The most common booking mistake isn’t picking the wrong company — it’s picking the wrong car. A saloon booked for a family of four with a fortnight’s luggage means either a second trip or an awkward squeeze at the terminal. Here’s how to actually work out what you need.
Saloon — up to 4 passengers
Fits 2 large suitcases plus 2 pieces of hand luggage. This is the right call for solo travellers, couples, or business trips with carry-on-only luggage. If you’re a group of 3–4 with one checked bag each, a saloon is usually still fine — it’s a second suitcase per person, or oversized sports/ski bags, that push you into estate territory.
Estate — up to 4 passengers
Same passenger capacity as a saloon, but with 3 large suitcases plus 3 hand luggage — noticeably more boot space. Worth booking instead of a saloon if you’re a family of 4 going away for more than a long weekend, or if anyone’s bringing an oversized bag (golf clubs, a car seat, a pushchair) that eats boot space disproportionately.
Six-Seater — up to 6 passengers
Luggage capacity scales with how many seats you’re actually using: with all 6 seats filled it’s 2 large + 2 small bags total, but drop to 4 passengers and that rises to 4 large + 4 small bags. In other words, a six-seater with 4 passengers travelling heavy often works better than an estate — worth mentioning when you book if you’re not filling every seat.
Eight-Seater — up to 8 passengers
The right choice for larger family groups or a group of friends travelling together. Luggage is roughly one large plus one small bag per passenger, space permitting — for 8 people travelling genuinely light. If your group of 8 is checking two bags each for a two-week holiday, it’s worth calling ahead so we can talk through whether one eight-seater or two smaller cars makes more sense.
The simplest rule
When you book, tell us passenger count and roughly how much luggage — not just “how many of us.” We’ll recommend the right vehicle rather than leaving you to guess, and if you’re between two sizes, we’d rather ask a follow-up question than have you turn up to a car that’s too small.
