Auto Rental Rate Analysis for September
With the help of Michael Meyer of Rate-Highway Inc. and Jim Tennant of The Tennant Group, Auto Rental News will conduct weekly auto rental rate surveys for six major cities and will publish the findings in our e-newsletter the first Wednesday of each month.

With the help of Michael Meyer of Rate-Highway Inc. and Jim Tennant of The Tennant Group, Auto Rental News will conduct weekly auto rental rate surveys for six major cities and will publish the findings in our e-newsletter the first Wednesday of each month.

The average rates for September recovered somewhat from the dramatic dropoff in August. Rates are pulled for pickup 2 to 3 weeks out, so demand vs. availability can be expected to be stronger in October than September. Looking at individual cities, Boston, Chicago and Houston showed sharp increases, Seattle had a major dropoff and Miami and LAX were relatively stable.
Average weekly rates were quite stable. Except for the 9/9 pull (for pickup from 9/24 to 9/30), the average was between $41.02 and $42.52 for the 6 weeks ending 9/30. Miami is recovering from its low, Seattle is falling off and the rest are stable through September. Chicago continues to be at or near the top of the rate rankings.

More Rental Operations

How Better Cleaning Processes Improve Rental Fleet Efficiency
A consistent approach to vehicle cleaning helps rental operators reduce turnaround delays and return vehicles to service without compromising cleanliness.
Read More →
Clean on Paper: Red Flags in Exotic Car Rental Verification
A suspicious $45,000 Lamborghini booking reveals the strengths and limitations of renter verification, from forged insurance documents to coverage gaps and unauthorized drivers. (Part 2 of 3)
Read More →
Turo and Tesla Take the Next Step Toward Autonomous Car Rentals
The partnership brings Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology into the rental experience, offering a glimpse of how increasingly automated vehicles could change car rental.
Read More →
How Rental Operators Can Navigate Personalized Pricing Rules
As regulators scrutinize the use of customer data in pricing, rental operators need to know whether they can explain why one renter pays more than another.
Read More →
Direct, Broker or Hybrid? How Travel Retailers Source Rental Cars
As travel retailers weigh direct supplier relationships against third-party distribution, rental operators need to understand how those decisions affect their business.
Read More →
How Did This Independent Rental Operator Grow to 170 Vehicles in 4 Years?
With 170 vehicles across three Kentucky locations, Joel Price relies on an overseas team to handle reservations, payments, and after-hours customer service. It's one part of an unconventional approach to growing an independent rental operation.
Read More →
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 →
