Resource
ACRISS Car Classification System
Decode any rental vehicle code. Understand the 4-letter ACRISS standard used by car rental companies worldwide to classify vehicles by size, type, transmission, and fuel.
What is ACRISS?
ACRISS stands for Association of Car Rental Industry Systems Standards. It's an international standard used by car rental companies worldwide to classify vehicles using a simple 4-letter code.
Instead of describing a vehicle as "Intermediate sedan with automatic transmission and air conditioning," rental companies use a code like ICAR. This standardization makes it easy for customers, rental agents, and systems to understand vehicle classes across different rental companies and countries.
Each of the 4 letters represents a different vehicle attribute. Below, you'll find the complete reference for each position, followed by an interactive decoder to explore any code.
ACRISS Code Builder & Decoder
Assembled Code:
ICAR
Intermediate 2/4 Door with Auto Unspecified Drive and Unspecified Fuel (Combustion Engine) with AC
The 4-Letter Code Breakdown
1Vehicle Category (Size/Class)
| Code | Category |
|---|---|
| M | Mini |
| N | Mini Elite |
| E | Economy |
| H | Economy Elite |
| C | Compact |
| D | Compact Elite |
| I | Intermediate |
| J | Intermediate Elite |
| S | Standard |
| R | Standard Elite |
| F | Fullsize |
| G | Fullsize Elite |
| P | Premium |
| U | Premium Elite |
| L | Luxury |
| W | Luxury Elite |
| O | Oversize |
| X | Special |
2Vehicle Type (Body Style)
| Code | Type |
|---|---|
| B | 2-3 Door |
| C | 2/4 Door |
| D | 4-5 Door |
| W | Wagon/Estate |
| V | Passenger Van |
| L | Limousine/Sedan |
| S | Sport |
| T | Convertible |
| F | SUV |
| J | Open Air All Terrain |
| X | Special |
| P | Pickup (single/extended cab) |
| Q | Pickup (double cab) |
| Z | Special Offer Car |
| E | Coupe |
| M | Monospace |
| R | Recreational Vehicle |
| H | Motor Home |
| Y | 2 Wheel Vehicle |
| N | Roadster |
| G | Crossover |
| K | Commercial Van/Truck |
3Transmission & Drive
| Code | Transmission/Drive |
|---|---|
| M | Manual Unspecified Drive |
| N | Manual 4WD |
| C | Manual AWD |
| A | Auto Unspecified Drive |
| B | Auto 4WD |
| D | Auto AWD |
| Q | Level 3 Conditional Automation |
| H | Level 4 High Automation |
| F | Level 5 Full Automation |
4Fuel Type & Air Conditioning
| Code | Fuel/AC |
|---|---|
| R | Unspecified Fuel (Combustion Engine) with AC |
| N | Unspecified Fuel (Combustion Engine) No AC |
| D | Diesel AC |
| Q | Diesel No AC |
| H | Hybrid |
| I | Hybrid Plug-in |
| E | Electric |
| C | Electric (Extended Range) |
| L | LPG/Compressed Gas AC |
| S | LPG/Compressed Gas No AC |
| A | Hydrogen AC |
| B | Hydrogen No AC |
| M | Multi Fuel/Power AC |
| F | Multi Fuel/Power No AC |
| V | Petrol AC |
| Z | Petrol No AC |
| U | Ethanol AC |
| X | Ethanol No AC |
VPassenger Van Coding
Passenger vans are a special case. When the 2nd character is V (Passenger Van), the 1st character no longer denotes the vehicle category — it indicates seating capacity instead:
| Code | Seating |
|---|---|
| IV | 6+ Seats |
| JV | Elite 6+ Seats or 5+2 Seats (2 fold-down seats) |
| SV | 7+ Seats |
| RV | Elite 7+ Seats |
| FV | 7+ Seats, plus more space |
| GV | Elite 7+ Seats, plus more space |
| PV | 8+ Seats |
| UV | Elite 8+ Seats |
| LV | 9+ Seats |
| WV | Elite 9+ Seats |
| XV | 12+ Seats |
| OV | 15+ Seats |
The 3rd and 4th characters keep their normal meanings. For example, FVAR is a passenger van with 7+ seats plus more space, automatic transmission, and air conditioning.
