What Is a Standard Car? What to Know About Renting One

A standard rental car contains four doors and a trunk where most of the cargo space is located. While most standard cars are rear-wheel drive, some may be all-wheel drive depending on where you rent them. A standard car weighs anywhere between 3,000 and 3,500 pounds, which is about the weight of an average SUV. 

It’s common for standard cars, or mid-size or intermediate cars, as they’re known, to have a four-cylinder engine. These engines may have some pep to their step but they aren’t typically powerful. As is the case with any rental car, standard or not, nearly 99% of them have automatic transmissions. 

Inside standard cars, you’ll find basic amenities such as cloth seats, driver’s seat memory settings, cruise control, satellite radio capabilities and a few extra features. The full list of capabilities varies depending on which standard vehicle you rent, as some automotive manufacturers incorporate more than others. 

In terms of safety, standard cars typically have basic safety features. These include a backup camera if the car is a 2016 model year or newer, airbags, anti-lock brakes and the rest of the standard suite of safety equipment. Safety features such as automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist and lane departure warning may not be included. 

The main characteristics of a standard car include: 

• Four doors
• 20 to 35 miles per gallon fuel efficiency 
• Rear-wheel drive  
• Weighs 3,000 to 3,500 pounds 
• Seats up to five passengers
• Automatic transmission 
• Four-cylinder engine
• Modest interior with cloth seats
• Large trunk size
• Basic safety features, depending on year and manufacturer

From the outside, most standard vehicles look similar. You’ll find four doors, a hood and a trunk no matter how you look at it. However, standard rental cars can vary in where the window frames are positioned relative to the driver, a critical feature for accounting for blind spots, if any. 

Standard rental cars represent the introductory level of four-door sedans that aren’t compact or economy. However, full-size rental cars are the largest sedans out there that are not considered to be part of the luxury class. What these passenger cars gain in legroom and cargo space they lose a bit in the fuel economy department. 

You can compare standard and full-size sedans from the same manufacturer to get a sense of the difference in size and amenities. For example, the Chevrolet Malibu and Cruze represent the full-size and standard sedan market respectively. The Chevy Malibu is larger and therefore earns the full-size label. 

Beyond losing a few fuel economy points and gaining some breathing room, full-size sedans aren’t that much different from standard rental cars. However, the prices between the two can vary, depending on what you’re looking for. Many people who choose a full-size rental car pay for luxury models instead to get the features they want. 

It is common for people to forego a full-size sedan for a mid-size SUV instead, especially if they’re traveling with larger bags or plan on carrying a lot of equipment. Many SUVs in this price range have similar fuel economy ratings but do offer the ability to offroad a bit more than your typical family sedan. 

Figuring out whether or not you should rent a standard car can take some thought. Here are a few points to consider for and against renting a standard car. 

Pros

• Fuel efficient - In its weight class, a standard-size car strikes a fine line between fuel efficiency and capability. It’s what makes them the best for long-distance travel from your initial destination. 
• Easily maneuverable - Full-size sedans can be difficult to park but standard cars can easily traverse city streets and park with ease. 
• Commonly available - It might feel like the automotive market caters to rental cars, or vice versa. Standard cars are one of the many classes most commonly available for rent. 
• Balance of storage space and legroom - Compact cars gain fuel efficiency with a smaller presence but standard cars offer room to breathe without stressing about gas station locations. 
• More amenities than a compact or economy car - Standard cars tend to have more amenities than economy cars, which are often stripped down to bare-bones features.

Cons

• May not be cost-effective - Depending on how many people are traveling with you, you may not need the extra space or seating capacity of a standard car. This is especially true for couples traveling lightly. 
• Lack of versatility - All-wheel drive capable and versatile mid-size SUVs steal the market from standard and full-size sedans, no matter if it’s in the rental car or the new and used markets. 
• Safety - More full-size vehicles travel the roads these days, which can make you feel small and vulnerable in a standard car versus a mid-size or even full-size SUV. 

Renting a car from the airport can weigh heavily on your travel budget. Experts recommend avoiding the airport and traveling in town to the suburbs to rent a car. Traveling just a few miles away can save you more than half your final bill. That’s quite a bit of savings, depending of course on which rental car company you choose and if they have two separate locations such as these. 

Stacker reports the following cities have the highest cost of renting a car:

• Los Angeles
• Phoenix
• New Orleans
• New York City 
• Chicago 

Renting a standard-size car at the time of writing costs around $80 to $100 for a single day or 24 hours. Hertz came in with the lowest price at $56 per day, which became a little over $80 total after taxes and fees. Second was Avis, with a $66 per-day fee that totaled around $94 all said and done. 

Budget and Thrifty charge just over $100 to rent a standard car for a day, including taxes and fees. That’s still about $10 cheaper than Enterprise, which was the most expensive of the bunch at $115. These prices were quoted for an airport location, but prices can change at any given moment. 

Though Budget, Hertz, and Enterprise rank among the top rental car companies for the cheapest rates, there are alternatives to renting a car. Instead, you can get a car subscription like FINN to pick out the car you want and have it delivered to your door. 

Some travelers recommend that you book an economy or a compact car that fits your needs over a standard car. The argument is that many travelers look for the cheapest prices, which leads them to the same rental car category you did. This lack of supply compared to the high demand means the car rental agency will probably upgrade you anyway and just charge you the same rate. This is not always the case, but it can be a nice perk.