Short-term consumer car hire across the European Union (EU)

The EU Consumer Protection Co-operation Network (co-ordinated by the CMA) has closed its investigation into the practices of 5 major car rental businesses.

From:
Competition and Markets Authority
Published
13 July 2015
Last updated
19 January 2017 — See all updates
Case type:
Markets
Case state:
Closed
Market sector:
Transport
Opened:
3 April 2014
Closed:
19 January 2017

Summary of work

Case closed

19 January 2017: Following a co-operative engagement from the 5 major car rental businesses and having secured improvements in price transparency and certain terms and conditions the case has been closed although the companies will still be subject to ongoing monitoring to ensure that they continue to implement the agreed changes.

Report published

13 July 2015: The CMA has published its report on short-term car hire in the European Union. The report summarises the CMA’s analytical work on the consumer problems arising in the sector and the CMA’s view of how the relevant legislation applies.

The report also sets out steps that companies and consumers can take to make the sector work better and includes the commitments 5 major car rental businesses will make to certain practices.

Case opened

3 April 2014: National enforcers from the EU Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (co-ordinated by the CMA), the European Commission, and the European Consumer Centre network, met with the trade association, Leaseurope, [footnote 1] and other industry representatives to identify the main issues affecting consumers across Europe when hiring a car and to discuss how to address them – for example, by improving pre-contractual information and reviewing standard terms and conditions and practices.

Contacts

Project director

Mike Lambourne (mike.lambourne@cma.gov.uk, 020 3738 6568)

Senior responsible officer

James Macbeth (james.macbeth@cma.gov.uk, 020 3738 6958)

  1. Leaseurope, the European Federation of Leasing Company Associations, is an umbrella body representing the automotive rental and leasing industry in Europe, comprising 44 member associations in 34 countries. ↩

Published 13 July 2015
Last updated 19 January 2017 + show all updates

  1. Case closure update added.

  2. Short-term car rental in the EU report and 60-second summary published.

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