Best Rental Cars I’ve Actually Slept In
In my travels I slept in around 15 different car models. Most of them rentals, a couple my own. The most important things for comfort are:
Step Between Folded Seats and Trunk: The step between the folded rear seats and trunk area. Ideally, there would be none. The bigger the step is, the more you’ll have to improvise to level it out.
Rear Seat Fold: How flat the rear seats fold. The flatter, the better. Totally flat is optimal. Slight incline is not a problem.
Sleeping Length: The length of the sleeping space – more important for taller people. How long the car is and how far you can slide the front seats.
Fixing the Problems
The single most important piece of gear is an inflatable mat. I use an ultralight Therm-a-Rest, great for hiking and saving space in your bag when flying cheap. A good mat in a bad car beats no mat in a good car.
Uneven Seat Fold: Slight incline is mostly fixed by an inflated mat. You might have to stuff some clothing or gear under the mat to level it out. Bigger inclines force you to sleep with your head towards the front seats.
Big Step Between Seats and Trunk: If the step is significant (trunk area is lower), I pick up cardboard boxes from a supermarket and put them under my mat. The sturdier the box, the better. If you put a bag under a box, it will hold better.
Length: I’m 190cm (6’2″). If the car is short, my trick is to sleep with my head towards the trunk and shove the feet end of my mat between the front seats, where the center console sits. Usually gets me an extra 50cm of comfort. If the gap is wide and sturdy enough, I might sleep the other way around and stuff my inflatable pillow there – whatever is more comfortable.
I usually travel with my partner. It can get crowded, but we end up sleeping well. Solo travelers will have more space and some diagonal sleeping options open up.
For overnight spots, legality by country, and full setup guide: Sleeping in Rental Cars.
Car Class
In the rental car industry you’re usually choosing a class, not a specific model. After the listed model, there’s almost always a caveat: “or similar”. Usually it is the “similar”.
The only way to get a specific model is to call the provider directly – but that usually means overpaying. If you want the cheapest rates on booking sites like DiscoverCars (my review), you have to be flexible.
Economy class is where I almost always go. It’s the second smallest class – Toyota Yaris, Renault Clio, Toyota Aygo X, Škoda Fabia, Opel Corsa, Citroën C3. Booked it on around 10 trips. Always slept fine. All fuel efficient.
Compact/Crossover class (Toyota C-HR, Opel Mokka) – I’ve used these two times. Both worked fine.
Mini class will mostly not work. These are the absolute smallest cars – Kia Picanto, Volkswagen Up, Fiat 500, Fiat Panda. Once I booked a Hyundai i10 in this class (research suggested it was big enough) and ended up getting a Dacia Sandero Stepway instead. It worked fine, but that was lucky.
Bigger classes – avoid. Once lured by great pricing (€22/week) I went for Intermediate with a Škoda Kamiq listed as the model. Ended up with a Ford Tourneo. Terrible. Almost van-like, unwieldy, burnt through fuel. The rear seats folded in a really weird way with an almost 1 meter step between them and the trunk area. Worst car I’ve ever slept in.
For the full process of getting the cheapest rate: €3/Day Rental Car Guide.
The Cars
First-person sleeping audits from my trips. Ordered worst to best.
| Car | Score | Trip |
|---|---|---|
| Ford Tourneo | 2/5 | Sicily, Feb 2025 |
| Toyota C-HR | 3/5 | Poland Coast, Apr 2026 |
| Renault Clio | 4/5 | Pico/Terceira, Apr 2025 |
| Dacia Sandero Stepway | 4/5 | São Jorge, Mar 2025 |
| Škoda Fabia | 4/5 | Cyprus, Jan 2025 |
| Toyota Aygo X | 4/5 | Malta, Feb 2025 |
| Citroën C3 | 5/5 | São Miguel, Apr 2025 |
| Opel Mokka | 5/5 | Poland, Sep 2025 |
Ford Tourneo
2/5. Avoid.
We were lured by great pricing and decided to try a bigger car – thinking more space would mean more comfort. It didn’t work out. Despite the size, the seats didn’t fold well – the difference in levels between the cargo area and folded seats was almost 1 meter, making it useless for sleeping. Only one of us fit diagonally, the other had to sleep in the reclined front seat. The car also burnt more fuel and was cumbersome on narrow Sicilian roads.
Rented in Sicily via Viaggiare through DiscoverCars, February 2025. €3.12/day. Full Sicily trip report.
Toyota C-HR Hybrid
3/5. Workable – setup required.
