Car Hire at London Stansted Airport (STN)

Part of our guide to car hire in London.

How to Find Your Car Hire Desk at London Stansted Airport (STN)

• 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: London Stansted Airport is in Essex, near Bishop's Stortford, about 37 miles north-east of central London. Junction 8 of the M11 serves it.
• Where the desk is: Green Motion and U-Save list their branches at the Novotel London Stansted Hotel, Round Coppice Road, Stansted, CM24 1SF, which is off the terminal campus. For Green Motion, two listings direct arriving passengers from Arrivals to the bus and coach terminal at ground floor level, where a free shuttle to the hotel leaves from bay 18. The journey takes about 12 minutes, and you show your rental voucher to the driver. One listing adds that a meet and greet service may be arranged, subject to availability. The exact meeting point and contact number 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.
• Opening hours: The listings show the Green Motion branch open daily from 06:00 to 23:59, and one listing says the vehicle is held for four hours after your pick-up time if that falls within opening hours. No hours are published for U-Save, so confirm them in your booking confirmation. Reviews quoted on one listing describe infrequent shuttle buses, so allow extra time.
• Arriving by rail: Stansted Airport railway station is beneath the terminal, with the Stansted Express serving London Liverpool Street in about 46 minutes. Check the timetable on the day for your route.
• 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. One listing states that documents must be printed copies rather than shown on a mobile device, and that proof of address no more than four months old may be requested, so keep a recent utility bill or bank statement available.

Pick-Up, Drop-Off, and Refuelling at London Stansted Airport (STN)

• Returning the car: Return the car within the branch's opening hours shown in your booking confirmation, and confirm the drop-off instructions with the supplier at collection. One listing states that there is no key box, so plan your return for a time when the branch is open. Allow time for the shuttle back to the terminal.
• Nearest petrol stations: BP Stansted (Southgate, Stansted, CM24 1PY) and Esso Rontec Stansted (Cambridge Road, CM24 8BX) are both 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.
• 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.
• Emission zones: Stansted lies in Essex, outside Greater London, so the ULEZ does not apply at the airport. It applies once you enter a London borough, where it operates 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day. Petrol cars must meet Euro 4 and diesel cars Euro 6, and a vehicle that does not meet the standard pays £12.50 per day. Check the registration at tfl.gov.uk and ask the supplier at collection to confirm that your car meets the standard.

Top Car Hire Agencies at London Stansted Airport (STN)

Car hire at London Stansted Airport (STN) is available through Green Motion and U-Save.

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 London Stansted Airport (STN) to Key Destinations

• Bishop's Stortford — about 7 miles west, in roughly 11 minutes. The Hertfordshire market town is the nearest centre to the airport.
• Cambridge — about 30 miles north, in roughly 35 minutes, usually by the M11. The university city suits a day trip, and central parking is limited, so plan where you will leave the car.
• Colchester — about 33 miles east, in roughly 42 minutes. The route suits a day trip to the Essex garrison town.
• Central London — about 37 miles south, in roughly 56 minutes, usually by the M11. Journey times lengthen considerably at peak hours. The route enters the ULEZ and then the Congestion Charge zone, where a daily charge of £15 applies, so many visitors take the train into the centre.

If your route continues round the M25 and across the Thames, the Dart Charge applies at the Dartford Crossing on the M25 from 6am to 10pm, with cars paying £3.50 pay-as-you-go or £2.80 with a Dart Charge account, and payment is due by midnight the day after you cross. Ask the supplier at collection how the charge is handled on your vehicle.

How Payment Works for Car Hire at London Stansted Airport (STN)

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.