Page last update: 25 March 2026
France’s car rental market has experienced significant growth over the past decade, interrupted by the pandemic but followed by a robust recovery.
What Is the Yearly Car Rental Market Size in France?
The car rental market in France generated an estimated €6.12 billion in revenue in 2024, representing an increase from pre-pandemic levels.
- The market value was approximately €4.3 billion in 2019 before the pandemic. During 2020, the market experienced a decline of approximately 50% due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, with revenue falling to an estimated €2.0 billion.
- A strong recovery began in 2021 with €3.53 billion in revenue, followed by continued growth to around €4.25 billion in 2022.
- The 2023 figure of €5.8 billion represents a 35% increase over pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
- France car rental revenue reached €6.34 billion in 2024, representing a 9.3% increase compared with €5.80 billion in 2023.
How Many Car Rental Companies Are There in France?
The French car rental and leasing industry had a total of 9,070 registered companies (including both rental and leasing) in 2024, though the exact standalone car rental company count remains undisclosed.
- France had approximately 3,300 registered car rental enterprises in 2016, an increase from about 3,150 companies in 2011.
- By 2019, the number of rental companies exceeded 3,500 as the market expanded.
- The sector operates around 4,700 rental sites across metropolitan France, including franchises and supermarket rental desks.
Car Rental Market Trends and Growth in France
How Many Vehicles Are Sold to Car Rental Fleets in France?
Rental companies are major buyers of new vehicles in France, with over 220,000 newly purchased cars in 2024.
- Before the pandemic, rental fleets purchased approximately 230,000 new vehicles annually in France, representing about 10% of all new car registrations.
- During the pandemic, fleet purchases dropped by 40% between 2019 and 2022.
- New vehicle registrations by rental fleets fell a further 15% from 2021 to 2022, reaching 140,000 cars.
- In the first quarter of 2024, rental registrations surged to 55,679 vehicles, a 49.3% increase compared to Q1 2023, as companies prepared for a busy summer and events like the Paris Olympics.
What Are the Latest Car Rental Market Trends in France?
Electrification is growing rapidly, with companies like Sixt targeting one-third of their fleet to be EV or hybrid by 2024.
- Digitalization is transforming the rental experience, with online booking and mobile apps becoming the dominant reservation channels.
- Multimodal integration is increasing, with rental agencies having desks at over 160 railway stations nationwide, making it easy to combine train and car travel.
- The line between car rental and car sharing is blurring, with companies offering app-based hourly rentals in cities.
- Peer-to-peer car rental platforms like Turo and Getaround are expanding in France, creating new competition for traditional rental agencies.
Vehicle Types and Rental Categories in France
The French rental fleet features predominantly domestic makes (Renault, Peugeot, Citroën) in the economy through to intermediate ranges, with German and other European brands filling the luxury categories.
- Mini cars (€30-€50/day, 2-4 passengers) like the Fiat 500 or Toyota Aygo are the cheapest option with limited luggage space.
- Economy cars (€40-€60/day, 4 passengers) such as the Renault Clio or Opel Corsa offer good fuel efficiency for city and short highway trips.
- Compact cars (€50-€70/day, 4-5 passengers) include hatchbacks like VW Golf or Peugeot 308 with more passenger comfort.
| Car Size Chart and Average Rental Price per Day in France | ||
| Car Size | Passengers | Average Price per Day |
| Mini | 2-4 | €30–€50 |
| Economy | 4 | €40-€60 |
| Compact | 4-5 | €50-€70 |
| Intermediate | 5 | €60-€80 |
| Standard/Full-Size | 5 | €70-€90 |
| SUV | 5-7 | €90-€120 |
| Luxury | 4-5 | €120-€200 |
| Minivan | 7-9 | €100-€150 |
Note: The vehicle categories and average daily rates in this table were compiled for reference purposes and may differ from official classifications.
How Do Car Rental Prices Compare Across France?
The national average weekly rental rate in 2024 is €319, which is 4% lower than 2023 (€331) but still 30% higher than pre-pandemic levels (€245 in 2019).
- Nice has the most expensive weekly rentals at €378, followed by Biarritz at €365 and Bordeaux at €346.
- Paris rentals average €333 per week in 2024, down 10.5% from 2023 but still 36% higher than 2019.
- Lyon is more affordable at €321 per week, while Marseille costs approximately €318.
- The most budget-friendly cities include Lille at €265, Brest at €275, and Mulhouse at €284.
- Corsica, traditionally among the most expensive locations, saw prices normalize in 2024 with Ajaccio and Bastia averaging €284, below the national average.
- France remains one of Europe’s costliest car rental markets, with an average weekly rate (€319) significantly higher than Spain (€195) or Italy (€248).
