Somerset car rentals

While public transport in the UK is good, the volume of places you might want to visit in Somerset is very large. Travelling by bus or train will eat into your time and keep you on the most popular routes only. If you really want to explore the region and discover your own version of Somerset at your own pace, then a hire car is ideal. Driving is also very well catered for with plenty of parking in and around tourist attractions. Somerset is also a great location for agri-tourism, and reaching attractions like working farms, country houses or Somerset orchards could be difficult without a car.

Road conditions in Somerset are generally very good. The main motorway cutting through the county from north-east to south-west is the M5. It links the midlands with the south-west of the UK and runs from West Bromwich to Exeter in Devon. This is the route to take if you want to get to parts of Somerset quickly but, of course, most people will want to travel on the more rural roads, closer to picturesque places. The B3135, for example, is considered by many to be one of the most enjoyable for tourists as it winds its way through Mendip Hills. These are a range of limestone hills that you’ll find south of Bristol and Bath, and they often top the lists of driving tourists. They have excellent hiking routes, the starting point for which is often best reached by car.

The minimum age to hire a car in the UK varies by company. For example, Enterprise requires drivers to be 25 years old and only drivers who are over the age of 30 can hire MPVs or four-wheel drives. Other companies, like Avis or Hertz, will charge a surcharge for anyone under the age of 25, and the minimum age is 23. You can hire a car on a UK or EU licence, but if your driving licence is written in a script other than Latin (such as Cyrillac or Arabic) then you will need an international driving permit also.

Standard (Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cargo or similar) is the most frequently booked rental car type in Somerset.

Take a look at our extensive car rental location map to find the best rental cars near you.