a Ford Focus or something similar in size and shape. And boy, they’re the best for car hires in Scotland. When we went back to Scotland for a 10-day trip after living there for two years, we rented a car in the “Ford Focus category” and ended up sleeping in it our entire trip!
Not only are the smaller cars easier to drive on the little roads, but they are also the cheapest ones to rent too! Save money and stress with a small rental car in Scotland!
9. Use Momondo to compare rental companies
Momondo is by far the best way to book rental cars, and even flights too! We always find the best deals when booking through Momondo. They compare prices on multiple different rental car agencies, and have easy-to-use filters ensuring you get the best rental car in Scotland!
10. Visit Scotland in the off-season
Renting a car from Edinburgh Airport in August can easily double, if not triple your rental car price. With all the festivals going on in Edinburgh in August, it’s best to avoid that area of Scotland completely at that time of year.
Keep in mind that the busiest times for tourists are the summer months, not only increasing the number of people on the roads, but also increasing the price of rental cars too!
If you can visit Scotland in April-May or September-October, you’ll get better prices on rental cars and fewer crowds at the well-known sites to see!
READ MORE | Best Time of Year to Visit Scotland
11. Fill the gas tank yourself
I don’t know why people fall for it, we’re guilty of it too, but the rental car attendants always try and sell you on them filling the gas tank for you upon return of the rental car. DO NOT DO THIS! Fill the car up yourself. They say they don’t charge anything extra, but it always costs more for them to fill the tank.
Rent your car on a full-to-full fuel policy. Trust us, you’ll save money, even if the rental car personnel say you won’t!
12. Pay attention to the young driver fees
Not all rental car agencies in Scotland have the same rules regarding young drivers. You must be 21 years old to rent a car in Scotland from any rental company, however, some car hires have an extra young driver fee for those under 25.
If you’re under 25, be sure to check if your rental agency has a young driver fee attached to your rental car Scotland. Likewise, if you’re over 70, be sure to check if there is an elderly driver fee too!
13. Designate one driver
If traveling with someone else, designate one single driver to drive the duration of your trip. Draw straws, play rock, paper, scissors, or volunteer to drive if the other person buys you a beer or two!
Having someone else on the rental car can add an extra price of £10+ per day!! That’s just insane, and not worth it to have an extra driver!
14. Inspect your car and photograph any damage
Yes, be that person! Take time to actually inspect your rental car in Scotland. Be sure to make notes of chips in the windscreen, and specifically look at the tires and rims and note even the smallest scratches! We recommend even taking your own photos and emailing them to the rental car agency, as proof of any damage the rental car had before it was in your hands!
We typically spend about 10 minutes inspecting our rental cars. Look for the smallest dings and scratches on both the inside and outside of the vehicle, you don’t want to be charged for something you didn’t do!
15. Rent ahead of time
We recently found a car rental for two dollars a day by booking ahead of time. And, the best part about that is, it was actually originally around $5 a day, but with a best-price guarantee, we jumped on getting reimbursed for the higher expense and lowered our rental car to just $24 for 14 days!
When you rent a car in Scotland ahead of time, be sure you have free cancellation on the booking, and check to see if they offer a best-price guarantee program! We like to rent cars through Momondo Rental Cars, as the places on there often have both free cancellation and BPG programs!
Quick Tips on Driving Your Scotland Rental Car
Below is a list of quick tips for driving in Scotland. However, we recommend you read our full post on driving in Scotland to really understand all the ins and outs, prepare yourself for strange road signage, and get comfortable driving in Scotland before even landing in the country!
LEARN MORE | Road Hazards, Conditions, and Road Signs in Scotland
1. Drive on the left
This isn’t as scary as it sounds. With extra stickers in rental cars, loads of road signs directing traffic to certain lanes, and even bracelets you can wear to remind you, driving on the left isn’t so bad.
Be sure to say, “Drive on left” out loud the first few turns you make, and you should be good to go!
2. There’s a ZERO tolerance for drinking and driving
One beer, one sip of whisky, or one glass of wine can put you over the legal driving limit for blood alcohol levels in Scotland. Have someone be a designated driver, and always ask for your whisky samples to go! The distilleries will give you little test tubes of their whisky!
3. Carry coins for paid for parking
It is more and more common now to find paid for parking in places that tourists visit. The first time we went to Oban, street parking was free nearly everywhere. But by the end of year two in Scotland, there was only paid for only parking around every corner.
Expect to pay for parking in big cities like Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Inverness, along with smaller towns too!
4. Gas is expensive
Fuel in Scotland is sold by the liter and it is the most expensive we’ve seen in all our travels. But, with that said, the freedom of having a rental car is worth every penny of fuel.
Be sure to budget extra money for gas for your Scotland car hire!
5. Cell phone use is prohibited while driving
You cannot use your cell phone while driving in Scotland, so be sure to research your destination before you hit the road!
6. No International driving license is required for car rentals in Scotland
You do not need an international driver’s permit. As long as you have a valid driver’s license and the license is in English, you don’t need an IDP.
More Travel Advice on Scotland
70 Scottish Castles We’ve Personally Visited!
Everything to Know About Driving in Scotland
The Best Things to Do on the Isle of Skye
Visiting Scotland’s Whisky Isle
