OverTheHorizon

Apologies if this has been asked before, I did search but couldn't find a relevant thread...

So, I was looking at the 2017 fleet list for Hertz and got to wondering about the hierarchy of the groups e.g. what counts as an upgrade, are any groups equivalent etc.

Is it as siimple as going down the list in order ?

A ECAR/EDAR Economy
B CCAR/CDAR Compact
C ICAR/IDAR Midsize
D SCAR/SDAR Standard
F FCAR/FDAR Fullsize
G PCAR/PDAR Premium
I LCAR/LDAR Luxury
Q4 IFAR Midsize SUV
L SFAR 5-Passenger SUV
L4 FRAR 7-Passenger SUV
T FFAR Large SUV
T6 PFAR Extra-capacity SUV
R MVAR/IVAR Minivan
S SPAR Large Pickup Truck
U STAR Convertible
N4 SKAR Cargo van
M FVAR Van

AutoSlash

If you’re talking about an upgrade coupon, the maximum you can upgrade to is a Premium car. An upgrade coupon would take you from an Economy to a Compact car or a Standard car to a Fullsize car. You can’t get any higher than a Premium car, so if you book a Premium car and use an upgrade PC code, it won’t get you a Luxury car.

Upgrade coupons do do not apply to anything other than the standard car classes, so no effect on SUVs or other vehicle types.

rcspeirs

You’ve linked to the US list, but I noticed your location is UK.
The UK hierarchy is different. “C” is compact in the UK for example. Plus the same car will appear in two groups, depending on whether it’s manual or automatic.

OverTheHorizon

Well, it was a bit of an idle query tbh

My interest was more in the US list, as I don't drive over there that often, so am quite out of touch with the car market.

I have a booking (group Q4) coming up at PHX, and now Ultimate Choice is live there , I just wanted to get clear in my head what groups (if any) would be equivalent or lower to Q4, so that when I get to the lot I am not totally on the back foot !

jackal

There are a lot of sub-classes that actual vehicles are assigned to but that aren't used by the reservation system. Here are a few pulled off of some of my recent receipts:

YB (Nissan Versa...maybe elite because it had a backup camera??)
E6 (Hybrid Hyundai Sonata)
YI (Cadillac XTS)
G4 (Infiniti Q50)
E6 (Hybrid Ford Fusion)

IIRC, Y prefacing a class code means "elite"--so YF is "elite fullsize," YI is "elite premium," etc. E must mean hybrid, which I guess would technically place it between standard and fullsize, though I've never really heard of them being considered a downgrade from a fullsize (and a certificate used to upgrade a standard will get you a fullsize, not a hybrid). FWIW, hybrids are bookable and the ACRISS code is xCAH (i.e. ICAH if it's an intermediate hybrid like a Prius, FCAH if it's a fullsize hybrid like a Camry, etc.). No idea what 4 or 6 after a class code means, though.

Red Scorpion

The prefix Y in a Group means that the car is deemed to be "better" in some way than the other cars in the base Group - typically, things like a Sun Roof or Leather Seats would be the sort of things that would count. You can't book the Y-prefix. In the past, some locations have used it to declare that they are giving out an upgrade, as opposed to going say from a B to a C Group. With the advent of Ultimate Choice, it is even less relevant than it was before.

E6 is a valid Group in its own right and is for Hybrid cars - which include the Sonata and Fusion as well as the Toyota Prius. (Group E is something completely different).

The numbers are used as there are not enough letters in the alphabet for all the different Groups, as some of the "reserve this exact model" cars have a Group all to themselves.

As to the original question, there is no definitive and single hierarchy. Upgrades and indeed car allocation always were influenced by availability. So, if you had a Group C reservation, and there were few F models (the next one up, size wise), but the place was well-stocked with SUVs, you would get a Q or Q4. But sometimes, you would get that as an "upgrade" from an F, as well, as there tend to be very few G class cars on fleet. Hertz will usually try to ensure that if you have reserved a particular body style like an SUV or a Convertible that you get one of those. so you would be unlikely to get a G or I (Luxury Car) if you'd reserved a Q or L (SUV). But every principle has its exceptions, as judgement and availability have a bearing here. Numerous threads on Ultimate Choice suggest that what gets put where can vary quite widely even by time of the week at the same location let alone between locations. Again, it is down to what they have, vs what they have booked.

AutoSlash

With Ultimate Choice, if you reserve anything other than an ICAR-FCAR, you will be assigned a specific vehicle in a stall number as opposed to being told to go to the UC section that corresponds to your status level. You will have the choice of taking your assigned vehicle or anything from the UC area that corresponds to your status. There may be SUVs in the UC area, or there may not be. They tend to be less common than your typical midsize to fullsize cars, but it's hard to predict.

Just to reiterate, a reservation for a Q4/IFAR will get you exactly that. There is no automatic upgrade to an SFAR unless you find something better in the UC section.

OverTheHorizon

I had a feeling that my simple question wouldn't have a simple answer

Thanks to all for your insight !