self-drive

4.6

A car you rent and drive yourself

noun
/sɛlf draɪv/

: coche de alquiler

For convenience, many tourists prefer a self-drive option when visiting the city, allowing them to visit attractions on their schedule.
self-drive car

Examples

After landing in London, he picked up his self-drive from the airport rental desk.
At the rental agency, you can choose between a self-drive and a chauffeur-driven car.
We booked a self-drive for our road trip around Scotland.
I rented a self-drive for my vacation.
A self-drive is perfect for exploring the countryside.
I rented a self-drive car for my vacation in Hawaii so I could explore the island at my own pace.
During the road trip, we enjoyed the freedom of using a self-drive vehicle without a chauffeur following us.

Synonyms

rent-a-car

vsself-drive

29 2.0

A car you pay to use for a short time, often when traveling

is used for rentals without focusing on short tourist or visitor hires

car rental

vsself-drive

11 1.3

A car you rent for a short time from a company

emphasizes that the renter drives rather than being driven by another

hire car

vsself-drive

1 2.7

A car you rent to use for a short time

emphasizes who drives, making clear the renter, not a chauffeur

u-drive

vsself-drive

8.9

A car you rent and drive yourself for a short time

is a rented vehicle term that does not stress short daily rentals

Surface Forms

self-drive singular

self-drives plural

Morphology

self-drive = self + drive (semi-transparent) = self + drive

The components 'self' and 'drive' are clear, but the specific meaning of a rented car driven by the renter is not immediately evident from the parts.

Etymology

Self-drive comes from self ('yourself') and drive ('to control a car'), a bit like self-service where you do things by yourself. So a self-drive is a rental car you drive yourself instead of one with a driver.