How many suitcases fit in each vehicle?
Seats are easy to count. Bags are where a Dubai transfer goes wrong. Here is the bag figure for every vehicle in the fleet, a few worked sums, and the two ways out when your luggage is bigger than the number.
The numbers, vehicle by vehicle
A bag here means a medium suitcase, roughly 65 to 70 cm tall. Seats are passenger seats and the driver is not counted. The figures are what each vehicle carries as a rule, and they are the same ones shown on each fleet page.
| Vehicle | Passenger seats | Medium suitcases | Bags per seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes V-Class | 7 | 6 | About 0.9 |
| 13-seater van | 13 | 10 | About 0.8 |
| Mercedes Sprinter | 16 | 12 | About 0.75 |
| 30-seater mini coach | 22 to 30 | 20 | 0.7 to 0.9 |
| 50-seater coach | 50 | 50 | 1 |
Read the last column twice. Only the 50-seater coach has a bag for every seat. In every smaller vehicle, a full load of people means some of them travel without a full-size case, or the cases go somewhere else.
Planning this trip? Tell us the date and group size for a fixed price.
Get a quoteCars for the smaller parties
The same count applies below seven people. The executive sedan takes 4 passengers and 3 bags. The luxury SUV takes 6 passengers and 5 bags. The Rolls-Royce takes 4 passengers and 2 bags, so it suits an arrival with hand luggage and a second car for the cases.
A family of six on a two-week holiday has more than five suitcases. That is why we point them to the V-Class or a van, and not to the SUV, even though six seats look enough.
Five groups, worked out
These are examples with our own arithmetic on the counts above. They are not quotes.
Six friends, six cases. The V-Class holds 6 bags, so it fits exactly, with a seat spare. One extra case or a golf bag and the answer changes.
Ten people, fourteen bags. The 13-seater van holds 10, so four are left on the kerb. The Sprinter holds 12 and is still two short. The mini coach holds 20 and takes the lot. The other answer is the van plus a luggage vehicle for the extra four.
Sixteen people, one case each. The Sprinter has 16 seats and room for 12 bags. Four cases do not fit. Take the mini coach, which has the seats and 20 bags.
Twenty-eight people, thirty-four bags. The mini coach holds 20, so fourteen are over. The 50-seater holds 50 and has empty seats, which is fine. Luggage decides the vehicle here, not people.
Forty-two people, fifty-five bags. The 50-seater holds 50. Five are over, so a small luggage van goes with the coach.
When the bags are bigger than the number
You have two choices, and both are normal. The first is to go up one size. Spare seats cost less than a pile of cases in the aisle. The second is a separate luggage vehicle that leaves the airport with the group and unloads at the hotel. It means a second driver, so we show it as its own line in the written quote.
Our big group arrival guide works through the same choice for groups of 30 or more, and the comparison of the HiAce, Sprinter, Coaster and 50-seater ranks the vehicles by use rather than by bag count.
Things that count as more than one suitcase
Not everything is a medium case. A golf bag, a musical instrument, an equipment box or a stroller takes the space of several. Tell us what you carry and we confirm the fit in writing.
- Golf bags: list them, one by one.
- Strollers: say whether they fold.
- Sports kit, instruments and display cases: give the size of the largest piece.
- Anything that will not stand upright goes on the list as extra.
If you do not know the final count, give us the biggest number it could be. A vehicle sized for the maximum never becomes a problem at the kerb.
Reading the table the other way round
Start from the bags and work back to people. If you carry 12 cases, the Sprinter is the smallest vehicle that holds them. If you carry 20, the mini coach is the smallest. Past 20 and up to 50, the answer is the 50-seater coach, and past 50 you add a luggage vehicle.
That can mean a bigger vehicle than your head count suggests. Eighteen people with eighteen cases is a 16-seat Sprinter problem on paper, because the seats run out first, and a mini coach problem in practice, because it has the seats and the bags. Pick the vehicle that clears both limits and ignore the one that clears only one.
The mini coach is the vehicle people misjudge most. It carries 20 bags in a 22 to 30 seat vehicle, so a full 30 people with a case each is ten over. We say so when we quote.
How to get the count right before you fly
Count what you will check in, not what you own. Ask each person for their own number and add a few for shopping on the way home. Do the sum on the way out and again before the way back, because holiday luggage grows.
We do not tell you what your airline allows. Check your own ticket for that. What we need is the real number of bags and the real number of people, together with the flight numbers for an airport run. Our airport transfer page explains how flights are tracked and how split arrivals work.
Two or three of you with light luggage do not need a van at all. The airport chauffeur service covers that case.
Putting it into a quote request
Send the people count, the bag count, the largest odd item and the route. We reply with a fixed written quote that names the vehicle and says whether a luggage vehicle is part of it. The guide to a bus rental quote shows each line. A van with its own driver for a smaller group is described on the van with driver page. Use the booking page to start.
Keep reading
- How many shuttle buses: A working method to size an event shuttle loop: peak people per hour, seats per run, cycle time and the minutes between buses, with a 400-delegate example.
- V-Class or 13-seater van for 7 to 9: Seven, eight or nine people with bags: how the Mercedes V-Class and the 13-seater van compare on seats, suitcases, cabin and splitting the party, with three worked parties.
- HiAce vs Sprinter vs Coaster vs 50-seater: Four vehicles, one group: seats, luggage, comfort and day rates for the HiAce, Sprinter, Coaster and 50-seater coach, with an honest pick for each group size.
- Transport for 9 to 13 people: Nine to thirteen people and their suitcases: when the 13-seater van is enough, when the bags tip you into a bigger vehicle, and when two vehicles beat one.
- 30-seater or 50-seater: tight entrances: Can a 50-seater reach the hotel door, or does the group need a mini coach? The questions to ask the hotel, the places where access is tight, and what the smaller coach does to your bags.
- Dubai with a stroller: vehicle and bags: Which vehicle takes a folded stroller plus suitcases in Dubai: bag places per vehicle, a simple planning count for the stroller, sliding doors and what to tell us.
Frequently asked.
Quick answers for this trip.
How many suitcases fit in a Mercedes V-Class?
Six medium suitcases, with seven passengers. Six people with one case each fit exactly. A seventh case or a large item means a bigger vehicle or a second car.
How many suitcases fit in a 13-seater van?
Ten medium suitcases. Thirteen people with a case each is therefore three over, so a full van with holiday luggage needs a luggage vehicle or the mini coach.
Does a Sprinter carry more bags than a mini coach?
No. The Sprinter holds 12 bags and the mini coach holds 20. See the Sprinter and mini coach pages for the seats.
Which vehicle has a bag for every seat?
Only the 50-seater coach, with 50 seats and 50 bags. Every smaller vehicle has fewer bags than seats.
What if we have golf bags or a stroller?
Tell us when you ask for a quote. Each takes the space of more than one medium suitcase, so we size the vehicle on the full list and confirm the fit in writing.
Can luggage travel in a separate vehicle?
Yes. A luggage vehicle can leave with the group and unload at the hotel. It is a second driver and its own line on the quote.
Is the luggage space the same as the number of seats?
No. Bags and seats are different limits and the smaller one decides. Count both before you pick the vehicle.
How much does it cost?
Ask for a fixed written quote. It depends on the date, the route and the vehicle, and we put it in writing before you accept.
Send the bag count. We pick the size.
Two questions now, a fixed price in your inbox shortly after.