Leading Car Rental Companies in France
Which Are the Biggest Car Rental Companies in France?
- Europcar, a French company that is now part of a Stellantis-Volkswagen consortium, remains the largest operator with approximately 23% market share.
- Avis Budget Group holds around 14% of the market, with strong airport presence through its Avis and Budget brands.
- Hertz Corporation also maintains approximately 14% market share, with major presence at airports and cities.
- Sixt SE (German) has grown rapidly with a focus on premium service, holding about 7% of the market.
- Enterprise Holdings (which owns the Enterprise, Alamo, and National brands) entered France in the 2010s and has a growing but smaller market share.
- Local French brands like Ucar hold around 3% market share, focusing on regional markets.
What Are the Best Car Rental Companies in France?
Enterprise has topped customer service rankings with a 4.54/5 average rating in a Carigami survey of French rental customers.
- Hertz and Europcar ranked second and third for service quality, with ratings of approximately 4.40/5 and 4.35/5 respectively.
- All three top-rated companies had overall satisfaction around 84% or higher among customers.
- Sixt has received mixed ratings over the years, suggesting inconsistency in customer experience.
- Budget-oriented operators have struggled with customer satisfaction, with Goldcar (a low-cost Spanish brand) receiving the lowest ratings.
- Common complaints about lower-rated companies included unexpected cost for fuel, aggressive upselling of insurance, and strict credit card policies.
Consumer Behavior and Rental Preferences in France
What Are the Most Common Reasons for Renting a Car in France?
The top reason for renting in France is not owning a personal vehicle, cited by 29% of individual customers and 23% of business customers.
- About 20% of all customers rent to access a vehicle that suits their specific needs, while 14% of total rentals are specifically for business travel.
- Approximately 21% of all rental bookings in France are part of a rail or air trip, highlighting the importance of intermodal travel.
- Business travel accounted for only a minor portion of rental bookings, as professionals increasingly opted to drive rather than use public transport.
- Over 70% of French people say they plan to rely more on rentals or car-sharing instead of owning a car in the future.
- Replacement vehicles during repairs or after accidents form a steady part of rental business, often arranged through partnerships with insurers or dealerships.
Popular Rental Destinations: Car Hire in the South of France
The French Riviera, particularly Nice and Cannes, sees very strong rental demand, with Nice having the highest weekly rates in the country (€378).
- Provence towns such as Aix-en-Provence and Avignon are key rental spots for exploring countryside attractions, with weekly rates of €331-€335.
- In the southwest, Biarritz in the Basque Country is popular for summer rentals, averaging €365 per week.
- Montpellier and Nîmes in Occitanie serve as popular pickup points for those visiting the Camargue, Cévennes, or Pyrenees.
- Corsica has historically been a huge rental market every summer, though prices normalized somewhat in 2024.
- Overall, southern and coastal France attract the most rental customers, especially during summer months.
How Long Do Rental Car Companies Keep Their Cars in France?
Rental cars in France are utilized 2.3 times more intensively than privately owned cars on average.
- Before the pandemic, rental companies typically kept vehicles in service for only 12 to 18 months before selling them.
- Small cars often reached the end of their rental service life at around 20,000 kilometers, while premium vehicles might be retired even sooner.
- During 2020-2022, fleet renewal was disrupted, and companies extended vehicle service life to 12-24+ months, which led to higher maintenance costs.
What Is the Future Outlook for the Car Rental Industry in France?
The market is expected to experience moderate single-digit annual growth through the late 2020s.
- Electrification will accelerate, with electric and hybrid vehicles forming a significant portion of rental fleets by 2025-2030.
- Digitalization will continue transforming the rental experience, with contactless service and smartphone-based vehicle access becoming widespread.
- Multimodal integration will deepen as France invests in Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platforms that combine train, car rental, and bike-share options.
- The shift from vehicle ownership to usage is expected to continue, with 70% of French consumers planning to rely more on rentals or car-sharing.
Global Statistics Resources
Car Ownership
Car Sales:
Car Sales by Brands
Car Sales by Models
EV Sales:
- Global EV Sales by Automaker
- Global EV Sales by Country (incl. AU, CA, CH, DE, JP, NO, UK)
- Global EV Sales by Type
- EV Statistics by Automaker (incl. BYD, Tesla)
Tourism:
Reference
EMGR: Europcar Mobility Group financial report
AIFR: Economic impact of short-term rental companies
XERFI: Market study on car rental and car sharing
MOBILIANS:Study on short-term rental as a shared mobility solution
FA: Industry update on short-term rental recovery
FFR:Summer 2024 rental pricing trends in France
JA:2024 rental fleet expansion data
MI: France car rental market analysis
