Vehicle rental company Europcar UK has reported an increase in electric and hybrid vehicle rental days, rising from 228,000 in 2023 to exceed 1.24 million in 2024.
The company said the growth aligns with its initiative to simplify the rental process for low and zero-emission vehicles.
Additionally, Europcar has expanded its fleet of electrified vehicles, with 14% now comprising fully electric or plug-in hybrid models.
By employing electric vehicles (EVs) and e-bikes for the delivery and collection of rental vehicles, Europcar has achieved significant CO₂ savings.
In 2024, the use of EVs for this service resulted in a 78,516kg reduction of CO₂ while the deployment of e-bikes by Deliver & Collect hikers saved an additional 2,016kg in CO₂.
The latest Europcar Sustainability Report reveals that these measures led to a total CO₂ savings of 168.7t in 2024.
This is equivalent to the carbon footprint of 168 passengers flying return from Paris to New York, driving more than one million kilometres in a diesel car.
Europcar Mobility Group UK’s electric mobility head Tom Middleditch said: “At Europcar, we are fully committed to helping fleets reduce their environmental impact by enabling them to access a range of electric car and van options.
“2024 saw us take some exciting strides forward on this journey, meeting important milestones and breaking new ground in the vehicle rental industry.
“For 2025 and beyond, we will continue increasing the proportion of electric and hybrid vehicles in our fleet and find new ways to support business and leisure customers to make the transition to low and ultimately zero tailpipe emission rentals.”
In a move to encourage EV adoption, Europcar has introduced price parity between electric and traditional fuel vehicles for business account customers starting from 1 April 2025.
This initiative ensures that rental rates for electric cars and vans are the same as their petrol or diesel counterparts.
Furthermore, Europcar has implemented a policy ensuring that EVs are at least 80% charged at the start of a rental and only require a 20% charge upon return, addressing customer concerns about charging before vehicle return.
