By car to Bath

A London to Bath trip by car is roughly 115 miles each way, and hiring a car for the journey gives you the freedom to leave on your own schedule and stop at Stonehenge or in the Cotswolds on the way. We have 45 cars on this page, from £22 a day for a Citroen C3 Aircross to £176 a day for a Mercedes-Benz V-Class, and we deliver to any address in the city and to all six airports serving it.

What car rental in London for a trip to Bath gives you

Car rental in London for a trip to Bath starts with Rent-Trip, which supplies 45 self-drive cars for the run west, split across Comfort, Crossover, SUV and Minivans. Nothing about the arrangement is fixed until a manager has confirmed the delivery address, the date and the time with you. That single step is what separates a booked car from a promised one.

How many cars and which classes you can choose from

We keep 45 cars on this page in four classes — Comfort with 15 cars from £23, Crossover with 14 from £22, SUV with 10 from £34 and Minivans with 6 from £44 a day. The Crossover class carries the Hyundai Kona at £36 and the Peugeot 2008 at £25; Comfort runs from the Seat Leon at £23 through the Toyota Corolla at £31 to the Audi A3 at £80; the SUV group holds the Toyota RAV4 and the Kia Sportage at £40 and £35; Minivans give seven seats from the Volkswagen Sharan at £44 up to the Mercedes-Benz V-Class at £176. A class «from» price is the entry point of that class, not the top of the page — the range runs to £176 a day, so pick by seats and luggage first, then by price. Two travellers with a single case rarely need anything above a Crossover, and the smaller car is the one that fits a Bath side street.

How delivery and booking work before the trip

We deliver to any address in the capital and to Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City and Southend; delivery outside those places is arranged case by case and is not promised on the site. Book the delivery slot for the morning you actually leave — a car handed over at 8:00 puts you west of the city before the worst of the traffic builds. The car arrives clean with a full tank and must go back full — the full-to-full rule is the only fuel option we offer, and any missing fuel plus a refuelling service fee is charged as set out in the rental agreement. The deposit, the insurance excess and any delivery fee sit in that same agreement rather than on this page.

What is settled before you drive away

• Delivery slot: the address, date and time are confirmed with a manager, so the hand-over happens when you need it.
• Fuel: the tank is full at hand-over and full at return; no pre-paid or full-to-empty alternative exists on this site.
• Documents and age: the minimum rental age, the young-driver surcharge and the cards accepted are agreed when booking.
• Charges on the road: who pays the Congestion Charge, the ULEZ charge and toll crossings is agreed when booking, not assumed.
• Longer bookings: weekly works out at the daily rate times six and monthly at the daily rate times twenty-one.

Drive time for car rental in London for a trip to Bath

Bath sits west of the capital, and car rental in London for a trip to Bath is a straightforward motorway run for most of the way. Timing matters more than distance: leave early, and the same-day return stays comfortable.

M4 or A4 — which route suits the trip

The M4 is the direct motorway run west and the A4 is the older road that follows the same corridor through the towns, so the M4 suits a straight drive and the A4 suits a slower one with stops. On the motorway you hold a steady speed with few junctions to read; the A4 threads through Reading, Newbury and Chippenham, where 30 mph limits and roundabouts set the pace.

For a driver new to the left-hand side, the motorway is the gentler introduction — traffic keeps to one side, there are no right turns across oncoming cars, and every junction is signposted well in advance. Roundabouts follow the Highway Code: give way to traffic approaching from the right and travel clockwise. Whichever road you take, plan the last stretch into Bath itself for the afternoon rather than the morning rush.

Leaving at the right time and coming back the same day

A same-day return after Bath is arranged when you book, and leaving early keeps the westward run clear of the worst traffic. Aim to be out of the city before the morning peak builds — a car handed over at 8:00 puts you west of the centre while the roads are still moving. The return leg is the one that catches people out: build the day around leaving Bath before the evening peak rather than around arriving there early. If the trip stretches, a weekly booking is charged at the daily rate multiplied by six, and a monthly one at the daily rate multiplied by twenty-one, so the longer you keep the car the less each day costs.

What the drive costs by class

Two people with one bag are over-served by an SUV — the Crossover class starts at £22 and parks far more easily at the Bath end, where the streets are narrow and the car parks tight. The Citroen C3 Aircross at £22 a day is the cheapest car on this page; the Volkswagen Golf Estate and the Toyota RAV4 cover the luggage-heavy and family ends of the range. On the motorway, a hybrid such as the Toyota Corolla returns better economy than a petrol equivalent, while an automatic gearbox removes the gear-change distraction for a driver still settling into the left-hand side. Pick by seats and luggage first, then by price — and check the boot before you commit to a class.

