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Car hire in Essex
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Car hire in
Essex

4.6
Our customers love us
4.6 stars from 2,078 reviews in Essex.
More flexibility
Change or cancel bookings at no extra cost at most of our locations worldwide.
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Discover and drive the largest selection of new, premium rental cars.

Our top branches in Essex

4.6
Stansted Airport
24h Return
Car Rental Village Coopers End Road
Stansted
CM24 1SJ
United Kingdom

Our services at Essex

Essex car hire with SIXT

Choose SIXT for all your Essex car hire needs. It doesn’t matter if you’re staying in the county’s main city of Chelmsford, or exploring the smaller towns like Basildon, Braintree, or the historic Colchester. This is a rural area, so we lay on a full range of vehicles suited to the region, including 4x4s and MPVs. All our cars are an average of three months old and are sourced from the most reliable and trusted premium car brands in Europe. And while offering a first-class driving experience, we make them accessible at economy prices. We provide friendly, 24/7 support for your car hire in Essex, and you also get free cancellation when you pay on arrival.

Sixt's Car Hire Services

As in many rural counties, most of the towns in Essex are quite small, with long histories, and thus have old street layouts – lending themselves to our compact and economy cars. To travel to the countryside, hire a luxury saloon, an MPV or a 4x4. If you’re sightseeing in a tour group, a minibus will suit your purposes perfectly. For the classic country driving experience you can also get a nippy sports car or a convertible. Vehicle booking periods are flexible – you can get anything from a long-term rental to a one-day rental, with bookable extras including child seats and sat nav units.

Best cities to visit in Essex

  • Chelmsford: this is the county town of Essex, and the region’s largest and only true city. A settlement dating back to the Bronze Age it’s also a typical Roman-era UK city. It’s the site of the beautiful Chelmsford Cathedral and it’s worth going to see one of its oldest and most iconic buildings, the Shire Hall.
  • Basildon: besides being something of a pilgrimage town for Depeche Mode fans, Basildon has an exceptionally large public entertainment complex, Festival Leisure Park. It has restaurants, arcades, cinemas, nightclubs and even a wakeboarding area. You can also visit several monuments like the Pitsea War Memorial in Howards Park.
  • Colchester: best known for Colchester Castle, this town also lays claim to having been the first major Roman city in the UK and thus the country’s oldest town. There are plenty of Roman ruins to visit here, including its famous Roman Walls, built before 80 AD. The town hall is a wonderful example of Edwardian Baroque architecture.

Winter in Essex

In winter, head to the historic indoor attractions, like The Cressing in Braintree, which is one of the largest Knights Templar sites, which also houses purportedly the oldest wooden structure on earth. Or try the Room Escape adventure experience in Southend. Look out for Scotts Grotto on the way. You can also go to Colchester to visit the Colchester Zoo.

Customer reviews & feedback

4.6
4.6192293
Based on 2078 reviews
from our Customer Excitement Score survey*

Listen to what our customers say

4.9
Vehicle handover
4.7
The way to SIXT
4.6
The vehicle

*Our Customer Excitement Score is based on a survey sent to all customers who booked in Essex. The score is an average of all customer responses.

Good to know when renting in Essex

Added Extras

If you have children along for the ride, we can provide child seats as well as an extra diver(s) to share the driving, we also have extra protection packages and added miles.

Flexible Hiring Options

Cancellation is free any time, simply select ‘pay later’ during booking, this way you can pay on arrival as we understand journeys can change.

Under 25 Car Hire

The minimum rental age is 21 years old, anyone hiring the car must hold a valid licence for at least a year and there’s a small fee when under 25.

To rent a car with SIXT in Essex you need to be at least 21 with a valid license. Some car categories have a higher minimum rental age, and an underage driver fee may apply.