Vehicle hire guides
Choosing the right hire vehicle: practical guides
These original long-form guides are written for customers weighing up car body styles, transmission options and van sizes before phoning to confirm availability.
Topics in our vehicle hire guides

Estate cars are a good fit for Home Counties and East Midlands journeys where passengers, luggage and easy loading matter more than having the smallest car possible. This regional version uses Apsley, Baldock, Barnet as practical reference points for SDVH Home Counties and East Midlands customers.

Saloons are well suited to smart passenger journeys, whilst estates offer more flexible access to the luggage bay for Home Counties and East Midlands trips involving bags, kit or several stops. This regional edition points SDVH Home Counties and East Midlands customers towards Apsley, Baldock and Barnet as handy reference locations.

Estate cars and SUVs will both take passengers and luggage, but which is the better hire option in the Home Counties and East Midlands comes down to boot shape, ride height and where you will be parking. This regional edition points SDVH Home Counties and East Midlands customers towards Apsley, Baldock and Barnet as handy reference locations.

Hiring an automatic can take the strain out of Home Counties and East Midlands traffic, whilst a manual may suit drivers who like the control and familiarity of changing gear themselves. This regional edition points SDVH Home Counties and East Midlands customers towards Apsley, Baldock and Barnet as handy reference locations.

Semi automatic cars do away with the clutch pedal, though depending on the model they may still allow the driver a say in gear selection. This regional edition points SDVH Home Counties and East Midlands customers towards Apsley, Baldock and Barnet as handy reference locations.

A SWB van is a compact van category that suits smaller moves, trade jobs and deliveries around the Home Counties and East Midlands where access matters. This regional edition points SDVH Home Counties and East Midlands customers towards Apsley, Baldock and Barnet as handy reference locations.
How the guides help when you phone to book
The guides are designed to help you explain the vehicle you need before you pick up the phone. They cover choices such as body style, gearbox, luggage room, passenger seating and load length, along with what a smaller van can and cannot realistically do.