Auto Rental News
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

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.

Length of Rental Could Be Finding a New Normal of More Days

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

3 min to read


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:

Ad Loading...
  • 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

Julian Gritsch with an MBA class in a classroom.

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 team with banner bearing Japanese flag.

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 Chairman Sharky Laguana on stage at the ICRS event in Grapevine, Texas.
Legal & Legislativeby Martin RomjueJune 24, 2026

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 →
Ad Loading...
Light blue horizontal bar graphs on a chart showing World Cup-related rental car booking trends.
Rental OperationsJune 23, 2026

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 →
Side view of ICRS speaker Sanchit Garg at podium in front of a floor lit red curtain
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 22, 2026

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 →
Photos of Martin Romjue and Denis Gjoni on opposite sides of large headline for the video.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 17, 2026

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 →
Ad Loading...
Richard Lowden gesturing on stage in front of a red curtain at the Gaylord Texan Resort near Dallas.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 12, 2026

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 →
John Possumato holding microphone while asking a question during a live conference session at the ICRS Show.

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 →
Close-up of a Jeep Wrangler front grille and headlight with text noting Stellantis’ recall of 1.3 million Jeep vehicles worldwide over a potential fire risk tied to power steering wiring.
Fleet Acquisitionby StaffJune 10, 2026

Stellantis Recalls 1.3 Million Jeep Vehicles Worldwide Over Fire Risk

Stellantis is recalling more than 1.3 million Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator models worldwide over a fire risk linked to power steering pump wiring.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Franchisee standing with yellow U-Save branded sign in front of the rental car outlet.

Green Motion And U-Save Open Rental Operations In Guatemala

The brands will open their first rental car outlets in the country at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City.

Read More →
Ad Loading...