Autohorn Car and Van Rental has reported a successful first year of independent operations and laid out its plans for 2025.
The York-based business recorded more than 36,000 days of vehicle rental bookings in 2024, its inaugural year operating outside of the Europcar franchise.
Over a 12-month trading period, the average vehicle rental booking across Autohorn’s two York sites – Clifton Moor and York Station – was 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.
Scott Jenkins, operations and sales director, said the first 12 months had been focused on laying the foundations for the best possible customer experience.
Autohorn has invested heavily 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.
“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.”
Plans for this year include work to increase its environmental commitment by making its rental vehicle mix greener. Currently, the rental fleet consists of 15% low-emission vehicles, but that’s expected to grow to 25% this year as the business offers a greater range of electric and hybrid vehicles. Autohorn has already invested a six-figure sum in onsite 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.
Parent group Autohorn Fleet Services also continues its work to expand its products across business and consumer channels. The business acquired Meridian Vehicle Solutions in December 2024 and is actively looking for further acquisitions.
