Family road trip in Andalucia |
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Car Rental Groups
When you are visiting a region as varied as Andalucia, it is well worth renting a car - if not for your whole stay, especially if you're starting or finishing in a city, then at least for part of it. The flexibility of where you can go, and when, makes discovering all the beautiful scenery and hidden villages of Andalucia into your own adventure, taken at your own pace.
When you hire a car online you are actually reserving a car in a 'rental group' and not a specific make or model of car. Note that adjacent to the name of the car in the listing it will say 'or similar'. The headline car in the listings tends to be an 'expensive' model. The groups and their composition of car makes and models are not published by any of the car hire companies.
Some of the larger car hire companies use the 'SIPP codes' developed by the ACRISS (Association of Car Rental Industry Systems Standards). However, most car hire companies use their own group codes.
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SIPP CODES
SIPP is a four-letter code system:
- 1st letter defines the Vehicle Category
- 2nd letter defines the Vehicle Type
- 3rd letter defines the Vehicle Transmission
- 4th letter defines the Vehicle Fuel Type & Air Conditioning
Here is a chart of the SIPP from ACRISS. There are 17 different vehicle categories and each main category has an 'elite', which is an upgrade car model.
M - Mini
N - Mini Elite
E - Economy
H - Economy Elite
C - Compact
D - Compact Elite
I - Intermediate
J - Intermediate Elite
S - Standard
R - Standard Elite
F - Full size
G - Full size Elite
P - Premium
U - Premium Elite
L - Luxury
W - Luxury Elite
O - Oversize
X - Special
Principal Rental Car Groups in Andalucia
As a guide, here are the principal categories, descriptions and examples of common rental cars in Andalucía that are in the groups:
Mini
A small car, suitable for one or two people normally with two doors. Obviously easy to park in towns and economic on fuel but not suitable for long journeys or families with luggage.
Examples are: Fiat 500, Fiat Panda, Peugeot 107, Toyota Aygo
Economy
A small car with two or four doors for two or four passengers.Suitable for a family with two young children but not if there is a lot of luggage. The level of comfort will depend on the size of the passengers. Suitable for short journeys. Economic on fuel consumption.
Examples are: Opal Corsa, Ford Fiesta, VW Polo, Peugeot 208, Renault Clio, Seat Ibiza
Compact
A compact five-door car that can accommodate a family of four with moderate luggage. The level of comfort will depend on the size of the passengers. Suitable for short journeys. This vehicle will have a higher spec of facilities, car radio, etc. Air conditioning is usually standard.
Examples are: Kia CEE'D, Renault CLIO SW, Volkswagen CADDY, VW Golf, Ford Focus
Intermediate
A larger family car with five doors and air conditioning. A more powerful engine and level of comfort for longer journeys such as touring Andalucía. Offers a level of comfort for up to five people and three suitcases. This vehicle will have a higher spec of facilities, car radio, reversing camera and parking warnings. GPS sometimes standard.
Examples are: Opel ZAFIRA, Ford C-MAX, Ford MONDEO, Ford S-MAX, Audi A3, BMW Series 1
Standard
A family car with five doors and air conditioning. A more powerful engine and level of comfort for longer journeys such as touring Andalucía. Offers a level of comfort for up to five people and three small suitcases. This vehicle will have a higher spec of facilities, car radio, reversing camera and parking warnings. GPS sometimes standard.
Examples are: Audi A3 Sedan, Toyota Aygo, VW Passat
Full size
A larger family car with five doors and air conditioning.A more powerful engine and level of comfort for longer journeys such as touring Andalucía. Offers full comfort for five people and four or five suitcases. This vehicle will have a full specification of facilities, car radio, reversing camera and parking warnings. GPS standard.
Examples are: BMW Series 3, Audi A6, Audi A7
Premium
A premium car, sports car or open-top convertible car. Air conditioning standard. A powerful engine and high level of comfort for longer journeys such as touring Andalucía. Offers full comfort for five people and four or five suitcases. This vehicle will have a full specification of facilities, car radio, reversing camera and parking warnings. GPS standard.
Examples are: Audi A8, BMW Serie 7
Luxury
A luxury or prestige car with five doors and air conditioning. A more powerful engine and level of comfort for longer journeys such as touring Andalucía. This vehicle will have full spec of facilities, car radio, reversing camera and parking warnings GPS as standard.
Examples are: Jaguar F-Type S Cabriolet, Porsche Cayman, Aston Martin DB9 Volante, Mercedes E250 Convertible.
MPV
There are two levels of people carrier for larger groups: seven-person and nine-person.
Examples of seven person are: SEAT Alhambra, VW Touran, Ford Galaxy, KIA Carnival, Chrysler Voyage, Mercedes Clase V.
Examples of nine person are: Opal Vivero, VW Transporter, Mercedes Vito,
Estate
Examples of small estate group: Renault Kangoo Combi, Citroen Berlingo
Examples of medium estate group are: Renault Scenic, Seat Altea
Examples of larger estate group are: BMW 2 series Active Tourer.
SUV
A luxury or prestige car with five doors and air conditioning. A more powerful engine and level of comfort for longer journeys such as touring Andalucía. This vehicle will have full spec of facilities, car radio, reversing camera and parking warnings. GPS as standard.
Examples of medium estate group: Honda CRV, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Range Rover, Volvo XC90, BMW X3, Nissan Juke, Nissan X-Trail
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