Cheap Car Hire at Manchester Airport: The Best Companies

Manchester Airport has a total of 8 car hire companies serving visitors to this major urban city in the northwest of England. Whether you’re planning to stay put in the city or explore the wider region, having access to your own transport will give you the independence and flexibility to spend your time in Manchester exactly as you wish. To help you find the best car rental deal for your needs, we’ve done some research and picked out the best options across three categories: Most affordable, Best for families and Best for luxury.

The illuminated terminal interior at Manchester Airport (Photo: Vit Brunner via Flickr)

As the third busiest airport in the UK, most travellers are keen to escape the airport’s hustle and bustle as soon as possible after arriving, making a cheap car hire a particularly desirable option. Most car rental companies at Manchester Airport are based out of the Manchester Airport Car Rental Village, which can be reached via complimentary buses that depart every 10 minutes from each airport terminal.

Our car rental company search results

TravelMag.com have researched pricing, policies, choice of cars and previous customer reviews of all 8 car rental companies located at Manchester Airport in order to determine the three best options for you. You’ll find the results below.

Most Affordable: Enterprise

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If you’re looking to save cash, then our tip for the most affordable car rental company at Manchester Airport is Enterprise. Our searches found that their rates consistently compare favourably with their competitors in the ‘budget’ category, with compact but reliable models such as the Vauxhall Corsa and Toyota Aygo both available for around £120 per week. Enterprise’s customer reviews for their cheaper cars are impressive too, regularly hovering around the 8.5 mark out of 10. Their offices are in the Car Rental Village and are open from 5am to midnight every day of the week.

Best for families: Budget

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Families travelling to Manchester are likely to want some extra space to accommodate children and luggage, and in this category the stand-out car rental company is Budget. Their range of larger cars is huge, with everything from the Skoda Octavia all the way through to the lavish Mercedes C-Class available. Of course, you’ll have to pay a premium for a bigger model – and if you want to go all the way up to an estate then it can start to get rather pricey – but for comfort and convenience (two essentials when travelling with kids), then it’s arguably worth it. And for added handiness, Budget’s offices are located at the airport, rather than off-site.

Best for luxury cars: Alamo

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To some it’s an extravagance, but for others a luxury car hire can really add to your travelling experience – especially if you drive something rather more humble back at home. For high-end cars, we found that Alamo were the best option overall. Our searches found plenty of choice, some less affordable than others, but all with excellent customer reviews. As an example of some of the models that won’t burn too big a hole in your pocket, we saw a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which not only offers sports car speed but also an impressive amount of space in the cabin and the boot, available for less than £650 per week.