Auto Europe
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1954
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Auto Europe firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Auto Europe
- Legal name
- Auto Europe LLC
- Website
- http://www.autoeurope.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1954
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Auto Europe industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Travel Agency
- NAICS
- Passenger Car Rental (532111), Automotive Equipment Rental and Leasing (5321)
- SIC
- Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Luxury Sedan & Executive Car Rentals (THADAMAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Luxury SUV & Performance SUV Rentals (THADAMAC)
Keywords
Where Auto Europe is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Auto Europe business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Car Rental Commission/Transaction Fees: Auto Europe operates as a car rental broker, earning commissions from partner rental companies for bookings facilitated through their platform. The company negotiates exclusive rates with suppliers and passes savings to customers while retaining a margin.
- Travel Package Services: Auto Europe offers bundled travel packages combining flight, hotel, and car rentals, generating revenue through packaging fees and negotiated supplier commissions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Economy rentals starting from $9/day in popular European destinations |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Price Match Guarantee |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Auto Europe product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Auto Europe is an online car rental broker and online travel agency that aggregates inventory from 25+ global car rental suppliers (Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, National, Dollar, Budget, Enterprise, Alamo and others) and lets travelers compare rates and book vehicles in 190 countries through 28,000 pickup locations. The company also sells bundled European travel services, motorhome rentals, short-term car leases, van/luxury/exotic/specialty vehicle rentals, hotels, and flights through sub-brands such as Excellent Hotels and 1-800-Fly-Europe, earning commissions and transaction fees from suppliers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Car Rental Comparison and Booking Platform Online car rental comparison and booking platform enabling travelers to search, compare, and book rates from 25+ car rental suppliers worldwide across 28,000 pickup locations in 190 countries. Targets international leisure and corporate travelers.
- Motorhome Rentals Motorhome and RV rental booking service for travelers needing recreational vehicles across Europe and worldwide destinations.
- Short-Term Car Lease Europe Short-term car leasing service for travelers needing vehicles in Europe for extended periods (typically 17-365 days) at fixed monthly rates.
- European Travel Services (Vacation Packages) Bundled travel packages combining flights, hotels, and car rentals at discounted rates for European vacations.
- Excellent Hotels Sub-brand offering international hotel booking at competitive rates on 3, 4, and 5-star properties worldwide, accessible via the Auto Europe platform.
- 1-800-Fly-Europe Business Class Flights Sub-brand offering business class and premium cabin flight bookings to European destinations, with package deal options that combine flights, hotels, and car rentals.
- Best Flights to Europe Sub-brand offering economy and premium flight booking services for travel to European destinations.
- European River Cruises European river cruise booking service covering major rivers including Rhine, Danube, Rhône, Seine, Douro, and Mosel.
- Van Rentals Van rental booking service offering passenger vans, cargo vans, Sprinter vans, and luxury vans in various sizes (9, 12, 15-passenger) for groups and luggage-heavy travel.
- Luxury Car Rentals Luxury vehicle rental service offering premium brands including Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Audi, Jaguar, Bentley, Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini for high-end travelers.
- Exotic Car Rentals Exotic sports car rental service featuring high-end vehicles such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche models.
- Specialty Vehicle Rentals Specialty rental category including electric cars, hybrid cars, one-way rentals, corporate rentals, family rentals, student rentals, wedding cars, and winter rentals.
Quantifiable outcome
- Save up to 30% on car rentals compared to direct booking with rental companies
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Auto Europe
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Auto Europe technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature2 records
Auto Europe partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- HertzcoreLongstanding partnership with Hertz Rent a Car, one of Auto Europe's key supplier partners providing vehicles at global pickup locations.
- AviscoreLongstanding partnership with Avis Car Rental, providing Auto Europe customers access to Avis fleet at global locations.
- EuropcarcoreLongstanding partnership with Europcar, providing services to travelers in countries worldwide beyond just Europe.
- Sixt Rent a CarcoreLongstanding partnership with Sixt, offering customers premium vehicle options at European and global locations.
- National Car RentalcorePartnership with National Car Rental providing customers access to National's corporate and business travel focused fleet.
- Dollar Car RentalcorePartnership with Dollar Rent a Car for value-focused rental options at US and international locations.
- Budget Car RentalcorePartnership with Budget Car Rental for economical rental options.
- Enterprise Rent-A-CarcorePartnership with Enterprise providing access to their extensive US and international network.
- Alamo Rent A CarcorePartnership with Alamo for leisure and vacation focused rentals.
- Avant Car Rentalcore60-year partnership with Avant Car Rental, founded in 2003, headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia. Provides car rentals in Croatia and Slovenia with reduced rates, discounted insurance, and one-way travel options.
- Oryx Rent a CarcorePartnership with Oryx Rent a Car, operating 8 locations in 5 major cities in Croatia (Dubrovnik, Split, Zagreb, Karlovac, Rijeka).
- Thrifty Car RentalcorePartnership with Thrifty for value-conscious rental options.
