Know Before You Go: Renting a Car in Scotland

At this point in my travels, renting a car in Scotland and driving is my favorite activity. Nothing beats the feeling of the open road, of exploring tiny farm tracks winding through glens and along windswept beaches to far-flung ruins. Having the opportunity to pull over and appreciate a breath-taking view for as long as you want is priceless. Traveling by car slows down trips, opens them up to serendipity, and allows you to move where you want, when you want. Intrigued by a sign? Follow it. Curious where that tiny gravel road leads? Follow it. Intent on exploring the coast? Follow it. These are things you simply cannot do without a car.

I do not mean to denigrate other forms of travel. Scotland’s public transportation system is quite good (and growing!), but using it has inherent limitations: You must adhere to the timetables and you can only go where they go. For some visitors, this rigidity isn’t an issue. Their destinations lie along public transit routes, and they’re happy to be free of the worry of finding their own way. However, there will come a time during that trip where you’ll wish you could just get a little further into the mountains or toward the coast or to that distillery.

Have I sold you on the idea of driving yet? I’ll put it plainly: I recommend renting a car in Scotland. Now let’s talk about some of the nitty-gritty.

The “Wrong” Side of the Road

Many first-time visitors to Scotland are intimidated by the idea of driving on the “wrong” side of the road and the “wrong” side of the car, and I felt the same way on my first visit to the British Isles. That’s normal and good. A little anxiety at the beginning makes you a sharp and defensive driver. The truth is that it’s really the first 15 minutes of driving that’s scary. After that, your subconscious adjusts to the flow of traffic and you won’t even consider turning right into a roundabout. By the end of that first day with the car you’ve got it and it’s no longer a worry. By the end of the trip? You won’t know how you would’ve lived without it.

Driving Requirements

There are some limitations for renting a car. First, you must be at least 23 years old and have held a valid driver’s license in your home country for at least 12 months. If you are 23 or 24, you may be restricted to renting certain cars and may incur a small surcharge, depending on the agency you choose. If you’re older than 75, agencies may require a recent doctor’s note stating that you are fit to drive.

A driver’s license is the other requirement. You do not need an international driver’s license. For non-EU visitors, your domestic driver’s license allows you to drive in Scotland for up to a year provided it is in English or has an English translation. You must also have a valid passport. If an English translation is not available then an international driving permit suffices. EU visitors need only their domestic driver’s license and a passport or ID card.

Automatic vs. Manual Transmission

This is personal preference. However, automatic transmission cars always cost more and there are generally fewer of them in any given agency’s fleet. What you get for that extra cost is one less thing to worry about — shifting with your left hand. Before you get too worried, while you are driving from the right side of the car and shifting with your left hand, the shifting pattern is not reversed. The good news is that most of Scotland’s roads are not busy, which provides you the time and breathing room to get accustomed to driving a manual.

GPS vs. Maps

This is tricky. You see, I’ve never used GPS (anywhere, really) and I’ve heard it can be unreliable up in the highlands. You can purchase GPS with your rental, but it is an added expense. I use a really good paper map, a Collins Britain Road Atlas I got in Scotland, that has four miles to every inch. The night before a drive I use Google Maps to sketch out my route, make some notes on my phone, and just get a feel for where I’m going. While I’m on the road I use the road atlas. I’ve never gotten lost and this system works well for me.

Excess…?

When you rent a car the contract will mention an ‘excess,’ meaning deductible, that you must pay in the event the car is damaged or stolen. In my experience, this number is usually between £500-£1000. So, for example, if you have a fender bender that resulted in £1500 in repairs, and your excess was £750, you pay £750 and the remainder is covered by the rental company. Most agencies try to sell you on the excess waiver, meaning they waive the excess, dropping what you would pay in the event of an accident to £0, at the cost of an extra daily charge. I choose not to purchase the excess waiver mainly to save money but also because I’ve never had an accident (the one time my car was damaged was on my first trip to Europe – the wind in Ireland slammed my car door into a metal post). However, purchasing the excess waiver may give you peace of mind, and that is important too.

Cost

The perceived cost of renting a car is often what turns visitors to public transportation. Renting a car is usually not the cheapest option, but you will be surprised how comparable it is to purchasing train tickets and train passes. The class and transmission of the car is the primary determinant of cost, and I always get the smallest car possible to keep costs low. Petrol (read: gas) is significantly more expensive in Scotland than America, and they also sell it by the liter rather than the gallon. However, cars have much better gas mileage than their American counterparts, you have shorter distances to drive in general, and the overall cost of petrol winds up being similar to a trip within the USA. It won’t break the bank. What you end paying for over public transportation is the freedom and serendipity I mentioned above.

Driving in Scotland is a pleasure. By and large, the roads are good, the drivers are good (far better than most American drivers), and the signs are good. Rent a car for your next trip to Scotland.

I’ve used Celtic Legend for my car rentals for 10 years and have no complaints. If you contact them for a car, please tell them Traveling Savage sent you. Disclosure: I receive a commission from Celtic Legend for each rental.