Do you need a 7 seater AND luggage space? If you do you will need a minibus. We hired a Touran which has 7 seats. Despite us not needing the extra 2 seats I put them up anyway just to see how much room was in the boot and our buggy wouldn't fit - this buggy was bought because it fits in a Toyota Aygo - one of the smallest cars on the market!

With seats down luggage for four and a bay just fitted in the Touran boot.

the same would also apply to the Zafia , alhambra and the bigger new captiva 7 seat the only way to move 7 people + cases/pushchais etc would be a 9 seat mini bus even then some will have to go on the spare seats, unless you can hire a 7 seat with tow bar and trailer [now that will be expensive as hire cars do not usualy have tow bars]

wizard

It would be a lot cheaper to hire 2 cars than a people carrier.

They are coming out about £700 for two weeks which sounded expensive to me.

That doesn't sound a bad price for a people carrier. As others have said it will usually be cheaper and you will have more luggage space if you hire 2 cars. This is because people carriers cost more to buy but are less popular than your standard 4 door hatchback. So the company has to re-coup more money spread over fewer 'hires' because most people hiring a car go by age rather than mileage and still expect something that is less than 3 yrs old.

Unfortunately we only have one driver so hiring two cars is a no go.

I guess if everyone thinks that price is about right we will have to go with it!

I've been in this position too but be warned that people carriers on the whole don't have room for 7 people and all their luggage. If you're having it delivered to where you're staying and just using it for travelling around once you've arrived then you should be OK but if you're picking it up at the airport and using it to transport all of you plus all your gear to where you're staying then be prepared for people to have to travel with bags on their knees and around their feet.

In the latter circumstances the mini-bus option might be your best bet after all. Failing that, go for one that is based on a transit-van style conversion rather than a purpose designed people carrier such as a Zafira or Espace. For example, VW do a minibus sized one but with a more upmarket interior but unfortunately I can't remember the name.

SM

Thank you everyone. I have been persuaded that the van is the better option. I hope they are more comfortable than they look!!

Going back to my original quesiton, which company do you recommend?

The person I am renting the villa from has suggested autorent.pt. I am confused about the excess thing!

The cheapest quote I found in June was from economycarrentals.com and this included full insurance. Will be using them again.

I think I remember seeing autorent on my invoice so they may be the same company.

hello lbd. in the algarve about 8 weeks ago & we used carhirealgarve, get a quote for a 9 seater........u might be pleasantly surprised.............gl..............enjoy your holiday

The big question is excess on insurance if you are unfortunate to have a bump whether it be when you are present or not, just parked up and come back to find a big dent in your vehicle, that can be a big financial strain having to pay 600 to maybe 1000 euros depending on what vehicle you have hired. Lots of care hire companies look cheaper on the initial quote but when you add on extra insurance at daily rate to delete the excess they can be more expensive.My recommendation is http://www.economycarehire.com , used them many many times, like a lot of HT members have without any problems, but do read their terms and conditions as there are certain things like windscreen, underside of car & tyres which are not covered & this clause applies to the majority of car hire companies. Like DIY DAZ says have a look at the company he recommends, he says they are all also all inclusive insurance. Piece of mind is worth that little bit extra on rental charges. Just had a look at http://www.autorent.pt and on their website it states insurance with low excess, dont look low to me from 500 euros to 1000 euros depending on vehicle grouping. be very careful. Cheers Jayjan

I've just booked a car for a week via ecomonycarhire and I didn't find they were much more expensive that other companies I looked at. For an extra £5 I won't be paying an excess if I have an accident and I get a free additional driver, plus meet and great at the airport and no penalities if my flight is late. I'd say that is worth it.

Puddleduck,

I have used them a few times before and they were spot on, good choice.

Lummie