Rental cars in the UK emit less CO2 and other air pollutants and are used more efficiently than the average privately-owned car, new research suggests.
Commissioned by the industry body, British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) and conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), the new study found that the average CO2 emissions were 12 per cent lower in rental cars than the average for the UK car fleet.
What’s more rental cars were also found to be safer, newer and better maintained than the average private owned car as well as more likely to be fitted with the latest safety technology.
Because they are used more often than the average privately-owned car, rental vehicles are also more cost efficient and can help reduce the parking congestion seen in urban areas too.
As the spotlight falls once again on the rising cost of running a car, the BVRLA also says that contract hire and rental can prove to be a cheaper way of accessing cars compared to personal ownership.
TRL’s research suggests that rental is also likely to prove to play a key role in the adoption of new vehicle technologies – in particular, electric cars.
“Coming just a week after the RAC told us that the annual cost of motoring had risen by 14 per cent to over £6,600 a year, this research is perfectly timed,” said BVRLA chief executive, John Lewis.
“It is now clearer than ever that car rental presents a cheaper, safer and more sustainable alternative to car ownership for millions of business and leisure motorists.
“We hope that this research will help convince policymakers to give car rental more consideration within the general transport mix.”
Transport Minister Norman Baker commented on the new study: “For too long the rented car has seemed like a poor relation to its private counterpart. Yet this report from the vehicle rental industry shows that, in environmental terms, rental cars often represent the cheaper, more efficient and less carbon intensive option.
“What’s more they have real potential to encourage the take-up of new low-carbon vehicle technologies. The Government wants people to travel in more sustainable ways, choosing the low-carbon alternatives that suit them best – whether that means working from home, working more flexibly or sharing a car. As this report demonstrates, it’s high time renting a car was added to that menu of options.”
A full version of the research project: Vehicle rental: environmental and sustainability implications can be accessed via the TRL website at: http://www.trl.co.uk/online_store/reports_publications/latest_publications/
