What Firefly Car Rental does

Firefly Car Rental is a value-oriented car rental brand operated as Firefly Rent A Car LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Hertz Corporation (NYSE: HTZ) under the Hertz System, Inc. trademark. Founded in 2013, the company targets price-driven holiday travelers seeking low-cost vehicle hire in popular European and Middle Eastern destinations, with active operations in Italy, France, Croatia, Malta, Iceland, and the UAE, alongside historical presence in Spain that has since been consolidated under the Thrifty brand. The core offering includes online-reserved vehicle rentals across categories ranging from Mini to Family, paired with optional add-ons such as insurance (CDW, TP, Super Cover, PAI, Reduced SuperCover), child seats, GPS, FastTrack priority counter service, My Choice vehicle selection, X-Border cross-country travel, and Premium Emergency Roadside Service.

The technology stack centers on the Thermeon car rental software platform, which powers online reservations, fleet assignment, and back-office operational workflows. Distribution relies on a direct-to-consumer online booking model through global.fireflycarrental.com, supplemented by physical airport counters shared with the parent Hertz network and integrated loyalty enrollment via the Hertz #1 Club program. Revenue is generated primarily through daily and weekly vehicle rental fees, with variable pricing by country, car group, and season; ancillary income is derived from insurance add-ons, optional extras (child seats, GPS, additional drivers, fuel service options, roadside assistance), young-driver and additional-driver surcharges, and mileage overage charges in markets such as Spain where kilometric limits apply.

The go-to-market is fundamentally event-driven and direct-to-consumer, capturing bookings from travelers arriving at major European airports during peak holiday periods. Customer segmentation is horizontal across three personas — price-driven holiday travelers (primary), families requiring child seats and larger vehicles, and short-term business travelers — with no enterprise or B2B accounts disclosed in the available data. Marketing is conducted via multi-language SEO-optimized content and free destination travel guides for European holiday markets.

Name

Firefly Car Rental

Legal name

Firefly Rent A Car LLC

Website

https://global.fireflycarrental.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Firefly Car Rental is a value-oriented vehicle rental brand and Hertz Corporation subsidiary serving price-driven holiday travelers with online-reserved cars and ancillary insurance and equipment add-ons across Italy, France, Croatia, Malta, Iceland, and the UAE.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Car Rental Services

NAICS

Passenger Car Rental (532111), Automotive Equipment Rental and Leasing (5321)

SIC

Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510)

akta.pro primary industry

Airport Car Rental (On-Airport Concessions) (THADAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ancillary Services & Add-Ons (GPS, Child Seats, Tolling, Fuel Plans, Roadside) (THADAAAL)

Keywords

• Car rental services
• Vehicle hire
• Airport car rental
• Rental insurance products
• Holiday travel rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Estero

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Rental Fees: Core revenue from daily and weekly vehicle rental charges, with rates varying by car group, location, and season. Rates include unlimited kilometers in France and Italy, with limited kilometers in Spain (60 free km/day, then 0.45€ per extra km).
2. Insurance Products: Revenue from CDW, TP, Super Cover, Reduced SuperCover, Glass & Tyre, and Personal Accident Insurance products offered as optional add-ons at pickup.
3. Optional Extras: Additional charges for child seats, GPS, additional drivers, fuel service options, and roadside assistance services.
4. Young Driver Surcharge: Additional fees applied to renters aged 21-25 (or 21-24 depending on country) to cover higher insurance risk.
5. Mileage Overage Charges: Charges applied when customers exceed included kilometer limits in certain locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Firefly Car Rental provides low-cost short-term vehicle rental services to holiday travelers across European destinations such as Italy, France, Croatia, Iceland and Malta, plus UAE, Australia and New Zealand. Customers book online and pick up vehicles at airport counters, choosing from Mini, Economy, Compact, Intermediate and Family car groups, and can add insurance products (CDW, TP, Super Cover, PAI) and extras (GPS, child seats, additional drivers, FastTrack).

Product overview

Firefly Car Rental is a low-cost car hire company offering a unified car rental service for price-driven holiday travelers. The core offering includes vehicle rental across multiple categories (Mini, Economy, Compact, Intermediate, Family) available at airport and city locations across Europe. The product portfolio integrates optional add-on modules including insurance products (CDW, TP, Super Cover, PAI), equipment rentals (GPS, child seats), and premium services (FastTrack, My Choice, X-Border, Premium Emergency Roadside Service). Customers can book online and access destination travel guides. The company is operated by The Hertz Corporation under the Firefly trademark.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Car Rental Services

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The Hertz CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirefly is a subsidiary brand of The Hertz Corporation, operated as Firefly Rent A Car LLC under trademark license from Hertz System, Inc. Firefly leverages Hertz's infrastructure, vehicle fleet, and operational systems while targeting the value-oriented budget segment of the car rental market.
• ThermeoncoreTechnology or IntegrationThermeon provides the car rental software platform powering Firefly's online booking system, reservation management, and operational technology. Website footer credits Thermeon as the car rental software provider.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Thrifty Car Rental: Thrifty is a sister value brand within The Hertz Corporation that now absorbs Firefly's former Spanish operations, sharing Hertz's fleet, airport concessions, and online booking infrastructure with Firefly.
• Goldcar: Goldcar is Europe's largest low-cost airport car rental operator, directly competing with Firefly on price-driven holiday rentals at Mediterranean and other European airports using a similar self-serve online booking model.
• Centauro Rent a Car: Centauro is a Spain-headquartered budget airport car rental brand with broad coverage across Southern European holiday destinations, competing head-to-head with Firefly for price-sensitive leisure travelers.
• Locauto: Locauto is a long-established Italian airport car rental operator competing with Firefly on the same Italian leisure corridors (Rome FCO/CIA, Milan MXP/BGY, Naples, Pisa, etc.) at similar price points.
• OK Mobility: OK Mobility operates a value-positioned car rental and mobility platform across Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Greece and the UK, directly overlapping Firefly's European airport and holiday-leisure customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Sixt: Sixt is a major European-headquartered rental incumbent with broad airport presence and a growing value tier; it competes with Firefly across many of the same Western and Southern European holiday destinations while also serving premium and corporate segments.
• Avis Budget Group: Avis Budget Group operates the Avis and Budget brands at airports across Europe and the Middle East, with Budget being a particularly close value-segment comparator to Firefly's positioning.
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car: Enterprise is a global rental incumbent with extensive European airport and city locations, offering overlapping leisure and business rental products comparable in scope to Firefly's portfolio.
• Europcar: Europcar operates a large multi-brand European and UAE car rental network including value-positioned labels, directly overlapping Firefly's airport leisure customer base across France, Italy, Spain, and the Gulf.

Regional players

• Maggiore Rent (Hertz licensee/related): Maggiore is a long-standing Italian car rental operator with deep airport and city presence in Italy, comparable to Firefly's Italian network and customer segments, though primarily domestic-Italian in focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Firefly Car Rental