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Birmingham · United Kingdom

Car hire and driving in Birmingham

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In United Kingdom traffic drives on the left. Picking up at BHX means 11 km (7 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3086706.

Drives from Birmingham

Car rental from Birmingham: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Birmingham to CoventryUnited Kingdom28 km (17 mi)about 25 min
Birmingham to WorcesterUnited Kingdom39 km (24 mi)about 36 min
Birmingham to Burton upon TrentUnited Kingdom40 km (25 mi)about 37 min
Birmingham to TelfordUnited Kingdom43 km (27 mi)about 39 min
Birmingham to LeicesterUnited Kingdom55 km (34 mi)about 50 min
Birmingham to DerbyUnited Kingdom57 km (35 mi)about 52 min
Birmingham to Stoke-on-TrentUnited Kingdom61 km (38 mi)about 56 min
Birmingham to Newcastle under LymeUnited Kingdom62 km (38 mi)about 57 min
Birmingham to CheltenhamUnited Kingdom66 km (41 mi)about 1 h
Birmingham to GloucesterUnited Kingdom72 km (45 mi)about 1 h 6 min
Birmingham to NottinghamUnited Kingdom73 km (45 mi)about 1 h 7 min
Birmingham to NorthamptonUnited Kingdom74 km (46 mi)about 1 h 7 min
Birmingham to LondonUnited Kingdom163 km (101 mi)about 2 h 29 min
Birmingham to BerlinGermany1,034 km (643 mi)about 15 h 46 min
Birmingham to MadridSpain1,349 km (838 mi)about 20 h 34 min
Birmingham to RomeItaly1,598 km (993 mi)about 24 h 22 min
Birmingham to ParisFrance502 km (312 mi)about 7 h 40 min
Birmingham to HamburgGermany803 km (499 mi)about 12 h 15 min
Birmingham to BudapestHungary1,589 km (988 mi)about 24 h 14 min
Birmingham to WarsawPoland1,550 km (963 mi)about 23 h 38 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Auto EuropeA broker specialising in Europe, often with clearer all-in pricing for US renters.Get European rates on Auto Europe (opens www.autoeurope.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Birmingham?

The left, as everywhere in United Kingdom.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.