Autohorn hits rental milestone in first year of independent operation

Autohorn Car and Van Rental has reported more than 36,000 days of vehicle rental bookings in its first year operating outside of the Europcar franchise. 

After more than 20 years’ operating as part of the Europcar franchise, Autohorn 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. 

During 2024, it says that the average vehicle rental booking across its two York sites – Clifton Moor and York Station – was 12 days.

Scott Jenkins, operations and sales director at Autohorn Car and Van Rental, said: “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.”

Autohorn has invested in developing its in-house rental software (known as Alfie) to streamline the rental process for customers.  

Developments include 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 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 says it 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,” concluded Jenkins.