Rental-Automobile Scarcity Drives Up Costs and Wait Occasions

Some clients who can discover automobiles are making compromises, like happening a dimension or in any other case reserving a car that doesn’t fairly match their wants.

The typical day by day rental charge within the U.S. in December—already probably the most costly occasions of the 12 months to lease a automobile—was $81, up 31% from a 12 months in the past, in response to journey firm Kayak. Earlier than the pandemic, the common rental charge was nearer to $46 a day in December, Kayak mentioned.

In some cities, notably these in heat climates and locations for winter sports activities, charges have risen even larger. In Maui, Salt Lake Metropolis and Bozeman, Mont.—among the many most expensive spots proper now to lease a automobile—the common day by day charge was above $100 for this vacation season, Kayak discovered.

The unfold of the brand new Omicron variant has additional difficult the image for vacationers, prompting some to ditch air journey plans and lease a automobile as an alternative.

“It was general a high-stress state of affairs,” mentioned Rebecca Girimonte, who not too long ago determined to drive to North Carolina from Chicago, relatively than fly to the New York space for the vacations.

In scrambling to discover a rental automobile, she was stunned by the costs and lack of choices. When she arrived at Enterprise’s rental counter, there have been solely two automobiles: a Dodge muscle automobile and a Chevy Spark subcompact. The speed for her nine-day journey was round $725—roughly $25 a day dearer than if she had been reserving a 12 months in the past based mostly on the nationwide common. She selected the Spark, however needed to stuff her 5’ 11” boyfriend within the tiny again seat with baggage.

“I couldn’t assume an excessive amount of about finances or something like that as a result of if we didn’t get all of it discovered in a matter of hours, we had been going to be out of luck,” Ms. Girimonte mentioned.

Rental-car executives say there’s little aid in sight as a computer-chip scarcity continues to constrain new-vehicle provides. To safe extra autos, some corporations have turned to purchasing used autos from auctions and from supplier tons, in response to analysts and executives.

The rising charges are serving to to raise earnings throughout the rental-car sector, leading to sturdy earnings. For example, Avis Funds Group Inc. CAR 3.24% mentioned in November its adjusted working revenue exceeded $1 billion for the primary time, largely due to larger rental-car costs.

“The Americas reserving patterns for the fourth quarter and vacation seasons seem sturdy and are presently outpacing 2019 ranges,” Chief Government Joseph Ferraro mentioned on Avis’s third-quarter earnings name.

Hertz and Enterprise Holdings Inc. mentioned they perceive renting a automobile is a problem proper now and are taking steps to alleviate constraints, equivalent to transferring workers and autos to high-demand places and procuring automobiles and vans by way of nontraditional channels, like shopping for from dealerships as an alternative of instantly from producers.

Each corporations urged vacationers to ebook as early as potential for higher choices and extra inexpensive charges.

An Avis spokesperson declined to remark.

Early within the pandemic, many rental-car companies offered off large elements of their fleet, responding to an enormous drop off in bookings. Nonetheless, demand returned quicker than anticipated and at a time when automobile corporations had been already straining to make amends for manufacturing facility manufacturing.

Hertz mentioned it had about 390,000 autos in its fleet within the third quarter, about 130,000 fewer than it did on the finish of 2019, earlier than the pandemic hit the U.S. in drive.

Rental-fleet utilization charges have risen in current months. Avis reported that its common fleet utilization—a sign of how a lot its autos are in operation versus sitting on the lot—hit 71% by way of September, in contrast with 50% for the primary 9 months of final 12 months.

The outlook on new-vehicle availability stays unsure. Auto executives say stock ranges ought to enhance as manufacturing facility output normalizes, however many corporations are additionally trying to completely cut back the variety of autos they manufacture—a transfer that might have an effect on how a lot rental-car suppliers pay for autos, analysts say.

“The car-rental state of affairs will solely get higher if the car-manufacturing panorama improves,” mentioned Henry Harteveldt, a journey business analyst for San Francisco-based Ambiance Analysis Group. “Till then, it’s going to be one of many bleakest occasions to be renting a automobile.”

Many vacationers are already experiencing longer waits at airport counters, and in some circumstances, have had reservations canceled due to a scarcity of autos, business analysts and journey advisers say.

Cassie Clark, a 24-year-old New Yorker, mentioned she couldn’t discover a rental automobile to journey to her dad and mom’ house in Rochester, N.Y., for Christmas. As a result of she was touring along with her canine, she dominated out taking a prepare or air journey.

Ms. Clark scoured web sites and places everywhere in the metropolis searching for an inexpensive rental automobile, to be met with “Bought Out” notifications or charges of round $350 a day, far outdoors her finances. Ultimately, Ms. Clark gave up and determined to remain house in East Harlem for the vacations.

“I’m not going to see my household for Christmas in any respect, all due to the rental automobile state of affairs,” she mentioned.

Write to Nora Naughton at Nora.Naughton@wsj.com