What You Need to Know About the Potential Rental Car Shortage

With the vaccine rollout well underway, there’s hope that travel will start to pick up this summer. While this is great news for companies and travelers alike, it could create a bit of a challenge for car rental companies. Right now there’s a global shortage of semiconductors used in automobiles - and if you know nothing about cars like me, this just means that there is a manufacturing delay on new vehicles. Many business travelers have also been opting to drive instead of fly and data shows that they’re holding on to their rental cars for longer periods of time, creating reduced fleets of available cars. Couple this with the semiconductor issue and car rental companies could have a shortage of available vehicles to rent. 

This shortage could lead to higher prices, location closures, sellouts, and longer waits to pick up cars for travelers. In situations like these, we think it’s best to be prepared. So if you or your travelers need to book a rental car in the coming weeks (or even months), here are a few tips to keep in mind to ensure a smooth rental experience.

• Book your car with AmTrav as soon as possible and remember that you can cancel and rebook a car anytime without penalties. 
• Make sure you have your loyalty numbers stored for your car rental so you can skip the line and use kiosks or go straight to your car at pickup. 
• Be sure to leave yourself enough time for pickup and drop-off. Should there be any snags, you won’t want to be in a rush. Plus, space aboard rental car buses may also be an issue, so make sure to keep that in mind.

This is still a developing story and although there's the possibility of an inconvenience, some car rental companies feel confident that the potential shortage won’t impact travelers. In any case, our team is always ready to help. Whether you’re planning travel for the future or encounter an issue on the road, feel free to reach out!