In his initial story about the Rumanian gang he said he was driving between Maidstone and Ashford, and along that route the Mercedes flashed him etc. That bit is probably true (driving between Maidstone and Ashford) because that is the M20 route out of London to Ashford. So he almost certainly did go to Hoads wood to commit the crime. He'd have been there by 11pm probably - and in the hire car. And didn't get home till 1.30am. I read somewhere that Hoads wood is about a 30 minute drive from his home. He was seen in Tilmanstone at 1am which is supposed to be about 15 minutes from his home.
Assuming SE was already dead by the time he set off home he had to find somewhere to hide the body till next day. Maybe too dark or not enough time to hide it in the woods and he balked at the idea of leaving a dead body in the hire car on his driveway at home, so took her back as far as Dover where his own car was parked and moved her into that - probably the boot - then went home. It's then an easy transfer the next day when dropping off the hire car. Pick up his own car with the body already in it and find somewhere to dispose of it.
That is all based on LE saying they think he transferred her to his own car on the coast. Otherwise I thought he could have left her at BCB garage - en route between Dover and Tilmanstone.
I don't understand the mentality, but he seems to have planned to snatch and rape someone, to fulfil some fantasy. And maybe people who do that don't actually plan to kill or think ahead beyond the rape. I don't know. If he did have a fantasy of killing as well, the plastic covers would be useful but probably more to prevent dna on the car.
If he didn't plan to kill he wouldn't have planned to use his own car. I suspect he hired a car to avoid detection or his car numberplate being recognised. Although it was a public street he probably used his warrant card to get her to get in the car so nothing untoward seen. He probably just didn't bank on a bus cam getting his number plate in the dark.
All this assumes he didn't plan to keep her alive for some sick fantasy of extended visits to her. But he must have realised he couldn't let her live.
It still brings up all the original questions of how he got her to Hoads Wood without a struggle.