Rental car shortage causing higher prices and leaving vacationers without vehicles

WASHINGTON - If you’re planning to rent a car for a road trip this summer, you better do it soon. 

Like so many other industries, the car rental industry is experiencing a shortage as result of the pandemic.

According to Auto Rental News, many rental companies sold their fleets during the pandemic to make money off of the booming used car market. 

But because of a semi-conductor chip shortage, they’ve been unable to replace those fleets as quickly as originally expected. 

Some people have reported booking rentals but when they show up there’s no cars available. Prices are also about 50% higher. Experts recommend paying in advance and booking early.

"You are going to have to as a consumer book early in the process. I would also not necessarily rely on Expedia or Priceline. There are local car rental companies that don’t get onto those sites. I would also recommend trying peer to peer rental sites such Turo and Getaround," Chris Brown, Executive Editor for Auto Rental News said.

Brown also says to be on the lookout for scams. Many websites are posing as car rental companies, getting people to enter their personal information and then asking them to buy gift cards.