Average Car Rental Rates Increase at Year's End in 6-City Analysis
All six airport locations — Boston, Miami, Chicago, Houston, Seattle and Los Angeles — saw average year-over-year rate increases in December.
Rate data provided by Rate-Highway, a provider of revenue management services for the auto rental industry. Rates are an average of aggregator/OTA rates for all vendors present in the markets listed on the date of the survey.
With the help of Michael Meyer of Rate-Highway Inc. and Jim Tennant of The Tennant Group, Auto Rental News publishes monthly auto rental rate surveys for six major airports in the cities of Boston (BOS), Miami (MIA), Chicago (ORD), Houston (HOU), Seattle (SEA) and Los Angeles (LAX). The rates are based on weekly surveys and are published monthly.
Analysis and commentary provided by Jim Tennant of The Tennant Group. This survey is dated Jan. 4. (Click on the graph below for a larger view.) There will also be a session on rates and rate management at the next Car Rental Show, April 15-16, 2013 at the Rio in Las Vegas.
Rate data provided by Rate-Highway, a provider of revenue management services for the auto rental industry. Rates are an average of aggregator/OTA rates for all vendors present in the markets listed on the date of the survey.
December 2012 rate quotes more than doubled the year-over-year average increase that was seen in November. All six cities saw increases, with Miami’s slight $2.51 increase from $57.94 to $60.45, to a $37.58 increase in Chicago. (It was a Merry Christmas in some city managers’ homes in that city!)
The 12/7 rate quotes for pickup from 12/22 to 12/28 were the highest of the month at a 6-city average of $63.25, declining every week after to the lowest of the month at a $41.09 average in the 12/28 pull. This reflects a strong Christmas travel season, followed by the normal lull in the first half of January.
ICAR Average Rate Quotes - | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
BOS | 30.47 | 53.51 | 64.05 | 29.58 | 39.25 | 30.53 | 42.61 | 54.99 |
MIA | 16.04 | 31.34 | 41.24 | 21.46 | 25.50 | 36.33 | 38.73 | 60.45 |
ORD | 60.23 | 59.81 | 57.60 | 58.06 | 62.46 | 64.17 | 68.57 | 70.41 |
HOU | 52.69 | 40.42 | 36.89 | 33.86 | 39.99 | 39.80 | 40.94 | 40.31 |
SEA | 30.37 | 40.33 | 51.55 | 36.26 | 35.08 | 28.73 | 31.13 | 34.14 |
LAX | 27.12 | 36.99 | 46.23 | 24.76 | 28.26 | 25.27 | 31.59 | 37.19 |
6-City Avg. | 36.16 | 43.73 | 49.59 | 34.00 | 38.42 | 37.47 | 42.26 | 49.58 |
Rate Change - 2011 from 2012 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
BOS | (5.12) | (8.65) | (16.74) | (0.21) | 1.14 | 1.52 | 9.77 | 23.91 |
MIA | (12.15) | (25.58) | (24.27) | (11.98) | (6.02) | (10.35) | (9.11) | 2.51 |
ORD | 15.22 | 0.11 | (2.86) | 22.96 | 6.24 | 10.64 | 29.45 | 37.58 |
HOU | 18.34 | (4.75) | (5.01) | (6.54) | (9.46) | (4.50) | (2.94) | 2.88 |
SEA | (16.17) | (20.34) | (23.25) | (22.59) | (2.61) | 0.27 | 3.34 | 8.88 |
LAX | (11.44) | (14.32) | 1.90 | (7.87) | (6.05) | (8.18) | 1.26 | 3.95 |
6-City Avg. | (1.89) | (12.25) | (11.71) | (4.37) | (2.79) | (1.77) | 5.29 | 13.28 |
These tables and graph show the average of all base rate quotes per day for an ICAR at the six airports shown for arrivals 15 to 21 days ahead of the date of the survey, for two- and seven-day rentals. If the arrival date is a Friday or Saturday, the two-day rate will be a weekend rate, otherwise it will be a regular rate.
More Rental Operations
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 →
European Booked Car Rental Rates Fell 5%, Results Varied by Country
Ireland, Cyprus, and the United Kingdom saw steep declines, while booked rates rose in Poland and Hungary.
Read More →
Is It Time to Rethink Rental Categories?
As traditional economy and compact cars disappear from the market, longtime rental operator Mike DeLorenzo asks whether the industry’s familiar vehicle categories still make sense — and what operators need to rethink along with them.
Read More →
Who Owns the Rate? AI Is Creating a New Distribution Problem for Car Rental
Generative Engine Optimization asks whether AI can find a rental company, but operators also need to know whether the agent inspected enough of the market, compared equivalent offers, and presented a rate the traveler can actually book. (Part 1 of 2)
Read More →
U.S. Business Travel Car Rental Rates Forecast to Rise Up to 2%
Improved fleet supply should limit pricing gains in 2026-27, while insurance, repair costs, and softer residual values continue to pressure rental operations, according to Amex GBT.
Read More →
Sixt Revenue Tops $2.4 Billion in First Half of 2026
Sixt’s first-half revenue surpassed $2.4 billion for the first time as demand outpaced fleet growth, lifting utilization and earnings despite weaker consumer sentiment in North America.
Read More →
In Memoriam: Bobby Klyce, Avis Licensee Legend
The longtime Birmingham Avis operator and 2018 Auto Rental News Impact Award recipient was remembered as an advocate for independent licensees and the broader car rental industry.
Read More →
How to Build Custom Fleet Tools With AI and Vibe Coding [Webinar]
A new Automotive Fleet webinar explores how fleet managers are using AI and vibe coding to automate routine work and create simple operational tools without traditional programming skills.
Read More →