rental car
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rental car
A car that you can rent for a certain period of time for a fee and drive yourself; a hire car.
Für den Urlaub auf Mallorca haben wir uns am Flughafen einen Mietwagen genommen.
For our vacation in Mallorca, we got a rental car at the airport.
hired car
A vehicle with a driver that, unlike a taxi, is hired for a pre-booked ride at a fixed price and is not allowed to pick up passengers on the street.
Für den Flughafentransfer bestellten wir einen Mietwagen mit Chauffeur.
For the airport transfer, we ordered a hired car with a chauffeur.
The word is made up of 'die Miete' (rent) and 'der Wagen' (car/vehicle). So it literally describes a car that you rent.
Die Kosten für den Mietwagen sind im Reisepreis enthalten.
The cost of the rental car is included in the travel price.
To distinguish the two meanings, pay attention to the context. If you drive the car yourself, it is a 'Mietwagen' (rental car; meaning 1). If a driver is included, this is often made clear by additions like 'mit Fahrer' (with a driver) or by verbs like 'bestellen' (to order/book) (meaning 2).
Wir haben einen Mietwagen für unsere Rundreise gebucht.
We booked a rental car for our road trip.
When you rent a car to drive yourself, use verbs like 'einen Mietwagen mieten' (to rent a rental car), 'buchen' (to book), 'reservieren' (to reserve), or colloquially 'sich einen Mietwagen nehmen' (to get oneself a rental car).
Man sollte den Mietwagen für die Hauptsaison frühzeitig reservieren.
You should reserve the rental car early for the high season.
taxi
Both a taxi and a hired car can provide a paid ride with a driver. A taxi can also pick up passengers spontaneously, whereas a hired car with a driver is booked in advance for a specific ride at a fixed price. „Taxi“ is usually the right choice for a spontaneous ride, and „Mietwagen“ for a fixed booking.
Für die vorab gebuchte Fahrt zum Flughafen bestellte ich einen Mietwagen zum festen Preis.
I booked a hired car at a fixed price for the prearranged ride to the airport.
Am Bahnhof winkte ich spontan ein Taxi für die Fahrt zum Flughafen heran.
At the train station, I spontaneously flagged down a taxi to the airport.
