Car rental is proving increasingly popular with private customers, drawn by more flexible options. Arval is opening two dedicated stores in Milan and Florence.
Covid did not dampen demand for pay-per-use mobility. On the contrary, the number of private customers choosing rental options is growing steadily. This is the finding of a recent analysis carried out by Aniasa, the industry association. While it is plain for all to see that the pandemic turned mobility scenarios upside down, drastically reducing figures across all segments of the car market, changing habits and often shorter journeys are pushing a growing number of drivers towards forms of mobility that are alternatives to outright purchase — with over 65,000 private customers (25,000 in 2017) having already opted for long-term rental.
A pool that, with the arrival of more flexible and innovative rental options, is set to grow further. As a result, leading long-term car rental companies such as Arval Italia are increasingly broadening their scope, offering private customers new mobility services too, diversifying their range and opening new stores in the cities where the shift from car ownership to car use is spreading most rapidly.
"After the positive experience of the Arval store in Turin, we decided to expand our network of dedicated rental shops, which complement the other access points available to private consumers, such as the website, OEMs (car manufacturers, ed.), dealers and the many active partnerships with various players," explained Alessandro Pigazzi, retail director of Arval Italia. "Arval stores are born for those who need to get a hands-on feel for the product and to speak directly with our consultants." The goal is to offer people both a digital and a physical experience. An experience that, on the strength of the results achieved by the Turin store, which opened in 2019, private customers have shown they appreciate, with growing interest in electrification and emissions reduction.
Don't picture them as car dealerships. Think of them instead as "mobility shops" — as Arval itself describes them — spaces entirely dedicated to rental, set to come alive in the coming months with numerous events. Minimal furnishings, sofas, soft lighting, large interactive screens for easy browsing. And consultants, in the flesh, to talk things through with. And then cars — often electric or hybrid (because among Arval's goals is pushing sustainable mobility ever further) — to look at, test drive and, if desired, take home in under 10 days. On the subject of electric mobility, the rental model in particular allows many users to experience its benefits while overcoming the most common barriers to purchase (range, charging, costs, battery life).
There is the classic long-term rental with a fixed monthly fee, lasting 36 or 48 months and including 100,000 kilometres. Then there is the light rental, designed for those who make moderate use of a car, accessible (zero initial deposit) and lasting 60 months with a fixed fee. Alternatively, there is what Arval calls "Flix lease": you rent the car for a minimum period of 6 months and then either return it or keep it for as long as you like. Finally, "Arval mid term for private" is the monthly rental lasting from 1 to 24 months aimed at private customers: you choose from various car categories (from city cars to SUVs), with delivery within 72 hours at one of the stores or to your home.
All of this comes with dedicated services such as routine and extraordinary maintenance, 24-hour assistance, insurance cover, all-season tyres, and assessment and possible trade-in of used vehicles. "The pandemic has changed the lifestyle habits of many people, and their way of getting around too. Rental — Pigazzi explained — thanks to its qualities of simplicity, security and value for money, is winning over a growing number of private consumers."
The stores and the new car rental options are in addition to another interesting initiative that Arval Italia launched last year: long-term rental of the electric bicycle for 12 or 24 months, a service currently available to employees of Arval's corporate clients but which could soon be extended to private customers as well. In practice, you pay a fixed monthly fee (€87 or €113) and, in addition to the e-bike (two models available for now), you also gain access to a range of services such as routine and extraordinary maintenance, theft and damage insurance cover, tyre replacement every 5,000 kilometres, and the rental of a helmet, lock and puncture-proof covers.