Car Hire at Cardiff Airport
If you are planning your journey to or from Cardiff Airport then you can organise your car hire, both self drive and chauffeur driven, here at the Cardiff Airport Guide. Car hire is a great option for travellers as there is no restriction on baggage, it is more reliable than public transport and you can split the cost between all passengers.
Having a car means you can drive the 12 miles to Cardiff City Centre, or perhaps venture deeper into Wales to see the scenic beaches of the Mumbles in Swansea or Pembrokeshire. Wales is a beautiful country and hiring a car means you can make the most of your time in Wales and visit places which you cannot access by public transport.
There are 5 car hire providers located at Cardiff Airport and you can find their desks inside the terminal. Their pick up and drop off locations are near the short stay car park and to find them follow signs for car hire.
Direct Bookings
| Provider | Phone | Website | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | + 44 (0) 208 564 3500 | www.europcar.co.uk |  | ||
 | + 44 (0) 870 400 4581 | www.nationalcar.co.uk | | ||
 | + 44 (0) 844 544 6007 | www.avis.co.uk |  | | |
 | + 44 (0) 870 846 0006 | www.hertz.co.uk | | ||
 | + 44 (0) 870 400 4562 | www.alamo.co.uk | |
Compare Car Hire
Comparison sites can collect information from all of the car hire providers at Cardiff Airport and show you who is the cheapest in seconds. They are a great way of seeing who provides the best price and they save you both time and money.
Car Hire Centre
The Car Hire Centre provides you a quote for the cheapest car hire at Cardiff Airport absolutely free. The site save their visitors an average of £30 per rental so they are worth checking out to see if you could save some pounds.
If you do not want to get a quote online you can call them on +44 (0)844 816 0099 and get a quote over the phone.
holiday autos
holiday autos also compare car hire from a whole selection of providers.
Map of Cardiff Car Hire Locations
Information for Under 25's
You can hire a car if you are under the age of 25 but each car hire provider has a different minimum age which they usually have on their website. Young drivers can usually only hire the basic vehicle group which would be small cars. On top of this, young drivers may have to pay a young driver’s surcharge. This charge is added to each day of your rental and the amount varies for providers and countries.
Here are the minimum age requirements to hire the most basic vehicle group for each provider at Cardiff Airport:
- Europcar: Drivers must be over 21. Drivers aged 21-22 will pay a young driver’s surcharge.
- National: Drivers must be over 21. Drivers aged 21-24 will be required to pay a young driver’s surcharge.
- Alamo: Drivers must be over 21. Drivers aged 21-24 will pay a young driver’s surcharge.
- Hertz: Drivers must be over 19. Drivers under 25 will pay young driver’s surcharge. Hertz offer students student discounts for both van and car hire. Click here for more information.
- Avis: Drivers must be over 23. Drivers under 25 will need to pay young driver’s surcharge.
Other providers may have different age requirements which you can find out about on their website.
Documents Needed
To collect your car from Cardiff Airport you will need to present your car hire provider with some specific documents. These documents will include your photo ID driving license, the paper counterpart of your license, proof of identification which is not your driving license (such as your passport) and a valid credit card. A photocopy of any of these documents would not be accepted. Try to remember to keep these items on you or in your hand luggage. Do not leave these documents in your cabin baggage as if something were to happen to your luggage such as it got lost or delayed then you would not have the documents you need to hire a car and your car hire would be cancelled.
Insurance
Insurance is not included in your car hire. Although your car hire policy may include Collision Damage Waiver and Theft Waiver which is supposed to cover you if the car is damaged or broken into, this does not cover the excess you may need to pay. Car hire providers can charge you up to £2,000 excess if your car is damaged or broken into. You can avoid this charge though if you bought car hire excess insurance. This can be bought from specialist car hire excess insurance providers or from the car hire providers directly and it mean you will not have to pay the excess if something out of your control happened to the vehicle during your rental.
Tips
When you hire a car from providers please remember these tips when booking your vehicle and during your rental:
- Pre pay for your booking when you book it as this can be considerably cheaper than paying at the location when you collect your car.
- When you collect your car check it for any damage and report any damage to the provider before you leave the forecourt to avoid being charged for the damage when you return the vehicle.
- Check if the car is a Petrol or Diesel car as it may be different to what you are used to.
- Check what to do and where to park the car when you return the vehicle.
- Drive safely and try to avoid damaging or scratching the car.
- Do not speed, any driving offenses will be your responsibility.
- Try not to be late returning your vehicle as this may result in being charged for an additional day’s car hire. Some car hire providers offer a 59 minute grace period but you would need to check with the provider their policy on this.
- Return the vehicle with the same amount of fuel as when you received the car to avoid excessive fuel charges.
If you follow these tips you will save yourself both money and hassle. You can learn more car hire advice here.
Airport Surcharge
You may notice on your car hire policy that if you are hiring from an airport location an Airport Surcharge has been added. This charge is added because car hire providers are charged by the airport to use their location and car hire providers pass this charge onto their customers which they refer to as an airport surcharge. This charge should only be small but you can speak to your car hire provider if you would like more information.
