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Edinburgh · United Kingdom

Car hire and driving in Edinburgh

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

OverviewFlightsHotelsHostelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In United Kingdom traffic drives on the left. Picking up at EDI 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 Edinburgh

Car rental from Edinburgh: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Edinburgh to DundeeUnited Kingdom59 km (37 mi)about 54 min
Edinburgh to GlasgowUnited Kingdom67 km (42 mi)about 1 h 1 min
Edinburgh to Newcastle upon TyneUnited Kingdom148 km (92 mi)about 2 h 15 min
Edinburgh to AberdeenUnited Kingdom149 km (92 mi)about 2 h 16 min
Edinburgh to SunderlandUnited Kingdom163 km (101 mi)about 2 h 29 min
Edinburgh to MiddlesbroughUnited Kingdom197 km (122 mi)about 3 h
Edinburgh to BelfastUnited Kingdom229 km (142 mi)about 3 h 30 min
Edinburgh to BlackpoolUnited Kingdom238 km (148 mi)about 3 h 37 min
Edinburgh to PrestonUnited Kingdom245 km (153 mi)about 3 h 45 min
Edinburgh to BurnleyUnited Kingdom247 km (154 mi)about 3 h 46 min
Edinburgh to BlackburnUnited Kingdom249 km (155 mi)about 3 h 48 min
Edinburgh to BradfordUnited Kingdom257 km (160 mi)about 3 h 55 min
Edinburgh to LondonUnited Kingdom534 km (332 mi)about 8 h 8 min
Edinburgh to BerlinGermany1,141 km (709 mi)about 17 h 24 min
Edinburgh to ParisFrance874 km (543 mi)about 13 h 19 min
Edinburgh to HamburgGermany886 km (550 mi)about 13 h 31 min
Edinburgh to BudapestHungary1,785 km (1,109 mi)about 27 h 13 min
Edinburgh to WarsawPoland1,623 km (1,008 mi)about 24 h 45 min
Edinburgh to ViennaAustria1,582 km (983 mi)about 24 h 7 min
Edinburgh to StockholmSweden1,314 km (816 mi)about 20 h 2 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 Edinburgh?

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.