How do I choose the mode of transportation when traveling between cities and towns in the UK? Car rental or train + bus travel? My answer is: it's all okay, it all depends on personal preference. After all, this is a developed capitalist country. Public transportation is developed and convenient. At first I wanted to choose public transportation, but then I considered that renting a car is more flexible for self-driving. Those scenery scattered among the English countryside, only renting a car can go wherever I want. Places, even wandering aimlessly. Self-driving is the best way to open the UK to travel.
Still the same sentence: self-driving does not mean luxury, public transportation does not mean frugality, they are just two different modes of transportation, nothing more.
More importantly, British trains are not cheap. Most of them can only be discounted if they are booked in advance. This way, the travel time is fixed, which is very inconvenient.
As one of the few countries in the world that drive on the left side, the right-hand drive and left-hand drive hinder the pace of many friends who want to rent a car and drive by themselves. I have sorted out the precautions for self-driving in a car rental in the UK. In fact, except for the opposite direction, it is generally not much different from the countries driving on the right.
1. About renting a car:
There are mostly manual transmission cars in European countries, and automatic transmission cars are few and expensive. The road is narrow, and it is safer for a "female driver" like me to have automatic transmission. Now the domestic agent car rental website is very convenient, often offering various discounts, you can compare the price, booking in advance can be a lot cheaper. I chose an agent and booked a Mini Cooper in advance with automatic transmission. It belongs to the compact model group (Compact). The rental period is 7 days, the actual driving is 6 and a half days, and the total insurance is RMB 1,706, without fuel. Also, the pick-up and return of the car are at London Heathrow Airport, and the actual pick-up is the British company Sixt.
Book on the domestic agency website. The advantage is that you can compare the prices of different car rental companies and additional insurance costs, and book the most cost-effective vehicle. And there is a Chinese customer service, which can provide valuable information, and it is also easy to communicate and deal with problems while using the car.
Rent a car overseas for self-driving, try to rent a better car. Whether it is a sense of control or safety, it wins.
2. About vehicle insurance:
An old topic: buying all insurance.
You can't just look at the price of the car rental itself. Some car rental fees are very low because they only include basic insurance (ones below a certain amount need to be paid by themselves, generally 500 euros). It is recommended to buy supplementary insurance, especially if you drive on the right-hand drive to the left. It is inevitable that there will be stubbornness when driving on the road. A small stubbornness abroad is likely to charge hundreds of euros! Supplementary full insurance is 0 compensation, including glass, chassis and other insurance, as well as road assistance. I choose the supplementary all insurance of this domestic agency website, which includes road assistance. If you encounter something on the way, you should advance the payment by yourself, and provide the relevant receipt and payment bill after returning to your country. The insurance company will pay the full amount.
Although I bought the insurance by myself, the general staff will sell some insurance when picking up the car. Of course, this is their job. They must declare all aspects in advance, as long as they insist that they have purchased all insurance.
3. Regarding fees and value-added services:
Generally, car rental companies use 7 days as a package (rental for 5 or 6 days is possible and rental The price is the same for 7 days), there will be more discounts for more than 7 days. The cost is calculated only by the number of days and not the mileage (there is not much land in the United Kingdom, where you can drive), even if it is rented for 6 days and 1 hour, the price is 7 days. There is generally an additional charge for returning the car in another place (sometimes the sameA city airport also adds money to the train station).
Value-added services include: additional drivers, safety seats, GPS navigation, buying a tank of oil, etc.
Additional driver: It means that when multiple people travel, they must enter the car rental company's system when picking up the car. You can choose it when you book online.
Child safety seat: charge per day, or you can bring one from China.
GPS navigation: charge per day, some models come with it.
As for whether to buy a tank of oil, I still suggest not to buy it. First of all, the fuel of the car rental company is more expensive than that of the gas station (including the cost of manual refueling), and secondly, it is difficult to control that one tank of fuel is used up when returning the car.
4. About driving license:
China does not have the concept of “international driving license”. China is not a member of the "United Nations Road Convention Transportation Organization". Only citizens of countries that join this organization can apply for an "International Driving Permit", that is, "International Driving Permit", which is valid for only 1 year and if they have obtained their own driving license. Must be used with a driver’s license in your country. In other words, Chinese driver's license is not recognized abroad.
Chinese tourists can rent a car in the UK and drive by themselves. The minimum driving experience is 1 year, and some high-end models require 2 years. The age limit for drivers is mostly between 25 and 65 years old. Under 25 years old need to pay a part of the "young driver risk". The age limit varies from company to company, and some are even restricted to 28 or under 30. The original driver’s license and the notarized translation can be used for up to 12 months of driving (sufficient for our travelers).
Handling of notarized translation: With your ID and driver’s license, you can apply for the form at any notary office in China. The cost is about RMB 100, and the validity period is equal to that of your driver’s license.
5. About picking up the car:
I mostly choose to pick up the car at the airport, because there are many car rental companies at the airport, and there are many models. Some places are cheaper than the city. London city is not only traffic jam, but also a "congestion charge" . Pick up the car at the airport and leave without entering the city. Because the reservation is for the "model group", it is not that the booked car can be mentioned when you mention the car, but which car is mentioned in the same class of model group. If there are no cars in this model group, you can enjoy "free upgrade", and the car rental company will upgrade to a higher-level model without any additional fees. The highest time I was upgraded was when I ordered a Polo model and upgraded to Volvo XC60.
