Maybe so, if you rented a villa with a charging point. Otherise the stress of trying to find on-street chargers, with instructions that might not be in english, then pay using your phone or local EV charging service provider apps, might not be the relaxing trip you had planned. On the upside, hiring an EV is a good way to experience the reality before you lease or buy one.
Like most car hire companies Europcar is pressing on with its EV and plug-in hybrid only fleet idea. Time will tell whether this was a wise decision as regards the bottom line. Here’s the word;
Europcar is underlining its commitment to supporting insurers targeting the EV market with a confident plan of fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle additions to its fleet in 2024.
The end of 2023 saw electric vehicles account for over 12% of Europcar’s fleet – a 379% increase over 2022 – with customers driving more than 3.5 million EV miles and 50,000 more EV rental days than the previous year. The company’s ambitions for 2024 are even greater as it schedules a range of new electric models for the fleet based on its strong OEM partnerships.
Amongst the car additions already available for insurers to access for EV policyholders while their vehicle is off the road are the recently launched Jeep Avenger, the Skoda Enyaq and the Volvo XC60 and XC90 PHEVs. These new EV models come alongside the already well-established fleet of Tesla Model 3s, Mercedes-Benz EQ models and MG4 available from Europcar locations across the UK.
Europcar has also introduced a stress-free approach to vehicle charging for its rental fleet, to ensure customers don’t have to worry about returning the vehicle with a full charge. Every electric vehicle is provided at the start of rental with between 50% and 80% charge and the vehicle can be returned with just 20% battery charge.
As James Roberts, Head of Insurance Sales at Europcar Mobility Group UK explained, the fleet strategy is designed to give insurers more choice of vehicle types to meet their policyholder needs.
“The latest new car sales figures show that there continues to be an appetite for electric motoring. However the big conundrum for insurers stepping into the EV marketplace is how to handle customer expectations when it comes to replacement vehicles. With Consumer Duty now a big focus for insurers, it is critical that they have a replacement vehicle partner that is fit for purpose for the growing EV parc.”
Europcar’s dedicated insurance service also ensures that vehicles can be delivered and collected for ultimate policyholder convenience, further enhancing the customer experience for insurers.
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