Family Rental Cars: Space, Comfort, and Cost Without the Stress

Planning the right size rental car can make travelling with the family easier. Planning ahead and making the right-size rental vehicle decision can save a great deal of stress for you and your family. Follow our handy hints for a happy hire!

Start With People, Seats, and Storage

Begin by counting everyone travelling: children, teens, adults, and anyone you might pick up along the way. Then think about what else needs to fit, including prams, strollers, carriers, child or booster seats (see guide at https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle-safety/car-seats-and-booster-seats), suitcases, bags, sports or beach gear, groceries and drinks. Some families also need space for walkers, wheelchairs or other medical or mobility aids.

Even if you’re travelling with multiple adults and children and think a “five-seat” option is the minimum, always check the storage space before booking, or consider renting a larger option. The same applies to other larger vehicles advertised as “family-sized”. If you’ll be taking lots of suitcases or other bulky items, it pays to do more than glance at the vehicle category; check the luggage space before making your booking. It can also be handy to know how easy it is to access the luggage space.

Ask yourself these questions:

• For a short trip with little luggage, would a compact SUV or medium-sized car be enough for your group?
• For longer drives, will you benefit from a bigger rental with more leg space, charging points, extra air conditioning vents and comfortable seating positions?
• Will a larger rental, like a people mover, van or full-size SUV work best for your family?
• How much luggage space will you have if the third row of seats needs to be deployed?
• If you only need space for two adults and an older child, will a bigger vehicle be more than one car than you really need for a short trip with minimal luggage?
• Will a bigger vehicle make your travels easier? Or, despite the extra space, would your group be more comfortable in a smaller rental that would also be easier to manoeuvre in tight parking situations?

Check Child Seat Arrangements Early

If you’ll be using child seats, find out early how these can be arranged. Confirm the ages or sizes the rental’s child seats can accommodate, whether seats need to be booked ahead and which vehicles can fit them. If more than one child seat will be used in the back, you may even want to check how much shoulder-to-shoulder width there is.

Look Beyond the Daily Rate

To get a handle on the actual cost of a rental vehicle, look beyond the daily rate to work out whether extras or inclusions, like roadside assistance, child seats or additional drivers, are available; the team at MCSyo covers car hire Port Kennedy for family trips. Other things to factor into your decision:

• the excess or amount payable if the rental is returned damaged;
• fuel policies (you’ll often pay less by filling up the tank yourself and returning it full);
• limits on the number of kilometres you can drive, if applicable;
• charges for late returns, extra drivers, child seats;
• insurance options and costs;
• policies about extending, reducing or cancelling your rental should plans change.

Plan for Real-Life Family Travel

When choosing a rental for family travel, it’s also smart to consider features that make trips easier and more comfortable. Depending on your family, you might prioritise:

• wide doors (handy when loading or unloading child seats);
• seats that little ones can climb into with minimum assistance;
• easy-to-access luggage space for loading gear;
• reverse parking sensors or a reversing camera (particularly handy if you’ve never driven the type of vehicle before);
• multiple climate-controlled air vents in the back, cup holders, storage bins in doors or handy places to tether or store toys and devices;
• the ability to stow bags, boxes, strollers or other larger items securely out of sight, rather than balancing or stacking items in the laps of travelling companions, making it difficult to access items at lay-bys or breaks, or obscuring line of sight for driving.

Whatever type of vehicle you choose, consider keeping a ‘cubby hole’ or bag of family travel essentials (more tips at this link) separate from the rest of the luggage to avoid having to dig through bags every time something’s required. Things like drinks, snacks, basic first aid items, wipes, spare changes of clothes for littlies, cords to charge devices or other bits and bobs that you know you’ll reach for regularly can all be stowed together to make them easy to access.

Inspect the Vehicle Before You Drive Away

Before you drive away from the rental company, take time to inspect your rental and make sure it has everything it should and works as expected. Check for damage (photographing any existing damage and having rental company staff confirm the marks helps avoid disputes later), make sure lights, the air conditioner and other features are working, child seats are securely attached, you know how to fill the car with petrol/diesel, and where the fuel needle is.

And if you’ve got a sat nav or in-car navigation, work out where to put it. Make sure everyone’s happy with the rental, know what to do in case of breakdown, keep important phone numbers (police, roadside assistance, rental company) to hand and make sure the rental agreement and any other key paperwork are easy to find.