Three meetings, a lunch and a station run. Here is the arithmetic on when keeping the car makes more sense than releasing it.

Most people default to booking each leg of a day separately. It feels cheaper. For a day with more than two or three stops, it usually is not — and it is almost always more stressful.

The case for keeping the car

Hourly hire is booked in blocks from 2 to 12 hours. The chauffeur and vehicle stay with you for the whole block. You are not re-entering addresses, not waiting for a new driver, and not leaving a coat or a laptop bag in a car you will never see again.

Meetings that overrun do not cost you a missed pickup
Luggage and equipment stay in the car between stops
One chauffeur learns your day instead of five learning nothing
Route changes happen by speaking, not by rebooking

When separate rides are the better call

Two fixed points with hours of dead time between them — a morning arrival and an evening departure, say — are cheaper as two transfers. Hourly hire earns its keep when the gaps between stops are shorter than the time it would take to arrange a new car.

What a typical block covers

A half-day block of 4 to 6 hours comfortably covers a morning of meetings across central Madrid with a lunch in between. A full day of 8 to 12 hours covers a multi-site schedule, an out-of-town site visit, or a conference at IFEMA with hotel runs at either end.

Waiting time inside your booked block is simply part of the block. There is no separate waiting charge to watch.

Booking one

Choose “Hourly” when you book, set your pickup point and the number of hours, and leave the destination open. Your chauffeur takes direction from you on the day. As with every booking, place it at least two hours ahead.

Book an hourly chauffeur

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