Renting a "car" in England - what size is right for 5 adults

Every car rental site gives you guidance about how many people/bags fit in which class of car. Start there. I can tell you that if it suggests a Ford Focus wagon, it will be WAY too small for five adults and their bags. The largest cost probably won't be gas, but super CDW insurance. You should request a diesel, which gets GREAT mileage. I have driven a week in Ireland, moving a lot, and only needed to fill up once. If you are comfortable with manual transmission that will keep your rental cost down, too.

Thanks for the initial response.
Every time I go to the rental car website it say's it will fix X # of people but those people are typically including children. That doesn't help . The only time it shows more adults is when the vehicle is super sized. The reason I reached out to this group was because I assumed someone else has already done something similar and could provide some suggestions on what to and not to rent. Thanks

Which rental site are you using? Have you tried AutoEurope? I found a Ford minivan "standard class" for about $1100 for 11 days. Not cheap, but everyone and your luggage would fit. Larger vans and SUVs are more expensive, of course, but something like a Volvo XC 90 or VW Toureg could work if you don't mind 3 across in the back seat. You might try calling AutoEurope and see what they can do for you--trying different pick up locations in London, for example, can yield wildly different rates. BTW, a minivan is called a "people mover" in Britain.

This is great information - I will give them a call / look asap.

Last year there were 4 of us traveling. We rented through Hertz, and they gave us a 4-door Intermediate Vauxhall Insignia. A 3rd person could have fit in the middle in back, and there was plenty of room for all our luggage. It was a challenge figuring out what to get to fit all of us because Hertz would only say how many bags would fit, but it worked.

Glen, this is one of the best requirements descriptions I've ever read on here! Three full-size people with luggage need at least the Ford C-Max category (that's how it would be on e.g. hertz.co.uk). So five people with luggage definitely need the Galaxy category (the car is now called Ford S-Max, so that might change on hertz.co.uk soon as well). These cars usually already come with GPS by the way. I would request a Diesel engine just because it's got a much better milage...

For your reference: Our family of 5 adults just drove around Ireland in a Peugeot 5008 SUV, and we fit OK but had very little luggage. That vehicle is listed by Hertz as a 7-passenger car -- 7 kids, maybe! Sounds like you'll need something bigger. There ARE bigger cars available, but you should book in advance so you have the best selection. Have fun!

With five hefty people and excess luggage no kind of car is going to cut it. Look for a seven-pax van. Even then, the back-seat person will more than likely be riding with some luggage - - make it the soft stuff and tie it down as best you can just in case you crunch. It's going to cost like the dickens. You'd probably be cheaper with a couple of cars and all the mess that entails.

Thank you everyone for you recommendations. I am asking my travel agent to start to look for a 7 passenger vehicle. It may cost a bit more - but it may save our relationships even more. I keep looking at vehicles that "could" work, however I know I'd rather not be sitting up against someone for that long of a drive.

You say you assume you will need it the whole time. If you are in central London be sure to pay the Congestion Charge. If you don't you will get a very expensive present in the mail - one that gets even more expensive until paid for. If you later decide that you don't need it all the time after all, be aware that certain train tickets can be bought as GroupSave4 tickets in which the fare is based on two but 4 travel. The 5th would also need a ticket which would not be part of the GroupSave4. There are also stonking deals available with advance purchase. The company I work for often has £5 anywhere we go all day tickets, and many Advance tickets - specific to specific trains and specific days and non changeable or refundable can be as little as £3 to £10 for a leg even in First.