7, 8, or 9 Seater: Your Guide to Multi Seater Car Hire

Whether it’s a large family outing, a holiday with friends or an important business trip – sometimes a Ford Fiesta just isn’t going to cut it! Here at Indigo we also offer a variety of multi-seater car hire, whether it’s a 7 seater, 8 seater, or 9-seater car hire, we’ll have an option perfect for you!

Benefits of Hiring Multi-Seater Cars

Obviously these vehicles come in most useful when travelling in groups of 7 and over – as the name would suggest! But there’s still plenty of reasons for hiring something larger, even if you don’t need the extra seats, and there are certainly benefits to having one larger car over two smaller ones as well.

Comfort and Space – Most multi seater cars are built for comfort, especially over long journeys. And if it’s luggage space you need then almost all of them have the option to put the seats down as well, perfect for equipment heavy holidays such as ski trips.
Cost effectiveness – Often times it can simply be cheaper to book one larger car rather than two smaller cars, and obviously it saves you from having to block two separate deposits as well. That’s not always the case though, so definitely worth comparing to the two options to make sure.
Convenience – Double the cars means double the parking, double the driving and double the deposits too! It’s undeniable that a single car is by far the most convenient way to travel. Plus it’s just a more pleasant journey having everyone able to chat together!

Types of 7, 8, or 9-Seater Cars Available

Obviously this can vary a lot depending on your travel destination – in the UK you might commonly see Vauxhall Vivaro’s or Ford Galaxy’s, whereas in the US you might see a Chevrolet Suburban or Ford Expedition. This will mostly focus on cars you might see in Europe, here are the usual groups available and some example models that are in them:

Small 7-seater people carriers (5+2) – Examples include the Vauxhall Zafira, Ford S-Max, Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, VW Touran, Peugeot 5008, Renault Grand Scenic etc.
Large full-size 7-seater people carriers – Examples include the Ford Galaxy, VW Sharan, Renault Grand Espace, Mercedes V-Class, Kia Carnival etc.
7-seat SUV’s – Examples include the Skoda Kodiaq, VW Tiguan Allspace, Land Rover Discovery, Volvo XC90, Audi Q7, Nissan X-Trail, Toyota Land Cruiser, Mazda CX-8 etc.
8-seat people carriers – Examples include the Ford Tourneo Custom, VW Caravelle, Peugeot Traveller, Citroen SpaceTourer, Toyota Proace Versa.
9-seat minivans – Examples include the VW Transporter, Ford Transit Custom, Vauxhall Vivaro, VW Crafter, Renault Trafic, Mercedes Vito etc.

These are just some example models, so there’s a lot more than just these – some countries such as the US even have 12-15 seaters available too. It’s important to mention that we can’t guarantee the specific model in most cases, but you guaranteed a model of the same size and in the same group, and we’re always happy to add on a request if you have a specific preference too.

Tips for Hiring Larger Vehicles

Most of the usual tips for car rental still apply of course – but there are a few more specific tips and differences that apply when renting larger vehicles like these. Here are some tips to avoid the most common issues people have:

Book early – I know, we always say this! But it applies doubly so to people carriers and minivans – they are always the first to sell out by a mile. Suppliers tend to stock far fewer people carriers than standard cars just due to the amount of space they take up. Over busy periods such as Christmas or the summer holidays they can often sell out months in advance, so it’s vital to move quickly.
Check the rental terms and policies – Larger and more premium vehicles might have more restrictions than standard cars. With some suppliers the people carriers specifically can only be booked with a credit card, with other suppliers they only allow smaller cars to go cross border etc. Definitely something to keep in mind and check when booking.
Check the insurance terms – Sometimes your excess and liability might be quite a bit higher on the larger vehicles, as well as the deposit hold on your card. We would always go through this with you beforehand though if you are book over the phone, but if you are booking online it’s important to read the terms beforehand.

And as always we just recommend you look over the contract before signing anything, make sure the rates match, and take photo of each side of the car as well so you have evidence of pre-existing damage. If you ever need anything on arrival we are simply a phone call away!

How to Book a 7, 8, or 9 Seater Vehicle

Whilst you certainly can browse through the options on our website, we absolutely recommend contacting us directly for a quote instead, either over the phone, email or on the online chat. We usually have more options than just the ones on the website (often cheaper!) as well as more pickup locations and car groups. We can also ensure that the car you’re booking suits the requirements you need, whether you’re looking for something with a low deposit, different drop off locations, younger drivers – you name it! Saves you from getting lost sifting through endless terms and conditions!

To contact us you can either call us on +44 (0) 113 2899 281 (available on WhatsApp too), email us at [email protected], pop up on the online chat or just fill in the enquiry form on the site. We are also available to contact anytime for emergencies too, so if you need anything on arrival or during the hire then don’t hesitate to get in contact!

Other Services we Offer for 7, 8, or 9 Seater Vehicles

Need to hire a people carrier / minivan but only have a debit card? Or perhaps you’re a new driver, or have more than 6 penalty points? Not to worry, at Indigo we have a lot of specialist rental services, even for these larger cars – here’s just a few below:

If you have any other special requirements not listed though then we may still have an option, always worth checking with us directly!