After two months of declines, rental fleet sales turned up in May finishing ahead year-to-date by a sliver compared to May 2025, according to monthly fleet sales figures released by Bobit Business Media on June 2.

Sales variations across the board showed only slight adjustments in either direction.

Rental fleet sales numbered 586,386 vehicles year to date compared to 581,043 sold through May 31, 2025, up 0.9%.

“Rental vehicle sales gained almost 3% in May compared to last year and are up 1% this year," said Zohaib Rahim, senior manager of economic and industry insights for Cox Automotive. "While commercial and government fleet sales declined last month, a rebound in rental sales was able to counter their decline, leading to the overall increase in sales for the month."

Sales activity in the three fleet segments for May 2026 were as follows:

• Rental fleet sales rose 2.9%, from 116,310 rental cars sold in May 2025 to 119,625 vehicles sold last month.
• Commercial fleet sales fell to 76,767 vehicles last month, from 78,058 in May 2025, down 1.7%.
• Government fleet vehicle sales dipped 1.8%, with 21,740 vehicles sold in May compared to 22,129 vehicles sold in May 2025. (The six major Asian-based automakers did not report any government fleet numbers for May.)

Those numbers resulted in total May fleet sales of 218,132, up 0.8% from 216,497 vehicles sold in May 2025.

"New fleet sales edged up slightly in May, gaining almost 1% year-over-year, as the market continues to perform higher than last year through the first five months of this year," Rahim said. "Even with the sales increase, brand-level performance varies.”

Year-to-date sales in the rental, commercial, and government fleet sectors are trending up, with 1,039,302 total fleet vehicles sold in May for a modest 3.1% increase over 1,007,691 vehicles sold in the first five months of 2025.

“The U.S. economy continues its expansion, as the second estimate of first quarter Real GDP came in at an annualized rate of 1.6%, and business investment remains positive, leading to a favorable environment for commercial vehicle demand," Rahim added.

Bobit Business Media (BBM), owner of Auto Rental News, compiles fleet sales statistics based on aggregate data from the three major Detroit-based auto manufacturers, the Asian Big 6 automakers, and VW. The statistics include cars, SUVs, and trucks.