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What's The Cheapest Isle of Wight Car Hire Company? (2026 Guide)
Here’s our guide to the cheapest place to hire a car on an Isle of Wight holiday. This guide also covers whether it’s cheaper to hire a car or to bring your own car to the Isle of Wight.
Car hire prices fluctuate somewhat, so our price comparison is only really a snapshot. For our price comparison we looked in December 2025 at the cost of hiring a small car for a week in August 2026. Keep in mind that some car hire places only open for half days on weekends so they work better for a Friday or Monday arrival.
We looked for the price of the cheapest car available, for a driver aged 30+. That tends to be a very small car, which may result in you driving with your knees up against your shoulders.
We didn’t include the cost of deposits or the cost of the ferry as a foot passenger. We did include the cost of a Collision Damage Waiver or similar.
Some companies will come to you (for a fee) but otherwise you'll probably be paying for the bus (currently £3 per journey). We didn't include this in the total cost.
Review scores and prices are correct at the time of writing.
From cheapest to most expensive:
Car hire prices fluctuate somewhat, so our price comparison is only really a snapshot. For our price comparison we looked in December 2025 at the cost of hiring a small car for a week in August 2026. Keep in mind that some car hire places only open for half days on weekends so they work better for a Friday or Monday arrival.
We looked for the price of the cheapest car available, for a driver aged 30+. That tends to be a very small car, which may result in you driving with your knees up against your shoulders.
We didn’t include the cost of deposits or the cost of the ferry as a foot passenger. We did include the cost of a Collision Damage Waiver or similar.
Some companies will come to you (for a fee) but otherwise you'll probably be paying for the bus (currently £3 per journey). We didn't include this in the total cost.
Review scores and prices are correct at the time of writing.
From cheapest to most expensive:
A nice photo of Tennyson Down to jazz up a boring guide to Isle of Wight car hire prices
1. Enterprise, Newport
Price: £137 (including Damage Waiver)
Enterprise in Newport is the only big-name car hire company with a presence on the Isle of Wight.
They tend to offer the best value if you book long in advance (as we did). Closer to the time, you may find they aren't the cheapest compared to the local companies that have fixed prices.
The cheapest car was Toyota Aygo or similar. That included ‘unlimited mileage’ and a ‘damage waiver’.
The hire pickup point is in Newport, so you’ll need to pay for the bus fare and then walk for 5 minutes.
However, the website does say that they can ‘arrange a free pick-up from one of the Island’s many points of interest if you require assistance collecting your rental car’. I haven’t tested this out myself.
Enterprise Isle of Wight scores 4/5 on Google reviews.
They tend to offer the best value if you book long in advance (as we did). Closer to the time, you may find they aren't the cheapest compared to the local companies that have fixed prices.
The cheapest car was Toyota Aygo or similar. That included ‘unlimited mileage’ and a ‘damage waiver’.
The hire pickup point is in Newport, so you’ll need to pay for the bus fare and then walk for 5 minutes.
However, the website does say that they can ‘arrange a free pick-up from one of the Island’s many points of interest if you require assistance collecting your rental car’. I haven’t tested this out myself.
Enterprise Isle of Wight scores 4/5 on Google reviews.
2. Leslie’s Kia Rental, Cowes
Price: £215 (including £50 for the Collision Damage Waiver)
The Leslie’s Kia garage has the advantage of being within walking distance of the foot passenger ferry from Southampton. Well, it’s walking distance if you are pretty determined and don’t mind a bus or a 40 minute walk on a pavement alongside a main road.
The car we found was a Kia Picanto, which is big enough for four people (although perhaps not if those four people were Greg Davies, Richard Osman, Peter Crouch and Shaquille O'Neal).
The price includes a collision damage waiver. You also have to cough up a £250 deposit.
Leslie's Kia scores 4.7/5 on Google reviews, but that includes the sales side of the company as well.
The car we found was a Kia Picanto, which is big enough for four people (although perhaps not if those four people were Greg Davies, Richard Osman, Peter Crouch and Shaquille O'Neal).
The price includes a collision damage waiver. You also have to cough up a £250 deposit.
Leslie's Kia scores 4.7/5 on Google reviews, but that includes the sales side of the company as well.
3. 1st Call, Sandown
Price: £262.50 (including Collision Damage Waiver)
1st Call is a car hire company that can be accessed by the trainline that connects the east side of the Isle of Wight. The train will cost you about £6 return from the ferry at Ryde Pierhead/Esplanade and it’ll take about 15 - 20 minutes to reach Sandown. It’s then a 20-minute walk to 1st Call.
When we checked, the cost of a ‘small car’ such as a Fiat Panda was £262.50 for a week. That includes a collision damage waiver. It is limited to driving on the Isle of Wight, but I don't imagine that you’ll want to leave the Isle of Wight just after you've arrived.
1st Call scores 4.1/5 on Google reviews.
When we checked, the cost of a ‘small car’ such as a Fiat Panda was £262.50 for a week. That includes a collision damage waiver. It is limited to driving on the Isle of Wight, but I don't imagine that you’ll want to leave the Isle of Wight just after you've arrived.
1st Call scores 4.1/5 on Google reviews.
