Rent a car in Europe? It now costs you 132% more!

Petrol, electricity, groceries, plane tickets: What isn’t getting more expensive these days? The price increases are sometimes shocking, like renting a car. Because anyone who needs “wheels” abroad pays a whopping 132 percent (!) more than before. Car Rentals? D rather not.

FerryGoGo did a study on the cost of a small rental car. In 2018 you paid an average of 48 euros per day in major European cities. This amount has now increased by 132 percent to 111 euros per day.

Hiring a compact car in Dublin is the most expensive

Of the cities examined, Hamburg is the cheapest with an average daily rate of 68 euros. In Dublin you lose the main prize: 187 euros per day. The rise of the Irish capital is nothing short of shocking. In five years, the price has increased by 271 percent.

In one city, prices have fallen

Incidentally, it is quite possible that rental cars have become even more unaffordable, because the research is based on data from last summer. Curiously, there is one European city where rents have fallen over the past five years: Hamburg (-7.5 percent).

How are things going in Amsterdam and Rotterdam?

Have Dutch cities also been studied? Yes of course. That usual suspects Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Five years ago you rented a small car in the port city on the Maas for 40 euros, now you pay 106 euros. Amsterdam shows a similar development: from 45 euros in 2018 to 120 euros now.

Shortage of chips leads to shortage of rental cars

How is it possible that rental cars have become so expensive? This is partly due to the shortage of chips. Rental companies parted with cars during the coronavirus crisis because there were no customers for them, but are now struggling to replenish the fleet. The delivery times for new cars are extremely long.