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Reading · United Kingdom

Car hire and driving in Reading

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 LHR means 35 km (22 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 Reading

Car rental from Reading: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Reading to SloughUnited Kingdom27 km (17 mi)about 24 min
Reading to WokingUnited Kingdom32 km (20 mi)about 30 min
Reading to OxfordUnited Kingdom38 km (24 mi)about 35 min
Reading to WatfordUnited Kingdom46 km (28 mi)about 42 min
Reading to HarrowUnited Kingdom46 km (29 mi)about 42 min
Reading to SuttonUnited Kingdom55 km (34 mi)about 50 min
Reading to SwindonUnited Kingdom57 km (36 mi)about 52 min
Reading to City of WestminsterUnited Kingdom58 km (36 mi)about 53 min
Reading to LondonUnited Kingdom59 km (37 mi)about 54 min
Reading to LutonUnited Kingdom61 km (38 mi)about 55 min
Reading to IslingtonUnited Kingdom61 km (38 mi)about 56 min
Reading to CroydonUnited Kingdom61 km (38 mi)about 56 min
Reading to BerlinGermany990 km (615 mi)about 15 h 6 min
Reading to MadridSpain1,245 km (774 mi)about 19 h
Reading to RomeItaly1,475 km (917 mi)about 22 h 30 min
Reading to ParisFrance374 km (232 mi)about 5 h 42 min
Reading to HamburgGermany777 km (483 mi)about 11 h 51 min
Reading to BudapestHungary1,506 km (936 mi)about 22 h 58 min
Reading to WarsawPoland1,507 km (936 mi)about 22 h 59 min
Reading to ViennaAustria1,292 km (803 mi)about 19 h 42 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 Reading?

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 13 September 2026. Hotel 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.