. I have enjoyed the "free upgrade" for the last few car rentals and self-driving. This time I actually mentioned the Mercedes-Benz A180, which only drives It's 9,535 miles, relatively new.
Provide car rental reservation form when picking up the car at the counter, the original passport of the main driver, the original valid driver’s license of the main driver, the notarized English translation of the driver’s license, and the name of the main driver International credit cards (Master, Visa, etc.) swipe the pre-authorization as a deposit, and the pre-authorization will be returned when returning the car. The specific deposit of depends on different car models and car rental companies. .
Personally, I don’t really recognize the "translated part" of a domestic agency website. Do you still remember the announcement last year that the Czech Tourism Administration did not allow Chinese people to rent a car? It is forbidden for Chinese to rent a car in the Czech Republic for self-driving. The next day, several domestic agency websites stated that a certain "translation" that they usually promoted repeatedly cannot be used in the Czech Republic. So I never thought that their "little books" had any legal effect abroad, so be careful when going out.
There are also many friends who will say that they rented a car only with a Chinese driver’s license, but after all, the car rental company is engaged in business. In case of being stopped by the police and without a notarized translation, it is regarded as driving without a license..
When picking up the car, be sure to carefully check the condition of the car and the tires of the car, whether there are any scratches on the body (generally scratches are already marked on the car delivery form), the condition of the car, the tire pressure of the car and whether there are cracks, etc. , If there is any situation, you must immediately inform the staff of the rental car company.
6. About the itinerary:
The actual itinerary is: London Heathrow Airport-Emmett Garden (50miles)-Canterbury (57miles)-Dover Castle (20miles)-Brighton (89miles)-Winchester (73miles)-Salisbury (26miles)-Stonehenge (10miles)-Bath (35miles)-Blenheim Palace (75miles)- Oxford (10miles)-Windsor (43miles)-London Heathrow Airport (10miles), 6 and a half days totaling 584 miles (about 934 kilometers)
7. About the right The rudder goes left:
I drove a car in Australia before, so I didn’t find it difficult to get the right rudder. I got the car and got on the road soon. It is recommended that friends who drive the right rudder for the first time must spend some time familiarizing themselves with the dashboard and control of the car. After all, they are not used to the width of the left side. It is easy to scratch. In addition, the roads in the UK are generally narrow. I have been on the road several times this time. A bit stick to the roadbed on the left. In particular, the turning habits are the opposite of those in China. When turning a small left turn to a large right turn, it is particularly easy to turn into the reverse lane at first.
I rented this Mercedes-Benz, the gear is under the right side of the steering wheel, so it is no different from domestic driving. Many cars need to be familiar with left-hand shifting.
Like other developed countries, the United Kingdom also places great emphasis on the concept of "right of way". Pedestrians have absolute right of way. Vehicles that require comity right of way when driving on the road, such as turning and letting go straight, or leaving the roundabout inside the roundabout, The auxiliary road should be the main road, and the T-shaped intersection will stop before you wait for observation and then start, etc. (Do not bring any stinky problems with domestic driving).
Another very important point is: China is one of the few countries in the world that can turn right at a red light, and you cannot turn right at a red light in the UK.
8. About road conditions:
The road system in the UK is very developed, and all signs are in "imperial" (nonsense), that is, converted to metric Need to multiply 1.6. There are now more than 2,200 miles of highways in the UK, starting with "M", and most of them are free of tolls. Only a few bridges and tunnels and dozens of miles of private roads near Birmingham toll, with a speed limit of 70 miles. The national highway starts with "A" and the speed limit is 50 miles.
I have to complain about the British roads! Many country roads are very narrow, with single lanes in both directions, and there are some bushes on both sides of the road. The mountain roads are rugged and tortuous, and what is even more frightening is that the speed limit is still 50 miles! I didn't respond on the first day of picking up the car. I thought why driving 50 was so fast. Then I suddenly realized that it was in the imperial system, that is, the speed limit was 80 kilometers!
There are also some country roads with a speed limit of 30 miles. In short, it is not fast, and we cannot drive 100 miles for more than an hour according to our impression. , When driving for half an hour without traffic jam for more than ten miles. Because the roads used to be carriages were not widened or repaired.
But the English countryside scenery under sunny days is really cute.
Speeding is a dangerous driving behavior at any time. It is neither recommended nor recommended for anyone to exceed the speed. Speeding, this is not something to show off (because I mentioned before that I have been driving at the speed limit, a fan told me how much he has driven in the UK, I replied that it is not recommended nor worth it show off).
9. Regarding roundabouts:
British people especially like to repair roundabouts. I don’t know if it is to control the order of vehicles, because cars in roundabouts have the right of way at all times. Getting in and out of the roundabout and we are also opposite, driving clockwise.