Picking the right car for car rental in London for a trip to Bath

The fleet on this page covers the run west in four shapes — Crossover, Comfort, SUV and Minivans — and the choice comes down to seats, luggage and running cost rather than to badge or engine. Two people with one bag are over-served by an SUV: the Crossover class starts at £22 and parks far more easily at the Bath end, where streets near the abbey are tight and spaces are short.

Classes and models side by side

A class «from» price is the entry point of that class, not the ceiling of the page. The Citroen C3 Aircross at £22 a day is the cheapest car on the page and the Mercedes-Benz V-Class at £176 is the most expensive, so the spread inside a single class is wide — a Crossover runs from £22 to £58, Comfort from £23 to £80, SUV from £34 to £49 and Minivans from £44 to £176. In our experience the Volkswagen Golf Estate at £31 and the Kia Ceed Sportswagon at £31 sell the trip better than a saloon of the same money: a 5-seat estate swallows two large cases and still returns around 50 mpg on the motorway.

• Petrol (34 cars): the bulk of the fleet, from the Hyundai Kona and Volkswagen Golf to the Vauxhall Grandland and MG HS, and the simplest choice for a single day out.
• Hybrid (7 cars): the Toyota Corolla at £31, Toyota Prius at £31, Toyota C-HR at £41, Kia Sorento at £49 and Jeep Compass at £40 recover charge in slow traffic and on the return leg.
• Diesel (4 cars): the Volkswagen Sharan, Volkswagen Touran, Ford Galaxy and Mercedes-Benz V-Class, all seven-seaters built for a full load.
• Automatic (20 cars): takes the gear-change distraction away from a driver new to the left-hand side, and the Toyota RAV4 pairs it with all-wheel drive.
• Manual (25 cars): cheaper at the entry point — the Kona, Golf Estate and Citroen C3 Aircross are all manual.

Hybrids such as the Toyota Corolla and Toyota Prius pay back on a long motorway day, while an automatic removes the gear-change distraction for a driver new to the left-hand side. Seats split 37 five-seaters, 7 seven-seaters and one four-seat Mini Cooper, so a group of six has exactly the seven-seat options to look at. Before you fix a class, check the boot against your actual luggage rather than the seat count — a five-seat Crossover and a five-seat estate carry the same people and very different amounts of baggage.

Charges and rules that touch car rental in London for a trip to Bath

The charges that matter on car rental in London for a trip to Bath are the two zones you cross on the way out, not anything on the motorway itself. The Congestion Charge and the ULEZ are both camera-enforced and both keyed to the vehicle, so the time to check them is before you pick a model, not at the wheel.

Congestion Charge and ULEZ on the way out

• Congestion Charge: £18 per 24 hours if paid on the day of travel or in advance, £21 if paid by midnight on the third day after; charged 07:00–18:00 Monday to Friday and 12:00–18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays, inside the Inner Ring Road.
• ULEZ: £12.50 a day for vehicles that do not meet the standard, charged around the clock every day except 25 December, across all 32 boroughs; the M25 itself sits outside the zone.
• Standards: petrol cars and vans need Euro 4 or better, diesels Euro 6, motorcycles Euro 3 — a Euro 4 petrol car means roughly a 2006 or later model.
• Penalties: a PCN is £180, cut to £90 if paid within 14 days; a charge certificate raises it to £270.
• Cleaner Vehicle Discount: the 100% discount for electric cars ended on 25 December 2025; from 2 January 2026 electric cars on Auto Pay pay 25% less (£13.50 instead of £18), with no discount without Auto Pay.

Who pays road charges, tolls and penalty notices on a hired car is agreed when booking — check it before you leave, because the cameras bill the registered vehicle, not the driver.

Tolls, speed limits and the left-hand side

The Dartford Crossing (Dart Charge) on the M25 is charged per crossing, payable by midnight the following day; a PCN applies if it is missed. Speed limits are 30 mph in built-up areas, 60 mph on single carriageway and 70 mph on dual carriageway and motorway — and in the capital many signed zones are 20 mph, so the sign beats the default. The drink-drive limit in England and Wales is 80 mg per 100 ml of blood, 35 µg per 100 ml of breath. Holding a phone at the wheel costs £200 and 6 points. Our cars are right-hand drive and the traffic keeps left; at a roundabout you give way to traffic from the right. On a first visit, the motorway is the gentler introduction — one-way traffic, no right turns across oncoming cars, junctions signposted well in advance. If you are used to driving on the right, book an automatic and let the gearbox take one task off the list while you settle into the lane discipline.

