There are no cars. This is confirmed by employers, small local businesses and customers. Finding a rental car on the same day or overnight in Ibiza is turning into a real nightmare. The only way to avoid unpleasant surprises is to book in advance and, if possible, well in advance.
“We’re not saying that the fleet is fully booked, but it almost is”, explains Juan Cardenas, president of Pimeef Car Rental Companies Association, who estimates that this summer in Ibiza there are between 12,000 and 15,000 rental vehicles on the road, while in 2019 it was between 20,000 and 22,000. “In May we had a fleet of 40% less than in 2019. But in the years before the covid crisis we were working with a vehicle surplus of 25%, and this year we are working without that surplus,” he says.
Large companies have had problems acquiring new vehicles and renewing fleets
Book in advance
“As of Thursday I already have all the vehicles rented,” says the owner of a local car rental business in the bay of Portmany who prefers to remain anonymous “For today and tomorrow I have one left that has been freed up due to a cancellation, but it is very difficult to find cars if you don’t book in advance”, he stresses.
He says that small businesses like his, which do not work at the airport and are not part of a large chain, have not needed to reduce their fleet: “I have the same fleet of cars as last year and we are renting out everything”. In his case, they have not been affected by the problems in acquiring cars, and he adds that 90% of his rentals were already booked in advance.
Fewer cars
The ‘rent a car’ fleet has been reduced by 30%
According to Pimeef calculations, in 2019 in Eivissa about 20,000 rental vehicles were on the road and this year the figure is 14,000.
Customers agree that, to ensure movement around the island, it is best to be proactive. This is confirmed by Manel Carrere, a Catalan who has visited Ibiza twice this year, first in May and then during the first week of August: “For the May visit I rented the car in January, and the price was very good: 30 euros for five days, plus 150 euros for fully comprehensive insurance”. On the second visit, he rented ‘only’ two months in advance, and although he didn’t get a bargain, he did get a very reasonable price: “The average was 60 euros per day, plus insurance. In the end, we managed to get one for only 223 euros for five days, although it was an older, lower-end car”.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.