Conventional wisdom says airport car hire is more expensive than picking up in the city centre. And often, it is — airport locations charge a surcharge (typically 10–15% of the base rate) to cover the concession fees they pay to operate inside terminal buildings. But the full picture is more nuanced, and for many travellers, airport collection still works out cheaper once all factors are considered.
The airport surcharge — what you're actually paying
Major airports charge rental companies significant concession fees to operate on-site. At Heathrow, for example, rental companies pay a percentage of revenue to the airport authority. This cost is passed to customers as an "airport concession recovery fee" or simply baked into the base rate for airport locations.
The surcharge typically adds 10–20% to the pre-tax rental rate. On a $254 weekly rental, that's $25–40 extra. Meaningful, but not always the deciding factor.
When airport collection wins on total cost
Add up all the costs before deciding:
- Transfer costs — getting from the airport to a city-centre pick-up location. At London Heathrow, the Tube to central London is $8.50. At CDG Paris, the RER is €12.10. At Sydney, the train to the CBD is AU$19.60. These costs recur on return too.
- Time cost — picking up in the city means arriving at the airport, transferring to the city, finding the hire office, collecting the car, and then navigating out of the city to start your actual trip. This can add 2–4 hours to your travel day.
- City parking — if you're picking up a city-centre car and not starting your trip immediately, you'll likely pay city parking rates while you sightsee.
When city centre pick-up wins
- You're spending days in the city before your road trip — if you're spending 3 days in Paris before driving south, pick up the car on the day you leave. No point paying for a car you don't need yet, and city parking during a city stay is expensive.
- Cheap public transport from airport to city — at destinations with excellent, cheap, fast airport rail links (Tokyo, Singapore, Amsterdam), the transfer cost is low enough that city hire makes sense.
- Very long rentals — the 15% airport surcharge compounds significantly on a 3-week rental. On a $762 rental, that's $114 extra — enough to justify a train transfer.
- Specific vehicle requirements — city-centre branches sometimes have better stock of unusual vehicles (people carriers, specific SUVs) that airport fleets have allocated to advance bookings.
The off-airport middle ground
Many hire companies operate "off-airport" locations — technically near the airport but not inside the terminal building, accessible by a 5–10 minute shuttle. These locations charge a smaller surcharge than terminal desks (or none at all) while maintaining the convenience of airport proximity. Always check if your preferred supplier has an off-airport option when comparing prices.
By destination: a quick guide
- Malaga: Airport almost always wins — the city centre is very small and transfers are expensive relative to the surcharge.
- Paris CDG: City centre worth considering only if you're spending multiple days in Paris first. The RER transfer is affordable but slow.
- Sydney: Airport usually cheaper in total — the train to the CBD is expensive and slow.
- Amsterdam Schiphol: City centre can win — the train is 17 minutes and extremely cheap. But city parking will negate the saving if you need to park.
- Edinburgh: Airport wins — the airport is well-located for departing north or south, and the city centre adds unnecessary complexity.
How to compare fairly
When using Best Car Hire's search tool, you can search both "Edinburgh Airport" and "Edinburgh City Centre" as pick-up locations and directly compare the results including total price. The cheapest option for your specific dates, supplier and vehicle type will be immediately clear.