Car Hire at Stansted Airport: The Best Companies

Located some 40 miles northeast of Central London, Stansted Airport (STN) offers five car hire agencies for travelers to choose from upon landing. All of the rental agencies at STN Airport are located in the dedicated Car Rental Village, which can be reached using free buses that depart from the airport terminal every 10 minutes. Deciding which company offers the best choice of rental cars for your budget and needs can be a little daunting when planning a trip. To help you, TravelMag have taken a look at all of the cheap car hire options available at London’s Stansted Airport and come up with our choices for the categories of most affordable, best for families and best for luxury.

Stansted Airport (Photo_: Oleg Brovko via Flickr)

To reach our decision, TravelMag compared factors such as daily rates, fleet styles, rental policies, mileage limits and customer reviews for each of the car rental companies at Stansted. Below you’ll find a detailed summary of each of our picks, which we hope will aid you in making your choice.

MOST AFFORDABLE: ENTERPRISE

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Enterprise stands out for offering some very budget-friendly rates for travelers flying into London’s Stansted Airport. Daily rates for a compact vehicle work out much lower than what you’d end up spending if you relied on taxis and public transportation to get around. Renters can find great economy options like the Toyota Aygo or the Vauxhall Corsa in Enterprise’s fleet. Even roomier sedans like the Vauxhall Insignia can be scooped up for pretty low daily rates through Enterprise too. What’s more, Enterprise offers unlimited mileage for its Stansted rentals – great news for travelers planning to squeeze tours of London and the English countryside into one trip without swapping cars during the journey. In summary, Enterprise offers good value for people looking for basic, no-nonsense cars that have room for four and space for some bags.

BEST FOR FAMILIES: ALAMO

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Alamo earns brownie points among families for its great selection of family-friendly vehicles at Stansted. Families get excellent daily rates for practical, roomy vehicles that can help make a vacation a little more comfortable. Alamo makes it pretty easy for families to get the extra room they need without spending top dollar. For instance, a roomy option like the Vauxhall Corsa costs just a few dollars more per day than compact options from competing agencies. Families travelling with young kids may appreciate the fact that Alamo allows them to skip the counter and head directly to their rental cars upon landing at the airport terminal by checking in ahead of time. Furthermore, Alamo makes family vacations feel limitless thanks to its unlimited-mileage policy.

BEST FOR LUXURY: SIXT

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Sixt stands out for its refined fleet of adult-friendly rides. Travelers who want to explore London in style will appreciate options like the Audi A1 or Mercedes-Benz A-Class when choosing from Sixt’s selection. The compact luxury vehicles on Sixt’s roster are perfect for city driving and navigating compact streets. Moreover, travellers looking for some extra room for luggage will also find some very slick SUVs. Sixt offers perks like theft protection and a collision damage waiver. In addition to offering a sophisticated fleet, this agency also strives to give travellers top-tier treatment when they show up to pick up their vehicles, with a prompt, courteous service at the Sixt desk inside Stansted’s Rental Car Village. Reviewers on RentalCars.com noted that they enjoyed a fast, easy process when picking up and dropping off cars. Sixt does cap miles per rental at 600.