Length of Rental Could Be Finding a New Normal of More Days
The industry may not be returning to the lower LORs of 2019 and 2020 as two years of declining repair shop backlogs appear to flatline.

Alaska recorded the highest LOR at 20.8 days, a 0.1-day increase from Q1 2024. West Virginia had the next-highest LOR at 20.7 days, followed by New Mexico at 19.8 days. North Dakota had the lowest LOR at 12.0 days, a 1.1-day decline from Q1 2024. Hawaii followed with 12.6 days, ahead of District of Columbia at 13.0 days. Nebraska and Vermont had the highest LOR increases at 0.6 days; Iowa, New Hampshire and Arkansas all recorded higher LOR this quarter versus Q1 2024.
Graphic: Enterprise
Overall length of rental (LOR) for collision-related rentals in Q1 2025 was 16.7 days, a 0.9-day decline from Q1 2024, according to a quarterly report from Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Last year, in Q1 2024, Enterprise observed a decline of 1.1 days from Q1 2023, when overall LOR was 18.7 days.
The post-COVID effects of vehicle production and supply chain issues has affected the industry in recent years, most notably in 2022 and 2023.
When comparing Q1 2025 to Q1 of 2020, overall LOR is still 3.5 days higher. LOR in Q1 2020 was 13.2 days, and in Q1 2019, overall LOR was even lower at 12.8 days.
John Yoswick, editor of the weekly CRASH Network newsletter, offered some insights from data he’s received:
“Some trends suggest there might not be significant drops to LOR moving forward this year if claims count doesn’t fall further. Two years of decline in the average shop backlog of work ended in the first quarter of this year. The “Who Pays for What?” survey conducted in January by Collision Advice and CRASH Network found that among more than 750 responding shops, the average backlog of work was 2.6 weeks, up half a week compared to prior quarter. An increase in backlog between the fourth and first quarter is not unusual, but this increase was slightly larger than typical, perhaps indicating the industry is finding its new ‘normal’ range after eight consecutive quarters of backlog declines.”
Greg Horn, PartsTrader’s chief industry relations officer, “The quarter-over-quarter reductions seen in LOR align with PartsTrader’s median delivery days (plus two standard deviations); the parts median delivery days have improved in Q1 2025 compared to the same quarter in 2024. A lower claim frequency seen by many of PartsTrader’s clients has also resulted in quicker shop throughput, which reduces cycle time.”
Parts are the largest cost portion of the repair estimate and delays in parts delivery affect cycle times.
Ryan Mandell, director of claims performance for Mitchell International, also added some relevant insights:
“Frequency of diagnostic operations in the U.S. rose to 87.4% in Q1 2025, up from 84.3% in Q1 2024. Calibration frequency also increased to 25.3%, up from 23.4% in Q1 2024. The average number of calibrations per estimate (when calibrations are present) also increased to 1.46 per estimate in Q1 2025, compared to 1.38 in Q1 2024. We expect the frequency number of 25.25% to increase above 30% once the data is fully mature, as calibration operations are often added as supplemental items and are not reflected on original estimates. The calibration frequency number for Q4 2024 ended at 29.4%.”
Among the highlights of the quarterly report:
Drivable: For rentals associated with drivable claims, LOR was 15.2 days in Q1 2025, down 0.6 days from Q1 2024’s results of 15.8 days.
Non-Drivable: LOR for non-drivable vehicles was 22.8 days, a 2.2-day decline from Q1 2024.
Total Loss: LOR associated with total loss claims in Q1 2025 was 14.9 days, a 1.5-day decline from Q1 2024.
While LOR continues to decrease from the post-pandemic, outlying highs, challenging market and economic conditions could affect future results.
Yoswick added, “Perhaps the biggest unknown is the larger economy. Should it falter, vehicle miles traveled (which has rebounded to above pre-pandemic levels) could decline, further lowering claims count, and overall financial uncertainty may lead more drivers with moderate vehicle damage to forego having it repaired.
More Rental Operations

What Does It Take to Succeed in B2B Rentals?
The fundamentals may be familiar to daily car rental operators, but project-based truck rentals put different demands on the fleet and the business.
Read More →
NPR Builds on International Partnerships to Grow Rental Bookings
With Ana Laborde supporting broker development, NPR Auto Group is tailoring distribution strategies, rate packages, and partnerships to grow international reservations across its three brands.
Read More →
Advantage, Sixt Place Among Top Five in Annual Satisfaction Study
While Enterprise and National retain the top spots in JD Power’s 2026 rankings, the latest customer satisfaction results suggest renters can find competitive service beyond the biggest car rental names.
Read More →
The $100,000 Insurance Trap in Exotic Car Rentals
Exotic rental agencies often rely on customers’ personal auto policies to protect six-figure vehicles. But policy language can dramatically change the coverage for vehicles over $100,000 MSRP.
Read More →
The Booking Is Confirmed, But Is Your Customer Ready to Drive?
For international renters, a confirmed reservation doesn’t always mean they’re eligible to drive. Earlier checks can help operators catch documentation and payment issues before the customer reaches the counter.
Read More →
ICRS 2027 Opens Call for Papers
The International Car Rental Show seeks session proposals on the business, operational, and technology issues facing car rental operators. Submissions are due Jan. 15.
Read More →
Turo to Launch Vehicle Delivery Service
Turo Delivered will let travelers search for vehicles that hosts can deliver directly to hotels, homes, airports, train stations, and other locations.
Read More →
Palm Beach Airport Code Change Creates Car Rental Distribution Gap
A test of rental searches under the old PBI and new DJT airport codes returned largely different sets of brands and vehicles, highlighting a potential distribution problem for rental operators.
Read More →
U-Save Continues Dominican Republic Expansion with Launch in Punta Cana
The new franchise location builds on U-Save’s existing Santo Domingo operation and will begin taking reservations for October 2026.
Read More →
When AI Books the Rental Car, Who Controls the Sale?
As AI moves from comparing rental rates to completing transactions, operators need to understand how travelers find, interpret, rank, and ultimately see their offers. (Part 2 of 2.)
Read More →
