Car rentals double this month amid Easter travel chaos
Car rentals have doubled ahead of Easter weekend, as Brits come up with alternatives while travel disruption wreaks havoc among the country’s transport network.
According to data from Volkswagen Financial Services UK (VWFS), rentals on online platform Rent-a-Car have gone up 148 per cent on last year.
“Lots of people have been waiting a long time to get away this Easter and what our data shows is that holidaymakers are swapping the current uncertainty around rail and ferry travel for the reliability of cars,” said VWFS’s director of mobility Mark Forton.
“We’ve seen a steady increase in the popularity of staycations over the past two years, but I believe this is a trend that will only strengthen after the Easter weekend.”
Rentals went up 121 per cent between the first and second quarter of 2021, shooting up to 219 per cent last summer, when restrictions eased and Britons were encouraged to plan staycations.
This time, though, demand is driven by an increasing number of UK families wanting to get away for the holidays.
The data comes a day after automotive insurance giant RAC warned motorists that this Easter would be the busiest on record, with 21.5 million journeys planned, City PM reported.
“After two years of relatively quiet Easter bank holidays on the roads, our research suggests a return to traffic levels that are much more typical of this time of year,” said RAC traffic spokesperson Rod Dennis.
“It’s very possible this weekend could turn out to be one of the busiest for leisure journeys for many years. Traffic volumes will likely be even higher if some warm spring sunshine makes an appearance.”