Documents and the car we hand over

A full, valid foreign licence is good for 12 months from your last entry into Great Britain, and the documents are agreed when booking. We supply the car clean and with a full tank, and it must come back full — the missing fuel and a refuelling service fee are charged as set out in the rental agreement, and no pre-paid tank option exists. Seats and child restraints are worth sorting at booking: a seat belt must be worn wherever one is fitted, and children travel in a child seat until they reach 135 cm or turn 12, whichever comes first, with a fine of up to £500 for getting it wrong. The minimum age, the young-driver surcharge and the cards accepted are agreed when booking, as is the delivery slot.

Documents and fuel for car rental in London for a trip to Bath

Two practical things decide how smoothly the run west begins: the paperwork you carry and the fuel you put in. Both are settled before the car is handed over, and neither needs a detour on the morning you leave.

Driving licence and documents

• Foreign licence: a full, valid driving licence from your own country is accepted for 12 months from the date you last entered Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) — that covers a trip to Bath comfortably.
• What to carry: your licence, and anything else the rental agreement asks for. The exact document set, the minimum age and the young-driver surcharge are agreed when booking, not fixed here.
• Deposit and excess: the amount held and the insurance excess are set out in the rental agreement, so read that line before you sign anything.
• Highway Code rules: the left-hand rule is rule 160, turning closer to the left kerb is rule 183, and at roundabouts you give way to traffic approaching from the right — rule 185.

Fuel, tank policy and the cost of the run

Rent-Trip supplies every car clean and with a full tank, and it must come back full — full-to-full, no other option. If the tank is short on return, the missing fuel plus a refuelling service fee are charged as set out in the rental agreement, so fill up close to the return address at the end of the drive rather than near Bath, and the car goes back with a full tank.

Our fleet splits into 34 petrol, 7 hybrid and 4 diesel cars. Fuel prices vary by station, which makes the fuel type a real cost decision on a roughly 230-mile round trip. Hybrids such as the Toyota Corolla and Toyota Prius stretch a tank furthest on motorway running, while the diesel minivans — Volkswagen Sharan, Volkswagen Touran, Ford Galaxy — suit seven seats and heavy luggage.

Rules you meet on the way out

• Speed limits: 30 mph in built-up areas in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, 60 mph on a single carriageway, 70 mph on a dual carriageway and on the motorway; on lit roads 30 mph applies unless signs say otherwise, and many zones in the capital are signed at 20 mph.
• Phones: holding and using a phone, satnav or tablet at the wheel is banned even at a red light — penalty points apply, and a driver within 2 years of passing loses the licence. Hands-free is allowed if the device does not block your view.
• Seat belts: a belt is required where fitted; children need a child seat until they reach 135 cm or turn 12, whichever comes first, and a fine applies for getting it wrong.
• Drink-driving: in England, Wales and Northern Ireland the limit is 80 mg per 100 ml of blood, 35 µg per 100 ml of breath and 107 mg per 100 ml of urine — Scotland's lower limit does not apply to this route.

Who pays road charges and tolls on a hired car is agreed when booking — we do not fix it on the page. In our experience the documents are the one item people leave until the last evening; sort them when you confirm the delivery slot, and the hand-over takes minutes.

Longer bookings on car rental in London for a trip to Bath

A Bath day trip rarely stays a day trip. Once the car is in your hands, the return leg tends to grow a stop at Stonehenge, a night in the Cotswolds or a slow run back through Windsor, and the booking has to be shaped around that before you leave. Longer bookings are where the arithmetic matters most, and where a little planning at booking saves the most.

• Stonehenge: the obvious add-on from the A303 corridor, and the reason many people take the car rather than the train in the first place.
• The Cotswolds: a night here turns a day trip into a two-day loop and is the stop most often bolted on after Bath.
• Windsor: the easiest extension on the return leg, close enough to keep the drive home short.
• Oxford and Cambridge: both reachable as separate days rather than stops, and better done as their own outing.
• Brighton and Canterbury: southbound and eastbound alternatives if Bath gets pushed to another day.

How weekly and monthly rates change the maths

We price longer bookings at weekly from £132 and monthly from £462 — weekly is the daily rate multiplied by six, monthly by twenty-one. On the cheapest car on this page, the Citroen C3 Aircross at £22 per 24 hours, a week of driving works out at £132, which is what the weekly line means in practice. The same multiplier applies right up the range to the Mercedes-Benz V-Class at £176 a day, so the class you pick still decides the total.

What to settle when you book

• Fuel: the car is supplied with a full tank and must come back full — full-to-full, with the missing fuel and a refuelling fee charged as set out in the rental agreement.
• Charges on the road: the Congestion Charge and ULEZ sit on the London end of the trip, and who covers road charges, tolls and any penalty notice is agreed when booking rather than assumed.
• Delivery slot: the address, date and time of delivery are confirmed with a manager before the booking is fixed, so a two-day loop needs its start and finish settled together.
• Return time: a same-day return is arranged when you book, and the hour you name is the hour the day is built around.
• Extra days: adding a day to a longer booking is agreed with a manager before the change is fixed, not at hand-over.

