Using a Rental Car in the UK as an LPR in the USA

[JunkTardis 183]

Good morning all, I was wondering if LPR's had any experience hiring a car. Let me give some background info.

 

• I am a British citizen living in the USA, I have my Green Card interview in 2 days so I'll be an LPR (hopefully) by the time my UK trip comes around
• I hold a Missouri drivers license
• We have a Bank of America credit card
• We are with Geico insurance
• I am from the UK
• I want to hire a rental car in the UK
• We are going to the UK for 2 weeks over October/November

 

So long story short, can a British LPR hire a rental car in the UK using a Missouri driver's license? If so, what will I need? I have never hired a rental before in any country so I am clueless where to begin. Any help would be appreciated! 

[Crazy Cat 41,887]

***Topic moved to the United Kingdom regional discussion area***

Edited August 4, 2019 by missileman

[Wuozopo 4,293]

Do you have a British license?

I have rented every visit back to the UK. Sometimes using my UK license and passport. Last visit they asked for TX license. Call the care hire place and ask if you have doubts you can rent as a tourist. I can't see why they would refuse you.

 

The problem I always have is they  say they upgraded me and it's a bigger SUV style which is sometimes hard to squeeze into places with limited parking or narrow gate posts. 😩

Edited August 4, 2019 by Wuozopo

[JunkTardis 183]

2 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

Do you have a British license?

I have rented every visit back to the UK. Sometimes using my UK license and passport. Last visit they asked for TX license. Call the care hire place and ask if you have doubts you can rent as a tourist. I can't see why they would refuse you.

 

The problem I always have is they  say they upgraded me and it's a bigger SUV style which is sometimes hard to squeeze into places with limited parking or narrow gate posts. 😩

Yes, but expired. I don't really see a point to pay the DVLA to renew a license I'll almost never use anymore so ideally I'd prefer to use my Missouri License. I'm assuming the UK may want an International Driver's License (IDL), but that using my MO license as a tourist would be fine. 

Ideally I'd prefer not to rent, but my parents can't fit us both, them both and 2 dogs and all our luggage in the Jaguar estate either for the 3 hour drive from the airport or on the 5 hour holiday to cornwall 😂. I was planning on using Europcar as they have the best rates and they have a place I can drop it off in my hometown before departing back to the US. Hopefully they don't try giving us a giant SUV and let us just use the Astra we were looking at. 

 

So using a MO driver's license and UK passport, what else will I need to potentially prepare for beforehand? I read somewhere I needed a credit card or something similar, and I was also unfamiliar with the insurance rules. Online seems to be quite conflicting though so it's hard to get a clear picture and I'd love to avoid facing unknowns the morning I fly into Manchester 😂 

[Boiler 45,525]

UK requires you to update your license when you move and you can not use a foreign address, so a moot point anyway. No way you can legally renew your UK license, yes I realise you can lie.

[JFH 12,190]

Since you can’t legally have a UK license whilst living overseas, your MO license is the only way to go. Your Geico insurance likely won’t be valid in the UK but check the policy. Most rental companies quite an “insurance included” rate that you can select when you book. 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

1 hour ago, JunkTardis said:

I'm assuming the UK may want an International Driver's License (IDL), b

No. Why would they need a translation? Your MO license is in English. 

 

1 hour ago, JunkTardis said:

Hopefully they don't try giving us a giant SUV and let us just use the Astra we were looking at. 

It was Cornwall where we had tight parking at a holiday cottage and on some of the one lane back roads.

 

 

1 hour ago, JunkTardis said:

I was planning on using Europcar as they have the best rates and they have a place I can drop it off in my hometown before departing back to the US.

I have mostly rented at Heathrow. Pick up and drop off. Not familiar with Manchester. Usually costs more to drop off at a different location from pickup. But away from the airport for pickup/dropoff can avoid some extra fees.  I usually find the best rates going through my airline United. How are you getting back to the airport? 

 

1 hour ago, JunkTardis said:

I read somewhere I needed a credit card or something similar, a

They will want a credit card so they can collect payment for anything additional like extra days, damage, petrol or whatever may come up.  

Edited August 4, 2019 by Wuozopo

[Boiler 45,525]

US has a system where other States recognise cover bought in each other State, the UK is not a US State.

[JunkTardis 183]

20 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

No. Why would they need a translation? Your MO license is in English. 

 

It was Cornwall where we had tight parking at a holiday cottage and on some of the one lane back roads.

 

 

I have mostly rented at Heathrow. Pick up and drop off. Not familiar with Manchester. Usually costs more to drop off at a different location from pickup. But away from the airport for pickup/dropoff can avoid some extra fees.  I usually find the best rates going through my airline United. How are you getting back to the airport? 

 

They will want a credit card so they can collect payment for anything additional like extra days, damage, petrol or whatever may come up.  

Thank you! 

Oh I remember how tight the cornish roads are, but mainly I remember how expensive parking there is. Particularly around St. Ives.

 

I won't mind the differing cost for different drop-off. We were planning to probably get the train up to the airport or have a neighbour watch the doggos (they are adopted rescues with severe anxiety when left), and not have to deal with Rental Car stuff the morning of our flight since the flight departs at around 10, and it takes a good 3 ish hours to even get there from my/my parents house. I hadn't actually considered looking through the airline as I tend to just book directly through American. I'll have to take a nose and see what I can find out.

 

Gotcha, I wondered if that was why they had credit cards on file. Very helpful, thank you! 

[JunkTardis 183]

21 hours ago, JFH said:

Since you can’t legally have a UK license whilst living overseas, your MO license is the only way to go. Your Geico insurance likely won’t be valid in the UK but check the policy. Most rental companies quite an “insurance included” rate that you can select when you book. 

Gotcha, I did not actually realize that about my license. I figured it'd be through a 3rd party insurer, but I am completely new to hiring a rental car so didn't have a clue. 

[JunkTardis 183]

21 hours ago, Boiler said:

UK requires you to update your license when you move and you can not use a foreign address, so a moot point anyway. No way you can legally renew your UK license, yes I realise you can lie.

My driver's license was something I completely overlooked when I moved. I dealt with my taxes, voting stuff/electoral roll etc but completely blanked on that. To be honest, I'd rather do everything by the book and avoid deception if I can help it as lies tend to come back and bite you 😂 

[Boiler 45,525]

In the US the norm when you rent a car is that your own insurance covers it, in the UK it would be very unusual for this to be the case and you do not have any UK insurance anyway.

Edited August 5, 2019 by Boiler

[Wuozopo 4,293]

3 hours ago, JunkTardis said:

Oh I remember how tight the cornish roads are, but mainly I remember how expensive parking there is. Particularly around St. Ives.

We had free parking in Port Issac, but had to get between a stone wall on the cliff and the corner of the hotel with maybe an inch on each side to get to the parking if the front lot was filled. 

 

3 hours ago, JunkTardis said:

I hadn't actually considered looking through the airline as I tend to just book directly through American.

I was surprised when booking a flight and trying the add a rental car on the United website that they had some good offers on the major rental companies. They were better that booking directly with the agency. Worth a look to see what you find. 

 

3 hours ago, JunkTardis said:

My driver's license was something I completely overlooked when I moved. I dealt with my taxes, voting stuff/electoral roll etc but completely blanked on that. To be honest, I'd rather do everything by the book and avoid deception if I can help it as lies tend to come back and bite you 😂 

I had no clue and just used my unexpired UK license at first.  My mum had moved to that address and my mail continued to go there.  Still had my UK bank account and two credit cards.  When I used Enterprise, I already had an account with them from US rentals so they had my details and TX driver license on file already and ask to see that license.