Survey shows car rentals on the rise

www.europcar.com

As the recession cuts into household budgets and travellers choose to take their holidays closer to home, rental car companies are finding that car hire is on the rise, according to a new survey conducted by Europcar.

The survey revealed that there was a resurgence in UK-based holidays in 2008, causing a boost in the number of cars hired. Europcar believes that the trend will continue this year as UK householders look at cutting holiday costs once again.

Twenty-seven per cent of Europcar’s customers in the UK indicated that they rented vehicles because they had concerns about their own car’s reliability; 24 per cent rented when they needed a larger vehicle; and 21 per cent said they hire a car when their vehicle is broken down. Approximately 23 per cent of their car rental customers indicated they hired a car because they did not own one.

Ashley Jurberg, Europcar Australia’s group marketing manager, said the results were not surprising as there was an increase in consumers choosing to take holidays that were closer to home.

He said that car hire was on the increase in both Australia and the UK as residents – especially urban dwellers - selling their cars to save money.

“For families surviving on one income because of job cuts or those who have been made redundant because of the downturn, often car ownership is one of the first expenses to be shed,” Jurberg added.

Thanks to www.asiatraveltips.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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