But from early 2020 onwards, the Covid-19 crisis saw demand collapse. What’s gone wrong? In 2019, ferocious competition kept rates down and availability high. Read more: Summer of travel chaos: what's happened and why? Before the pandemic, rates for small cars here were as low as £15 per week. The firm also has a Tesla electric vehicle available for £2,595, or over £15 per hour. At Dublin airport, the cheapest one-week, pay-on-arrival hire at Avis for early August is over £1,000 for a tiny Kia Picanto. In the US states of California and Florida, basic rates are lower - typically around £60 a day - but additional costs, including insurance and toll payments, push prices higher.Ĭloser to home, rental rates in Ireland are at unprecedented levels. In popular holiday spots such as Palma, Pisa and Paris, a daily rental of £100 is about the best you can hope for this summer. So, what’s gone wrong - and what can you do about it? How expensive is car rental? At some destinations in August, findings were even more bleak: cars were sold out entirely. But as many prospective travellers are finding this year, rates have increased two- or three-fold. In France, Italy, Spain and the US, a family-sized vehicle was readily available at £50 or less per day in the years shortly before the pandemic, even in peak summer months. For decades, car rental has been one of the simplest and most dependable aspects of booking a trip.

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