Our Favourite Minivans

Renting a cheap MPV abroad is now a very popular choice for people holidaying abroad with a wide choice of people carriers, minivans and seven seaters available at airports across the world. The overwhelming factors in your choice of people carrier hire will be the number of people in your group and the amount of luggage you need to transport. With the price of fuel at an all time high, consider hiring a diesel vehicle as this will reduce your overall cost hugely.

To guarantee the best possible price when you’re hiring a minivan, get organised and book at least a few months in advance. Hiring a people carrier is straightforward now with many websites offering price comparison booking engines, so make use of these. Do your homework before committing to any people carrier hire, read the small print if you can, and don’t let the car hire experience ruin your visit. Check out each company’s policy on fuel, do you need to fill the car up on the way back or do you return the car empty.

Remember to find out how much the excess is on your people carrier hire and be aware that for an extra few euros per day you can drive your people carrier hire safe in the knowledge that if you do have an accident you will not be charged a penny. The following information will give you an idea about just some of the MPVs, minivans and people carriers you can hire all over the world nowadays.

Volkswagen Touran – The Best People Carrier?

The VW Touran has long been one of our favourites, perhaps not the most eye-catching but it’s been around a long time and is tried and tested. With a variety of both diesel and petrol engines to choose from, the VW Touran can be economical as a hire vehicle. Please bear in mind that although the Touran is generally a very comfortable and quiet people carrier to drive, if you have opted for the diesel version you can expect to hear greater engine noise.

The Volkswagen Touran is an extremely practical and versatile compact MPV and is class leading even after all these years. The seven seats a leader in a fairly flexible manner, and is a pretty decent level of boot space even with seven occupants.

SEAT Alhambra – Excellent All Rounder.

Without doubt the SEAT Alhambra is a great choice for families looking for a reliable MPV hire. Petrol and diesel engines can be had and fuel economy is pretty decent throughout the range of models. Inside the cabin, passengers have plenty of room and the cabin is well laid out. The Alhambra has an outstanding safety record and it is well equipped throughout with plenty of legroom and headroom for passengers. Not many negatives, but if you’re being picky, the sheer size of the vehicle can make parking a bit of a struggle. One small niggling point, the back seats take a bit of manoeuvring before folding away. Despite the odd niggle, as one of the cheapest people carriers you can hire today, the Alhambra can be forgiven.

Citroen C4 Grand Picasso – Triple “MPV of the Year” Winner.

Hire a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso people carrier and you’ll be hiring a stylish, roomy vehicle the whole family will love. It’s renowned for it’s level of comfort, and easily seats seven adults when the third row of seats are activated.

The third row of seats can be brought into use very easily, and a range of petrol and diesel engines and manual or automatic gearboxes should mean there’s a model to suit everyone. The suspension and ride feels a bit spongey in comparison to other MPVs, but it’s a comfortable cabin experience for those inside. Once you get used to the handling though, you should have no problems with the overall performance of this roomy 7 seater.

It’s certainly among the most comfortable people carriers we have experienced and if you’re travelling long distances when on holiday then this is the MPV for you. Seating is cleverly organised and can be altered at the touch of a button – well, a handle! Legroom and headroom are good overall and there is better than average luggage capacity even when all seven seats are in use.

You can achieve excellent fuel economy with the Grand Picasso, particularly with the new 1.6 e-HDI model which returns 57mpg. The Grand Picasso is a practical, reliable and comfortable 7 seater which can be hired just about everywhere – we think it’s an excellent choice.