Crossword Genius

Vehicle for hire, a racer not cleared of old rubbish (4-1-3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

rent-a-car

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'racer not cleared of old rubbish' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I can't judge whether it can be defined by this definition.

'vehicle for hire a' is the wordplay.
'vehicle' becomes 'car' (car is a kind of vehicle).
'for' says to put letters next to each other (I've seen this in other clues).
'hire' becomes 'rent' (synonyms).
'rent'+'a'='renta'
'car' after 'renta' is 'RENT-A-CAR'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for rent-a-car that I've seen before include "Self-drive vehicle" , "Vehicle hire" , "Self-drive automobile" , "wheels temporarily" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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