After the rise in fuel prices and the geopolitical uncertainties that could discourage some French people from packing their bags, another phenomenon could further increase their holiday budget: the increase in the price of car rentals.
The UFC-Que Choisir association shows that this market has been extremely tight for more than two years now.
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UFC-Que Choisir is based on data from the car rental comparator Carigami.
According to a statement published in January 2022, global rental car prices increased by 43% between 2019 and 2021, with particularly strong peaks in Italy (+104%), Spain (+85%) and Croatia (+ 62%).
Logistical disruptions noted on international production lines and shortages of electronic components are largely responsible for the destabilization of the automotive market as a whole.
Read alsoThe shortage of semiconductors is hurting the global automotive industry
Let's take the example of Italy, the country which has experienced the most significant price increases in this sector.
According to the National Institute of Statistics (Istat), the country's automotive production plunged by 33% between October 2020 and 2021 due to the global shortage of semiconductors.
Thus, the decrease in the number of new cars on the market led, almost mechanically, to a drop in the supply of cars and therefore to an increase in rental prices.
Overall, the Carigami comparator notes a 40% drop in “
the fleet of rental vehicles in 2021 compared to 2020
”.
Jean-Philippe Côté, Director of Carigami, believes that "
this scarcity of vehicles is a profitability issue for manufacturers.
It is therefore more advantageous for them to sell to individuals than to rental companies because their margins will be higher
”.
A higher than expected increase in demand
In France, the rise in prices overall amounts to 49% over the same period, for a daily rental rate of 48 euros.
However, Carigami notes in its study a particularly strong increase for Corsica.
Indeed, Ajaccio (+101%), Figari (+98%) and Bastia (+94%) represent the three most significant increases in France.
For Jean-Philippe Côté, “
this is explained by the fact that French tourist demand is concentrated on national destinations, such as Corsica, and European ones.
Departures to the rest of the world have not yet returned to their pre-Covid levels
”.
Read alsoRental car prices for winter holidays
According to UFC-Que Choisir, structural logistical problems are not the only ones responsible for this price increase.
The rental companies seem, in fact, to have been taken aback by the tourist recovery recorded in 2021 and have therefore not had time to renew their entire offer.
“
I have parted with at least 40% of my fleet since 2020
” explains Jérôme*, owner of a rental company in Oise.
“
With the confinement, I was financially dry, I couldn't do otherwise.
But today I can no longer cope with the increase in demand
”.
More far-sighted French people
Faced with this price increase which seems to be long term, the French are increasingly anticipating.
While they went about it, on average, 30 days in advance to reserve a rental car in 2021, the French reserve, in 2022, 57 days earlier.
Carigami even speaks of a "
new consumption habit that is emerging
" in the face of this unprecedented situation.
In view of the prices recorded during the summer of 2021 - 464 euros for a week in Biarritz, 430 euros in Nantes or 416 euros in Nice -, the French are therefore more and more far-sighted and fear that this increase will be confirmed.
According to Jean-Philippe Côté, “
prices are expected to remain high in 2022. For example, for Corsica, they are expected to be more than double those of 2019. A day's rental was €34 in July 2019, compared to €80 in July 2022
”.
Read alsoChristmas holidays: the price of rental cars city by city
To preserve your budget, Que Choisir also advises to book early, not to opt for additional insurance, "
superfluous options
" such as GPS and above all not to rent at train stations and airports, places where prices are usually much higher.
In any case, "
there will be no improvement before 2024
" for Jean-Philippe Côté.
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