Originally Posted by
antichef
Hertz at EDI I have used a dozen or more times.
Your journey should start at EDI and not anywhere in the city as the city is a nightmare for driving. Getting out to to EDI and the car hire centre (all brands are co-located there) is easy as the tram terminal is beside it.
It is easy to get to and from the EDI terminal when heading off to the highlands.
Do not get an EV under any circumstances as the infrastucture is not yet mature enough throughout the highlands unless you have assured charging at your destinations. Just practical advice as I am not an EV hater. I am a Tesla owner and I live in the highlands!
Oh yes, the cheapest car rental option in EDI is always a Hertz EV - but it's a pain to deal with even if you're staying in the central belt: the chargers close to EDI can be very busy, so you need to plan in at least an extra hours buffer on return unless you are starting close enough that you'll have 80% on arrival at the airport.
I've rented from Enteprise a lot at EDI and they've always been reasonable. The non-premium options can be annoying, I've always been put in a Nissan Juke no matter what I booked (it's technically an upgrade over Focus and Fiesta). Premium is fine e.g. C-Class. I don't know why anyone in their right mind would want an SUV in the highlands and islands unless you need 7 seats, you're wasting some fun roads with any SUV. Mind you I haven't heard anything bad from others using Avis either.
I don't understand the supposed issues with driving in the centre. They're roads like in any other town?