Black car, limo or chauffeur service: the difference

Black car service

A black car is a pre-booked, professionally driven sedan or SUV: Luxury Sedan, Cadillac XT6, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon, Cadillac Escalade ESV or Mercedes-Benz S-Class. It is the everyday choice for airport runs, client meetings and evenings out, priced as a flat point-to-point fare from $95 for a sedan.

Limousine service

A limousine is a specialty vehicle — a stretch limousine, Sprinter, mini-bus, party bus or coach — booked for a group or an occasion rather than a transfer. Weddings, proms, milestone birthdays and corporate groups are limousine work, and they are quoted by the hour with a minimum.

Private chauffeur service

A private chauffeur is time rather than a trip. The same chauffeur and vehicle stay with you for the block you book, waiting between stops, holding your bags and moving on your schedule. Hourly charter starts at $99 an hour with a three-hour minimum and is the right structure for roadshows, shopping days, site visits and full-day guests.

Choosing quickly

• One trip, one destination — black car, flat rate
• Several stops in a day, or waiting in between — private chauffeur, hourly
• A group of six or more, or a celebration — limousine or a Sprinter
• Airport arrival with bags and no local knowledge — black car with meet-and-greet

What stays the same

Whichever you book, the fundamentals do not change: a vetted professional chauffeur, a licensed and insured vehicle, a quoted rate with tolls included, flight tracking on airport work and no shared rides or surge pricing.