Europcar

About Europcar

Europcar was originally founded in Paris, France, in 1949 as a car rental company. Since 1973, it has expanded to over 150 countries and offers customers a global fleet of over 200,000 vehicles.

The company offers a wide range of vehicles to its customers, including a variety of different car sizes, makes and types, and commercial vehicles such as large and small vans.

The company offers services to both the B2C and B2B market, and also has a strategic alliance with another car rental company, helping to strengthen and expand its potential market to a broader customer base.

Europcar works with leading car manufacturers to offer leading models and prestige vehicles, with most vehicles no older than around eight months. This ensures that customers can expect to get a car or van in near brand new condition, with a reliable and trusted level of service. These commitments to the standards they work to have earned Europcar numerous awards for its services over its lifetime, making it a highly reputable and well-known brand for a potential franchisee to work with.

Where is the Europcar franchise based in the UK?

The main headquarters of the brand are situated in France, and the UK head office for Europcar is located in London.

Where can you find a franchise territory for Europcar for sale?

You can find franchise territories across the UK, and there may also be the possibility of purchasing an existing Europcar business as a resale territory. To find out more about the prospect of both new and resale territories, information is available from the UK team.

How much does a UK franchise with Europcar cost?

To start your own franchise with Europcar, you’ll need to invest a total of £800,000. This includes both the franchise fee and the additional costs incurred in establishing a location.

The franchise fee covers a royalty payment to Europcar, which can vary according to the territory and country location; a marketing fee to cover marketing support and costs, and a factoring fee.

Specific information about the cost of franchise fees in relation to exact locations is available from the company, upon request.

Franchisees must also consider the cost of leasing or purchasing a location, the setup, furnishing and signage required, any pre-launch costs such as marketing and promotion, and the purchase and maintenance of an initial fleet of vehicles at the outset.

What funding support is available for potential Europcar franchisees?

You may be able to get funding support to start a Europcar business, with the franchise department of most major high street banks. You will need to be able to demonstrate a
significant portion of liquid capital and have a good business plan.

What experience do you need to begin a Europcar franchise?

You should have a credible working history to be a successful franchise candidate with Europcar. The brand is well established and internationally renowned, so you should ideally
have a good track record that can demonstrate strong business management and leadership abilities. Having good communication and interpersonal skills will be essential, as you will be interacting with a wide range of clients from many different backgrounds.

You will also need to be able to demonstrate financial capability, to show that you can afford to invest in the franchise.

What training and marketing support is available with a franchise with Europcar?

Before starting your own Europcar franchise, the brand first leads all new owners through a six-day programme, that covers all training aspects. The programme gives you an overview of the company’s business model, insight into Europcar Systems, the brand’s own standards, procedures and bespoke products offered.

The training will also cover essential topics such as understanding what to look for in a potential location, understanding the local market of your chosen territory, and includes all support materials provided.

Following the initial training and launch of your franchise location, Europcar will continue to provide ongoing franchisee monitoring and support with the business.

Franchisees are also supported and promoted through Europcar’s national and international marketing campaigns and are included within their global distribution systems. To help expand franchisees’ reach through their potential market, Europcar also has strategic high-end partnerships with leading brands in the airline, hotel, travel and tour industries, enabling franchise owners to tap into further markets.

What business opportunities are there with Europcar?

The car hire market is worth over €12 billion across Europe, and the UK, along with France, Germany, Spain and Italy, accounts for 70 per cent of that market. The market has continued to grow in recent years, as the car hire industry allows customers and businesses flexible and affordable access to premium and high-quality vehicles, in particular, in association with airport services.

Europcar is one of the largest global car hire companies, with over 2,200 franchises across the world at present. As a well-established brand, potential franchise owners have the opportunity to work with a well known and trusted company, helping them to reach out to a wider audience that is already familiar with the business. Europcar also offers its services across a broad range of markets, enabling you to access and target key areas, depending on the individual demographics of a geographic location.

The brand is also involved as a sponsor for several sporting events, helping to raise overall brand awareness and enhancing its reputation amongst existing and potential customers.

As the company also offers a range of additional services beyond car hire, such as long term rentals, driver services, one-way hire, and flexible hourly hiring options, this helps franchisees to compete with other related industries, and expand into new markets.

To find out more about starting your own business with Europcar, get in touch with the franchise team by completing the enquiry form found on this page today.