Matching a hire car to your passengers and luggage
Tell the team how many people will travel and how many cases, buggies or bulky bags you expect. Seating and boot space are separate questions. Say whether you need an automatic or are happy with a manual, and mention any child seat request early so it can be checked before you are quoted. Include details for every driver who may take the wheel.
Picking a suitable car
Start with the journey and pick the car to match it. Smaller cars are suited to city driving and short stays, automatics make local driving easier, estates and SUVs give more room for luggage, and people carriers are a better choice for families or small groups. The range available includes the Fiat 500, VW Golf, Ford Focus Estate, Ford Focus Automatic and Hyundai i10 Automatic, subject to dates, driver details and availability. The precise make, model, transmission, seating, payload and licence position are confirmed when you are quoted, so treat the vehicles listed as a guide to the kind of hire on offer rather than a guaranteed reservation of a particular model.
Details worth writing down first
Begin with the details you would want a hire company to know before they quote. Note the dates and times you need the car, the ages and details of anyone who will drive it, and the address where it should be delivered or collected from. Add anything that shapes your choice, such as a preference for an automatic, the number of regular passengers, or the kind of journeys you expect to make. Having this written down means your enquiry can be answered accurately in one go, and any options that do not suit can be set aside early. If anything about delivery or collection arrangements is uncertain, raise it at the start so it can be checked.
Travelling with children and bags
If children are travelling, mention their ages and how many child seats you will bring or need, since this affects which vehicle groups make sense for your trip. Luggage is worth thinking through at the same time: a family weekend with prams, sports kit and suitcases takes up far more room than the seat count alone suggests. Tell the team roughly how many bags you expect and their general size, and they can factor that into the vehicle group they suggest. It also helps to say if rear passengers will need extra space or if boot access will be used frequently during the trip. These details cost nothing to share and often change which car is the right fit.
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Last checks before booking
Before you confirm the hire, check the key details: vehicle availability, driver requirements, mileage, insurance, delivery or collection arrangements and any extras you have asked for, along with driver age, licence history, the deposit, the insurance excess and any travel abroad. A clear request gives the date, the length of hire, the rough route, the delivery or pickup address, the expected passengers or load, and any particular requirements that might affect which vehicle is suitable.















