Rental car demand affects travelers, airport operators, and thousands of rental businesses across the U.S. In 2023, 55% of U.S. renters reported using a rental car at least once, and preferences vary by trip type—business vs. leisure—and compared modes like rideshare and taxi. On the operations side, the market is tracked through fleet utilization, booking cancellations, customer satisfaction, and evolving conditions such as prepaid reservations and optional insurance.
Key Takeaways
- $35.7 billion estimated 2023 global rental car revenue (car rental market value)
- $0.9 billion estimated 2023 Middle East & Africa car rental revenue
- $5.9 billion estimated total U.S. rental-car related retail sales in 2022 (USD)
- 55% of U.S. renters reported using a rental car at least once in 2023 (survey-based share)
- 61% of leisure travelers said they used rideshare/taxi rather than rental cars in 2022 (survey-based comparison)
- 42% of business travelers reported renting a car for at least one trip in 2023 (survey-based share)
- EV rental fleet penetration reached 1.8% of rental-car inventories by 2023 (EV share of inventory)
- 2.8 million EVs on U.S. roads increased by 45% year-over-year by end of 2023 (context for EV rental availability)
- 31% of renters chose prepaid reservations in 2023 (prepay share)
- U.S. rental car customer satisfaction (J.D. Power) scored 845 in 2023 for rental car overall satisfaction index (numeric score)
- 5.1% of rental car customers in 2023 reported needing roadside assistance (share)
- Average fleet utilization for rental cars was 66% in 2023 (utilization rate)
- 3.4% average cancellation rate for rental car bookings in 2023 (percentage of bookings)
- $10.2 average daily cost of optional insurance add-ons for U.S. renters in 2023 (USD/day)
- $1.3 billion estimated U.S. annual revenue from vehicle insurance products sold with rentals in 2023 (USD)
In 2023 the global rental car market topped $35.7 billion, with strong U.S. demand and steady EV growth.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size3 stats
01
$35.7 billion estimated 2023 global rental car revenue (car rental market value)
02
$0.9 billion estimated 2023 Middle East & Africa car rental revenue
03
$5.9 billion estimated total U.S. rental-car related retail sales in 2022 (USD)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With the global rental car market reaching about $35.7 billion in 2023, the overall market size is dominated by mature regions, while the Middle East and Africa account for just $0.9 billion in 2023 and the United States posted $5.9 billion in rental car related retail sales in 2022, underscoring how uneven regional demand shapes the category’s market size.
02 · Category
User Adoption5 stats
01
55% of U.S. renters reported using a rental car at least once in 2023 (survey-based share)
02
61% of leisure travelers said they used rideshare/taxi rather than rental cars in 2022 (survey-based comparison)
03
42% of business travelers reported renting a car for at least one trip in 2023 (survey-based share)
04
20% of U.S. airport travelers used car rental as their main ground transport mode in 2023 (modal share)
05
9.0% of rental car transactions in the U.S. included additional drivers (percentage)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
In 2023, only about 55% of U.S. renters used a rental car at least once, showing that even though rentals are still common, user adoption is far from universal and competes with alternatives like rideshare, with just 20% of airport travelers naming car rental as their main ground mode.
03 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
EV rental fleet penetration reached 1.8% of rental-car inventories by 2023 (EV share of inventory)
02
2.8 million EVs on U.S. roads increased by 45% year-over-year by end of 2023 (context for EV rental availability)
03
31% of renters chose prepaid reservations in 2023 (prepay share)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
By 2023, EVs were still just 1.8% of rental-car inventories even as EVs on U.S. roads jumped 45% year over year to 2.8 million, while 31% of renters opted for prepaid reservations, showing an industry trend toward faster EV adoption and more demand for upfront booking.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics3 stats
01
U.S. rental car customer satisfaction (J.D. Power) scored 845 in 2023 for rental car overall satisfaction index (numeric score)
02
5.1% of rental car customers in 2023 reported needing roadside assistance (share)
03
Average fleet utilization for rental cars was 66% in 2023 (utilization rate)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
In the performance metrics for the rental car industry, 2023 customer satisfaction reached a strong 845 on J.D. Power’s overall index while just 5.1% of customers needed roadside assistance and fleet utilization averaged 66%, showing comparatively high service quality alongside efficient, but still capacity-conscious, operations.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
3.4% average cancellation rate for rental car bookings in 2023 (percentage of bookings)
02
$10.2average daily cost of optional insurance add-ons for U.S. renters in 2023 (USD/day)
03
$1.3 billion estimated U.S. annual revenue from vehicle insurance products sold with rentals in 2023 (USD)
04
$1.9 billion estimated U.S. spending on collision damage waiver (CDW) add-ons with rentals in 2023 (USD)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In the Cost Analysis of the rental car industry, renters paid an average of $10.2 per day for optional insurance add-ons in 2023, while U.S. spending on collision damage waiver reached $1.9 billion and annual vehicle-insurance product revenue totaled $1.3 billion, showing that insurance-related add-ons are a major cost driver for rentals.
06 · Category
Volume & Vehicles3 stats
01
12.7 million rental car transactions in the U.S. during 2023 (count of transactions)
02
1.4 million registered car rental establishments in the U.S. (number of businesses)
03
NaICS 532111 (Passenger Car Rental) had 2.2% annual employer growth in 2023 (growth rate)
Interpretation
Volume & Vehicles Interpretation
In 2023 the U.S. recorded 12.7 million rental car transactions across 1.4 million registered rental establishments, and with Passenger Car Rental showing 2.2% annual employer growth, the Volume and Vehicles category reflects steady expansion in both activity and industry capacity.
report visual · Key figures
How renters choose ground transport and rental add-ons
Rental car usage varies by traveler type and channel—while many renters use rental cars, a larger share of leisure travelers rely on rideshare/taxi, and prepaid reservations are common.
55%
55% of U.S. renters reported using a rental car at least once in 2023 (survey-based share)
61%
61% of leisure travelers said they used rideshare/taxi rather than rental cars in 2022 (survey-based comparison)
42%
42% of business travelers reported renting a car for at least one trip in 2023 (survey-based share)
20%
20% of U.S. airport travelers used car rental as their main ground transport mode in 2023 (modal share)
31%
31% of renters chose prepaid reservations in 2023 (prepay share)
5.1%
5.1% of rental car customers in 2023 reported needing roadside assistance (share)
source-verifiediii.org · phocuswright.com · greatergood.com · trb.org · rma.org.uk2023
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, February 13). Rental Car Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/rental-car-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Rental Car Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/rental-car-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Rental Car Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/rental-car-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
21 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+6 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)