Nobody could blame you for wanting to drive a Lamborghini, which to many people are not just the pinnacle of sports car design, but of automotive design as a whole.

The Italian supercar brand – which has actually been owned by Volkswagen since 1998 – was established in 1963 specifically to compete with Ferrari and the other established sports car makers.

As of 2017, there are two main Lamborghini product lines: the V10 Huracan and the V12 Aventador, both two-seater mid-engine sports cars.

So what do you need to know before you get behind the wheel of a Lamborghini? Here are five parts of the car to be aware of whether you hire a Lamborghini or buy one of your own.

1. Acceleration

The first thing you’ll encounter as you pull away is the acceleration, and with 0-62 mph in 3.2 seconds on the Huracan and 2.9 seconds on the Aventador, first-timers might not want to put the pedal all the way to the metal.

Aventador has a top speed of 217.5 mph and Huracan offers around the 200 mph mark – so again, unless you’re an experienced driver on a closed track, you won’t want to push it to the limit here either.

2. Gears

The old adage says ‘gears are for going’, and that’s certainly true with top speeds in excess of 200 mph. The Huracan Coupe has a 7-speed dual clutch gearbox, while the Aventador S Coupe has a 7-speed gearbox with independent shifting rods.

Look out for Lamborghinis with ‘flappy paddle’ gear shift built into the steering wheel for the full supercar driving experience, or automatic transmission if you don’t want to have to worry about manually changing gears.

3. Fuel

Keep an eye on that fuel gauge – using the examples mentioned already, the Huracan Coupe delivers combined fuel efficiency of 17 mpg and the Aventador S Coupe around 14 mpg, although these figures improve by about 4 mpg out of urban areas.

Just remember that when you take delivery of the vehicle, it will have a certain amount of fuel in the tank. Especially when you hire a Lamborghini, keep it fuelled with the right kind of petrol, and return it with as much in the tank as when you took delivery, or you will be charged a refuelling cost.

4. Visibility

If you’re not used to driving supercars, expect more of a racing driver seat position – lower to the ground and designed for straight-ahead visibility.

Sports cars in particular are not usually great when it comes to reversing, so if you need to do a reverse manoeuvre, have a friend on hand to guide you to make sure you don’t miss any obstacles in the rear-view blind spots.

5. Brakes

Just be aware of how far you need to come to a complete stop – and it’s not just about what the vehicle’s brakes are able to deliver.

For example, on the Lamborghini Huracan Coupe, the specification braking distance from 62 mph is just over 100 feet, or just under 32 metres, but you need to allow for your own reactions in an unfamiliar car.

Don’t get too close to buildings or traffic before slowing down – just take it easy and build your confidence, especially if you hire a Lamborghini to drive on the road, rather than on a closed track.