Car Hire or Train Travel in England

AussieDolphin on 03/12/2019 - 19:16

I need some help please Ozbargainers. I haven't been to England in 10 years and I'm trying to work out whether it is more economical to hire a car or buy separate train tickets? I only need transport for 4-5 days. Now Google has confused me even more. There are so many different rail cards I don't know what's what! If it helps I need to travel from Ellesmere Port - Peterborough - Northampton including a few days in-between. I would appreciate links, tips advice in terms of either. Car rental companies to try or avoid etc. I am hoping to book my travel insurance tonight so if car hire is better value I want to get one that includes that as well.

Thanks for reading.

Travel

Comments

  • gooddealmate on 03/12/2019 - 19:42
    +1

    Car hire for four or five days would be in the region of $80. Hard to see the train fares alone coming to much less than this.

    I'd be renting the car so you have it for the whole 4 or 5 days.

    • AussieDolphin on 03/12/2019 - 21:27

      I just phoned a place near Ellesmere Port and was quoted 100 pounds for 5 days. The car is a Toyota Aygo.

  • p1 ama on 03/12/2019 - 19:56
    +1

    Car hire would be the way to go - if you were just staying in London, then yeah, I wouldn't get a car and just take the underground, but any sort of long distance and a car makes the most sense.

    Driving in the UK is similar to Australia - on the left and largely similar road rules (the big ideas are the same).

  • mt19 on 03/12/2019 - 20:17
    +1

    Definitely car hire, trains are a mess in the UK with the different companies. Just check if your hotels offer free parking.

  • dasher86 on 03/12/2019 - 20:40
    +1

    Petrol costs more in the UK.
    Be careful on small country roads, sometimes barely enough room for one..
    Make sure you have appropriate rental insurance be it via card or other policy.
    I wouldn't bother driving in big cities like London.

  • Hybroid on 03/12/2019 - 20:43
    +1

    Definitely quicker & more convenient via car and will be cheaper unless you book trains well in advance. Make sure to have FULL insurance in case something happens. If you go cheap with comparison sites expect to get a really crappy tiny engine car/box on wheels. Sixt do more premium vehicles but at a price.

  • Halo375 on 03/12/2019 - 20:57
    +1

    With a car you’ll see a lot more - note that back country roads are pretty but dangerous as hell as they are ridiculously narrow.

  • conan2000 on 03/12/2019 - 23:11
    +1

    I found the trains extremely expensive on a recent trip, but they can be reasonable as long as you book well in advance. I'd definitely go with a car unless you're primarily in London where traffic is hectic.

  • brad1-8tsi on 04/12/2019 - 07:49

    I hired a car on my last trip which was all around southern england. Everywhere but London. I didn't find the minor roads an issue.

    I use Rentalcars.com for all my hires (2-3 per year). It's an aggregator but I've always got good cars and haven't been stung at the end.

    Not knowing where/when I did a quick search from Liverpool Airport 16/12-21/12 (5 days). You'll get an Opel Corsa with Sixt starting at AUD172 for the 5 days.

    Do you need the flexibility of a car or does point-to-point and looking at the countryside suit you better?

    • AussieDolphin on 05/12/2019 - 18:11

      I do need a car from the 16th to 20th of December. Because I'll be driving to Peterborough, Northampton and Chester I'll see whatever along the way.

  • captaincabinets on 04/12/2019 - 08:22

    I usually hire a train. Sometimes a boat, which I could also afford.

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