Folding the rear seats leaves a step rather than a flat surface. We fixed it with backpacks under the inflatable mats and some cardboard boxes from Biedronka supermarket on top to make it flatter. Legs toward the trunk, inflatable pillow between the front seats. Once we figured out the setup, comfortable for three nights. At 190cm, enough length.
Rented in Gdańsk via CarFree Rent a Car through DiscoverCars, April 2026. €3.74/day. Full Poland Coast trip report.
Renault Clio
4/5. Solid.
Your average economy car – the kind you’re likely to get when booking Economy Class on aggregate sites. We levelled the slight incline and uneven surface by stuffing some clothes under our inflated mats. At 190cm, I fit comfortably. We slept well.
Rented separately on Pico (€15.68/day) and Terceira via Ilha Verde through DiscoverCars (€21.14/day), Azores, 2025. Full Pico/Faial/São Jorge trip report. Full Terceira trip report.
Škoda Fabia
4/5. Good.
The rental company gave us an older model. The seats weren’t the easiest to fold, but we managed to remove the rear seat bases to allow more space – then put the loose bases behind the front passenger seats to fill the gap. Compact, but with inflatable mats it turned out to be surprisingly comfy. At 190cm, I fit.
Rented in Cyprus via AutoRent through DiscoverCars, January 2025. €7.76/day. Full Cyprus trip report.
Dacia Sandero Stepway
4/5. Good.
Booked Mini class, upgraded by the provider at Ilha Verde, São Jorge. Needed two cardboard boxes from a supermarket to level the surface – once sorted, perfectly fine for two.
Rented in São Jorge, Azores via Ilha Verde through DiscoverCars, March 2025. €14.99/day. Full Pico/Faial/São Jorge trip report.
Toyota Aygo X
4/5. Good.
Small, super fuel efficient, and the seats fold totally flat – big upside for sleeping. At 190cm I slept comfortably on my inflated mat with my head in the trunk and feet between the two front seats. Fits two, but my partner being smaller definitely helped.
Rented in Malta via SIXT through DiscoverCars, February 2025. €14.87/day. Full Malta trip report.
Citroën C3
5/5. Perfect car.
Great for sleeping, fuel efficient. Seats folded almost flat – minimal incline, no step between trunk and seats. Inflatable mats were enough to level it. At 190cm, the end of the mat and legs went between the front seats. My partner being a bit smaller definitely helped. We slept very well.
Rented in São Miguel via Surprice through EconomyBookings, April 2025. €6.84/day. Full São Miguel trip report.
Opel Mokka
5/5. Excellent.
They gave us a slightly bigger car than booked. It helped. Very comfortable setup for two. Seats fold completely flat. Easy setup.
One quirk: locking the car from inside using the key triggers the alarm when you move. Use the door lock button by the driver’s seat instead.
Rented in Warsaw via AutoUnion through DiscoverCars, September 2025. €7.76/day. Full Northeastern Poland trip report.
Cars I’ve Slept In Long Term
Long term use, not rental bookings – just the comfort review.
- Nissan Lafesta. 3/5. New Zealand, 2021.
- Nissan X-Trail. 5/5. Australia, 2022–23.
Volvo V60
5/5. No complaints.
Very long, seats fold totally flat. Virtually no cons – one of the comfiest cars I’ve slept in.
Borrowed for a couple of nights, not owned. April 2025, Portugal.
Volvo V50
4/5. Spacious.
Long car, plenty of room for two. Rear seats folded fully flat – no step. One issue: a fixed metal bar ran the full width at the top of the folded seatback. At 190cm, it pushed my feet up slightly. An inflatable mat mostly fixed it.
Own car, Spain/Portugal, October-December 2025. Full Spain/Portugal trip report.
My Ranking
If I had to pick one class to book every time: Economy. If I had to pick one car: Opel Mokka – but you can’t guarantee it.
Best to worst, from the rental cars I’ve actually slept in:
- Opel Mokka
- Citroën C3
- Toyota Aygo X
- Dacia Sandero Stepway
- Renault Clio
- Škoda Fabia
- Toyota C-HR hybrid
- Ford Tourneo
Tips Summary
- Economy Class: The safest bet for sleeping. Fold quality is almost always good.
- Mini Class: Mostly too small. Don’t book it hoping for an upgrade.
- Bigger than Compact: Avoid. Bigger does not mean more space to sleep.
- Get a Good Mat: A good mat in a bad car beats no mat in a good car.
- Rates: European Car Rental Price Comparison – price comparison table updated monthly.