Rental car size in Spain: what's a supermini?
 

hello fellow travelers!

I am about to rent a car from Barcelona, to drive around the Costa Brava for 3 days. We are four (short, fit, slim) adults with a 21" rolling suitcase each. The less expensive cars are the Peugeot 107 or VW Polo, both of which are categorized as superminis - not a category we have in the US. (i used to have a Saab hatchback which was fine for us). Will we fit??

Thanks for the help!

Doesn't your rental company show you on its website the make of car on offer, plus a cartoon of how many people will fit in the car along with how many pieces of luggage (large or small)?

If not, go to AutoEurope and use their website.

But in the end, what do you mean by "less expensive"? Divide the total cost for a large car vs. a mini car by 3 days and 4 adults. Ask your travel partners if they would be happy in the back seat so long as it saves them XX per day. (or per hour). Personally, I'd rather spend $5 or $10 more per day and buy fewer postcards than feel squished every time I go from point A to point B.

Lol, I wish! It's my three kids and it's all my cost.

The suitcase limits they show seem unreasonable as certain cars list 4 people but only 1 suitcase and a briefcase. Does that make sense?

i've been looking at Sixt.com

Peugeot 107 or VW Polo would be two small for you. You can seat four adults, but the trunk room will be too small for the amount of luggage you have.
You need at least small medium, such as Seat Toledo, Opel Astra, VW Golf and Ford Focus. Saabs would be large medium, such as Opel Insignia, Ford Mondeo and VW Passat,

The peugeot is teensy. No way it would hold your luggage. The polo is a bit bigger but not big enough for 4 adults and 4 suitcases. They are really two passenger cars - or 4 w/ next to no luggage.

And yes, most any rental website will explain how many passengers/how much luggage each class will accommodate. And if not, just google and you will get all the info you need about any car/model.

IMO you would need to go up 2 classes (at least)

thanks, i finally broke down and called suto europe...
a supermini is like a smartcar: room for humans but not stuff (i always joke that that's what is smart - you can't shop because there's no room.

we need a compact. thank you for your help.

cheryl_b, if you're looking not for a small car but for a good deal I would recommend to consider www.economycarrentals.com. Company is a broker and provide really good rates. I personally booked renal with them twice in Madrid (rental company Sixt.com) for 2 weeks each time, with a good experience. Please note, you'll have a full insurance coverage with some exceptions (read terms carefully).

In the super minis back seats are for children or packages.

Not only won;t 4 adults be comfortable but there won't be enough room for luggage. Think something like a smart car - or very large sneaker.

LOL, as i said before:

a smartcar: room for humans but not stuff. that's why it's smart, no room for shopping!

I'd echo earlier comments and say you should go up at least two sizes for that much luggage. It took me nearly 90 minutes to pick up a rental car in Seville once. Because nearly every person in front of me had to change to a larger size vehicle. We had 4 adults and barely fit our luggage in a large sedan (granted I think at least 2 people had larger suitcases than the ones you describe).

great advice, everyone. that's why we post! ;)

You should consider a VW Passat at the very least. Large trunk, great fuel economy and easy to drive and park. Anything smaller means you will have your luggage sitting on your lap, difficult when trying to drive.

In the us you often see similar models to us the Europe.
Here is the list in Wiki of what is classed as a supermini.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermini
Now you can compare like for like.
You would perhaps classify them as Subcompact cars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subcompact_car
To get you over this complex issue of various sectors have a read of wiki's interpretation of it all
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...lassifications
Looking at the list of cars they have and without knowing dates etc i would suggest you go for
Opel Insignia but luggage could be tight.
Peugeot Partner might be better but you may not be able to cover your luggage. This will be fine if you are driving from one hotel to another and dropping off luggage then using the car for trips the rest of teh day.
The others will be too small for your luggage. Others are pricey!

Sorry should ask I hope you can drive shift?

Try Hertz website to compare cars and prices.

This is their spanish website.

http://www.hertz.es/rentacar/reservation/home

thanks ribeirasacra! i can. if only i could teach my kids so i'm not always the only one driving, but i have an automatic. i well remember landing in costa rica and after watching the taxi driver shifting as a refresher course for ten minutes, found myself literally relearning as i was driving up the arenal volcano - in the fog...or the time i got lost trying to get back to perugia from the airport in rome...lol...plenty of stick shift adventures.

>>>You need at least small medium, such as Seat Toledo, Opel Astra<<<

Iffy at best. I once crammed 5 into an Astra for a trip to the Athens airport when the gas stations were closed and no taxis were running... 2 people had bags on their laps in the back seat and the front passenger had 3 laptop bags in his lap. We also had to removed the cover over the rear htach. You really do need something bigger... as suggested a Passat size car or larger.

Bear in mind the rental desk will often try to foist something else on you.... in Nice they wanted me to take a Suzuki SX4 rebadged as a Fiat instead of the Passat size I had reserved. There was no way our luggage would have fit the trunk of the Fiat. No way was I taking it and I knew they had a Passat as the car cleaning guy had showed me one! Back to the desk and a big argument ensued which I won based on a phone call to AutoEurope through whom I had booked. Call them... they have an 800 number and will know what size car you will need!

