Car rental prices: Ajaccio on the podium

Global trend, insularity, law of the market. The unprecedented inflation of these rentals is the result of several factors. Faced with prices deemed prohibitive, customers sometimes turn to alternatives, with the drawbacks they entail. Will the trend continue?

Rent a carand in the imperial city has never cost so much. According to a study conducted by the Carigami online comparatorrent a car at Ajaccio for a period of one week between 1^is May and August 31, 2022, averages 445 euros. This is an increase of 25.6% compared to the same period last year and an increase of 92.4% compared to 2019.

READ ALSO: Renting a car in Corsica in summer, a hell of a budget

The imperial city thus ranks third among the most expensive cities in France. The town of Figari comes sixth with 429 euros and Bastia ninth with 408 euros. An explosion in prices that is part of a global trend. “We are facing a global shortage of microchips”explains Pierre Feisthauer, development manager at Carigami.

“In principle, these chips are designed in the United States and manufactured in China. However, with the China-USA economic war, provoked by Donald Trump, this complementarity no longer works. So the United States is faced with a lack of production lines and China lacks specialized engineers. Added to this, the Covid-19 pandemic which has paralyzed the economy. Result: very few electronic components were built. However, it is IT that has been given priority in the purchase of components and not the automotive industry. And even within the automotive sector, rental companies come in last because they order large volumes of cars that are poorly equipped and low in options, and therefore not very lucrative”details the specialist.

In search of alternatives

Still, with three cities on the list, including one on the podium, Corsica appears to be a national champion. “Corsican cities are always among the most expensive in summer”assures Pierre Feisthauer, who unsurprisingly sees it as a direct consequence of tourist activity. ” It is the law of supply and demand. The more demand there is, the higher the prices go. he indicates. “And the phenomenon is accentuated in Corsica because of the insularity, which adds a logistical dimension”adds Pierre Feisthauer.

But for this rental company from Ajaccio, who wishes to remain anonymous, this price increase only corrects an abnormal situation. “I think we’re finally getting to normal prices, he believes. In 2018, it cost more to rent a scooter than a car. The market regulates itself. »

For some customers, however, these prices seem prohibitive and sometimes push them to favor other options.

Originally from Ajaccio, but working on the Continent, Mélodie last year rented a car from an agency for her vacation in Ajaccio with her partner. “We had to rent an electric car because classic cars were way too expensive”, she says, assuring that this alternative cost her a little less than 200 euros per week. With the logistical challenges involved in renting this type of vehicle. “Autonomy was not a problem”says the thirty-something. “We were able to do Ajaccio-Bastia with a full charge and we had a lot of battery left. The real problem was to load the car. » To fill the battery of her Renault-Zoé, Mélodie had to leave it at the port in the evening and take the bus. “Out of four terminals, there were only two that worked”, she recalls.

With the growing share represented by the electric fleet in the rental offer, the equipment in terminals already appears as a challenge for the years to come, in Ajaccio, but also in the rural areas where they are at this stage, almost non-existent.

Some more advantageous platforms

Another option exists on the side of individuals. Some specialized platforms offer to rent cars to individuals, for an hourly or daily price. The Getaround application thus lists some thirty rental offers offered by individuals in Ajaccio.

If some are below the prices of the conventional rental fleet (a Citroën C4 Picasso at 36 € per day, or 252 euros per week, a recent Twingo at 41 € per day, or 287 € per week), many are close to or even exceed the rates practiced by well-established agencies, such as this Smart Fortwo coupé at €63 per day (€441 per week); or this Mercedes Class A at 131 € per day, or the tidy sum of 917 € per week.

But the advantages put forward by these platforms are real: the handing over of the keys can take place at any place and at any time, the contract is dematerialized and can be signed on your phone, and in the event of accident, theft or breakdown, the all-risk insurance or the assistance that the tenant must take out comes into play.

On the other hand, the drawbacks are also significant: costs charged in the event of a claim, breakdown or infringement, as well as sometimes high deductibles. Will the upward price trend last? Where is the threshold of acceptability? “I don’t think holidaymakers will agree to pay such high prices for two years in a row”anticipates Pierre Feisthauer. “If we add the price of gasoline, tourists often pay more for their vehicle rental than plane tickets or accommodation. In my opinion, the prices are already unsustainable. »

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