4. South Wight Rentals, Lake
Price: £282 (including about £50 for the Collision Damage Waiver)
South Wight Rentals isn’t walking distance from a ferry, but you can access it from the Isle of Wight’s only modern trainline. You can get the Hovercraft or Wightlink foot passenger ferry from Ryde Pierhead or Ryde Esplanade to Lake. It’s then a 20-minute train and a 15-minute walk. The train will cost you about £6 return.
When we checked, the cheapest car was a ‘group one’ car such as a Citroen C1 for £230 for the week.
It includes ‘Fully Comprehensive Insurance (subject to an excess)’ and unlimited mileage. However, you pay extra for a ‘Collision Damage Liability Fee’, which is £7.50 per day. My understanding is that a Collision Damage Liability Fee is similar to a Collision Damage Waiver, but perhaps someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
South Wight Rentals scores 4.1/5 on Google reviews.
When we checked, the cheapest car was a ‘group one’ car such as a Citroen C1 for £230 for the week.
It includes ‘Fully Comprehensive Insurance (subject to an excess)’ and unlimited mileage. However, you pay extra for a ‘Collision Damage Liability Fee’, which is £7.50 per day. My understanding is that a Collision Damage Liability Fee is similar to a Collision Damage Waiver, but perhaps someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
South Wight Rentals scores 4.1/5 on Google reviews.
5. Prime Drive Car and Van Rental, Shalfleet
Price: £300 (Including about £84 for the Collision Damage Waiver)
Prime Drive is in Shalfleet in the West Wight and Lake in the East Wight. If you’re travelling on the Lymington to Yarmouth ferry then Shalfleet would be a good option for you. It’s a 10 minute bus ride from Yarmouth to Shalfleet. You can also pay extra to have the car delivered to the ferry. The Lake branch is more convenient from Portsmouth, as you can get on a train from Ryde Pierhead to Lake.
Prime Drive’s price doesn't include a Collision Damage Waiver at £11.99 per day. The CDW was optional but we included it to make it comparable to the others in our car hire guide. For the price you got a ‘small three door car’.
Shalfleet Garage (which includes Prime Drive) scores 5/5 on Google reviews.
Prime Drive’s price doesn't include a Collision Damage Waiver at £11.99 per day. The CDW was optional but we included it to make it comparable to the others in our car hire guide. For the price you got a ‘small three door car’.
Shalfleet Garage (which includes Prime Drive) scores 5/5 on Google reviews.
6. Premier Motors, Newport
Price: £471 (including £105 for the Collision Damage Waiver)
Premier Motors is a big garage in Newport will hire you an MG 3 Hybrid, or a selection of bigger cars.
The garage is on a trading estate in Newport, but when we searched they offered us various drop off points at ferry ports for an extra fee of £25.
The price included £105 for the collision damage waiver.
Premier Motors review scores are 5/5 on Google, although some of that refers to the Premier Ford sales and servicing side of the business.
The garage is on a trading estate in Newport, but when we searched they offered us various drop off points at ferry ports for an extra fee of £25.
The price included £105 for the collision damage waiver.
Premier Motors review scores are 5/5 on Google, although some of that refers to the Premier Ford sales and servicing side of the business.
Which is the cheapest car hire company on the Isle of Wight?
We've often found that Enterprise in Newport is cheapest - but only if you are booking long in advance. It operates a flexible pricing model (i.e. 'dynamic pricing') where prices go up nearer the time. Local car hire companies tend to offer fixed price car hire regardless of when you book and when it is, so they may well be cheaper if you leave it late.
There are other factors to consider. Some car hire companies will meet you at the ferry, whilst others require you to walk or get a bus. We've also found a huge range in prices depending on the car you choose - our comparison just looked at the cheapest car available. If you need a people carrier or an SUV then you'll get very different results.
There are other factors to consider. Some car hire companies will meet you at the ferry, whilst others require you to walk or get a bus. We've also found a huge range in prices depending on the car you choose - our comparison just looked at the cheapest car available. If you need a people carrier or an SUV then you'll get very different results.
Is it cheaper to hire a car or bring your own car to the Isle of Wight?
Generally, I’d say it is cheaper to bring your own car to the Isle of Wight but there will be exceptions. Here’s why:
- The price of bringing a car including passengers varies between £50 and £300. A day return travelling at 3am will be cheap, whilst a full week’s holiday travelling on lunchtime in August will be expensive. Also, the price is the same regardless of how many passengers you have in the car. See our ferry discount guide for the latest offers.
- The price of travelling as a foot passenger is fixed at about £20 - £40 per person. You can cut the price using our tricks and tips for Red Funnel and Wightlink.
- So, a single person travelling at a peak time may save some money by hiring a car.
- A family of five travelling off peak will not save money by hiring a car. You’d pay a lot for ferry tickets and then need to upgrade to a larger car which would wipe out the saving.
- There are other factors too – if you’re paying to park in Portsmouth or Southampton then that will gobble up a lot of your saving (try Just Park or Your Parking Space)
- Of course, the length of time you're staying for is a factor. Longer stays cost more on the ferry but hiring a car for longer also costs more. I'm still working on a complicated graph to demonstrate this...
Should you bring your car to the Isle of Wight...
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...or travel on one of the foot passenger ferries and hire a car?
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Last updated December 2025.
