Tips and things to watch out for when hiring a car in Scotland

[LittleEmily]

I’m planning a trip to Scotland with my family and we’re thinking of renting a car to get around, as it seems like the best way to explore properly.
Just wondering if anyone has any tips or experiences with car hire in Scotland? Anything to watch out for in terms of insurance excess, deposits problem, or just driving in general?
And if you have any general travel tips or recommendations for Scotland, that would be really appreciated too.

Select your car hire from a comparison site such as travel supermarket.
take out a separate excess insurance policy and ensure you have enough credit on the credit card of the named driver. They can put a deposit of 2 to 3k on your credit card.
Read all the terms and conditions of the booking.
I have damaged a hire car and the company took part of the deposit. I got every penny back through the separate insurance I took out.

What @Thingcanonlygetbetter said (although I've not actually needed to use the separate insurance). If you want an automatic, make sure you specifically book one, or you're very likely to get a manual.

Don't drive in Edinburgh, the city really isn't set up for it. Much better to use public transport. Personally, I'd do the same for Glasgow, but Glasgow is a bit easier for cars than Edinburgh. If you're going to remote areas, be prepared for single track roads and passing places.

Yes very good point. A car is completely unnecessary in Edinburgh. I went to
work there for a week and hired a car. Complete waste of money. Public transport was way easier.

On single carriageway and narrow roads, be aware of traffic building behind you and be prepared to pull over into a lay-by or passing place to allow other traffic to pass.

The drink driving limit is lower than in England if that's where you live.

Learn how to use passing places correctly if you're driving on rural roads, if you don't already - please!!!
YY to using public transport in Edinburgh or Glasgow
Don't stop in random plsces to take photos of the scenery
Remember if you're driving in very rural or remote areas to make sure you have a plenty of petrol - filling stations can often be quite far apart

A lot really depends where you plan to go. Driving tips for Glasgow will be quite different from the Isle of Mull.

Where are you going?
Scotland is big place!

Same as any car rental really, take photos of any dents/ scratches before you leave and get them noted with the car hire company (especially wheels!)

All of the above is relevant.

Passing places on single track road

if someone is behind you, pull in to let them overtake

don’t park in them. Not even for a quick photo

make sure you can reverse back into one

remember that the countryside is beautiful but people still need to work and being late for a medical appointment because you are stuck behind tourists is not nice

Many roads have sections of dual carriageway - don’t assume it’s dual because it was earlier - that’s how may crashes are happening

distances are long if your average speed is 30mph

if you head north - fill up when you can even if you don’t need it then

Arnold Clark are usually highly recommended for rentals

All of what @itsthetea said but especially:

Many roads have sections of dual carriageway - don’t assume it’s dual because it was earlier - that’s how many crashes are happening

Some main roads switch repeatedly between dual and single carriageway along their length. The A9 and A96, for example are notorious and the dual sections are often surprisingly short, it can be easy for the unwary to find themselves overtaking in an outside lane that suddenly disappears and they've nowhere to go.

Also be aware that some roads have average speed cameras that track the time taken from one camera to the next.e.g. A9 and A90 .

I went up to Glasgow and hired a car from Hertz and nearly didn't get it as I "failed" the identity check. They seem to .use a credit check type process to confirm name and address, but as I am only a secondary cardholder on my husbands credit cars and do not have a mortgage it proved very hard to convince them who I was. Had not changed address in 20 years and on electoral role, so not those. Certainly a lot hotter on this kind of stuff since I last hired a car approx 10 years ago