Car hire and driving in Southampton
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In United Kingdom traffic drives on the left. Picking up at LGW means 89 km (55 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 Southampton
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton to Bournemouth | United Kingdom | 39 km (24 mi) | about 36 min |
| Southampton to Basingstoke | United Kingdom | 46 km (28 mi) | about 42 min |
| Southampton to Poole | United Kingdom | 46 km (29 mi) | about 42 min |
| Southampton to Reading | United Kingdom | 68 km (43 mi) | about 1 h 3 min |
| Southampton to Worthing | United Kingdom | 73 km (45 mi) | about 1 h 7 min |
| Southampton to Woking | United Kingdom | 75 km (47 mi) | about 1 h 9 min |
| Southampton to Swindon | United Kingdom | 77 km (48 mi) | about 1 h 11 min |
| Southampton to Bath | United Kingdom | 85 km (53 mi) | about 1 h 18 min |
| Southampton to Slough | United Kingdom | 88 km (55 mi) | about 1 h 20 min |
| Southampton to Crawley | United Kingdom | 89 km (55 mi) | about 1 h 21 min |
| Southampton to Brighton | United Kingdom | 89 km (55 mi) | about 1 h 22 min |
| Southampton to High Wycombe | United Kingdom | 93 km (58 mi) | about 1 h 25 min |
| Southampton to London | United Kingdom | 112 km (69 mi) | about 1 h 42 min |
| Southampton to Berlin | Germany | 1,035 km (643 mi) | about 15 h 47 min |
| Southampton to Madrid | Spain | 1,180 km (733 mi) | about 17 h 59 min |
| Southampton to Rome | Italy | 1,459 km (907 mi) | about 22 h 15 min |
| Southampton to Paris | France | 352 km (219 mi) | about 5 h 23 min |
| Southampton to Hamburg | Germany | 829 km (515 mi) | about 12 h 39 min |
| Southampton to Budapest | Hungary | 1,527 km (949 mi) | about 23 h 18 min |
| Southampton to Warsaw | Poland | 1,550 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
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 Southampton?
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.