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Hire cars in general within Europe especially within the larger recognized global brands are less than six months dependant on mileage restrictions. Worldwide this is again dependant on the supplier and host country but restrictions due apply to the age of rental cars within fleets. So if you can guarantee the how new a car is and the condition you can expect to receive the car then the question of safety falls down to regulation.
An excellent website is the Euro NCAP which rates vehicles and their safety against a host of criteria. It also notes the differences in safety and strength between smaller and larger vehicles within fleets. The idea being that more expensive larger vehicles not only come with more safety equipment such as side body air bags but also have a greater mass to resist collisional forces.
Comfort is linked to size and thus a correlation with safety when it comes to choosing the class of the vehicle. As earlier articles have stated you can not guarantee or even request a make or model of car when you come to book. Car hire fleets and even classifications are made up of many different makes and models of cars which can vary by supplier, location and country among other factors. This said if you are looking to bring your partner and family and will be doing quite a bit of driving you will of course look to get a larger more comfortable car and will therefore have more safety features.
When bringing an infant you may want to bring your own child seat preferably with ISOFIX couplings to attach the car. Car hire suppliers do rent car seats for fee but the condition is unknown and the seat may be not to your satisfaction. The staff at the car rental location are not allowed by insurance and liability restrictions to help you fit the seat, so having your own is probably the best idea, even if there are costs incurred with your airline carrying it. ISOFIX fittings are very common across manufacturers these days but of course all seats can be fitted by the seatbelts if necessary. The last car seat I rented was in Faro airport, Portugal and did not have ISOFIX fittings although the Seat Ibiza that I was provided with did.
Insurance wise all cars and suppliers displayed on Car Hire .net are fully inclusive. This means the car can be picked up without additional fees although excess amounts may be in place for crash damage waiver and theft. Injuries to yourself and passengers in the car is not covered so you should check your holiday insurance to see if this is covered or ask at the desk to see if they have an option for this. A point to make here is any person within the vehicle which is not part of the coverage provided by your insurance is a liability to you should you have an accident. So the best advice here is don't offer lifts or pick up hitch-hikers!
