[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] As a result of investigating the most popular rental cars in Korea, the new car long-term rental 'Carnival', the used car rental 'Grandeur', and the Jeju short-term rental 'Seltos' were ranked first.

This is the result of a comprehensive analysis of usage data, including ▲long-term rental of new cars ▲long-term rental of used cars ▲short-term rental in Jeju, based on data from approximately 260,000 individuals and self-employed business owners who used SK Rent-a-Car’s rental cars from January to November of this year.

◆ Use a new car to your liking with 'New Car Long-Term Rental'∙∙∙ No. 1 Carnival > Grandeur > Avante > Casper > Sportage

According to SK Rent-a-Car, the top long-term rental car for individuals and self-employed individuals this year was the Kia Carnival. It was followed by the Hyundai Grandeur in second place, the Hyundai Avante in third place, the Hyundai Casper in fourth place, and the Kia Sportage in fifth place.

It is interpreted that the representative national family car 'Carnival', which has been consistently popular in the domestic new and used car markets, and the national sedan 'Grandeur', which has been holding its own even amidst the decreasing popularity of sedans, have been loved by many as an alternative to purchasing a car in the long-term rental car market.

In addition, the popularity of hybrid vehicles was also felt. Hyundai's 'Grandeur (42%)' was the most, followed by Hyundai's 'Tucson (40%)', Kia's 'Sorento (38%)', Hyundai's 'Santa Fe (37%)', and Kia's 'K8 (35%)', which ranked 1st to 5th. Considering that Kia's 'Sportage (33%)' ranked 6th by a narrow margin, it appears that all four of Hyundai and Kia's representative SUVs and two mid-size sedans are in the top ranks and are gaining popularity.

◆ Industry's largest 'used car rental' lineup∙∙∙ No. 1 used car rental Grandeur > Avante > Casper > Morning > Ray

Looking at the popular car models among individual customers who leased used cars for a minimum of 1 month and a maximum of 36 months, the Hyundai 'Grandeur' took first place. From 2nd to 5th place, the Hyundai 'Avante', Hyundai 'Casper', Kia 'Morning', and Kia 'Ray' were listed in that order.

The 'Grandeur' and 'Avante', which are in the top ranks in new car long-term rentals, also stood out in used car rentals, and it is notable that the three representative domestic compact car models continued to be popular. The Grandeur includes various convenient options such as advanced safety features as standard compared to mid-size sedans, and in particular, the rental fee is not much different from that of a new mid-size sedan, or can even be cheaper.

In addition, when a vehicle is needed for a short period of time, such as a month or more, the preference for compact and light cars that are relatively inexpensive can be seen, allowing us to gauge the consumption pattern that pursues economy and rationality.

SK Rent-a-Car, which has been in business for approximately 36 years since 1988, operates the largest number of used car products in the industry based on the vehicle management know-how it has accumulated over the years, thereby increasing the trust of customers looking to use used cars and expanding their choices.

SK Rent-a-Car's 'Long-term Used Car Rental' is a representative example, as it allows you to use high-quality used cars for a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 36 months, and is gaining popularity as a reasonable alternative to purchasing a new car in the recent era of high prices. If you do not drive a lot each year, such as for taking your children to and from school or shopping at the supermarket, 'Tago Pay', which is the first in the industry to apply a charging method that only charges for the amount of time you drive, is suitable.

If you only need a car for a short period of time, such as one or two months, you can choose 'monthly rental', which allows you to sign a contract for one month and freely extend the contract, to use a used car economically. If you want to test-drive a used car you like and then buy it, you can use it for up to 12 months with 'Tagoby' and freely take it over at any time you want, reducing the risk of purchasing a used car.

◆ The choice of Jeju Island, the largest tourist destination in Korea∙∙∙ No. 1 short-term rental in Jeju Seltos > Avante > K3 > Spark > Casper

Looking at the data of customers renting cars at the SK Rent-a-Car Jeju branch, the Kia 'Seltos' was the most rented car. This was followed by the Hyundai 'Avante' (2nd), the Kia 'K3' (3rd), the Chevrolet 'Spark' (4th), and the Hyundai 'Casper' (5th).

Couples or families of 3-4 people make up the majority of the travelers, and mid-sized or smaller vehicles are popular. In particular, it can be interpreted that small RVs and compact cars, which are practical and reasonably rentable compared to large cars, are preferred.

SK Rent-a-Car Jeju Branch operates approximately 3,000 vehicles of 80 different types from various domestic and international manufacturers, including Hyundai Motors, Kia, Benz, BMW, Porsche, Tesla, and Polestar, utilizing the largest site of approximately 8,300 pyeong among rental car companies in the province, providing Jeju travelers with a wide range of vehicle usage experiences. It is also easily accessible, being located approximately 3 minutes away from the airport by shuttle bus.

SK Rent-a-Car pointed out the keyword 'rationality' as a result of analyzing customer data for this year. The basis for this is that the Avante, a mid-sized sedan that is consistently popular among the young generation in their 20s and 30s due to its reasonable price, is included in the top 3 popular models for new/used/Jeju short-term rental products, and the Casper, a compact light SUV with good cost-effectiveness, is distributed in the 'Top 5'.

SK Rent-a-Car stated, “Hybrid vehicles are very popular in new car long-term rentals, but not yet in used car rentals.” Normally, it takes at least two years for new cars to be returned to customers and used car rentals to become available, but the hybrid vehicles listed above have been rented to customers since the beginning of this year and will be available as used car rentals in just one year.

An SK Rent-a-Car official said, “Amid the domestic economic downturn and high prices, cost-effective vehicles under the mid-size category have been the most popular, including new and used car rentals, as well as short-term rentals,” adding, “We will continue to communicate by regularly releasing data analysis results and presenting indicators that can be referenced by stakeholders, including rental car users.”