As a leading car hire broker, we know that if you are new to car hire, it can be a bit of minefield. There are lots of questions that you will likely need to have answered. That’s why we have launched our Customer 101 posts; to help answer any questions or queries you might have about hiring a car. Our first question ‘What size should I rent?’ comes from Sue in Kent.
What size car should I rent?
Really, it all comes down to analysing your needs and your budget. Carefully consider how much you will be using your vehicle, how many people will be travelling in your group, what level of access you will require, how much luggage you will have and added conveniences that you may wish your vehicle to include. It can also help to have a little bit of background knowledge to help you make these decisions, so keep reading to find out more.
Vehicle Groups
First and foremost, it is important to remember that whether you are hiring through ourselves or another company, you won’t be able to 100% guarantee what vehicle you will be given.
As a car hire broker, we work with hundreds of suppliers all over the world. Every supplier has a different fleet of vehicles and therefore vehicles are ordered by groups. Each group is determined by several different vehicle models which are of a similar size with the same specifications i.e. the same number of doors and seats.
There are many factors which could affect what vehicle you receive on the day. If a customer is late returning their vehicle at the end of their hire period for example, it could mean that you are provided with a different model. It will always be of a similar size however, or larger should you receive a free upgrade.
Vehicles displayed on our website are the most commonly provided vehicle of that group. If you are hiring an economy vehicle for example, you might select a Ford Fiesta on our website, but upon arrival you may receive a Fiat Punto, Opel Corsa or VW Polo.
Vehicle Specifications
As the exact vehicle you will receive isn’t guaranteed, ourselves, along with other car hire companies, are unable to provide details on engine sizes. Common sense prevails in this instance; if you are driving in a relatively flat destination, a small car with a typically small engine should suffice. In a mountainous or hilly destination however, with a car full of people, you would be better placed to select a larger car which is likely to have a larger, more powerful engine to suit the terrain.
Remember to double check the vehicle descriptions carefully. Surprisingly despite it being 2014, not all vehicles come with Air Conditioning as standard, nor does a built in GPS. If these items are essential to you, be sure to check whether your selected vehicle group includes these aspects prior to booking.
Fuel
Fuel costs can often be overlooked when selecting your hire car. Naturally, the larger the car, the larger the petrol tank and therefore the more you will be charged to fill it up. Now is a good time to take note of the Fuel Policy; on our website, looking out for Fair Fuel Policy options or click the ‘Show Rental Conditions’ link underneath each vehicle in the quote results. We always try to provide an estimation of the average fuel costs for each supplier in this section too. That said; don’t choose your vehicle size based purely on the anticipated cost of fuel as you could end up with a vehicle that is much too small for your requirements.
Luggage Room
It’s easy to forget how much room your luggage will take up in a vehicle. After all, it’s difficult to visualise how big your suitcase is until you actually get it down from the loft. To help assist our customers however, you will find that we include luggage capacity guidelines on our quote results page for every vehicle. If you are going on a sports holiday, such as skiing, snowboarding or golfing, remember to factor in your additional equipment.
If you are still unsure, it may be worthwhile going to a local car dealership and inspecting boot space; or better yet, perform an image search online to help you identify how large the boot is from the comfort of your own home. Furthermore, it is advisable to rent a car that is similar to the size of the vehicle you will use to travel to the airport at home.
So, if you’ve ever asked yourself ‘what size car should I rent?’ hopefully this information will come in handy. Do you have any tips you can share? Or, do you have any car hire questions you would like answered?
