Car rental groups and codes explained (2024)

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Like many people, you may have come across codes like “FCAR” when making a rental car reservation and wondered exactly what that means. You might also have pondered why it says “or similar” next to the car model you wish to rent, or what defines an “intermediate” versus a “standard” or a “compact” versus an “economy” rental car.

Questions like these are important, not least of all because knowing the answers can help you make a more informed choice when renting a vehicle. This can save you substantial amounts of time, money, and hassle – which is the reason we developed this guide to car rental groups and codes.

What does “or similar” mean when renting a car?

What are car rental groups and what do they mean?

Rental car companies organize their vehicles into groups or classes based on car size, cost, power, and the quality of its features and amenities (the “luxury factor”). The major car rental companies use similar vehicle groups, so it’s fairly easy to compare vehicles when making a reservation.

Common car rental groups include mini, economy, compact, intermediate, standard, full size, premium, and luxury. Vehicles may also be designated as elite or special. Brief descriptions of the most common car rental groups can be found below.

Mini cars

The Mini rental car group is reserved for the smallest and most fuel-efficient cars available for rent. Mini cars are suitable for 2-3 passengers (or possibly 2 adults and 2 kids depending on the model), can hold 1-2 bags, have 2 doors, and are usually hatchbacks. Some rental companies don’t use the Mini group, including cars of this size in the Economy group instead.

Economy cars

Economy rental cars are larger than Mini cars but smaller than Compact cars. Vehicles in the Economy and Compact rental car groups get similar gas mileage. Most Economy cars have 2-4 doors, seat 4 adults (or 2 adults and 3 children), and hold 1 large bag and 1 small bag. Economy vehicles are sometimes referred to as “sub-compact”.

Compact cars

Compact rental cars are slightly larger than Economy cars, with similar passenger capacity, but with roomier seating and a larger trunk that can hold 2 large bags or (1 large bag and 2 small bags).

Intermediate cars

Intermediate rental cars (also known as “Midsize”) are larger than Compact cars but smaller than Standard cars. Intermediate rental cars typically get better gas mileage than Standard cars. Cars in the Intermediate group typically seat 4-5 passengers and can hold 1 large and 1-2 small bags.

Standard cars

Standard rental cars are larger than Intermediate cars but smaller than Full-size cars. Standard rental cars usually have comfortable seating for up to 5 passengers, with trunk space for 2 large bags (or 1 large bag and 2 small bags).

Full-size cars

Rental cars in the Full-size group are the largest vehicles you can rent that aren’t trucks, SUVs, or vans – larger than Intermediate and Standard cars. As such, they have the most space for both passengers (up to 5) and bags (4) available in a rental sedan.

Premium vehicles

Premium rental cars are similar in size to Full-size vehicles (5 passengers and 4 bags), but offer more in terms of performance, style, comfort, and features. Premium cars cost more to rent than full-size cars but are less expensive than luxury rental cars.

Luxury vehicles

The Luxury rental car group is reserved for top-of-the-line vehicles with maximum style, performance, and comfort. Luxury vehicles offer the best features and equipment available in a rental car.

Elite vehicles

The Elite rental car group is used to describe vehicles that are similar in size to another vehicle but superior in terms of price, engine, performance, fixtures, features, amenities, either singly or in any combination of these factors.

Special vehicles

The Special car rental group is used for vehicles that don’t fit easily into other groups or categories.

Car rental group codes

Each rental car group is represented by an alphabetical or alpha-numeric code. Some rental companies use standard codes developed by the Association of Car Rental Industry System Standards (ACRISS). The rest use their own group code systems.

ACRISS car group codes

Car rental companies that use the ACRISS group code system include Alamo, Enterprise, National, and Sixt.

