In the Mediterranean countries, as well as in the United States, car rental prices are rising rapidly and significantly. Travelers planning to rent a car should be prepared for expenses that are very different from those before the pandemic.
The days when a car could be rented spontaneously in the resorts of Portugal, Spain or Italy for € 30-40 per day seem to be over. The main reason: the fleet of providers during the pandemic became much smaller for economic reasons. To remain liquid, many had no choice but to sell cars.
However, now the vacation business is gaining momentum again. In some tour destinations, demand is already outstripping the available supply, and therefore car rental prices are rising. According to local media reports in Mallorca, guests already have to spend heavily in the pre-season month of May. Current car rental prices are sometimes 300% higher than in 2019. According to the car rental associations Aevab and Baleval, normal prices for the month of May were between 30 and 50 euros per day, but currently renting a car costs between 130 and 150 euros per day. The Balearic Islands have 60,000 fewer car rentals than in 2019.
Similarly, German car rental portals such as Billiger-Mietwagen and Check 24 are also reporting significant price increases. For example, the Billiger-mietwagen currently offers reservation prices for July and August about 50 percent higher than a year ago. In some countries, such as Spain, Italy or Greece, prices are more than double what they were a year ago.
Check 24 compares prices for the summer tourist season with the level of 2019 and also shows a sharp increase. Across the board, it is 24 percent, but in some countries, such as Spain with 82 percent or Italy with 57 percent, the growth is even more significant.
The situation is similar in the United States – due to a shortage of cars, car rental prices have risen sharply. Moreover, travelers need to book a car several weeks before the trip. Currently, car rentals for a day can range from $ 100 to $ 200, which is about 30 percent higher compared to May 2019.