General notes:
To hire a car you will need to show BOTH PARTS of your driving licence (held for at least a year).
Be prepared to be asked for two proofs of ADDRESS too.
Vehicle Hire:
A1 Self Drive: 154 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1UE
- Tel: 01865 436500 / 436501
- Open: Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00
- Nissan Micra, Ford Fusion and Fiesta available. Hire from just £25 per day. Office opposite Tesco on Cowley Rd.
Hertz: Osney Mead, Ferry Hinksey Road, Oxford OX2 0ES
- Tel: 01865 856555
- Open: Mon-Fri 08:00-18:00, Sat 09:00-13:00
- Bring a credit card (NOT a debit card and NOT Electron, Switch or Solo) and BOTH parts of your driving license, plus a utility bill (etc.) for ID puposes. Hertz will hold a deposit equivalent to a full tank's worth of fuel on your card until the vehicle is returned safely. If you return the vehicle with a tank that's not full you will be charged for refuelling at double the standard pump rate. You can return to any national Hertz office (eg. hire in Oxford, drive to Edinburgh and return there) for a standard fee of £35 (correct at Oct 2010)
Avis: 1 Abbey Road, Oxford, OX2 0AD
- Tel: 0844 544 6087 (local rate from a landline - press 3 to speak to a human on site)
- Open: Mon-Fri 08:00-18:00, Sat 08:00-13:00
- Nearest hire point to central Oxford (second road on the right past railway station going away from the city centre). HIRE TO OVER 25s ONLY. Credit or debit cards accepted (though not Switch, Electron or any pre-pay cards). Bring your passport or another form of ID too just in case. The vehicle needs to be returned with a full tank. As with Hertz above, they will hold a deposit roughly equivalent to a full tank's worth of fuel (around £70 at Oct 2010) until the vehicle is returned. They have a key drop facility for out-of-hours returns. Return to any nationwide branch for a variable fee (the farther away, the larger the fee).
Enterprise Rent-A-Car: 53 West Way, Botley, OX2 0JE & 10 Watlington Rd, Cowley OX4 6NF
- Tel: BOTLEY 01865 202088, COWLEY 01865 396000 (press 3 to speak to a human on site).
- Open: Mon-Fri 08:00-18:00, Sat 09:00-12:00
- Over 23 only. Vans (up to long wheelbase hightops) and cars. Retail rentals require 2 proofs of address (utility bills or similar). Debit or credit card only; £100 security deposit (needs to be on the card of the named driver). Fuel is like-for-like (ie. if it's half full when you get it, return it half full). Return to any branch for a fee (larger according to type of drop off and distance from collection point, the minimum being £35 and the max. £70 for an airport return at Oct 2010).
Eurodrive, Pony Road, Horspath Trading Estate, OX4 2RD
- Tel: 01865 715500
- Open: Mon-Fri 7.30-17:30, Sat 7.30-12.00, Sun & BH 8.00-09.30
- Over 23-year-olds (and under 70-year-olds) only. Cars, minibuses, vans (including Lutons and extra long wheel base) and trucks. Bring both parts of your current driving licence, a utility bill under 3 months old to prove your address, and a credit/debit card (excluding Solo, Electron and AmEx). Natty new Fiat 500s for hire; 'continental hire' kits; servicing and body repair available and 'a man with your van' should you need one! Rates are 'all inclusive' with 'no hidden extras'.
National: Littlemead Business Park, Ferry Hinksey Road, Oxford OX2 0BY
- Tel: 01865 240471
- Open: Mon-Fri 8:00-18:00, Sat 8:00-13:00
- Over 21-year-olds accepted. Vans and cars for hire. We don't know anything else because they won't answer their phone, but we imagine you can discover the necessaries via their delightful green website (or in person).
Northgate Vehicle Hire (formerly Target), Unit 7, North Hinksey Lane (off Botley Rd), OX2 0NR
- Tel: 01865 244477 Fax: 01865 244177
- Open: Mon-Fri 08:00-17:30, Sat 08:00-12:00
- Local company offering cars, vans and MPVs plus some trucks. Over 25s only. Prepay cards accepted. Amex not accepted, but all other cards fine. Return to same venue only (they are regional, not national). 2 proofs of address and both parts of driving licence required. Full to full fuel policy. Security deposits of £300 on car/van or £500 on trucks are required (correct at Oct 2010).
Car Clubs:
Commonwheels has a fleet of cars available for loan to members in East Oxford, Cowley, Headington and Iffley. They're all parked in marked bays on local streets. Members can book the cars online or over the phone for periods upwards of half an hour and are charged (by monthly invoice) according to the length of booking (£3 or £4 an hour at Oct 2010) and distance travelled (15p per mile). Rates include fuel. Members each get a smart card to open the car when they have a booking. As demand increases, we are told that the fleet will too, ensuring that cars continue to be available for last minute bookings. You need to have held a full licence for one year to join. All locations and details of tariff are on the website. If you'd like Commonwheels in your area, or would like to join the existing scheme, email info@commonwheels.org.uk
Streetcar also have cars in Oxford, mainly in the north and west, though the fleet grows continually (we are reliably informed in Oct 2010 that there are two at the train station, plus cars in east Oxford on Manzil Way, Magdalen and Fairacres Roads - let us know if you know of any more). They are also seeking more parking spaces in Oxford (for which they pay a rental fee).