It is also necessary to complain about the roundabout! The big roundabout is controlled by traffic lights, and the small roundabout is so small that it is a rough circle drawn on the ground, but in the navigation, you can hear the prompt "Please come out from the second exit of the roundabout".
Some roundabouts have three exits, and some roundabouts can have five or six exits. Open slowly and see the road signs. If you miss it Don't brake too hard, you can only make a circle and come out again. The navigation is also a bit silly. Sometimes the exits are close, and the voice prompt is a second slower and it is easy to go wrong. Anyway, I bypassed the island several times =. =
9. About navigation:
I still recommend using Google Maps directly outside the country, or the navigation that comes with the iPhone can also be used.
When it comes to navigation, I have to say the postcode of the United Kingdom. It seems that postcode has become a "chicken rib" in China, but in many countries, especially the United Kingdom, most places can be marked with postcode, which is a 6-digit combination of numbers and letters, such as "4GL3DT", in Basically, you can locate the building number by directly entering the zip code in the navigation. Let alone driving, it can also be used to find directions on foot in the city.
10. About refueling:
When picking up the car, please check the oil product with the rental company staff. It is gasoline (Unleaded) Or Diesel (Diesel), because the wrong fuel was added not only to destroy the car and break down, but also the insurance company does not guarantee it, which is a mistake in car use.
British gasoline is divided into "Super Unleaded", "Premium Unleaded" and "Unleaded" three types, corresponding to 97, 95 and 92 respectively, usually adding 92 is enough, diesel is also divided into ordinary and high-end two . Like many developed countries, they are self-help. When you are uncertain about oil products, you can ask people next to them for help. Most of them are happy to help. After refueling, go to the gas station supermarket to inform the number of gas generators and pay. All gas stations support credit card and cash payment. After refueling, it is best to park the car in place and pay. When I refueled, someone told me that if you move the car, the gas station will think you are leaving. Anyway, there are not so many people queuing abroad, and there is not much urging.
Be sure to keep the last refueling ticket. If you don’t fill it up, the car rental company will double the fee.
11. Regarding parking:
Villages and tourist attractions are fortunate to say that most parking is free of charge. But parking in cities has become a major problem. I have trouble parking in Bath and Oxford. For tourists, the first paid "Park and Dissplay" is used the most. The meter will indicate the time period to be paid and the longest stay. Estimate your stay time and put the receipt after paymentThe windshield in front of the center console is for traffic police inspection. If it is overtime and is found by the police again, you will have to pay a fine. In fact, for tourists, this billing method is not humane, because how do I know how long I will play? . Of course, for the local government, overtime parking fines are also part of their income source. It is recommended that you spend more money to buy a longer parking time, because the extra money is always much cheaper than the fine.
Parking in Bath is even more inhumane. The meter can only accept coins. If you stop for a day, you have to change a lot of coins. I asked the locals how they paid the fee. They pointed to the meter and told me that they downloaded the App and entered the license plate number and parking lot code on their mobile phones. I said I’m a tourist, it’s not very convenient (I’m not ashamed to tell them that it’s not so convenient for many Chinese tourists to download on Google play)
Bath’s "anti-human" microphone Table
Another mode is to register and pay online, mostly with the help of the homeowner. Many road sections are free from 18:00 in the evening to 8:00 in the morning. There is a clear sign
on the side of the road. Be sure not to park in private parking spaces or parking spaces for the disabled, or get a ticket or be towed.
12. Regarding London congestion charge (congestion charge):
11.50 pounds per day, Monday to Friday, 7 am to 6 pm, weekends, Christmas, New Year holidays, etc. There is no charge on public holidays (such as Bank Holiday), and no charge at 18:00-7 am on weekdays.
The toll area has a clear "C" letter or sign on both sides of the intersection or on the ground.
Toll area (this picture comes from the Internet)
The toll area has a clear "C" letter or sign on both sides of the intersection or on the ground.
Payment method: Go to the payment page of the official website, enter the vehicle registration code, registration location, and find the vehicle payment. The other is automatic debit. This method can save 1 pound a day and pay 10.50 pound per day, but requires a registration fee of 10 pound per year. First register an Auto Pay account (1 account can register up to 5 cars), and then provide bank card information. Very troublesome, so is very not recommended to drive in London!
A fine of 160 pounds for not paying the congestion fee, a discount of 80 pounds for payment within 14 days! If you fail to pay for more than 28 days, you will be charged 240 pounds, and the fine will increase by a percentage every day.
13. Other tips:
(1) Smoking, eating and drinking are not allowed in the car, and of course drinking and driving are not allowed.
(2) If an accident occurs, call the police as soon as possible before contacting the car rental company.
(3) Self-driving UK helpful apps: Find My Car (to help you remember the parking location), WhatGas Petrol Prices (to find the cheapest gas station nearby), CamerAlert (to prompt before approaching the speed camera)
The fun of self-driving is irreplaceable with group tours. Maintain good driving habits. I wish every friend who goes to the UK a good self-driving trip.
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[Author: Desert Rose]
of people traveling the globe, travel experience division, freelance writer, Guest host, travel sharing teacher, cross-industry self-media person. He has traveled alone in nearly 50 countries and more than 200 cities on five continents.
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