How does an anniversary or birthday booking work?

The confirmation goes to whoever booked. The passenger receives only what they need on the night, which is often nothing at all: they walk out of a door and a car is there.

Tell us how much the chauffeur should say. Some people want the occasion acknowledged with a word; others want nothing mentioned. Both are easy when they are on the booking and awkward when they are not.

For a dinner, an S-Class or a BMW i7 does the job beautifully and does not turn the evening into a spectacle. For a milestone where the car is part of the point, the Ghost or the Phantom change the arrival entirely, at several times the money.

The Phantom, Cullinan and Sprinter carry a six hour minimum, so a short evening in one of those is six hours regardless. That is worth knowing before choosing, since it often makes the decision by itself.

Where the car will actually wait. Restaurants in central London rarely have anywhere a vehicle can sit, so the collection point is agreed in advance and confirmed to you rather than worked out on the pavement afterwards.

On a busy Saturday that single detail is the difference between a car appearing within two minutes of a message and a quarter of an hour standing outside in a coat you did not bring.