Car Hire at Crawley Downtown

Part of our guide to car hire in Crawley.

How to Find Your Car Hire Desk at Crawley Downtown

• Book through eCarBookers first: Your booking confirmation from eCarBookers locks in your price and your vehicle class before you arrive. You pay the balance at the desk on collection, and the terms confirmed at booking are the terms you receive. Always confirm your hire in advance to guarantee your price from the moment you collect the keys.
• Where the branch is: The supplier lists its Crawley branch at Gatwick Business Park, Kennel Lane, Hookwood, Horley, RH6 0AY. The address is in Hookwood, about 4 miles from Crawley town centre and about 1.5 miles from Gatwick Airport, so the branch is a business park rather than a town centre office.
• How to reach it: The supplier asks customers to make their own way to the business park by car, taxi or other road transport, and the drive from the airport takes about 5 minutes. The Metrobus Fastway 10 also links the airport with the business park, and the nearest railway station is Horley.
• Where the desk is: The supplier describes a rental desk, with a member of staff who takes you to your car. The exact meeting point for your hire is shown on your booking voucher, which is the definitive source, so check it before you travel and follow it on arrival.
• Opening hours: One listing shows the branch open 07:00 to 19:00 every day, and the supplier's own page lists no hours. Choose a journey that arrives comfortably inside those hours, and confirm the hours for your date in your booking confirmation.
• At collection: You complete a Vehicle Condition Report at pick-up, so allow time to walk around the car with the supplier before you sign. Photograph the vehicle thoroughly as well, including all four sides, the wheels, the windscreen and the interior.
• What to bring: The main driver should carry the booking details, a valid driving licence, photo identification and a credit card in their own name with a limit high enough to cover the excess hold. Visitors from outside the UK should also carry their passport and, where required, an international driving permit.

Pick-Up, Drop-Off, and Refuelling at Crawley Downtown

• Returning the car: Return the car within the branch's listed hours, and follow the return instructions on your booking voucher. A key drop box for out-of-hours returns has not been confirmed for this branch, so ask at collection what arrangement applies if your plans fall outside those hours.
• Nearest petrol stations: Tesco Gatwick (Reigate Road, Hookwood, RH6 0AT) is open 24 hours a day. Esso on Povey Cross Road (RH6 0AD) is also listed as open 24 hours a day. Refuel before you return the car, and allow time to do so before the branch closes.
• Fuel policy: Confirm the fuel type shown on your booking confirmation before you refuel, and ask at collection which fuel policy applies to your hire, so that you return the car as the supplier expects.
• Gatwick traffic: The M23 is the main access route to Gatwick Airport, and it is quieter south of the airport than north of it. Allow extra time on the approach roads at peak hours and around flight arrival times.
• London zones: The branch is outside London's ULEZ and Congestion Charge zones, so neither applies here. If your route continues into Greater London, check Transport for London's rules before you cross the boundary.

Top Car Hire Agencies at Crawley Downtown

Car hire at Crawley Downtown is available through Green Motion.

Every booking through eCarBookers shows the excess amount and full price before you confirm, and the balance is paid on arrival at the desk. Optional extras — such as additional drivers, supplemental tyre and glass cover, child seats, or out-of-hours fees — may be available at the desk if required.

Getting from Crawley Downtown to Key Destinations

• Nymans — about 5 miles south on the A23, in roughly 10 minutes. Follow the brown signs from the A23 to RH17 6EB. The National Trust garden is Grade II* listed, with rare plants, ancient woodland with a lake and cascades, and the ruins of a house remodelled in the 1920s and partly destroyed by fire in 1947. The car park is free and opens at 9:00am.
• Wakehurst — about 8 to 10 miles east, in roughly 15 minutes. Leave the M23 at junction 10, turn onto the A264 and then the B2028 through Turners Hill, and use RH17 6TN. Follow the signs rather than the satnav, because the satnav may direct you to the wrong entrance. Parking is free for general admission.
• Hever Castle — about 17 miles east, in roughly 30 minutes. Take junction 10 of the M23 and follow the signs, and use TN8 7NG. The castle stands in the village of Hever, off the B2026 between Sevenoaks and East Grinstead. Parking is free, with more than one car park, and staff direct you on arrival.
• Brighton — about 22 miles south via the A23, in roughly 30 minutes. South of junction 11 the A23 continues as a high-quality dual carriageway to the A27 at Brighton. Read the signage at the car park entrance in Brighton before you leave the car.

How Payment Works for Car Hire at Crawley Downtown

Payment is made in two steps. A rental prepayment confirms your booking online, with Instant Confirmation from the supplier. You then pay the balance directly to the supplier on arrival, when you collect the car.

The price and vehicle class shown at booking are the terms you receive at the desk. Because the full rental amount is not charged at the time of booking, you keep flexibility if your plans change, and cancellation is free.

The supplier may place an excess hold on the main driver's credit card at collection, so check that the card in the driver's name has enough available limit. The amount is shown in your booking confirmation.