The average length of rental in the United States increased from 11.9 billed days in fourth-quarter 2015 to 12.5 billed days in fourth-quarter 2016, continuing a recent trend.
In an article for Mitchell International’s latest Industry Trends Report, Dan Friedman of Enterprise Rent-A-Car noted that “an increase in claims frequency and an escalation in repair complexity” drove the average length of rental higher.
The Southwest continued to produce the longest length-of-rental duration at 13.8 days, followed by the Mountain region at 13.5 days.
While claims frequency and repair complexity have been pushing rental days higher over the past few quarters, Friedman noted that there was a significant gap between average and best-in-class results.
“This indicates that, despite these challenges, shops can drive results by focusing on the elements they are able to control,” said Friedman, assistant vice president, collision industry relations and sales, for Enterprise.
Texas, which jumped 1.1 days, and Colorado, which skyrocketed 1.8 days, had the biggest impact on the national average. These spikes resulted in 14.4-day averages for both, the highest of any state.
Canada also is on an upward trajectory, with a .4-day year-over-year increase in fourth-quarter 2016. Overall, Canada’s average length of rental was 11.3 days.
