Which type of car ?
 

Hi !
We are looking for recommandations about our car location for our Next summer trip (Spain and Portugal).We will rent 2 cars : 6 days in Spain and another one for 5 days in Portugal. Portugal seems more expensive despite having it for one less day !

We are two adults and 2 kids (5 and 9 years old) , so the kids would need carseat (booster type for the oldest one).

We will travel with two 50 liters backpack and a small foldable stroller.

We want to rent with AutoEurope and they gave us those options (model and prices depend from locators) :

Economy car: Opel Corsa, VW polo or Seat Ibiza. Cost is between 180 and 200 Euro

Compact car: Hyundai I30, Seat Leon or Renault megane. Price is between 210 and 275 Euro

What would you do in our situation ? Those carr are not avaible in canada so I cant look at them tto have a better idea of the one that would suit us.

Thanks !

Given a choice I'd opt for one of the "larger" cars which narrows it down to the Hyundai I30, Seat Leon or Renault Megane. Those three cars are essentially the same size and configuration so it probably won't make much difference which one you choose, after all you are not buying one, just renting for a few days.

the other 3 are classified as "Super-minis" which in advertising puffery means they are really small.

Why don't you google for each of the cars (Wikipedia gives good comparisons) so you can compare features and choose the one you like the best.

Thanks for that answer.

The problem with car location is that they always says '' that car or similar'' it's not possible to know exactly which car we will get.

You are "overthinking" this. If you take the time to google the 3 larger cars and compare the photos and descriptions you'll see they are essentiall the same size and have similar amenities so no matter which one the rental company Has available you won't find any appreciable difference.

Basically, the smaller ones are "sub-compacts - the smallest class of vehicle. The others are a step above.

I am confused -- you aren't asking about the 'location' of the rental agencies, but about the vehicle sizes . . . right?

>>The problem with car location is that they always says '' that car or similar'' it's not possible to know exactly which car we will get.<<

Exactly -- no agency can (ever) guarantee a specific model. Well, they <i>could</i> if that is the only model car they have in the fleet.

You simply have to book the category of car you want and then take the car they give you. If the car you book is not available, they won't likely down grade you to a smaller class (because then they would owe you a partial refund). They will upgrade you to the next larger class available.

So rent one of the 'larger' ones . . . the Hyundai I30, Seat Leon or Renault Megane

OP is talking about rental.

"Location" in French means "rental" - from the verb "louer" = to rent.

In English of course location means a place, which, in French, is "situation".

The smaller ones would not likely be large enough for your family.

Thanks o for all those answers !



1) We have a hard time figuring exactly what car seat would be good for our kids. Does the regulation the same everywhere in Euro zone ? Could we use the same car seat in Portugal and Spain ? can we bring the one we got from home ?

2) Does anyone know Dollar car rental ? i've found an ok deal not fram from our appartment in Barcelona, but it seems the same adresse than Thrifty and Hertz.

3) We will take the plunge and go for larger (but still compact) car. It's better to be safe than sorry !

and yes sorry about the rental/location wrong choice of words ! English is, obviously, not my first language !

>>and yes sorry about the rental/location wrong choice of words ! English is, obviously, not my first language !<<

No problem - you did fine.

>> Does anyone know Dollar car rental ? . . . it seems the same adresse than Thrifty and Hertz.<<

It is a major chain. Dollar and Thrifty are owned by Hertz.

>> Could we use the same car seat in Portugal and Spain ?<<

yes

>> can we bring the one we got from home ?<<

Almost certainly yes.

faut pas se prendre le chou.
Pour 100 e de plus vous avez une voiture. Pas super grande, mais une voiture.

Une Corsa ou une Polo sont des miniatures, et deviennent très inconfortables lors de longs trajets, même pour des enfants.

Sans compter que le coffre sera tellement petit qu'il faudra inévitablement ranger un bagage ou l'autre sous leurs pieds.

Bref, évitez la Polo et autres Pandas, Ibiza ou pire encore une Ford Ka.

Et votre anglais est vachement bon !

Merci pour ces suggestions ! Je vais donc payer plus cher pour une voiture plus grande. En Espagne la différence est relativement petite, mais au Portugal c'est autre chose !

And thanks about my english level !

"Exactly -- no agency can (ever) guarantee a specific model. Well, they could if that is the only model car they have in the fleet."

Not strictly true. I have been renting a car in Spain for the last couple of months with Europcar (via easyJet as they had better rates) . Europcar provide the option of paying an extra amount ( as I recall €25) to guarantee the exact model of car.

A Canadian equivalent of SEAT Leon or Hyundai I30 is
Hyundai Elantra.