There are a number of questions you need to ask yourself before you choose a chauffeur car hire company. These include what kind of impact are you looking to make, and what level of luxury are you after? At a more practical level, you'll need to decide what services are available in your area, how long the company has been established (and hence their degree of specialist knowledge) and what accreditation and guarantees they offer to ensure you get the service you hired. A previous client list usually gives you a good indication of the standard of the company.

Type of car

In the UK, the preferred choices for chauffeur car hire include Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce, BMW, Land Rover, Chrysler and Bentley: these well-known marques all offer their unique character, and unspoken impression of distinguish, style, opulence or class. Rates of service normally include executive, VIP and security services. You may even be able to choose the colour of the car,from silver, to dark green and dark blue.

Chauffeur

The ideal choice for chauffeur car hire is a company that offers locally-trained and expert drivers that will cater to your particular tastes. You may, for example, have the chance to specify what the chauffeur is wearing, whether they wear a shirt with a tie or open collar. Chauffeur car services may cater for extra security requirements, by hiring former police of army staff,for close protection or VIP protection.

Time charges

Charges for chauffeur car hire will depend on whether you are looking for by-the-hour, as directed services, specific airport transfers, or an on-going account, with the opportunity to benefit from concierge services. In any case, you need to check to ensure that the company you choose doesn't have any hidden extra charges that you aren't aware of, such as mileage rates or unstated service charges and passenger fees. Most services will have elevated charges for holidays, and these sorts of things should be clear from the beginning.

Additional extras and concierge services

Some companies will offer perks for the occasional use of luxury cars, such as wedding guests or people on a stag night, and include things like champagne, balloons and bowties. Others offer 'life-style' services catering for a more discerning customer or a real taste of luxury on a one-off basis. Concierge services can include hotel and restaurant bookings, theatre and cinema tickets, flower delivery, personal shopping, office and residential accommodation, private aviation services and much more.

Luggage delivery services

Some chauffeur car hire companies will also offer transfer services for luggage between airports, and transport for other items that need to be shipped within the UK or further afield. For high-paying customers, this will make all the difference, to be spared the wait and inconvenience of luggage carousels in commercial airports.