This year's most popular rental car was the Kia Carnival, known as the national family car.
SK Rental Car announced the results of its popular vehicle survey on the 30th, based on customer data from its rental car users this year. The company analyzed usage data from approximately 260,000 individuals and individual business owners from January to November, including new long-term rentals, used car long-term rentals, and short-term rentals in Jeju.
The top new long-term rental car this year was the Kia Carnival. The second place was Hyundai Motor Company’s Grandeur, third was Hyundai Motor Company’s Avante, fourth was Hyundai Motor Company’s Casper, and fifth was Kia's Sportage. Rental car services are divided into short-term rentals of less than one year and long-term rentals of one year or more, where rental car companies purchase new cars and rent them out as long-term rentals.
In the new long-term rental car market, the demand for hybrid models, which have recently gained popularity, has also increased significantly. The preferred models included Hyundai Motor Company’s Grandeur (42%), Hyundai Motor Company’s Tucson (40%), Kia's Sorento (38%), Hyundai Motor Company’s Santa Fe (37%), and Kia’s K8 (35%).
Among individual customers who rented used cars for a minimum of one month to a maximum of 36 months, the Hyundai Motor Company’s Grandeur topped the list. The 2nd to 5th places were Hyundai Motor Company’s Avante, Hyundai Motor Company’s Casper, Kia's Morning, and Kia's RAY, respectively.
In particular, the popularity of the Grandeur can be attributed to its inclusion of advanced safety features and various convenience options at no significant difference in rental fees compared to new mid-size sedans, or it may even be cheaper.
For short-term rentals, popular choices in the highly demanded Jeju Island region included Kia's Seltos, Hyundai Motor Company’s Avante, Kia's K3, Chevrolet’s Spark, and Hyundai Motor Company’s Casper. There was a strong preference for practical and reasonably rentable small recreational vehicles (RVs) and compact cars over larger vehicles.
An SK Rental Car official noted, “Amid the ongoing domestic economic downturn and high inflation, cars with cost-effectiveness in the sub-compact category for both new and used car rentals, as well as short-term rentals, gained popularity,” adding, “We will continue to regularly disclose data analysis results to provide indicators that various stakeholders can reference and communicate.”