EuropcarClub Launches in the UK

Released on: November 23, 2009, 11:07 am
Author: Europcar
Industry: Automotive

Europcar, the UK's leading vehicle hire company, has launched EuropcarClub to offer the membership benefits of a car club with the flexibility of daily hire. The UK launch follows a successful roll out in France in 2008.

Bringing a fresh approach to car clubs, EuropcarClub is a subscription based service with two tiers - Easy and Premium. The new service is ideal for those who have decided to opt out of second car ownership but still want the flexibility of different cars to suit different demands or for those who just want to find ways to drive greener. EuropcarClub also offers a solution to businesses who don't want the financial commitment of leasing or buying company cars.

The launch comes off the back of recent research conducted by Europcar* which found that across Europe, Britons are the most open to the idea of car sharing (34% vs. 28% for the rest of Europe), with the age group most open to giving up car ownership being 18 to 34 year olds.

The Europcar Club 'Easy' subscription promises members low rates on daily hire of any vehicle size or type - from compacts to MPVs and vans - with no additional charges for excess cover, one way hires or additional drivers who are also members. Those who subscribe to EuropcarClub's 'Premium' service will get discounted rates on all vehicles on Europcar's fleet including Prestige from Europcar which offers some of the most coveted vehicles on the road today.

All customers are guaranteed vehicles that are, on average, just 6 months old and can select a car group by its average CO2 emissions. In fact Europcar's fuel-efficient and low emissions cars use 33% less petrol than the average car on the road.

Catriona Lougher, Marketing Director for Europcar said: "EuropcarClub is all about flexibility and cost-savings. Members can change cars on demand, leave a vehicle at any Europcar location and benefit from fantastic rates all year long. With no worries over depreciation, tax, maintenance and roadside assistance, they can enjoy access to vehicles suited for the job, the occasion or their mood. We believe EuropcarClub takes the car club concept to the next level and we are committed to be at the forefront of delivering transport solutions to meet the needs of today’s cost conscious and environmentally focused travellers."

Ends

Notes to Editors
*Online survey conducted by Ipsos in August 2009 among 5032 car drivers
(representative sample in terms of age, gender and region of each country).

About Europcar:
Europcar is the European leader in passenger car and light utility vehicle rentals. The company serves business and leisure customers throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region. Since March 2007 with the acquisition of Vanguard EMEA, its network comprises over 5,300 rental outlets in 160 countries. The Europcar fleet has an average CO2 of 158g/km compared to the average UK car parc* which has 164.9 g/km CO2. Europcar is the first company to win the World Travel Award for "the World's Leading Green Transport Solution Company." Today, over 99% of Europcar's fleet is certified "Euro IV" or above - the most stringent applicable European Union standards today in terms of energy consumption and emissions.

Excluding franchise operations, in 2008 Europcar signed more than 10 million rental contracts, with 8,000 employees and a fleet exceeding 225,000 vehicles. In September 2008, Europcar and U.S. market leader Enterprise Rent a Car joined forces in a strategic alliance to form the world's largest car rental network, with more than 1.2 million vehicles and 13,000 locations around the world.

For further press information please contact:
Dominic Dennis
HSL
Churcham House
1 Bridgeman Road
Teddington
Middlesex
TW11 9AJ
020 8977 9132
http://europcarclub.europcar.co.uk/