Your Ideal Rental Car Explained
Every car hire company displays a number of vehicles with the disclaimer “or similar” and you would be amazed by the number of unsatisfied customers who do not get the vehicle they thought they had specifically selected.
All car hire suppliers fill their fleets with many different makes of car, of course some more than others (Europcar for example had a large proportion on VW cars when they where owned by Volksawagen).
Vehicles are split into categories that are defined by their SIPP codes. These are supplier and broker codes that identify the type of vehicle. The first description refers to the size of the vehicle and this usually goes from Mini to Economy and upwards to Full Size or Special.
Inside these categories lie many types of vehicles grouped by their capacity, engine size and type.
Take for instance a vehicle that is being rented in Paris - 2 or 4 doors with air conditioning.
The example car on our site is a Ford Fiesta or similar. If you click on the car name it will bring up a pop up that details the other vehicles in the fleet such as the Renault Clio, Peugeot 207, Hyundai Getz and other economy vehicles.
If the station has many vehicles available at pick up you will have the choice and even if they don’t offer it you can always ask! The customer’s preference is always taken into consideration and even in some circumstances you will be upgraded for free if the size of vehicle you have requested is not available.
Next time you’re booking, take note of “or similar” and understand that the vehicle you choose is not necessarily the vehicle you will get, but you are guaranteed the classification or better. So if you choose a compact 4 door with air conditioning you are guaranteed to get at least a compact sized vehicle with 4 doors and air conditioning guaranteed.