Common Vehicle Classification Examples
Cars
ECAR
Economy Car
Economy, 2/4-door, Auto, AC
CCAR
Compact Car
Compact, 2/4-door, Auto, AC
ICAR
Intermediate Car
Intermediate, 2/4-door, Auto, AC
SCAR
Standard Car
Standard, 2/4-door, Auto, AC
FCAR
Full Size Car
Fullsize, 2/4-door, Auto, AC
PCAR
Premium Car
Premium, 2/4-door, Auto, AC
LCAR
Luxury Car
Luxury, 2/4-door, Auto, AC
RDAR
Elite Car
Standard Elite, 4-5-door, Auto, AC
ITAR
Convertible Car
Intermediate, Convertible, Auto, AC
PSAR
Sporty Car
Premium, Sport, Auto, AC
IDAH
Hybrid Car
Intermediate, 2/4-door, Auto, Hybrid
EDAE
Electric Car
Economy, 4-5-door, Auto, Electric
Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs)
CFAR
Compact SUV
Compact, SUV, Auto, AC
IFAR
Intermediate SUV
Intermediate, SUV, Auto, AC
SFAR
Standard SUV
Standard, SUV, Auto, AC
FFAR
Full Size SUV
Fullsize, SUV, Auto, AC
PFAR
Premium SUV
Premium, SUV, Auto, AC
LFAR
Luxury SUV
Luxury, SUV, Auto, AC
IFAH
Hybrid SUV
Intermediate, SUV, Auto, Hybrid
IFAE
Electric SUV
Intermediate, SUV, Auto, Electric
SJAR
Open-Air 4x4
Standard, Open Air All Terrain, Auto, AC
SJMN
Open-Air 4x4 (Manual 4WD)
Standard, Open Air All Terrain, Manual 4WD, No AC
Vans & Minivans
IVAR
Minivan
6+ Seats, Passenger Van, Auto, AC
SVAR
7-Passenger Van
7+ Seats, Passenger Van, Auto, AC
FVAR
Large Passenger Van
7+ Seats plus more space, Passenger Van, Auto, AC
PVAR
8-Passenger Van
8+ Seats, Passenger Van, Auto, AC
XVAR
12-Passenger Van
12+ Seats, Passenger Van, Auto, AC
FKAR
Cargo Van
Fullsize, Commercial Van, Auto, AC
FKAR*
Refrigerated Van
Fullsize, Commercial Van (refrigeration is custom)
Passenger van codes use the first letter for seating capacity — see the Passenger Van Coding table above. * Refrigeration is a commercial specification outside standard ACRISS codes. Many commercial rental operators use custom extensions.
Trucks & Pickups
IPAR
Small Pickup
Intermediate, Pickup, Auto, AC
FQAR
Full Size Pickup
Fullsize, Pickup (double cab), Auto, AC
SKAR
Box Truck
Standard, Commercial Van/Truck, Auto, AC
SKAR*
Refrigerated Truck
Standard, Commercial Van/Truck (refrigeration is custom)
* Commercial vehicles like refrigerated trucks and specialized box trucks extend beyond standard ACRISS. Check with your rental provider for custom codes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ACRISS car classification system?
ACRISS (Association of Car Rental Industry Systems Standards) is an international standard for classifying rental vehicles using a 4-letter code. Each position represents a different vehicle attribute: Category (size/class), Type (body style), Transmission/Drive, and Fuel/Air Conditioning.
How do I read an ACRISS code?
Each 4-letter code breaks down into four positions. Position 1 is the vehicle category (E=Economy, I=Intermediate, F=Fullsize, etc.). Position 2 is the type (C=2/4-door, F=SUV, V=Van, etc.). Position 3 is transmission (A=Auto, M=Manual, B=Auto 4WD, etc.). Position 4 is fuel and AC (R=Unspecified with AC, H=Hybrid, E=Electric, etc.). Use the interactive decoder above to explore any code.
What does ECAR mean?
ECAR decodes as: E=Economy category, C=2/4-door type, A=Auto unspecified drive, R=Unspecified fuel with AC. This is a standard economy rental car with automatic transmission and air conditioning.
What does FFAR mean?
FFAR decodes as: F=Fullsize category, F=SUV type, A=Auto unspecified drive, R=Unspecified fuel with AC. This is a full-size sport utility vehicle.
How are passenger vans coded in ACRISS?
When the second character is V (Passenger Van), the first character changes meaning: it indicates seating capacity instead of vehicle category. For example, IV = 6+ seats, SV = 7+ seats, FV = 7+ seats with more space, PV = 8+ seats, LV = 9+ seats, XV = 12+ seats, and OV = 15+ seats. See the Passenger Van Coding table above for the full list.
Are commercial vehicles like box trucks covered by ACRISS?
Yes — ACRISS includes type code K (Commercial Van/Truck), so a box truck can be coded, for example SKAR. However, commercial specializations such as refrigeration, liftgates, or box dimensions are not encoded in the standard 4-letter code, so many commercial rental operators track those details separately or with custom extensions.
What is the difference between Position 3 codes like A, B, and D?
Position 3 specifies transmission type and drive: A=Auto unspecified drive, B=Auto 4WD, D=Auto AWD, M=Manual unspecified, N=Manual 4WD, C=Manual AWD. Higher-end SUVs and trucks often use B (4WD) or D (AWD).
What is the difference between H and E in Position 4?
Position 4 specifies fuel type and AC: H=Hybrid (traditional hybrid with gas engine), I=Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), E=Electric (fully electric, no gas), and C=Electric with extended range. Most rental fleets now include electric codes as EVs become mainstream.
Simplify your rental operations
Understanding vehicle classifications is just the first step. Rentbee's rental management platform automates fleet tracking, damage inspection, and customer risk screening — so your team focuses on rentals, not paperwork.