Rental car mileage continues to drop in UK

Recent figures released by National Car Rental show that the number of miles its UK car rental customers drive has dropped 19% over the last two years.

Average numbers of miles per rental have decreased from 564 miles in 2005 to 459 in 2007.

With larger vehicle rentals, however, the company has seen an increase. In estate car and people carrier-type rentals, the average mileage has increased by 15.4% and 14.6%, respectively, from 2006 to 2007.

National Car Rental is part of the Europcar UK group. Its fleet director, Tim Bailey, commented: “It suggests our customers are not simply thinking about their destination, but planning their journeys, being selective about how far they drive and choosing an appropriate vehicle – indicating a greater consciousness of environmental issues, congestion and fuel consumption.

“We also believe the wider availability of GPS units to assist with route planning would have had some impact on these figures,” he continued.

“Overall, this has to be a step in the right direction. The reduction of miles in small to medium-sized cars, coupled with the increase of mileages in larger vehicles, suggests people are beginning to ask themselves how they can travel more wisely,” Bailey added.

www.nationalcar.co.uk