Why is car rental in Europe so expensive?

We were due to go to Spain for a week last August until travel restrictions forced us to postpone to the end of June/start of July this year.

When booking our car last August we had booked a mini class for about £100 for the week at the height of summer.

Since then, two have become 3 and we now need something Corsa-sized (so we can fit a pushchair in the boot) but we're now being quoted around £400 for 9 days' hire.

Why is it suddenly so expensive despite being out of the high season, and is there any way we can get it cheaper?

Asked on 15 March 2022 by alexl92

Answered by Lawrence Allan

It appears that the global semiconductor chip shortage (and other supply-related issues) has pushed up prices of car hire. The boss of Europcar said last year that prices are going up because rental providers simply cannot source enough cars to meet demand, which is the same reason why new car waiting lists are now so long. This may go on for some time, unfortunately.

Tags: renting a car driving in europe

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