[LuganoPirate]

I have the feeling, like with the airlines and hotels, prices have risen in order for them to recoup their losses following the pandemic.
Hotels in Geneva have more than doubled in price and where I normally rent a car from hertz, the price is about 50% more than last year.
Consequently I went and bought a car as that now works out cheaper.

I hope prices will normalise soon, but I’m not holding my breath!

[FaroFlyer]

[postquote quote=1216253]

Hi LP,

Like you we bought a car last year as it became difficult / expensive hiring at BHX / EMA our 2 local UK airports. Pre COVID the 4 majors, Avis, Europcar, Hertz & Sixt were all at both EMA and BHX. Hertz are slowly coming back to BHX but only open 9-5. Other 3 are there but short of cars so little competition. At EMA it looks as though there is a choice of 5, but it is really only 2 as Alamo, Enterprise and National are the same as are Europcar & Keddy For the last 6 months we have enjoyed flying BA to LHR where we have a choice, and where we can use the First departure when returning home.

Pre COVID we often used to rent a special car in late Spring or early Autumn as a treat. €250 > €300 for 5 days. Now it would be double that, so we upgraded our car here. For a business trip I shall still have to hire a car, but for leisure breaks we shall probably just taxi. I think that prices will go back down as demand will have reduces as supply increases.

[FaroFlyer]

In the local English language weekly they report that in 2019 there were 125,000 hire cars in Portugal, Mainland and Islands, and that there are 92,000 currently. It would be interesting to have similar statistics for the UK.

[FormerBA]

[postquote quote=1216234]

This will be become increasingly the norm as people will just not pay these prices. It does not make economic sense. Indeed my lease cat is coming to an end in September and is not being replaced. My son is off to Uni and can’t take his car so for a year I have his boy racer. If I want something more comfortable then my wife is working at home several days a week. If all else fails there are taxis. If I spend more than the costs of the lease each month then I will reconsider. But taking into account the £130 to fill the tank, monthly payments, servicing and insurance its a no brainer to dump the car

[AMcWhirter]

Hello FaroFlyer,

I can quote the figures provided by trade magazine Fleetnews.

Last month it reported that the number of new car registrations for the UK rental fleets dropped by three-quarters.

This figure applies to Q1.

It means that not only have the rental firms fewer vehicles to hire (as their fleets were cut during the pandemic) but they are finding that the manufactures are diverting sales to other, more profitable, sectors.

So the quality of vehicles offered may suffer as the rental firms are keeping them (the cars) on their fleets for longer and working them (the cars) harder.

https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/fleet-industry-news/2022/06/07/data-shows-daily-rental-new-car-registrations-dip-by-nearly-three-quarters

[Author]

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