Car Hire at Edinburgh Airport (EDI)

Part of our guide to car hire in Edinburgh.

How to Find Your Car Hire Desk at Edinburgh Airport (EDI)

• 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 airport is: Edinburgh Airport sits at Ingliston, about 8 miles west of the city centre, beside the junction of the M8 and M9 motorways. The A8 runs past the entrance.
• Where the desk is: Green Motion and U-Save list their branch at Secure Airparks, 100 Ingliston Road, Ingliston, Edinburgh, EH28 8AU, and one listing does not make clear whether this is on or off the airport site. Surprice describes its cars as collected at the airport, without a published desk address. The exact meeting point and any transfer arrangement for your hire are shown on your booking voucher, which is the definitive source, so check it before you travel and follow it on arrival. Do not assume a desk in the terminal unless your voucher says so.
• Opening hours: The Green Motion and U-Save listings show the branch open 07:00 to 22:00 every day. Surprice hours are shown on your voucher. Choose a flight that lands comfortably inside the hours for your supplier, and confirm them in your booking confirmation.
• Arriving by tram or bus: The airport has its own tram stop, and trams reach St Andrew Square in about 35 minutes, running every 7 to 10 minutes from about 06:30 to 22:50. The Airlink 100 bus runs around the clock and reaches Waverley Bridge in about 30 minutes. There is no rail station at the airport, and the nearest, Edinburgh Gateway, connects to the trams.
• What to bring: The main driver should carry 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 Edinburgh Airport (EDI)

• Returning the car: Return the car within your 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 these branches, so ask at collection what arrangement applies if your flight falls outside the hours.
• Nearest petrol stations: BP Ingliston (Glasgow Road, Newbridge, EH28 8NA) and BP Newbridge (1 Clifton Hall Road, EH28 8PW) are both listed as open 24 hours a day. Refuel before you return the car, and allow time to do so before your 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.
• Before you drive away: Photograph the vehicle thoroughly at collection and again at return, including all four sides, the wheels, the windscreen and the interior. Dated photographs give you a clear record of the condition you received.
• Low Emission Zone: Edinburgh's Low Emission Zone covers a large area of the city centre, and full enforcement began on 1 June 2024. Petrol cars must meet Euro 4 or above and diesel cars must meet Euro 6. Cameras read number plates, and the first penalty for a non-compliant vehicle is £60, rising with repeat entries to £480 for a car. Check the registration on your booking confirmation at lowemissionzones.scot before you drive into the centre, and ask the supplier at collection how any penalty is handled.

Top Car Hire Agencies at Edinburgh Airport (EDI)

Car hire at Edinburgh Airport (EDI) is available through Green Motion, U-Save Car Rental and Surprice Mobility.

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 Edinburgh Airport (EDI) to Key Destinations

• Edinburgh city centre — about 8 miles east along the A8, in roughly 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic. The centre sits inside the Low Emission Zone and its car parks are limited, so many visitors take the tram into the city and keep the car for the countryside.
• Stirling — about 31 miles north-west via the M9, in roughly 36 minutes. The motorway starts beside the airport, which makes Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument an easy first day.
• Glasgow — about 40 miles west along the M8, in roughly 43 minutes. The motorway joins directly at the airport junction.
• North Berwick — about 34 miles east via the A720 city bypass and the A1, in roughly 42 minutes. The coastal town in East Lothian is home to the Scottish Seabird Centre, with Tantallon Castle nearby.
• St Andrews — about 48 miles north across the Forth, in roughly 1 hour 5 minutes. The route crosses the Queensferry Crossing into Fife, and parking in the town is limited, so check the university's parking map before you travel.

How Payment Works for Car Hire at Edinburgh Airport (EDI)

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.