Book Thrifty hire cars in Edinburgh

• What are the requirements to book an Edinburgh Thrifty car hire?

  Despite the legal driving age being 17 in Edinburgh, Thrifty won't hire a car to you if you're under 21 and haven't had a licence for at least 12 months. You will be able to drive with your home licence for up to 12 months, provided it is in English. You must bring your online booking confirmation with you, and a valid form of identification. You'll need a valid debit or credit card with the main driver's name on it. If you booked online with someone else's card, the card owner must be there when collecting.

• Which Thrifty office is best to hire from?

  There are two offices available in Edinburgh and your choice of the office depends on how you arrive. If you arrive by flight, book your car hire through the airport office and collect it when you arrive. If you're driving in or taking a train, make sure you head to the Haymarket Railway Station in the city centre. The Thrifty car hire offices are located opposite the road on Haymarket Street, by the Edinburgh City Wide. Remember to book online to get the best prices.

• What are my parking options in Edinburgh?

  Edinburgh's public transport system is one of the best in the world, so if you're trying to get to the city centre, consider using one of the Park and Ride facilities on the outskirts of the city centre and taking a tram or bus into the city. In the city, on-street parking and car parks are usually paid parking options. On-street is monitored by meters, while car parks use a ticketing system. Parking in the centre of Edinburgh is the most expensive, so try and avoid this if you can.

• What is the most popular car hire from Thrifty in Edinburgh?

  Medium hire cars (Class Commercial Truck or similar) are the most frequently booked hire car types from Thrifty in Edinburgh.

• How many car hire locations does Thrifty have in Edinburgh?

  Thrifty has 0 hire locations in Edinburgh. Take a look at our Thrifty hire location map to find the best car hire near you.

• Does Thrifty have a car hire location at the airport: Turnhouse airport (EDI)?

  No (according to our data)

• Does Thrifty offer shuttle or airport pick-up services from Turnhouse airport (EDI)?

  Yes

Reviews for Thrifty in Edinburgh

Recent reviews

Traveller rating

Wonderful

1174

Very Good

528

Good

89

Okay

379

Fair

88

Mediocre

0

Poor

2380

2.0

i request few day before some information about the deposit, they told me in the cornavin agence it was 750 chf. but at the pickup location this number magically increased to 3000. The only way to reduce this oversized amount was to subscribe a very limited and expensive insurance at the pick up point. I had to cancel my booking due to this deposit amount, since it was beyond my card limit amount and i found another rental solution. I find this amount excessive for an economy car rental, i would have appreciated to receive this information in advance.Reviewed 5 May 2026

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6.0

The line to get rental was horrible. There were 5 people in front of me and it took 2 hours to get to the counter and get the carReviewed 4 May 2026

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10.0

Great car easy to drive good mileageReviewed 4 May 2026

review from

2.0

Car rental Agent was very pushy to force purchase insurance, it seems he works on commission, Also threatening me that he is charging my visa daily until the car fixed, this is The last time with ThriftyReviewed 30 Apr 2026

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10.0

Excellent customer serviceReviewed 30 Apr 2026

review from

2.0

Not being ripped off on extras I didn’t ask for, these charges forced me to ring up twice to get them removed then told when returning the car it’s not refundable so a battle but I WON Also the website and online order from did not state I must provide my driving license making me return to my sons house the return to airport after paying a $65 Uber fee.Reviewed 29 Apr 2026

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10.0

Quality of the vehicle was top notch. I don't see any reason for paying extra money by renting from those "other" more expensive companies.Reviewed 29 Apr 2026

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2.0

The employee repeatedly insisted that I take additional insurance, even though I clearly stated several times that I did not need it. In the end, I was charged $92 for insurance I did not want.Reviewed 29 Apr 2026

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2.0

I showed up and the class of vehicle I had rented was not available. The person at the front desk could not have cared less. She says I can give you another smaller vehicle or you can wait for hours.Reviewed 28 Apr 2026

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2.0

We never got the car we rented.Reviewed 23 Apr 2026

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10.0

This was by far the best car rental experience I’ve ever had. Everything was handled quickly and efficiently. There was pressure or efforts to upsell. And the return was extremely fast. I will use them again in the future and recommend them to anyone interested.Reviewed 22 Apr 2026

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4.0

The staff was professional but heavy handed on the upselling despite Thrifty shorting me the car I signed up for. Thrifty “did not have” the car I rented (RAV4) and so I got stuck with a Kia. I was told they could “try to look for one but it’s unlikely there are any.” The extra-fee/skip the line/go straight to your rental app wasn’t working. The requirement to go to the desk to check in was probably for the heavy-handed upselling of additional coverage even though I already had coverage from my own insurance (I was told it would just be easier that going through my insurance). It was all deeply annoying and underwhelming.Reviewed 22 Apr 2026

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