EU car hire firms pressed to end discrimination

The European Commission has pressed six of the world’s major car rental companies to stop discriminatory practices against consumers renting a car online.

The Commission has published the letter which was sent to the CEOs of Sixt, Enterprise, Goldcar, Europcar, Hertz and Avis referring to several complaints it had received from consumers concerning discriminatory practices for renting a car online.

It urges the car rental companies to stop their discriminatory practices that prevent consumers in various European countries from getting the best price offered online and therefore from benefiting from the opportunities of the single market. The Commission’s letter cites the practice of automatic rerouting following the identification of the consumer’s IP address. The address may also prevent the consumer from completing any booking online.

Alternatively, with no rerouting, the consumer may be given a different price after having entered his/her country of residence on the website of the car rental company concerned.

In a recent case, a consumer from Germany saw the announced price increase by 100% for renting a car in Britain after entering their country of residence.

The Commission said that some car rental companies are complying with the non-discrimination principle, but said three companies — Europcar, Hertz and Avis — had failed to respond to the letter with an “effective and comprehensive review” of its practices.

Vice president of the European Commission Michel Barnier called on authorities in the member states to use their enforcement powers to the full in order to ensure that EU and national laws are applied forcefully to protect consumer rights.

The Commission has asked the car rental firms which were not yet complying with the non-discrimination principle to report on how they have reviewed their practices at the latest by August 30.