If you want to look up unfamiliar European car models try http://parkers.co.uk. They even have photos of the load spaces of most cars and minivans.

With 4 you want a mid-size---maybe a wagon as well.

mini = small
super = VERY

super-mini = too small for four people plus bags

We did 3 in a supermini Renault Clio, and we could have fit 4. In my opinion, these are well designed and can fit what the rental websites suggest. One thing to consider is travel. We had difficulty getting the luggage back cover to cover 3 22 in carryons so anymore means leaving it in the interior which would be a temptation for crooks.

I take it comfort wasn't an issue with your supermini Renault Clio, so it must have been the cost. It's a decent city car, easy to park, but I would never get out on a highway with such a beast.

"the Peugeot 107 or VW Polo, both of which are categorized as super minis - not a category we have in the US" They are not available in the US because they have yet to meet the safety requirement, although the Polo might show up in the near future if the price is right It's close in size to the Fiat 500. The trunk on the Polo is large enough for a small carry-on, but hardly anything else, and not meant for touring.

I'd be more concerned of safety and accident protection than the price if you are, as Robert says, going out on the highway.

GREAT comments. clearly, it's a sedan for us.

while we're on the subject - i've read varying reports on just how difficult the drive is from Figueres to Cadaques. how daunting is it? should we just take a bus? is there a ferry from Roses? it looks like our base will be in Girona.

ParisAmsterdam - the last time we were in europe we went to...yup, paris and amsterdam :)

The drive isn't difficult but the road is narrow, twisting and often with little protection other than sporadic barriers. If you take steady, you should be fine. Buses use it as well. There are several boats that take passengers along the coast but not cars.
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rJ_mbVX2pQ

>>>ParisAmsterdam - the last time we were in europe we went to...yup, paris and amsterdam<<<

Hoping to get to them both again soon but moving house in 10 days and I'll most likely be too tired for a vacation! LOL

Have a fun trip to Spain!

take it comfort wasn't an issue with your supermini Renault Clio, so it must have been the cost. It's a decent city car, easy to park, but I would never get out on a highway with such a beast.<<

I am a high end luxury car owner and found the Clio more than acceptable for comfort, and the manual transmission provided reasonable highway acceleration.

Picked it for the unlimited mile rental & w/70 MPG(diesel) as I drove it everywhere

"I am a high end luxury car owner" Really? Interesting! Yes, you see Clios all over the place, because they are reasonably priced, but still not suitable for a good road trip. And they only come with a manual transmission.

We typically average about 50 MPG in the Audi A4 2.0 Turbo Diesel or VW Passat and don't have to worry about not being seen by that trucker bearing down on you at 110+ KPH.

The only Clio that will average 70 MPG (Fuel Consumption Imperial) is the dCi 90, the least powerful engine in the fleet. The Fuel Consumption in US Gallons is only 58 MPG, hardly an improvement over a larger, more powerful and much more comfortable road car.

Robert, when I go to the theme park and ride the bumper cars, I dont ask for a special one. I drive one that they commonly use especially when its only 1/3rd the cost of a car of what Americans normally drive. Believe me, I was worried about the car because it was $1200 less than the simple Volvo s80 they offered. However, I was pleaed with the Clio. It was fine, and at $9 a gallon, the MPG was great because I saved several hundred dollars in gas too



btw-Im good with a manual, I can easily squeeze out 5-10 MPG more than amateurs

The Volvo S80 and Clio are not even in the same realm. Of course the cost of the Clio is far less than a luxury car. What an odd statement, which brings up some serious questions. I think maybe you should stick with the bumper cars.

The Clio dCi 90, by the way, uses diesel, and the price of diesel in France today is roughly € 1.39/liter, or $5.28/gallon. Not bad at all. The price last year was slightly higher, about $6.84/gallon, so at $9/gallon, I have no idea where you where driving.

107 is a city car so is effectively a 2+2 where the +2 is for emegency use only, Polo is a supermini in the same group as Fiesta, Clios, 208s & Corsas. Next size is family - typically VW Golf

What does it matter? You are only driving the car for a few days out of a life time.
All the OP wanted to know was a super mini a good car for their needs. The answer was no.

US Dollar is a lot stronger now then a few years ago, and the 9(after conversion) was Netherlands(Spain was less). Still, even at $6 (plus conversion costs) I might still do a Clio again

Funny how I complained about gas then but airfare was 35% less than today...go figure

you guys (and i do mean the guys!) crack me up...

thanks again!

Actually most of the tips above are not correct. A supermini is a bigger mini, closer to a medium sized hatchback. For example Ford Fiesta 1.4 CRDi is a super mini. It's ok for 4 people + decent luggage. Hyundai I20 is also a super mini.

I rented a VW Golf via AutoEurope. they had the most convenient location to our apartment in barcelona and matched the competitors price for the same car. considering the good things i've heard about their service in a jam, i went with them. thanks everyone...

Since IIRC you won't be hauling luggage you should enjoy the VW... especially if it's a TDI.