One Way Hire
One Way Hire is a hire where you collect your car hire from one of the provider’s locations and drop it off at one of their different locations. Most car hire providers offer this service. Alamo, National and Europcar provide a special one way hire service for airports which they call Airport Connect. This service means if you are trying to get to the airport you can collect your vehicle at a local branch and drop it off at the airport. Alternatively you can pick up your car hire from the airport branch and drop it off at a local branch if you are trying to get from the airport. This form of transport can often be cheaper and more direct than public transport. Airport Connect is from only £49. Europcar offer Airport Connect for Cardiff Airport Guide visitors from only £45. For more information including T & click on the Europcar image on the right.
Cardiff Airport Car Hire Providers
At Cardiff Airport there are 5 car hire providers to choose from. To help you select which provider would offer the best service for you we have collated all of the information about each provider. This information includes the cost of an additional driver, disabled driver options, additional extras and much more. Scroll down to find out about the providers.
Provider Extras
Each provider at Cardiff Airport offers different optional extras. This table shows you what is available at Cardiff Airport.
| Child Seats | Satellite Navigation | Hire via Phone App. | Disabled Driver Hand Controls | Entertainment systems | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Opening Hours
The opening hours for Europcar are as follow:
- Mon-Fri: 08:00-22:00
- Sat: 08:00-16:00
- Sun: 13:00-21.30
For picking up or dropping off your car hire outside these times you will need to contact Europcar directly.
Minimum age of hire
You must be over 21 to hire a car with Europcar at Cardiff Airport. The young driver’s surcharge is £13 per rental day.
Price of additional driver
If you want to add drivers to your booking the price for Europcar starts from £4.99 per rental day.
Airport Connect
Europcar provide their customers with a one way car rental service to or from the airport which is called Airport Connect. Although the price for Airport Connect usually starts from £49 visitors to the Cardiff Airport Guide can get it for £45. Click here to make the most of this exclusive deal.
Services for disabled drivers
Europcar will do their best to add any features to your vehicle to make it more comfortable and easier for you. To find out what extras they can add or to request extras please call 0870 384 1087 or email Reservationsuk@mail.europcar.com. Make sure to contact them 48 hours before your booking is due to start to give them enough time to fit the controls.
Opening Hours
The opening hours for National is as follows:
- Mon-Fri: 08:00-22:00
- Sat: 08:00-16:00
- Sun: 13:00-21:30
For hire outside these times you should contact National Car directly.
Minimum age of hire
Drivers must be over the age of 21 to hire a car with National Car at Cardiff Airport. The young driver’s surcharge applies for drivers aged 21-24 and drivers in this age group can only hire Mini and Economy group cars.
Price to add and additional driver
You can add drivers to your booking with National Car if you desire, the cost starts from £6.50 per day.
Airport Connect
You can hire a car one way to or from the airport with National Car from £49. National Car call this service Airport Connect and you can find out more on their website.
Drivers with disabilities
National Car aim to do everything possible to make your drive as comfortable as possible. To do this they will add extras such as Lynx hand controls at no additional charge. To find out more or request additional features are added to your car hire call National Car directly on (888) 273-5262 or email mobility@nationalcar.com.
Opening Hours
The opening hours for Hertz at Cardiff Airport are as follows:
- Monday-Friday: 08:00-21:30
- Saturday: 08:00-12:00
- Sunday: 16:00-20:00
You can hire car out of hours by calling 08708 44 88 44 and making your reservation over the phone.
Minimum age of hire
You can hire a car with Hertz from Cardiff Airport if you are over the age of 19 but all drivers aged under 25 will need to pay the young driver’s surcharge which is about £15.75 per day.
Price to add an additional driver
If you need to add drivers to your booking then the charge starts at £9 per day for each additional driver.
Services for physically challenged drivers
Extra features can be added to your Hertz booking at no additional charge for physically challenged drivers. All Hertz require is 24 hours notice prior to the start of the rental to ensure they have time to fit the features. To request these features or find out more you will need to call Hertz on 0870 840 0084.
Opening Hours
The opening hours for Avis at Cardiff are as follows:
- Monday- Friday: 08:30-21:30
- Saturday: 08:30-12:30
- Sunday:12:00-20:00
Avis at Cardiff Airport offer out of hours return.
Minimum age of hire
To hire a car from Cardiff airport with Avis you will need to be over 23. The young driver’s surcharge of £12.93 per day is added to your booking if you are between the age of 23 and 25.
Cost of additional driver
It costs about £9 per rental day for each driver you would like to add to your booking.
Disabled Driver Contact Details
Avis offer the option to add extras to vehicles if you are a disabled driver. If you need features fitted to the vehicle you will need to call Avis at least 48 hours before the start of your booking on 08445 81 81 81.
What to do out of hours
The opening hours of Alamo at Cardiff Airport are as follows:
- Mon-Fri: 08:00-22:00
- Mon-Fri: 08:00-22:00
- Sun: 13:00-21:30
If you need car hire outside these times you will need to speak with Alamo directly.
Minimum age of hire
To hire a car with Alamo at Cardiff Airport you need to be over the age of 21. All drivers under 24 will be require to pay the young driver’s surcharge payment which is applied to each rental day.
Cost of additional driver
You can add drivers to your Alamo booking if your wish but you will be charged £5.83 per day for doing so.
Refuelling options
To avoid the charge for fuel from Alamo you should try and return you vehicle with the same amount of fuel as when you received it.