Avis rental car group codes

Avis uses the following car groups (classes) to describe their vehicles:

Budget rental car group codes

Budget uses the following car groups and codes:

Dollar rental car group codes

Dollar Rent-A-Car uses the following car classes and codes:

Hertz rental car group codes

The following car rental groups and codes are used by Hertz:

Thrifty rental car group codes

Here’s a list of the car group codes that Thrifty uses for its rental cars:

4-letter car classification codes

Car rental companies use 4-character alpha-numeric codes developed by the Association of Car Rental Industry System Standards (ACRISS) to classify and describe cars. The helps to standardize car descriptions and definitions so consumers can easily make like-to-like comparisons when renting a car.

The first character in a vehicle’s classification code represents its general category as defined by size, cost, power, and luxury factor. Typical car rental vehicle categories are mini, economy, compact, intermediate, standard, full-size, premium, and luxury. Vehicles may also be designated as elite, oversize, or special.

The second character in the code describes the vehicle’s chassis type, with the most common being 2-door, 4-door, wagon, passenger van, sedan, SUV, convertible, or pickup truck.

The third character denotes the transmission or drive type, specifically whether the vehicle is automatic or manual and has 2WD, 4WD, or AWD.

The fourth and final character designates the vehicle’s fuel type, as well as the presence or absence of air conditioning.

Who uses ACRISS codes?

The car classification codes developed by ACRISS are used by most rental companies, including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Sixt and Thrifty, as well as car rental search engines like Expedia and RentalCars.com.

What do ACRISS codes mean?

Below is a matrix of the characters used in car rental classification codes and what they stand for. Beneath that, you can find definitions of the included terms.

Rental car code examples

Once you’ve got the matrix in front of you, deciphering rental car classification codes is easy! Let’s take a look at some examples of common ACRISS rental car classification codes.

FCAR: Full-size car (F) with 2-4 doors (C), automatic transmission (A), and air conditioning (R).

MVAR: Minivan (M+V) with automatic transmission (A) and air conditioning (R).

ECAR: Economy car (E) with 2-4 doors (C), automatic transmission (A), and air conditioning (R).

FDAM or FDAH: Full-size car (F) with 4-5 doors (D), hybrid fuel with air conditioning (M or H).

IDMR: Intermediate car (I) with 4-5 doors (D), manual transmission (M), and air conditioning (R).

IFDR: Intermediate (I) SUV (F) with all-wheel drive (D) and air conditioning (R).

PCAR: Premium car (P) with 2-4 doors (C), automatic transmission (A), and air conditioning (R).

Term definitions

Cargo van: Van used to transport cargo or goods.

Convertible: Cars with open roof usually with four full seats (compare to “roadster”).

Convertible SUV: Sports utility vehicle with open roof.

Coupe: 2-door sport car, usually with 2 small rear seats.

Crossover: A crossover or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a vehicle built on a unibody car platform combining some features of a sport utility vehicle (SUV) with those of a passenger vehicle without 4 wheel drive capabilities.

Limousine / sedan: Specially extended luxury cars with extra space (or a sedan in certain markets).

Monospace: Five seat multi-purpose vehicle with extra headroom.

Motorhome: smaller recreational vehicle (e.g., camper van). Compare to “recreational”.

Passenger van: Multi-passenger vehicle with at least 6 seats.

Pickup: Pickup truck with 2-4 doors, and single, extended, or double cab.

Recreational: Larger motorhome with more living space. Compare to “motorhome”.

Roadster: 2-door, 2-seat car with open roof. Compare to “convertible”.

Special: Vehicles that do not fit into other groups.

Special offer car: Used for promotions and guaranteed models.

Sport: Sports car with a more powerful engine.

SUV: Sport utility vehicleor suburban utility vehicle. Technically classified as a light truck, but operated as a family vehicle usually with 4 wheel driveor on/off road capability (4WD not guaranteed).

Two-wheel vehicle: Motorcycle, moped, bike, or scooter.

Wagon / estate: Wagon version of (usually) C or D class vehicles.

Car rental passenger van codes

We hope this guide to rental car groups and codes has been helpful in answering your questions about the topic. If there’s something missing, you need more information, or there’s another question we can answer, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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