Jargon Buster for Car Hire and Van Hire

GLOSSARY
A
Additional Driver
When there is more than one driver associated to a rental, the second, or subsequent, driver is referred to as the additional driver. There may be a charge applied for each, or all, additional drivers.
Airport Surcharge
An additional charge which applies at certain airport locations, and which is included in the rate quoted at the time of reservation.
B
Barn Doors
Barn doors are the name given to the twin rear doors on most vans - each opens to the side, just like traditional barn doors. These are good for getting tall objects inside the back of the van.
Box Van
A van with a box body - completely square and giving the appearance of having been mounted on top of the vans chassis, rather than being an original part of the van. Vans with box bodies are usually referred to as Luton vans.
C
CDW
An abbreviation for Collision Damage Waiver issues you for the cost of repairs if your Cheap Beep Rentals vehicle is damaged (an excess applies). This is also known as Vehicle Damage Cover.
Check-out/Pick-up
The location, or time, from which a rental starts.
Check-in/Return
The location, or time, at which a rental ends.
Crew Cab
A van or pickup with a crew cab has two rows of seats. The front row, (including the drivers seat and 1 or 2 passenger seats) and a second row, allowing a further two or three passengers to travel in the cab.
I
IRF
The Incident Report Form, which you fill in with rental office staff if there’s new damage to the car when you bring it back.
L
Load Space
The internal space in a van that can be used to carry a cargo.
Long Wheel Base (LWB)
The name given to longer vans with bigger load areas. The wheelbase is the distance between the front and rear wheels - the longer it is, the more you can fit in.
Luton
A Luton van is a 3.5t van with a box body that extends over the cab. These have a bigger, more flexible load space than a panel van (see below) and are ideal for furniture and household moves.
M
Maximum Laden Weight
The weight of a vehicle including its load. The maximum laden weight is the maximum total weight allowed.
Medium Wheel Base (MWB)
Medium Wheel Base - halfway between SWB (short wheel base) and LWB (long wheel base) in length.
O
One-Way
To rent a vehicle at one location and to return it at another is referred to as a one-way rental.
P
Panel Van
A standard Transit-style van, with a panelled body that is similar to a car body.
Payload
The load of a van - usually used to describe the maximum weight load a van can carry - e.g. a payload of 900kg
Product
The rate, and other rental conditions, which is applied to a reservation and rental.
R
Refuelling Service
A service provided at check-in which enables a customer to return a vehicle which does not have a full tank of fuel.
Renter
The person, who is not the driver, but who is responsible for payment on a Rental Agreement.
Rental Agreement (RA)
The formal contract, signed by Europcar and the renter at the time of check-out, which shows the terms of the rental.
Rental Day
Normally, a 24-hour period which starts at the time of check-out, however can also apply to a rental period which is of several hours duration.
Rental Duration/Length
Normally, the total of rental days, however can also apply to a rental of several hours duration.
Rental Qualifications
The conditions imposed by a rental location, or country, in order to satisfy their legal requirements. Details of these can be obtained from our Reservation Centres.
Roller Door
An alternative to barn doors - a sliding door that covers the whole of the rear of the van, and simply rolls up into the roof to allow goods to be loaded into the cargo area.
S
SIPP
Standard Interline Passenger Procedures. Vehicle category codes are often referred to as SIPP codes.
Short Wheel Base (SWB)
The name given to shorter vans - usually not much longer than a medium-sized car. The wheel base is the distance between the front and rear wheels. A short wheel base van will be easier to park and manoeuvre in small spaces but will have a smaller load space.
Side Loading Door (SLD)
Side Loading Door - the sliding side door on the near side of almost all panel vans. Very useful for loading from a pavement, or when there is not room to open the rear doors. Also allows you to access the front of the load space without having to climb in from the back.
Single Cab
A van or pickup with a single cab that has just one row of seats. This consists of the drivers seat and one or two passenger seats.
T
Tail Lift
A hydraulic platform that unfolds from the rear of a van or truck to allow heavy or bulky goods to be lifted from the load space down to pavement or road level. Unusual in panel vans, very common in Luton vans - but not all have one, so if you think you will need one, make sure you ask for it.
Tailgate
At the rear of a pickup, dropside or tipper van or truck, the load area will be enclosed by a vertical panel. This is the tailgate. Most tailgates are hinged at the bottom to allow them to open outwards and provide flat access to the load area.
On tippers, the tailgates are hinged at the top and can be unfastened at the bottom. This means that when tipping, the tailgate swings away from the load area, allowing the load to slide out underneath the tailgate, onto the ground.
Tipper
A tipper is a van or truck with a load area that can be mechanically raised up at an angle to allow the load (usually sand, gravel, etc) to be tipped out onto the ground behind the vehicle, thus saving it being unloaded by hand.
Truck
A term generally used to describe goods vehicles of 3.5t maximum laden weight upwards. Not usually used for vans.
U
Unladen Weight
The weight of a van (or any vehicle) without any passengers or luggage/load.
V
Vehicle Theft Cover
This insures you for the cost of replacing the vehicle – or parts of it – if it gets stolen (an excess applies here).
Wheel Base
The distance between the front and rear wheels of a van. Used to indicate the size of the van - i.e. the longer it is, the larger its load space will be.
X
Extra Long Wheel Base (XLWB)
The best-known extra-long wheelbase van is the Mercedes Sprinter - with a load compartment 4.2m long. Ford also offer the Transit Jumbo, which is almost identical in size. These extra long panel vans were developed to take a full-sized roll of carpet - 4m long - but have become popular with all sorts of people who appreciate the combination of 3.5 tonne rating and cavernous load space.