If the plan is a week rather than a weekend, book the longer rate from the outset — a booking extended after the fact is a conversation with a manager, while one made at the start is simply the price you were quoted.

Common mistakes on car rental in London for a trip to Bath

Most problems on this route are decided before the engine starts, not on the M4.

• Size against the streets: central Bath lanes near the abbey are narrow and the car parks are tight, so a 5-seat Crossover such as the Hyundai Kona at £36 parks where a 7-seat minivan circles for ten minutes.
• Size against the load: a five-seat Crossover and a five-seat estate carry the same people and very different amounts of luggage, so measure the cases before you pick the class.
• Size against the driver: a driver new to the left-hand side does better in a compact automatic than in a long estate on the first mile out of the delivery address.
• Size against the bill: the class decides the total, so the smallest car that fits the passengers and the bags is also the cheapest choice on the page.

Tank, charges and the return leg

• Fuel: the car is supplied with a full tank and must come back full, and no pre-paid or full-to-empty option exists on this site.
• Refuelling: a short tank on return means the missing fuel plus a refuelling service fee, charged as set out in the rental agreement.
• Return time: a same-day return is arranged when you book, and the hour you name is the hour the day is built around.
• Road charges: who pays the Congestion Charge, the ULEZ charge and toll crossings is agreed when booking, so ask at that point rather than at the wheel.
• Documents: the minimum rental age, the young-driver surcharge and the cards accepted are agreed when booking, not fixed on this page.

Delivery and return for car rental in London for a trip to Bath

Rent-Trip brings the car to any address in the capital and to Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City and Southend, and the delivery address, the date and the time are settled with a manager before the booking is fixed. Delivery outside those places is arranged case by case and is not promised on the site, so a pick-up in a village west of the city is a conversation, not a certainty. The car arrives clean with a full tank, and the hand-over is the moment to walk round it rather than the moment to drive off.

Where the car can meet you

• Any address in the capital: home, hotel or office, with the address, date and time confirmed with a manager before the booking is fixed.
• Heathrow (LHR): the busiest of the six airports we cover and the natural start for a traveller landing from abroad.
• Gatwick (LGW), Stansted (STN), Luton (LTN): all inside the delivery area, so an early landing still puts you on the M4 the same morning.
• London City (LCY) and Southend (SEN): the two smallest of the six, useful for a short hop into the city.
• Outside the list: arranged case by case and not promised on the site, so raise it when you book.

The return that avoids a charge

• Full tank: the car goes back full, and the missing fuel plus a refuelling service fee are charged as set out in the rental agreement.
• Charges on the road: the Congestion Charge and ULEZ sit on the city end, and who covers them is agreed when booking.
• Same-day return: arranged when you book, and the hour you name is the one the day is planned around.
• Condition: the car arrives clean with a full tank, and the return conditions are set out in the rental agreement.

In our experience the return leg is the one people rush, and a full tank at the end of the trip keeps the paperwork simple.

Trip scenarios for car rental in London for a trip to Bath

The same 45 cars serve every kind of Bath trip, and the shape of the day decides the class more than the distance does. A solo run to the abbey and back asks for something small; a family week in the west asks for seats and boot space.

A day trip and back

• Two people, one day: a Crossover from £22 — the Hyundai Kona at £36 or the Peugeot 2008 at £25 — leaves early, parks easily and returns the same evening.
• A solo driver new to the left: an automatic such as the Seat Leon at £23 removes the gear-change distraction while you settle into lane discipline.
• A couple with luggage: the Volkswagen Golf Estate at £31 or the Kia Ceed Sportswagon at £31 swallows two large cases and still returns good motorway economy.
• A quiet-riding day: the Toyota Corolla at £31, a hybrid automatic, recovers charge in slow traffic on the way back into the capital.

A family week in the west

• Five seats and a full boot: the Toyota RAV4 at £40 pairs hybrid running with all-wheel drive, and the Kia Sportage at £35 is the petrol manual alternative.
• Seven seats: the Volkswagen Sharan at £44 and the Volkswagen Touran at £65 are diesel seven-seaters, and the Kia Sorento at £49 is a hybrid with all-wheel drive.
• A week of driving: a weekly booking is charged at the daily rate multiplied by six, so the Hyundai Kona at £36 per 24 hours runs to £216 for the week.
• A month away: a monthly booking is the daily rate multiplied by twenty-one.

Pick the class by the people and the bags, then check the boot against the actual luggage — a five-seat Crossover and a five-seat estate carry the same passengers and very different amounts of baggage.