According to our colleagues at Le Parisien, car tenants are forced to return their vehicles without filling them up. The bill can go up fast, and not all agencies are ready to give gifts.
Today, 1118 gas stations are completely out of fuel. This is less than the 2611 reached last week, but the outcome is the same : refueling is very difficult.
Excessive costs
According to a report by Le Parisien, in the Ile-de-France region, some tenants go as far as Rouen, to put a few more litres of gasoline in their vehicle. The result ? Not only do they have to pay for the extra kilometers travelled, they owe money for the missing litres of fuel. And in some rental agencies, gasoline is very expensive : “At ours, it’s 2.63, 2.64 euros per litre of fuel” explains Antoine, the manager of a car rental company at Orly airport in Paris. This could represent almost hundreds of euros more on the tenants’ bill. But they are not the only ones suffering from this shortage, on the other side, short-term rental agencies can no longer fill up.
Car rental services in danger ?
Car rentals are also among the most affected professions. Due to their half empty tank, many vehicles cannot be rented. Interviewed by LCI, ADA, a Parisian rental agency, had to remove a dozen cars from the road. Rental are at a total standstill. If, for the time being, the money is still coming in, the situation cannot continue. Rental agencies risk losing a big percentage of their monthly income : “We remain optimistic for the moment, we will see how it evolves” says an ADA employee.
The electric car in full swing
In trend since the rise of fuel prices, this shortage of gasoline benefits to electric cars. Jules Warembourg, who rents from his Lille-based company VOLT, told LCI that he has seen the demand for electric cars explode : “We are benefiting a lot from the shortage of gas, we have really seen this in recent weeks.” In addition, customers do not have to worry about charging, the company takes care of it when the vehicle is returned. In the South of France, Movo Car Rental, has noticed the same thing. The team is taking advantage of this event to further promote its electric and hybrid cars.
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