Car Rental in Inverness: The Gateway to the Highlands
While Inverness has long been known as the commerce capital of the northern United Kingdom, it increasingly attracts more and more visitors each year who want to see more of Scotland than just Edinburgh. While the city centre is better navigated by foot, auto hire is an excellent way to explore Inverness’s immediate and more distant surroundings. There are a lot of beautiful natural sights just out of the city, including Culloden, Loch Ness, and Cairngorms National Park. Follow the tips on this website to find the best car rental in Inverness.
Left-Hand Driving in Inverness
- When you rent your car in Inverness, remember that traffic drives on the left-hand side of the road.
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Rental cars are available in four locations throughout Inverness:
- Downtown
- Inverness Airport (INV)
- The Railway Station
- The Thistle Hotel
Car hire in Inverness typically starts at around €25 a day.
Tips for Cheap Car Hire in Inverness
- Typically, the cheapest location to rent a car in Inverness is at the Inverness Airport (INV), where internationally renowned auto hire companies like Enterprise and Keddy typically offer cars for under €30 a day year-round.
- You can also find economy rental cars in Inverness at the Inverness Railway Station, where EuropCar also keeps daily auto hire prices around €30 a day.
- To make sure you can rent a car for €30 a day or less, be sure to book your car hire at least two weeks to one month in advance of your arrival.
- Keep an eye out for EconomyBookings.com discounts that make car hire in Inverness, Scotland even cheaper!
Key Things to Remember After You Pick Up Your Cheap Rental Car in Inverness, Scotland
- Language: English and Scottish Gaelic
- Currency: British Pound Sterling
- Time Zone: Greenwich Mean Time, UTC+0
- Speed limits in Inverness:
- As in other cities across Scotland, the speed limits throughout Inverness’s city centre are being reduced to 20 miles per hour, though some streets that see more traffic will remain at 30 to 40 miles per hour.
- Highway: 60 to 70 miles per hour
- Parking in Inverness:
- Street parking in Inverness is regulated by time and fee, typically costing £1.00 for 1 to 3 hours. On each street where paying for parking is required, you will buy a ticket at a ticketing machine and display your ticket in your car. Typically, you must use coins to pay for parking. On a number of streets, including Address, Castle, and Huntley Streets, you can park for 15 minutes for free.
- There are numerous parking garages throughout the city, as well, and they are routinely inexpensive. Only the Rose Street Multi-Storey Car Park costs more than £5.00 a day. You can park at the Portland Place Car Park for £4.00 a day.
- There are no toll roads in Scotland.
- Particularly when driving on rural roads in the north of Scotland, be wary of farm animals and wildlife that may cross the road. Crossings are most typical at dawn and at dusk.
The minimum driving age in Scotland is 17, but most car hire companies will require that you are at least 21—if not 23—years of age in order to rent a car. Drivers under the age of 25 are likely to be required to pay young-driver surcharges.