Large Families of Six or Seven: One Car or Two?

SUV/XL covers six passengers with a 10-unit combined luggage budget — enough for up to four large cases, or a mix of large and cabin bags within that budget. For a family of six, or seven where one is a young enough child to sit on a lap safely and legally for a short transfer, this is usually the right fit if your luggage stays within that 10-unit range.

Where it gets tight is child seats: each seat fitted takes up a passenger position the same as an adult, so a family of six that needs two or three child seats fitted is effectively carrying more 'seats' than the passenger count suggests, and the remaining space for cases can shrink faster than expected.

A Minibus seats eight with an 18-unit luggage budget, which gives a family of six or seven real breathing room — every child seat fitted, every passenger with their own actual seat, and still plenty of luggage capacity left over. For a family with three or more children needing seats fitted, or with a full set of luggage for a longer trip, the Minibus is usually the more comfortable and less risky choice, even though it's sized for up to eight.

Count actual seats needed first — every child in a child seat needs their own seat, the same as an adult — then count luggage units against whichever category has enough seats. If a family of seven with two child seats and a normal week's luggage lands close to the SUV/XL's 10-unit limit, it's worth booking the Minibus instead rather than hoping it fits; the price difference is shown clearly before you pay, and there's no penalty for choosing the safer option.

The booking page shows the room left in a category once you've entered passengers and bags, so you can see whether it fits before paying rather than guessing.

Book each child seat needed in the booking form, with the child's age — under 1 year, or 1 to 3 years — so the right seat is fitted before pickup. For a family needing several seats fitted, this is worth doing early rather than as an afterthought, since it also affects which category actually has room for everyone once the seats are in.