Car hire prices at London Stansted Airport

For November 2026 at London Stansted Airport, a Compact car such as a Volkswagen Golf averages £30 a day when booked around a month before your trip, giving you a benchmark for your quote. A Mini car such as a Fiat 500 averages £22 a day, while an Economy car such as an Opel Corsa averages £26, both for November 2026 around a month before pickup. In the last 2 weeks, the Compact car average drops to £27 a day for November 2026. Check the price checker for your exact dates before accepting a quote well above these figures.

For November 2026 at STN, wait until the last 2 weeks for a Compact car averaging £27 a day, compared with £34 a day for a Compact car at that lead time across the year. For November 2026, a Compact car averages £30 a day around a month before your trip, so the last 2 weeks cost £3 less a day. Across all pickup months, a Compact car averages £49 a day around 9 months before your trip, compared with £34 a day in the last 2 weeks, so leaving it late has been cheaper on average. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 65% of bookings through our sites are made within a month of pickup, so booking at short notice is common beyond Stansted too.

Dollar is cheapest at London Stansted Airport for a Compact car at £32 a day on average over the last 12 months, from 535 prices, but you need a credit card. Dollar holds a typical £750 deposit and scores 88/100 from 44 reviews, so check your available credit before booking. If you need a debit card, Budget accepts one and averages £33 a day for a Compact car over the last 12 months, £1 more a day than Dollar. Budget scores 80/100 from 171 reviews and holds a typical £330 deposit.

The cheapest company can cost you a longer queue or a bigger deposit, so check the review score and desk wait beside each car in the results before you book.

Dollar and National share the best review score at London Stansted Airport, both at 88/100 from 44 and 118 reviews respectively, but Dollar has the shorter average desk wait: 13 minutes against 24 minutes. Choose Dollar if price also matters: Dollar is cheapest for a Compact car at £32 a day on average over the last 12 months, from 535 prices. National averages £48 a day for a Compact car over the last 12 months, from 1,058 prices, costing £16 more a day without a higher review score. If you are considering Avis or Keddy by Europcar instead, neither company yet has enough reviews for a score.

Review scores are CarTrawler customers' own, from the last five months; the score and the desk wait sit beside each car in the results.

At London Stansted Airport, typical deposits range from £50 with U-Save to £1,800 with Drivalia, and only 5 of the 13 checked companies take debit cards, so check your card before comparing prices. Sixt accepts a debit card for some cars only, while 7 of the 13 companies require a credit card. If you plan to use a debit card, filter for it before comparing prices and check the deposit and card rule shown beside each car. Extras charged at the desk are listed under each car with their price.

If you bring your own child seat, check your airline's rules first: most carry one free, some charge.

Two things catch people out when you hire at London Stansted Airport: deposits that only go on a credit card and fuel rules that are not full to full. 7 of the 13 desks quoting live right now at London Stansted Airport take a credit card only for the deposit.

Only 42% of prices at London Stansted Airport are full tank out, full tank back, so read the fuel line under the car before you book.

Choose a Compact car such as a Volkswagen Golf at London Stansted Airport for £30 a day on average in November 2026, around a month before your trip, if 3 bags are enough. It seats 5 but takes 3 bags, so a full car needs light luggage; an Economy car such as an Opel Corsa costs £26 a day for November 2026, around a month before your trip, but takes only 2 bags. For 4 bags, choose an Intermediate car such as a Nissan Qashqai at £34 a day for November 2026, also around a month before your trip. 58% of cars offered over the last 12 months are automatic, so you have a broad choice, but across the full price history, automatic Compact cars average £49 a day against £40 for manual Compact cars, costing £9 more a day. Electric cars account for 6% of cars offered and hybrids for 2% over the last 12 months, so filter for your preferred type rather than assuming your chosen car qualifies.