26 April 2023

2023 sees a Shortage of Seven and Nine Seat Rental Vehicles

Despite many vehicles being available after the shortages seen over the last couple of years, 7 and 9-seaters are still in low supply and high demand

Since the COVID-19 pandemic and the shortage of microchips, we have seen car hire firms struggling to get as many vehicles as they need to fulfil demand. This year has been, so far, looking significantly better with prices slightly down on the last couple of years and more choice for customers.

This has not, however, extended to 7 and 9-seater vehicles. In the last couple of weeks our partner site Clarify Car Hire, has heard from two large European-wide car rental firms who have said they have a shortage of larger cars.

This does mean that if you are intending on hiring a 7 or 9-seater car over the May half term or Summer period, you are likely to find them hard to get and expensive when you can locate one!

We have heard from the car hire firms that they are trying to locate more of these larger vehicles but there is no guarantee from the car manufacturers that any additional stock will arrive before Summer. As we have seen over the last two years, whilst car hire firms may promise fleet to the rental companies, this fleet can often end up going to private buyers such as you and I.

Due to the ongoing situation, we can't stress strongly enough the importance of booking early to make sure you secure the car you would like at a price which is reasonable. If you're going to a holiday hotspot such as Faro, Malaga, Alicante or Barcelona, it's even more important to secure your rental now. These destinations are really popular and tend to attract families, just like 7 and 9-seater vehicles do!

Remember you can run a quote through our car hire comparison service and use the handy filter on our results page which will tailor your results to a chosen size of vehicle. This allows you to see easily which vehicles are available and for which price!