The number of motorists choosing to give up buying a car in favour of long-term rental continues to grow. Over 40,000 have already made this choice. And the first dedicated stores are also arriving.
Long-term car rental is proving increasingly popular with Italians. So said Aniasa, the association representing the mobility services sector within Confindustria, last March, when it provided a snapshot of one of the trends that, alongside car sharing, is transforming private mobility: long-term rental. From ownership to use: people living in large cities in particular are increasingly oriented towards using rather than owning a car. A solution that, according to Aniasa, also makes financial sense for private individuals who cover between 10,000 and 25,000 kilometres a year (for lower mileage, car sharing or short-term rental is preferable).
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Around 40,000 Italians have already opted for long-term rental, driven above all by cost savings and the reduced burden of managing a car: "For the same model and mileage, we estimate an average saving of 15 per cent compared with ownership, not counting other advantages such as not tying up the full capital for the purchase or the time saved on 'car admin' (road tax, insurance, maintenance, any fines or accidents)," explained Massimiliano Archiapatti, president of Aniasa. How much does long-term car rental cost? Still according to Aniasa, a city car can cost around 240 euros a month, and a people carrier around 300; a small deposit is often required.
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The market is evolving, and it is only natural that the offering should follow suit. And while long-term rental has until now been primarily a "business" affair for companies, new initiatives aimed at private individuals are now emerging. Among these is the recent initiative by Arval, which has just inaugurated in Turin the first Arval Store, a physical location where customers can explore, together with a team of consultants, the option of long-term rental (generally from 36 to 48 months), with the advantage of an offering that covers almost all car brands, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric cars.
For now, the Arval store in Turin is a pilot project "but one we have ambitions to expand across the country," explained Grégoire Chové, managing director of Arval Italia. In addition to the first store, Arval has just added 750 mobility centres across Italy, multi-service facilities offering – to Arval customers or to those who own their own car – routine and extraordinary maintenance, bodywork, tyres, windscreen replacement and repair, and much more: "facilities ready to invest in order to keep pace with the challenges of a mobility sector that continues to evolve without pause," Chové explained of the initiative.