Europcar’s Lost Property in Rental Vehicles Includes Rodents, Ashes
Europcar UK tracked the items left behind in their rental vehicles and noted the most unusual items including a mouse, plants and ashes in an urn.
Europcar UK released a report on Sept. 19 of the oddest items left behind in their rentals in 2012.
Among the common items left by customers are sunglasses, CDs and loose change. However, some of the most unusual items left in rental cars this year include a live mouse in a cage, two 6×10 foot oil paintings, 30 plants, a hedge trimmer and ashes in an urn.
The ashes were returned to the customer who had brought them over from South Africa. All the glasses that go unclaimed are recycled as part of Europcar’s “Go Green” pledge.
The rarest item left behind was discovered at Europcar’s Blackpool Station location; it was a life-size dummy, dressed as an old lady, left in the trunk of a Ford Focus.
“Judging from our lost property, our vehicles have a tale to tell” said Europcar UK Managing Director Ken McCall. “But our staff always goes out of their way to reunite our customers with their forgotten items, no matter how bizarre.”
More Rental Operations

Rental Car Fleet Sales Show Mid-Year Strength
June gains ensured rental fleets closed out the first half of 2026 in positive territory.
Read More →
Surprice Mobility Opens Corporate Rental Station at Milan Malpensa Airport
The Milan opening is part of Surprice Mobility's broader strategy to expand its corporate operations while increasing the use of technology across its network.
Read More →
Brazilian Executive MBA Targets Growing Domestic Rental Car Industry
Rental car companies face a unique combination of challenges that are rarely addressed in traditional programs.
Read More →
Green Motion Expands Into Japan With Master Franchise Agreement
Japan's tourism industry, business travel market, and demand for vehicle rental services are reasons the country represents an important market for the company.
Read More →
ACRA Carrying Fuller Industry Load As AI and EVs Lurk In Future
The leading car rental professional business group details an active legislative, regulatory, and macro-trends agenda affecting car rental operators.
Read More →
World Cup Travel Data Shows Longer Car Rentals and More One-Ways
A recent analysis of FIFA bookings found varied demand patterns that influenced rental car pricing.
Read More →
A Leveling Force: AI Morphs Into A Rental Car Profit-Seeker
Revenue managers can’t match the emerging AI tools gobbling lots of data that could counter the competitive race to the rate bottom.
Read More →Stop Losing Money On Rental Tolls
Regardless of your rental fleet size and structure, fleet managers, executives, and owners can gain valuable insights into an often-overlooked area of fleet operations.
Read More →
Rethink The Future To Avert A Race To The Bottom
Rental car operators heard a sobering industry message and a stern challenge at the close of the International Car Rental Show.
Read More →
DriveItAway, Free2move Plan Shared Fleet Program for Independent Rental Fleet Operators
Vehicles would be placed with participating rental operations to support car renter demand and provide additional fleet capacity.
Read More →
