Rental Car Size

Well, your instincts are correct in that the smaller the car, the better off you will be. But with 4 adults and luggage, you may not have that luxury. Parking isn't so much an issue as driving on very narrow roads with no shoulder. You will have to decide—do you squeeze everyone and their luggage into a smaller car and hope for the best, or give yourself some extra room in the car and risk the roads? I drove in Scotland for several weeks last year with a small economy-sized car, and it was a little nerve wracking in places. But YMMV.

There are a number of locals who post here frequently so hopefully they might be able to give some insight as well. One thing you might do is go to Google Maps and plot out a few routes on Skye or other places you will be traveling to. Choose Street View and then look at the size of cars that you see in relation to the road.

I live here on Skye and would suggest that a more robust car is best for our terrible roads! I see lots of small cars with blown out tyres. Personally I drive a 5 seat SUV and also have an old beat up Citroen Berlingo for island driving. It's what my neighbour calls a 'peasant car' but it's never let me down, whereas his fancy Audi...... well the low profile tyres on that are often being replaced.

Well, there you go! Jacqui, I didn't even think about the state of the roads (I must have put it out of my mind, lol!). But now, remembering, yes, good sturdy cars would be helpful!

I don’t think you’ll manage with a smaller car. Midsize SUV in this country isn’t actually that big if you check the type of cars that come under that definition such as a Qashqai.

There are two truths here. First, the brutal truth, is that you won’t all fit in a small car with your luggage.

The second, the beautiful truth, is that you don’t need a small car, so get a big one. (One can crash a small car as easily as a big one, and if buses and trucks and fire engines use those roads then so can a big car).

Believe we got a Hyundai Tucson at EDI airport in 2022. I think it was considered a compact SUV. There were four adults with 4 small carryon sized bags. The bags barely fit in the luggage area. Roads and parking were not much of an issue, but there were a few instances when I wondered if the road was wide enough for two vehicles to pass.

wondered if the road was wide enough for two vehicles to pass.

In many parts of Scotland, as here in Cornwall, the roads are not wide enough for two vehicles to pass. In Scotland there are passing places and people need to know how to use them before they arrive.

In Cornwall there aren’t formal passing places so we have to make alternative arrangements.

I live here on Skye and would suggest that a more robust car is best for our terrible roads! I see lots of small cars with blown out tyres. Personally I drive a 5 seat SUV and also have an old beat up Citroen Berlingo for island driving. It's what my neighbour calls a 'peasant car' but it's never let me down, whereas his fancy Audi...... well the low profile tyres on that are often being replaced.

@Skyegirl, good to see Citroens still have a role in being rurally indestructible.

For a hire car, my car is a Skoda Scala. The boot is big enough for four adults' luggage, big enough to move a couple of bodies... I'd guess.

The problem I find with SUVs is where they take the space for the passengers is from the boot/trunk. They often have far smaller boots than an ordinary hatchback car would have. Best I could suggest is find out what is offered and then go onto the manufacturers websites and look for the boot size.