For many people, hiring a car is a part of their dream holiday. When it comes to exploring a new destination, hiring a car can grant you freedom, and allow you to visit some otherwise inaccessible places. Maybe it’s hiring a four-wheel drive that allows you to explore the Australian outback. Maybe it’s zooming down a Californian coastline in a convertible or hearing the roar or a vintage Jaguar on the autobahn.
However, driving an unfamiliar car on unfamiliar roads can be stressful. According to Discover Cars, this makes many drivers choose to hire vehicles they already feel comfortable driving.
But if we aren’t all driving Porsches around the Italian countryside, what cars are we choosing to hire? The answers may surprise you.
DiscoverCars.com has tallied the numbers, looking at more than 100 countries to reveal the most popular car brands for tourists to hire.
Credit to DiscoverCars.com.
Third place
The third most popular car brand to rent around the world is – drum roll please – Renault!
In nine of the 109 countries in the study, Renault was the most popular brand to be rented by international tourists: 56 per cent of all tourist rentals in Belarus were a Renault Logan and 49 per cent of tourists visiting Egypt and Guadeloupe hired Renaults.
While people travelling to Egypt had a similar taste to tourists in Belarus, with 39 per cent of all hires being a Renault Logan, a third of tourists in Guadeloupe opted to hire the Renault Twingo.
Second place
Tied for second place are two South Korean car brands, Hyundai and Kia.
Hyundai
In Seychelles, 49 per cent of all tourist car rentals were a Hyundai i10, and 74 per cent of all rentals were from the same brand. Tourists in Panama also seem to love Hyundai, making up 55 per cent of their total rentals, with Hyundai i10s making up a majority of these.
This South Korean car brand is also hugely popular in the Philippines, were it makes up 65 per cent of all rentals. However, here tourists seem to have a preference for a different model, with the Hyundai Accent making up 64 per cent of all rentals.
Kia
In Aruba, 84 per cent of tourists choose to hire a Kia, with the Kia Picanto making up 69 per cent of rentals. In Bahrain, 83 per cent of tourists hire a Kia, with the Kia Picanto being the most popular model. In Curacao, 74 per cent of visitors opt to hire a Kia, and the most popular model? You guessed it, the Kia Picanto, making up 44 per cent of all rentals.
Credit to DiscoverCars.com.
First place
Drawing for first place on the leader board are Toyota and Volkswagen.
Toyota
In the US, 59 per cent of the people visiting Colorado, who hire cars, choose a Toyota. In fact, the Toyota Yaris makes up 21 per cent of all visitor car rentals in Colorado. In Georgia, 30 per cent of cars rented are Toyota Corolla sedans, and 45 per cent of all rentals are from the same brand.
Thailand also apparently attracts Toyota fans, as 52 per cent of all cars rented by visitors are from the Japanese manufacturer. Off all these renters, 9 per cent choose to hire a Toyota Corolla.
Volkswagen
In Germany, 25 per cent of cars hired by tourists are the VW Polo, and 68 per cent of all rental cars are from Volkswagen. Norway’s tourists also love Volkswagen, with 57 per cent of them choosing to hire one of their cars. In Norway, 28 per cent of all car rentals are a VW Polo.
In Latvia, 52 per cent of tourists have the same preference, although the VW Golf is their most popular model, making up 20 per cent of all car rentals.
Australia’s favourite
If you had to guess the most popular brand of car hired by tourists in Australia, what would you have guessed? If you’re answer was Hyundai, you’d be correct.
Credit to DiscoverCars.com.
Is hiring a car a part of your getaway dream? If you could hire any car in the world, which would you chose and where would you drive it?
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Related articles:
https://www.yourlifechoices.com.au/avoiding-car-hire-problems
https://www.yourlifechoices.com.au/travel/self-drive-holidays/cheapest-country-for-car-hire
https://www.yourlifechoices.com.au/travel/travel-insurance/travel-insurance-and-car-hire
