Limos: Riding in Luxury

A limo, formally known as a limousine, is an unusually large vehicle traditionally used by wealthy people and driven by a chauffeur. While some limos are privately owned, others are government-owned to transport important officials, business professionals and celebrities safely and anonymously to the destination of their choice.

Occasions for a Luxury Car Hire

Some of the more wealthy people own their own limos, most people who ride limos hire these luxury cars as their mode of transportation for many types of occasions, such as:
  • airport pickups or drop-offs
  • anniversaries
  • bachelor and bachelorette parties
  • birthday parties
  • funerals
  • graduation
  • proms
  • trips to Las Vegas
  • weddings
  • wine vineyard tours and other types of guided tours.

Types of Limos: Regular vs Stretch Limos

While limos can come in a variety of colors (though people mainly prefer either black or white), they generally come in two different models:
  • regular-sized limos: vehicles that seat about seven or eight people comfortably, not including the driver

  • stretch limos: limos that are usually much larger and can as many as 20 people, depending on the type of car that has been transformed into a limo (i.e. A Hummer stretch limo holds more people than a traditional stretch limo).

Some different cars that are typically transformed into limos are the:

  • BMW 760li
  • Cadillac DTS
  • Hummer H2
  • Lincoln Town Cars
  • Lincoln Navigator
  • Mercedes Benz S Class.

Limo Features

Because limos represent decadence and extreme luxury, they usually come equipped with an array of impressive features and accessories, including:
  • audio players and sound systems
  • bars, often with refrigerators
  • DVD players
  • televisions.
Most luxury car hire vehicles are also outfitted with a partition that separates the driver from his or her passengers to ensure that the passengers have complete privacy while being chauffeured to and from their desired location.

Renting Limos

When you are looking to hire a luxury limo for any occasion, limo companies tend to operate with one of two basic rate plans:
  • the airport or point-to-point rate: As a rate for shorter trips (such as a ride to the airport), the point-to-point rate charges the passenger a set fee for transportation to a specific destination.

  • the base rates: This type of rate is charged when passengers want a luxury limo for extended periods of time, such as for a set amount of hours on prom night. Base rates typically charge a set amount each hour and require the passengers to have the car for a minimum number of hours.

Here is a table that outlines the number of passengers, average point-to-point rates and estimated base rates for various types of limos. Keep in mind that, although base rates tend to be less expensive, hiring a limo for a few hours means that you will have to multiply this base rate by the number of hours which you will be using the vehicle.

As a result, limo hires with base rates tend to be more costly endeavors because you have the car for a longer period of time than a point-to-point hire.

Type of Limo

Type of Cars

Max. No. of Passengers

Point-to-Point Rate

Base Rate

Sedan Luxury Car

Mercedes Benz S Class

4

$75

$55

Luxury SUV

Executive Suburban SUV

6

$100

$75

Stretch Limos

Traditional Limos

10

$120

$100

Stretch SUV Luxury Cars

Stretch Hummer H2

20

$300

$250 and up


These rates are not set in stone and can change depending on the limo company, the date and time you choose and whether the company offers special prices for certain occasions.

Another important factor to keep in mind is that the average prices listed above don’t include tax, tip and additional service charges. When you pay for the limo service, these charges will be added to your total.

These rates are usually based on the service provided, the amount of time you had the vehicle and if the company needs to perform additional cleaning services after your use of the limo. Make sure that you know how much each of these charges will be before renting the limo so that you won’t be ambushed by an exorbitant bill at the end of your ride.