AUTOHORN Car and Van Rental has announced a successful first year of independent operations since it stopped being part of the Europcar franchise.
The York-based business said it recorded more than 36,000 days of vehicle rental bookings and an average vehicle rental booking across its two York sites – Clifton Moor and York Station – of 12 days.
After more than 20 years’ operating as part of the Europcar franchise, Autohorn amicably separated from its long-term rental partner in January 2024 and commenced trading as Autohorn Car and Van Rental, a sub brand of the wider Autohorn Fleet Services company.
“2024 was an absolutely critical year for Autohorn Car and Van Rental and we’re delighted to have achieved such a high level of growth. During our first 12 months we’ve been focused on investing in our foundations to ensure we offer the best possible customer experience. We have developed our rental software to ensure the process is simple and upskilled our people. Our whole team is now accredited to BVRLA standards and we’re also recruiting. I’m really excited to see what the business can achieve as we continue to grow in 2025.”
Scott Jenkins, Operations and Sales Director, Autohorn Fleet Services
Autohorn said it had invested heavily in developing its in-house rental software (known as ALFIE) to streamline the rental process for customers. Developments included e-signatures on rental agreements, remote and online payment system integration, plus direct access to the DVLA database for faster driving licence checks.
In the year ahead, Autohorn says it plans to increase its environmental commitment by making its rental vehicle mix greener. Currently the rental fleet consists of 15% low emission vehicles, but during 2025 Autohorn will offer a greater range of electric and hybrid vehicles to increase this percentage of low emission vehicles to 25%. The business has already invested a six-figure sum in on-site solar panels to charge its electric vehicles.
“It’s important that we play our part in the decarbonisation of rental operations and reflect the increasing desire by consumers and business customers for greener vehicles,” added Jenkins.
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