Car Type to Hire in England

I'm hiring a car for 3 weeks in the UK in July. When I hired a car in Ireland a few years ago, I was very happy that it was narrow (for the skinny, stonewall-line roads), but wished it was bigger on the few nights in which I had to sleep in it.

Are the roads a bit wider in England and Wales? If so, if I'm not planning to leave paved, or gravel, roads (except to camp), is there any reason to want 4x4 ?

Thanks

Having recently spent two weeks each in Scotland, England, and Ireland (plus NI), I don't recall Irish roads as being especially narrower or more closed in than England - and certainly not narrower than Scotland, where passing bays were the norm once you were in the countryside.

We rented smallish cars (Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla) - and they were all manual, because it was substantially cheaper (apparently automatic transmission is considered a luxury item). We had no intention of sleeping in them, and nor did we have any need for a 4x4 - all of our destinations and accomm were on the bitumen.

We use www.carhire3000.com to rent cars overseas, but www.economycarrentals.com looks competitive as well.

You'll find the same "stonewall-line" roads all over England once you get away from main towns and main roads.
4x4 would only be useful if you intended to camp in very remote areas, most cars can manage a hundred or so yards off a paved road. If you intend to sleep in the car, you might want to consider a small estate car.

Have used small-mid sized hatchback cars with stick shifts here in the UK for around 30 years and haven't had many problems with accessing places, even in the days when I was working as an outdoor instructor and driving a Mark 1 VW Golf.

All of the cars have been used to access basic or not-so-basic campsites in the UK.

Whilst 4x4 vehicles may get you almost anywhere in the UK, unless you're dealing with snow and ice, there's no real need to have one in my opinion. Trying to negotiate some roads in the Yorkshire Dales or the Lake District was a pain last year - the roads were wide enough for two regular size cars to pass when going in opposite directions.

Put a 4x4 or a large car in one lane and it becomes and interesting situation or a bigger pain on roads such as the one connecting Langdale with Little Langdale that starts off near The Old Dungeon Ghyll pub...

Turned out that I knew the driver of the Beemer that caused one of the biggest problems because I used to work for him! Pure coincidence I hasten to add...

Whilst 4x4 vehicles may get you almost anywhere in the UK, unless you're dealing with snow and ice, there's no real need to have one in my opinion.

And there's even a lot of real-world evidence to demonstrate that a 4x4 is not an improvement in snow and ice either ... especially ice.

And in fact that over-confidence can lead to higher rates of grief.

No need to get a 4x4 for on-road use only.
Simple as that.

Even find Chelsea Tractors in Lidl car parks now...

4X4s are only really suitable for Central London - that's why they're called Chelsea Tractors!

Apparently there are more 4x4s registered in the London borough of Kensington & Chelsea than in the whole of Sweden

Toorak Tractors we call them (Toorak being one of the most expensive suburbs in the whole country) ... and our street at school peak hours is full of Merc or Beemer SUVs (black or silver the preferred colours), with mum driving the lazy little darlings (Emily and Tristan) to and fro.

In my day we walked six miles to school barefoot in freezing rain ... etc, etc.

I'm going to argue that Ireland has more narrower roads than the UK - this is a country in which an unlit dual carriage motorway is considered the height of driving conditions (and it is all downhill form there) and single lane with soft shoulders is considered par for the course as a top of the line road. Considering the higher the number the lower the quality, I have spent too much time in Ireland on roads that are numbered such as R2323.

The vast majority of us manage without a 4x4. This is usually bought as status symbol rarely seeing any off road work or perish the thought, mud!

Camping outside of campgrounds is illegal in England. Not that I care but the police might. You will be fine with a small car. Automatics, for the person above, are not seen as a luxury item they're just dull and don't let you drive how you'd like.

I live in England and I care. Now, the OP may be different but I've seen what gets left behind after 'freedom' campers.

plenty of cheap campsites. You don't need a 4 x 4.

Automatics, for the person above, are not seen as a luxury item they're just dull and don't let you drive how you'd like.

Now now filly ... be nice ... the"person above" has a name.

And while I shan't lower the tone of the thread by having a debate about automatic v manual, there is no excuse for car rental companies to almost double the price for the automatic version. It is ridiculous and cultural - it doesn't happen in the US, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand (in short, the civilised world).

And driving on dreadful, clogged UK roads, an automatic would have been preferred, instead of rowing the boat in these things with six forward gears ... who are they kidding???

Automatics, for the person above, are not seen as a luxury item they're just dull and don't let you drive how you'd like.

Now now filly ... be nice ... the"person above" has a name.

And while I shan't lower the tone of the thread by having a debate about automatic v manual, there is no excuse for car rental companies to almost double the price for the automatic version. It is ridiculous and cultural - it doesn't happen in the US, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand (in short, the civilised world).

And driving on dreadful, clogged UK roads, an automatic would have been preferred, instead of rowing the boat in these things with six forward gears ... who are they kidding???

