As a Chicago limo company, we are often confronted with the question of what the difference is between a limousine and a stretch limo. Sometimes clients call us and are not sure of what type of limo service they need to order. The only difference between a limousine and a stretch limousine is the size of the car. If a chauffeur is driving a luxury car, then the car is considered a limousine, whether it is a sedan or a stretch limo.
In basic terms, a limousine is a luxury car that is chauffeured. Unlike a taxi, which also comes with a driver, a limousine is a nice car that often has extra amenities, such as leather seating and bottled water. The limousine can be a sedan, a town car, a hybrid, a mini SUV, an SUV, a flex fuel, or a stretch limousine. Even party buses and vans can count as limousines if they are provided by a limo company and come equipped with a professional chauffeur.
The difference between a limousine and a stretch limo, then, is merely the length of the car. A stretch limo is simply a sedan, town car, or other vehicle that is cut in half, extended, and welded back together. (There is a lot more body wise and mechanically that goes into making a stretch limo, but we can cover that in another Going Green Limousine blog!) So, a sedan is a limousine that, if it gets stretched, becomes a stretch limousine. Both a regular limousine and a stretch limousine can be called a limo.
To make ordering a limo service easy, when you call your limo service provider, you can ask for a sedan, SUV, stretch limo, or party bus. You can also tell them how many passengers you need and they can help you determine the type of limo you need.
If you only have two people then you will probably want a sedan, although you may want a stretch limo for just the two of you. If that is the case, be sure to specify you want a stretch limo and not just a limo otherwise you may get a sedan. Obviously, if you have eight people, you will want an eight passenger stretch or a ten passenger stretch. (The number of people that actually fit in a stretch limo is also conversation for a different Going Green Limousine blog.)
This is really all the information you need to know in order to decide what type of limo you want and how to make your reservation. Whether you are booking online or ordering your limo by phone, simply choose a sedan limo, a stretch limo or any other type of limo you need. As long as you get a luxury ride with a professional chauffeur you are in a limo.