Leisure car rentals become the newest trend

Driving a car has very much been considered to be an integral part of the ‘American dream’ for more than fifty years, and since then it has become a standard part of life in Europe as well. What is beginning to change now, however, is that driving enthusiasts are finding that arranging a car hire for the weekend, in order to test drive a new vehicle, make an impression on friends and acquaintances and save money by renting compact cars for trips to the country, can be both an entertaining and a useful venture.

Most characteristic of this new, emerging trend in leisurely car rentals, is that people are increasingly turning to local car hire firms, rather than those located at airports when seeking to rent a passenger vehicle. According to statistics published by Auto Rental News, the

US neighbourhood car hire market is now a $9.5 billion business and has increased by nearly 400% over the past 12 years. All the while, no significant growth has been registered within the airport car rental market.

There are a number of reasons for this phenomenon. People who rent a car for the weekend much prefer to find a dealership closest to their home, as they only intend to use the car to take short, regional trips and have no use to travel to an airport. Another reason, however, is a reflection of the current stagnant economic situation in the

United States. According to Steve Short, the vice-president of US-based Enterprise Rent-A-Car, fears of economic decline coupled with rising prices at the pumps, have encouraged many people to trade long vacations to far-away destinations with shorter, regional trips, especially during long weekends. For these types of holidays and road trips, renting a compact fuel-efficient car may be a smarter option than taking the gas-guzzling family SUV out of the garage.

www.enterprise.com