London Car Museums

The City of London really does have a lot to offer to those who live there, as well as its visitors, especially when it comes to car fanatics or those passionate about the British motor industry in general. There are a number of options in close proximity to the capital to get your car geek on, so if you’re hankering after a road trip, and you’re quite the car fan, then why not plan a visit to a London car museum?

There are a few options available. It all depends on how far you want to drive… We’ve taken a look at some of the best options and listed them in order of distance from the capital:

London Transport Museum

Location: Covent Garden, London WC2E 7BB

Distance from London: 5-minute drive

Price: £18 per adult (£16.50 online) 17 and under go free

While in Covent Garden why not give the London Transport Museum a go? You’ll pay £18 as an adult for entry into this London museum car display, and once you’ve paid once for one day, you can come back all year for free. It’s also free for anyone 17 and under, which makes it a great trip for the family.

Learn about Transport for London (TfL) and its history, including the development of the iconic red buses over the decades, and how we’ve reached today. This London car museum features more transport as a whole, such as coaches and the famous London Underground, etc., rather than purely cars. That said, it’s one of the more varied museums on our list and well worth a visit.

Best things to see and learn about at the London Transport Museum:

• 19th-century London and Victorian transport
• The underground
• How the London transport was first formed
• Transport throughout the 1900s to today

British Motor Museum

Location: Banbury Road, Gaydon, Warwickshire, CV35 0BJ

Distance from London: 2-hour drive

Price: £14.50 per adult. £9.00 per child (free for under 5s)

The British Motor Museum is an absolute must for car fanatics in the UK. It houses some of the most incredible British classic motors throughout the years. There are more than 300 British classic cars on display to feast your eyes on, including an impressive display from Jaguar Heritage Trust and Land Rover too, featuring a 1968 series IIa SAS ‘Pink Panther’, and more.

There’s a lot to take in so ensure you allocate a good amount of time to be there and admire the cars as well as soak up the knowledge from the detailed guides on each one. There are activities for the whole family, as well as free tours of the London museum car exhibit. Not only that, there’s always something going on at the Gaydon site so be sure to check out what’s on via their website.

Best things to see and learn about at the British Motor Museum:

• Motoring history from 1896 to today
• Prototype vehicles, including the Triumph Lynx and the MG EX-E
• Sports cars from Morgan, Lotus, Triumph, McLaren and Aston Martin
• Jaguar display
• Land Rover display
• History of British-made cars
• Film & TV car display
• Vehicles used by the royal family

Brooklands Museum

Location: Brooklands Drive, Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 0SL

Distance from London: 1 hour 30 minutes - 2 hours

Price: £25.30-£27.85 per adult, £10.50-£11.55 (both depending on whether donation is included). Children under 4 years old, members, and carers go free.

Are you a lover of Formula 1? Well, you’re in for a treat at Brooklands Museum, because they have loads that cover racing — after all, the first British Grand Prix was held at the Brooklands circuit in 1926. You’ll have the opportunity to see displays of historic cars and memorabilia dating back to the 1920s, and even jump in their McLaren F1 Simulator.

It also features a remarkable London bus museum, housing the world’s largest collection of over 30 working historic London buses, which illustrates more than 150 years of the city’s public transport history and its evolution. If you visit here at the right time, you can ride on one of their vintage buses at events that run over the school holidays and across some weekends.

Explore the old Brooklands base of the once World Land Speed Record holder, Malcolm Campbell, where you can see his old shed that he built in 1926. This was used by him until around 1935, and was used as his office, workshop and showroom.

Best things to see and learn about at the Brooklands Museum:

• The workshop of Robin Jackson
• The story of the first British Grand Prix held at Brooklands
• Speed records broken at Brooklands
• Visit the world’s first purpose-built race track
• London bus museum
• Numerous other modes of transport

Rent a car in London today

London’s car museums offer a fascinating look into British motoring, engineering, and motorsport history, from iconic city transport to legendary race cars and classic film vehicles. While some are right in the heart of the capital, others sit just outside. But that’s okay if you rent a car from Hiyacar!

To get there easily, why not rent a car in London? With flexible hourly rates, insurance included, and cars rented from real owners, you could register and drive away the same day. We make it straightforward for people to get to where they need to be. If you need support today or have any questions, simply contact us.