More lease registrations in 2023, the most popular Kia Picanto model

A total of 187,745 vehicles were registered on the rental market last year. That is an increase of more than 20 percent compared to last year. This is evident from the statistics from the RDC. This includes registration in the name of the leasing company (Leasemij) and other sponsors (Kukodisha RTL).

The increase can be mainly explained by shorter delivery times, which also led to increased profits for many rental companies.

Last year, 21,144 Kias were registered on the rental market. This makes Kia the most registered brand on the rental market, followed by Volkswagen (20,043) and Skoda (14,299). Kia extends its leading position in the rental market, while Volkswagen regains the leading position as the most registered brand in 2023 in the general market.

Lease registration for each brand

Source: RDC, edited by Automotive.

Electricity is increasing

The market share of electric vehicles is also increasing in the rental market, as it is in the overall market. More than 64 thousand electric vehicles were registered on the rental market in 2023, good for a market share of 34.3 percent. That is a 9 percent increase compared to last year.

The increase is mainly due to the number of registered petrol vehicles. Last year, a total of 63,114 petrol cars were registered on the rental market. That’s a 7.3 percent decrease compared to 2022. The hybrid vehicle segment remains stable. Last year, 58,857 rental cars were registered, which is good for a market share of 31.35 percent.

Examples

The rental company Athlon also sees that electric cars are becoming more and more popular in the rental market. Tesla is the most popular EV brand among Athlon customers. “The Tesla Model Y and Model 3 have become very popular,” says Willemijne de Wit, director of marketing and sales at Athlon Netherlands. “We see this shown, among other things, in the most rented models. Here are, business and personal, Tesla Model Y at number one.”

Figures from the RDC also show that the Tesla Model Y, with 6,964 registrations, is the most popular EV model among rental drivers. However, the Tesla Model Y is not the top rental for 2023, that title goes to the Kia Picanto. The model was registered 7,520 times on the rental market last year.

Athlon also finds that Kia is the most popular brand among its customers, both for personal hire and business hire.

Rental registration for each model

Source: RDC, edited by Automotive.

In the coming year, Athlon expects electric driving to take off in the private market as many popular electric models return from leasing, which various leasing companies then offer as used car rentals.

“Think of models like the Tesla Model 3, the Hyundai Kona and the Kia Niro.” This is especially exciting for the private rental-oriented group, says de Wit: “Private people are becoming more cautious because there is uncertainty about electric cars. Including about subsidies and concerns surrounding the battery life of electric vehicles. We eliminate this concern by offering private rentals.