A quick search for a Astra manual came in at £109 per week with the auto at £128 I don't consider that almost double. I agree that th UK has many clogged roads however with a little planning and a map most of this can be avoided. I regularly travel between Buckinghamshire and Wiltshire a distance of 120 miles and by using cross country routes and avoiding main commuter routes I find it a delightful stress free journey travelling through beautiful countryside and attractive villages, just what most tourists are looking for with no traffic jams

Well ... that's very good. The quotes I was getting early this year were vastly different between manual and automatic - we're not that tight with money for travel, but the big difference was more than enough to give us pause. And I didn't mind driving a manual, I just thought six forward gears was excessive, and didn't enhance the driving experience.

And in our meanderings around England, Scotland, Ireland, and NI, we also stayed off major highways almost all the time, and were well rewarded by doing so. We also listened to the BBC - the channel we had not only had good people on it, there were reports of traffic mayhem that might affect us, very frequently too - there seemed to be a lot of mayhem per day.

And a big jack-knifing semi-trailer (B-double, articulated lorry) lost a tyre spectacularly in front of us on a rare sojourn on the M1 near Peterborough, so we headed into the countryside, using the GPS to gamely find our way to Cambridge. It is was very funny, because we had a mini-convoy of about six cars following us faithfully ... if they had only known we were Aussies driving these roads for the very first time.

But we got there, via a lot of little villages with funny names, like Pidley and Earith.

GPS - what is wrong with a decent road atlas? You can plan your own route then and discover lots of hiden gems....

Had a UK licence since 1982 and have never had an automatic gearbox car or used a sat nav - only use a GPS in the hills whilst walking, not on the road.

A road atlas can usually be found at a reasonable price in most petrol stations and it gives you a bigger picture of the area than a small screen can ever dream of.

You must be great fun t dinner parties, wasleys.

If you don't know the value of a GPS, then you've never used one (or perhaps not used if effectively).

And scribbler, we did buy a nice big AA Atlas of Great Britain (a title we found rather grand, or perhaps quaint), however a GPS has a critical use when you are driving on roads you have never seen before, to places you haven't been before, with a great deal of unforgiving traffic in play, and a monster round-about coming up.

And the flippin' car has a tinny little motor and six manual gears ...

"If you don't know the value of a GPS, then you've never used one "
Try telling that to the e f f ing idiot articulated lorry driver following his sat nav to get from Maple Cross to Chalfont St Peter and got stuck in a single track lane. Screaming and shouting at me because he was just "following his sat nav", well that was his fault then. Then stalled his lorry on a hill and very nearly reverse the lorry back into my car so he could take a run at it. Of course I had to get out and arrange for the queue of several hundred yards behind me to back up so the e f f ing idiot could take a run up the hill.
When he finally got to his destination it was apparently me who being obnoxious.
Given the average truck driver appears to only have 2 brain cells the I suppose it was typical.

I'm not quite sure why you consider I should be great fun at dinner parties.

Yes I have used GPS. As you point out they are marvellous for navigating round strange towns. Anywhere else, I prefera map - that is assuming the person is able to map read....

What concerns me is the slavish attention given to GPS and the way it can stop you thinking for yourself....

Whose fault is it that "the flippin' car has a tinny little motor and six manual gears ..."

What concerns me is the slavish attention given to GPS and the way it can stop you thinking for yourself....

That's the whole point of them ... but I agree they are best used by intelligent punters, rather than toy-obsessed flippers (a bit like guns really).

And my partner - a wonderful person normally - is challenged and agitated by atlases and printed maps, but has more-or-less developed a good relationship with Tammie (the toffee-sounding sheila we have in our TomTom), so it's a win-win everywhere.

Whose fault is it that "the flippin' car has a tinny little motor and six manual gears ..."

The choice of a compact car is mine of course ... the fact that it was under-powered and over-geared was rather more outside my direct control.

I'm really enjoying this discussion. I have booked an automatic for our west-of-London mini-roadtrip in April. I grew up with manual transmissions and am comfortable driving with them. But I was afraid that with right-hand drive and everything being located "opposite" in the car and negotiating unfamiliar roads and -- gasp -- those roundabouts!, well, I'd rather not have the additional stress of clutching and shifting. The extra amount for automatic is worth it to me even though I agree it seems not to be warranted.

Not everything is the opposite way - clutch, brake, and accelerator are still the same - indicator stalk and windscreen wipers tend to be back to front.

But having driven a manual once on the other side in North America, I agree that with all the other things you will need to deal with, an automatic is probably worth the investment.

And multi-lane, multi-exit roundabouts are exciting, to say the least - always head left! GPS are really useful in these situations (and an improvement on a stressed partner | navigator).

Neither auto or manual are better than the other.
It's personal choice & besides, most modern auto's have manual override option anyway.
I have both manual & auto vehicles, both have their advantages & disadvantages. Neither is actually 'Better'.

I'd probably use the word "better" for auto if you're driving in an unfamiliar country, and using an unfamiliar side of the road to do it.

#22 - it's good you are enjoying this discussion as it seeme to have turned OP off!

My apologies for any perception of topic derailment, real or perceived.

Yours etc.,
#22

every couple should have a gps--it gives you a third party to blame when lost.

coming from north america, a gps is essential in britain because of the sheer whimsy used to put up street signage. no consistency at all.

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