– Prices have doubled and tripled compared to before the corona, says Stig Bergskaug. Like many Norwegians, he has planned to go abroad this summer. In a week the trip will go to France. There he is met by rental car prices unlike anything he has experienced before. – I have rented a car every year in France and Italy for 20 years, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 – and know a lot about the price level. Stig Bergskaug often travels to France in the summer and knows a lot about car rental prices. – Previously, I could rent a small SUV for 300 kroner per day. Now it costs 600-900 per day, he says. Another who notices that prices have gone up is Ottar Skjelvik. He rented a car in Italy two weeks ago. It cost him 775 euros for just under five days. – It is much more than I have been used to in previous years. – I also investigated the possibility of renting a car for two weeks at the end of August, but found that 1600-1800 euros is too much. So then there will be trains this summer! Have not seen these prices until Camilla Valdem Pigere is purchasing manager at the travel agency Berg Hansen. – Renting a car in Europe now costs a fortune. It’s completely wild. These are prices we have not seen before, Pigere says. When asked which countries stand out, she says that the list is long. Germany. Denmark. Great Britain. Italy. The Netherlands. France. Italy. Spain. Belgium. Canada. This just to name a few. – There is a price increase of 30-50 percent compared to last year. She heard from news’s previous case that it is starting to get expensive to rent a car in Norway. In relation to the price increase in other countries, Norway does not fare so badly. – Norway is among the lowest. In their systems, there is an increase in the average price of 15 percent in this country. – There are a few countries that do not see the same increase as the rest. Long delivery time on new cars So how can this be? Girls point to the pandemic. When the pandemic hit and we all traveled less, the car companies solved it by downscaling. – It was scaled down by not leasing new ones when old leasing agreements expired. Thus, there was a natural downscaling. Now the challenge is that it takes time to increase the park again. They are in the line of everyone else who will buy new cars. – The delivery time for new cars is longer than ever. It’s because of the pandemic. Camilla Valdem Pigere is purchasing manager at the travel agency Berg Hansen. Photo: Private Factories in China that produce technical microchippers that are going into new cars were shut down during the pandemic. Many have not really started again. – Thus, millions of cars are in production that are not finished because they lack parts. This means that the rental cars do not get hold of cars. And what happens when demand is far greater than supply? Yes – then logically the prices go up in the air. – The demand is huge. At the same time the offer is not there. Are you planning to rent a car this summer? Yes No Unsure Have already booked a rental car Show result The new prices are here to stay Those who are looking forward to the prices going down again in the future may be disappointed. – The price level will probably go down a bit when the rental car companies get to increase the car fleet. But will probably stabilize at a higher level than we have seen before. So the question is: Does the expert have any tips on what you can do to secure the best possible price this summer? Girls have some points: Book as early as possible Not surprisingly, but as with airline tickets, it is important to be out early. – That’s the simple tip. But now the summer is soon here, and you may already be out late. What do you do then? Flexibility is gold If you are flexible with the dates and / or the place to pick up and deliver the car, it can be money saving. And do not fall into the trap of booking through lugubrious third parties! It is usually cheapest to book directly with the landlord, or through reputable travel agencies. – If you have a loyalty card in addition, it can be money to save. Check the agreement that applies via work Some employers, especially the larger ones who rent a lot of cars, have favorable agreements with the car rental companies. Here it can potentially be anything from a few hundred to many thousands of kroner to save. Depending on who. That is: The first thing you need to check is what kind of policy the employer has. Not everyone allows you to use the contract prices for leisure travel. – It is at least wise to take a check on it! In the highest grade. We have many customers. Some say it’s OK, while others say no. A benefit that is accessed via the employer must be taxed. So here it is important that you are aware of the tax rules. – There was a case a few years ago about the use of points earned via business travel, for private purposes. It is the same regulations, she says. news has also been in contact with Avis with questions about how they experience the situation in the world now. They say they do not want to comment on this.
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Do you think it is expensive for a rental car in Norway? There is “spinning game” out in Europe – news Nordland
