Over the past several months, demand for travel has risen. And if you’ve traveled at all recently and needed a rental car, you may have run into an eye-popping realization: rental cars have gotten REALLY expensive. In fact, back in April of this year, News 6 Orlando reported that your rental car could actually wind up costing MORE than your airline ticket.
Magic Kingdom Entrance
Bringing a car to Disney World is already a pricey decision, with hidden costs like those pesky overnight hotel fees adding up over the length of your stay. And with holiday crowds making their way to the parks and free services like Disney’s Magical Express coming to an end, you could find an increased demand for rental cars in the Orlando area, and renting a car could cost you MORE than you’re anticipating.
Back in 2020, at the start of the pandemic, demand for rental cars plummeted 90%. In order to survive, rental car companies began selling off their inventory, resulting in a MAJOR shortage of cars.
Who remembers empty airplanes in 2020?
According to Jonathan Weinberg, CEO of AutoSlash, major rental car companies sold off on average 30 to 40% of their fleet, which amounts to “hundreds of thousands of cars.” And once travel started to pick back up, these companies were caught off guard and without enough supply to meet rising demand.
Parking at Hollywood Studios
As more Americans receive the COVID-19 vaccine and consider resuming travel plans, some travelers have been discovering rental car rates as high as $300 per day, if not higher. That adds up to a MAJOR line item in your Disney World vacation budget.
The rise in COVID-19 cases in select places and the Omicron variant could impact travel plans though. Omicron is expected to especially affect international tourism to Florida, but it could also impact other plans. Still, travelers may find higher than expected rental car costs.
Animal Kingdom Entrance
According to an article from December of 2021 from The Atlantic, those who plan to rent a car might still experience a complicated process. The Atlantic notes that more than a year after the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, rental car companies are “still having trouble replacing cars, because of supply-chain problems in the auto-manufacturing industry…Demand is high, supply is slow.”
Chris Brown, the digital editor of the Auto Rental News publication, indicated that the present situation is “the most challenging in the history of car rental.”
On the Road
Back in November of this year, the New York Post also published a story regarding car rental prices. Around Thanksgiving, it was noted that travelers could expect to pay as much as 75% MORE for car rentals due to the nationwide shortage of vehicles, high gas prices, and supply chain issues. At that time, the average cost for a rental car was about 75% higher than 2019 prices.
The supply chain issue deals mainly with the semiconductor shortage. This all relates to the computer chips which most modern cars require a lot of.
Heading to EPCOT
According to news shared on PR Newswire by CheapCarRental.net during December of 2021, car rental rates in Boston are nearly triple over Christmas. A week’s rental for the cheapest available car is about $718. But several Florida cities are not behind in terms of price. CheapCarRental.net looked at the most expensive destinations for renting a car this Christmas. “The initial prices reflect the rate for the cheapest available car during the period December 21-27 2021.”
Number 3 on the list was Fort Lauderdale with a rate of $709. Not far behind was Orlando (in the 6th spot) with a rate of $631. Tampa was just behind that. So, for the holiday season, Orlando is essentially the 6th most expensive place for rental cars. Of course, prices can and likely will change after the holiday period ends, but it still shows just how pricey some rental cars can be at the moment.
©PR Newswire | CheapCarRental.net
The Washington Post reports that inflation is at a 40-year high, impacting all kinds of different items. According to the Washington Post, “Used cars and trucks were a driving force behind the surge in inflation last year.” They note that the market relies heavily on trade-ins and auto parts, which have been low due to the microchip shortage. That has impacted the supply of used cars.
©Washington Post
There are lots of decisions to make when planning a Disney World vacation, and typically the rental car conversation happens AFTER airline tickets and hotels! For now, you may want to consider making your rental car the FIRST thing you search for when planning your next vacation to Disney World.
Driving a rental car under this arch could cost you MORE in 2021!
Of course, it all will depend on where you look, what company you choose to rent with, and what car you select. When we searched for a rental through Kayak from December 27th through January 2nd, we were able to find several rental cars for well under that amount. But there were also some very expensive options.
©Kayak
Planning a trip beyond 2021? Keep in mind that Disney’s Magical Express will no longer be in service as of January 2022, so a rental car may be something your family considers adding to your vacation experience. At this time, it’s hard for the industry to predict how long they anticipate inflated rental car costs to last, but in 2022 we could see some things change.
According to one article from WAPT News, by some estimates, during the early time of the pandemic rental car companies sold as much as a 1/3 of the nation’s fleet, “which won’t be replenished until next year.”
Disney’s Magical Express
Also, keep in mind that Disney World provides a variety of complimentary transportation options to their guests. From the Monorail to the Disney Skyliner, you can navigate throughout the parks and resorts for the length of your stay, no rental car needed. If a rental car is easier for your travel party, just be prepared to potentially pay a little more than what you’re typically used to!
Click here to see the most expensive days to visit Disney World in 2022
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I think this is somewhat misleading…..I rented a full size (seats 7) SUV for 2 weeks for our vacation in Feb 2022 for $1200. Last time we went in January 2020 I paid $500 for a week with a full size SUV. I think you just need to shop around and you can find what you need as long as you book in advance.