- Fox Rent a CarminorPartnership with Fox Rent a Car for discounted rental options.
- Keddy by EuropcarminorPartnership with Keddy (subsidiary of Europcar) for European leisure rentals.
- First Rent-a-CarminorPartnership with First Rent-a-Car for discounted rates.
- Buchbinder Car RentalminorPartnership with Buchbinder for European car rental options.
- Peugeot LeasingminorPartnership with Peugeot for short-term car leasing in Europe.
- Localiza Car RentalminorPartnership with Localiza for car rentals in Central and South America.
- Firefly Car RentalminorPartnership with Firefly for budget-friendly rental options.
- Unidas Car RentalminorPartnership with Unidas for Brazil car rentals.
- Movida Rent a CarminorPartnership with Movida for Brazil car rentals.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Auto Europe competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kayak: Kayak is a meta-search travel platform owned by Booking Holdings that compares car rental rates across multiple suppliers alongside flights and hotels. It directly competes with Auto Europe's price-comparison value proposition in the international car rental category.
- Rentalcars.com: Rentalcars.com is a Booking Holdings subsidiary that operates as a dedicated car rental aggregator and broker globally. It is the closest direct competitor to Auto Europe, offering the same core product (multi-supplier car rental comparison and booking) with significantly larger scale, broader inventory, and Booking.com traffic integration.
Broad incumbents
- Expedia: Expedia is a global OTA that includes car rental aggregation as part of its broader travel marketplace. While not a pure-play car rental broker, Expedia competes directly for Auto Europe's customers in international car rental bookings while offering a much wider product portfolio (flights, hotels, packages, activities).
- Hertz Global Holdings: Hertz is one of Auto Europe's largest supplier partners and a global car rental incumbent. While Hertz primarily sells direct, its growing direct booking platform and loyalty program (Hertz Gold) represent both a partnership opportunity and a disintermediation threat to Auto Europe's aggregator model.
- Booking.com: Booking.com is the largest accommodation platform globally and the parent of Rentalcars.com. It competes with Auto Europe primarily through its car rental offering and indirectly through its bundled travel products, with substantially greater scale and brand recognition in European markets.
- Sixt SE: Sixt is a major European car rental supplier and Auto Europe partner, with a particularly strong direct-booking digital platform. Comparable as a premium-positioned rental brand that competes with Auto Europe's value of supplier-aggregated inventory and exclusive negotiated rates.
- Enterprise Mobility: Enterprise Mobility is the world's largest car rental company by fleet and revenue, operating Enterprise, National, and Alamo brands. It supplies Auto Europe with inventory while competing for the same end-customer through its own direct booking channels.
- Avis Budget Group: Avis Budget Group operates Avis, Budget, and other car rental brands globally and is a longstanding Auto Europe supplier partner. It competes with Auto Europe in car rental distribution while also providing the inventory Auto Europe resells.
Others
- Virtuoso: Virtuoso is a luxury travel advisor network that includes car rental bookings as part of premium curated travel packages. Comparable as a high-end alternative distribution channel for luxury and exotic vehicle rentals, which is one of Auto Europe's product lines.
Emerging players
- AutoSlash: AutoSlash is a US-focused car rental discount and price-tracking platform that helps consumers find lower rental rates. Comparable as a specialized aggregator that targets the same price-sensitive international and domestic car rental customer base as Auto Europe.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Auto Europe social profiles
Digital presenceAuto Europe financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Auto Europe leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Auto Europe funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Auto Europe M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Auto Europe
What does Auto Europe do?
Auto Europe is an online car rental broker and online travel agency that aggregates inventory from 25+ global car rental suppliers (Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, National, Dollar, Budget, Enterprise, Alamo and others) and lets travelers compare rates and book vehicles in 190 countries through 28,000 pickup locations. The company also sells bundled European travel services, motorhome rentals, short-term car leases, van/luxury/exotic/specialty vehicle rentals, hotels, and flights through sub-brands such as Excellent Hotels and 1-800-Fly-Europe, earning commissions and transaction fees from suppliers.
Is Auto Europe a public or private company?
Auto Europe is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Auto Europe founded?
Auto Europe was founded in 1954. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Auto Europe based?
Auto Europe is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Auto Europe make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Car Rental Commission/Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are travel Package Services.
Who are Auto Europe's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kayak and Rentalcars.com. Broad incumbents are Expedia, Hertz Global Holdings, Booking.com, Sixt SE, Enterprise Mobility and Avis Budget Group. Virtuoso is listed as an others. AutoSlash is listed as an emerging player.
Does Auto Europe have an API?
No public API is recorded for Auto Europe.
What industry is Auto Europe in?
Auto Europe's product category is Online Travel Agency. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THADAMAB, Luxury Sedan & Executive Car Rentals, with a secondary code of THADAMAC, Luxury SUV & Performance SUV Rentals. Its NAICS code is 532111 and its SIC code is 7510.