2019 is viewed as the pre-pandemic baseline for a multitude of business metrics, including car rental rates. With the help of Rate-Highway, Auto Rental News analyzed data from 2019 and compared it to the “pandemic-exit” years of 2021 and 2022. Following are the details.
Rates by Car Type, Year Over Year
Compared to the “normal” baseline of 2019, each of the chosen car types saw significant gains in 2021 and 2022, the pandemic-exit years. While 2021 followed a normal rate pattern of summer peaks---and a historically high peak at that---2022 saw sustained high rates in the first half that deflated slightly moving into fall. One explanation is that supply loosened somewhat as the year progressed, putting downward pressure on rates.
