Car Rental Glossary

View our list explaining the common words and phrases that you may find when renting a car or van.

What is a Collision Damage Waiver?

A Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) protects you in the event of damage to, or theft of, your hired vehicle.

What does EV mean?

EV stands for Electric Vehicle. This is a type of vehicle, such as a car or van, powered by an electric battery. View our EV jargon buster.

What is free pick-up?

Rent a car or van from your local Enterprise branch and we'll pick you up for free and drive you to the vehicle. Return the vehicle to your local branch and we’ll drop you off for free. Excludes airport locations. Rules apply.

What is a car hire fuel policy?

A fuel policy is an agreed level of fuel in the hire vehicle’s tank upon its return. Fuel charges include ‘pay for what you use’ and ‘pre-pay’ options.

What fuel types are available for cars?

Different fuel options for cars and vans include petrol, diesel, electric and hybrid electric.

What does ICE vehicle mean?

ICE stands for Internal Combustion Engine. ICE vehicles are fuelled by burning petrol or diesel fuels.

What is a long wheelbase van?

A long Wheelbase (LWB) vans has a longer distance between the front and rear wheels. This provides more space for storing cargo. Examples include Extra Large Vans and Luton Vans.

What is mileage allowance?

The distance a hired car or van is allowed to travel.

What does MPV mean?

MPVs also known as Multi-Purpose Vehicles contain plenty of seats and storage space. Examples include people carriers or minivans. 

What is one-way car hire?

You can pick up your hired car or van from your local Enterprise Rent-A-Car branch and drop it back at a different branch.

What are optional extras?

These are additional products that can be purchase when hiring a vehicle such as a sat nav or adding an additional driver to your rental contract.

What is pre-pay car hire?

Hire your car or van online in advance to save 10% off the base hire rate.

How long is a rental day?

Exactly 24 hours. For example, if you pick up your hire car at 11am and return it the following day at 10am, you will be charged for one day. If you returned the car at 2pm the following day, you will have gone into another rental day and be charged for two days.

What does SUV mean?

SUVs also known as Sport Utility Vehicles are powerful vehicles that are typically large and include more seating and storage capacity.

What does SIPP mean?

A SIPP code, also known as Standard Interline Passenger Procedures code, is an industry-standard method of classifying rental vehicles. The SIPP code is four digits that describe the vehicle’s size, number of doors, transmission type, fuel type and whether it has Air-Conditioning (AC).

What is a tail-lift?

A tail-lift is a hydraulic platform for easier loading and unloading available on the Luton Van with Tail-Lift.

What does total price mean?

The price shown when booking online based on the information supplied. The total price includes all mandatory charges and excludes optional extras or additional drivers.

What is a vehicle class?

Vehicle classes are ways of grouping cars and vans into categories based on size and features. For example cars, SUVs and vans.

What is transmission in a car?

Transmission is the method of controlling a vehicle’s gears. For example cars and vans could have either manual or automatic transmission.

More from Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Car Hire Locations

Find your nearest Enterprise Rent-A-Car branch.

Our Fleet

Browse our range of cars and vans to hire.

Latest Deals

View our latest car and van hire deals.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Visit our FAQs for more answers to car and van hire questions.