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Rental cars, parked near Malaga Airport. Ñito Salas
Costa del Sol rental car shortage puts sector on alert at Easter

Costa del Sol rental car shortage puts sector on alert at Easter

TOURISM ·

A worldwide microchip shortage is having an effect on the production and supply of new vehicles

Matías Stuber

Wednesday, 1 March 2023, 11:30

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A worldwide microchip supply shortage is having an effect on the production of new vehicles and is causing a direct impact on the car rental market in Malaga province.

Figures show that in 2022, 50% fewer vehicles were registered for rental than in 2021. Currently, the rent-a-car fleet in the province, has around 40,000 vehicles, but with tourism booming again after the pandemic there is a fear of not being able to meet the demand from Easter onwards.

Data from across Andalucía shows a drop of 40% in new vehicles registered for the sector in 2022, compared to 2021. The latest figures also show Malaga province's importance to the car rental industry in the region, with a 70% share of the trade. Of the 3,527 vehicles registered in 2022, a total of 2,482 were registered in Malaga province, followed by Seville, with 575 new registrations and Granada, with 125. Jaén closes the Andalusian ranking, with only 33 vehicles registered for car rental.

Ana María García, president of the Association of Car Rental Service Entrepreneurs (AESVA), said: «We have hardly been able to buy new cars. This will be detrimental to the Costa del Sol as a destination».

The hardships and complications are not new to the sector. The origin of the problem lies in the measures that were taken because of the pandemic. With the absence of tourists, Ana María García pointed out that the fleet in the province was reduced by almost half. Faced with a lack of liquidity and clients, many companies began to sell off their vehicles. Now, with talk of pre-pandemic figures in tourism again, companies are scrambling to recover the fleet lost during the pandemic.

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