Small hatchback replacement: what is usually supplied
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If you drive a small hatchback — Corsa, Polo, Fiesta, i20, Clio, 208 — a replacement from the same band — another supermini — is the usual match, subject to what the supplying fleet holds. In the GTA rate tables this is the group S2 band (Corsa/Polo/Fiesta examples; GTA Technical rate tables, gtacredithire.com).
Small hatchbackClass example · exact supply variesWhat replacement car will I get if I drive a small hatchback?
The models that sit in this class:
| Model supplied | Why it is the match | Our review |
|---|---|---|
| Vauxhall Corsa | The volume car of the class in UK fleets | Corsa review |
| Volkswagen Polo | The class's quality benchmark; strong rear space | Polo review |
| Toyota Yaris (hybrid) | Supplied where fleets run hybrids at this level | — |
| Peugeot 208 / Renault Clio / Hyundai i20 / Kia Picanto-above | In-class substitutes when the staples are out | — |
Which models count as like-for-like for a small hatchback?
Any five-door supermini-class car of broadly equivalent engine size and market position — the S2 band is the industry shorthand for it. A Polo for a Fiesta, a Corsa for a Clio: all fair matches; badge-for-badge duplication is not the standard (how matching works).
What will I not be given?
You would not normally expect a city car (the S1 band — Aygo/Picanto/up! territory), and you do not have to accept one as a like-for-like for a supermini. Equally there is no automatic step upward: a Golf-class car may occasionally arrive when small-hatch stock is exhausted, but that is fleet convenience, not something to expect.
Do you need a small hatchback replacement?
Need comes before class, and it is worth settling first. The Financial Ombudsman Service has said a referral into credit hire may not have been appropriate where it was clear a hire car was not needed — for example where a suitable spare car was available, where courtesy car cover was already sufficient, where the damaged car was still roadworthy and drivable, or where a policy already provided benefits at least as good. A supermini is the class most often covered adequately by a policy courtesy car, which is exactly the situation the Ombudsman singles out: where you already had sufficient courtesy car cover, a like-for-like hire car may not have been needed. Check what your own policy provides before agreeing to anything outside it.
Work through the test in full on do I need a replacement vehicle?, then check what would actually be suitable for you on what counts as a suitable replacement. What real supply changes is on availability.
In this class: Vauxhall Corsa review · Corsa durability record. All classes: vehicle classes explained.