Spain hire car shortage raises rental costs

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Car Rental News - 23/07/2009

 

Holidaymakers will pay a premium for rental cars in popular Spanish destinations this summer.

If they can find a rental car, that is. Visitors are facing a shortage of vehicles for hire in Spain is this year, as well as paying higher rental rates for those that are available.

Popular destinations including Alicante, Málaga and Murcia are experiencing the most significant shortages, as companies cut back on their fleets to trim costs as the economy tanked.

Over spring holiday weekends, many visitors found that they were not able to book rental cars in these areas. It is expected that the same problem will face holidaymakers during the busy month of August, as well.

The shortage of available vehicles is attributed to a number of factors that are related to the recession and the credit crunch.

Bob Atkinson, of Travelsupermarket.com, noted that car hire companies located in Spanish resorts began downsizing their fleets after last summer. He said: “This is as a result of the drop in visitor arrivals from the various European markets that started in the autumn of last year.”

He added: “It has seen visitors through the winter down by up to 18% from the UK alone - the single biggest provider of flight arrivals into Spain. This has meant that there is less oversupply of cars in non-peak months such as June. However, in peak months such as July and August there is now a clear shortage of cars.”

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