voiture de location
/vwa.tyʁ də lɔ.ka.sjɔ̃/feminine
The English phrase 'rental car' is voiture de location in French.
voiture de location is used to refer to a rental car.
Meaning: rented car (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to 'car of rental'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Canadian French, voiture de location is used to refer to a rental car.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because voiture is a feminine noun, you must use the feminine indefinite article une when referring to a rental car.
What mistakes should you avoid?
While voiture louée is grammatically correct to describe a car that has been rented, voiture de location is the standard idiomatic term used for the service or the object itself (a rental car).
Did you know?
- In France, some drivers use the slang term caisse instead of voiture when talking about their car. A 'rental car' might be jokingly called a caisse de location in very informal settings.
- The word location in French refers to renting or leasing, whereas in English it refers to a physical place or position.
- The word voiture comes from the Latin 'vectūra', meaning 'the act of carrying'. This makes it a linguistic relative of the English word 'vector'.
Examples in context
- C'est une voiture de location.This is a rental car.Tatoeba #1229367 by sacredceltic, translation #1229249 by Eldad
- Où puis-je avoir une voiture de location ?Where can I get a rental car?Tatoeba #4470878 by Petrus, translation #4467987 by AlanF_US
- Dan gara la voiture de location à proximité de la station de police.Dan parked the rental car near the police station.Tatoeba #4009450 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #4009435 by Amastan
- Puis-je louer une voiture, s'il vous plaît?Can I rent a car, please?
- Je souhaite louer une voiture.I'd like to rent a car.
- Est-ce que je peux louer une bagnole?Can I rent a car?
- Où puis-je trouver une agence de location de voitures?Where can I find a car rental agency?
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are picking up their vehicle at the airport.
- ChloéOù est notre voiture de location, Lucas ?Where is our rental car, Lucas?
- LucasElle est juste là-bas, près du parking.It is right over there, near the parking lot.
- ChloéElle semble être une voiture très récente.It seems to be a very recent car.
- LucasOui, c'est une excellente voiture de location.Yes, it is an excellent rental car.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rental car” translations and entries voiture de location, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, location, voiture, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
