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Most Common Items Left in Rental Vehicles Revealed

Some of the more unusual items left behind in rental cars include a grocery bag of burner phones and a pet mouse.

April 24, 2019
Most Common Items Left in Rental Vehicles Revealed

At the top of the list, and the least surprising, cell phones account for 32% of items left in returned vehicles.

Photo via Depositphotos.

1 min to read


Running a rental agency often requires owning a large lost and found box. Now, CarRentals.com has released its list of some of the most common, and unusual, items left behind by customers in their rental vehicles.

At the top of the list, and the least surprising, cell phones account for 32% of items left in returned vehicles. Shockingly, paperwork containing personal or sensitive information came in second at 25%. The full list is as follows:

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  • Phones (32%)

  • Paperwork with personal information (25%)

  • Keys (21%)

  • Wallet/credit card (8%)

  • Laptop/tablet (8%)

  • Drivers license and passports (6%)

Using online, public data from major car rental companies at Los Angeles International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport, a list of the most unusual recovered items has been compiled. Below is a selection:

  • Professional paint set

  • "Happily Ever After" photo album

  • Grocery bag of burner phones

  • Credit card reader

  • Car license plates

  • Pet mouse

  • Gun holster

  • Strobe light

  • Pocket scale

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