arac

What arac does

ARAC (Associação Nacional dos Locadores de Veículos) is a Portuguese non-profit employers' association founded in 1975 that serves as the principal trade body for vehicle rental and mobility companies operating in Portugal. The organization claims to represent approximately 96% of legal short-term rental companies in the country, delivering legal advisory, technical support, statistical reporting, training programs, and institutional representation services to its members. In March 2022, ARAC formally expanded its mandate to include light mobility solutions such as bicycles and scooters, reflecting the convergence of traditional car rental with emerging urban mobility and broadening its addressable membership base.

The association's governance structure is anchored by a board composed of senior executives from major industry operators including Europcar (chaired by Paulo Moura), AVIS, Hertz, SIXT, and Santander Consumer, alongside representatives from insurance, fleet management, fuel, and telematics service providers. ARAC is a founding member of CTP (Confederação do Turismo de Portugal) and maintains formal protocols with a wide ecosystem of service providers, including a notable training partnership with Turismo de Portugal under the Clean & Safe seal. The association also partnered with PwC during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver advisory webinars to members, demonstrating its ability to convene professional-services support on behalf of the sector during periods of disruption.

ARAC's business model is funded primarily through quarterly membership dues paid by operators across the Portuguese rental and mobility sector. As a non-profit association, it does not publish audited financial statements and no revenue figures are disclosed in the available data. Its primary value proposition is collective representation in regulatory and policy discussions, sector-specific data and benchmarking, and operational support services — including certified training — that individual operators would struggle to replicate independently, with the association's ~96% sector coverage creating strong institutional stickiness.

Name

arac

Legal name

ARAC - Associação dos Industriais de Aluguer de Automóveis sem Condutor

Website

https://arac.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ARAC is a Portuguese non-profit employers' association founded in 1975 representing vehicle rental and mobility companies, claiming ~96% coverage of legal short-term rental operators and delivering legal, statistical, training, and representational services funded by quarterly membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association / Industry Representation Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury Car Club / Membership-Based Exotic Rentals (THADAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

HR Policy, Governance, Compliance & Risk Advisory (BPACAJAF)

Keywords

• Vehicle rental association
• Mobility sector representation
• Employer association services
• Industry advocacy
• Mobility trade group

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: ARAC generates revenue through quarterly membership fees (quotas) paid by member companies. The association represents employers in the vehicle rental and mobility sector in Portugal.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ARAC is a national employers' association that represents vehicle rental and mobility companies operating in Portugal, including rent-a-car, ALD/renting, rent-a-cargo, car sharing, and light mobility sectors. The association provides member companies with institutional representation before government and public entities, legal and fiscal advisory services, technical support, vehicle documentation authentication, monthly and annual market statistics, professional training programs in partnership with Turismo de Portugal, and business networking through national conventions and regional meetings. Membership is funded through quarterly quotas paid by associated companies.

Product overview

ARAC (Associação Nacional dos Locadores de Veículos) is a national employers' association that represents vehicle rental companies operating in Portugal. Rather than offering a commercial technology product, ARAC provides member services including legal and technical support, statistical analysis, professional training programs, communication and marketing assistance, and industry representation. The association facilitates business partnerships through protocols with service providers and maintains an online platform for member companies to access exclusive information, statistics, and member search functionality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 46 years of continuous operation as Portugal's premier vehicle rental association
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tourism of PortugalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with Tourism of Portugal for professional training programs (Plano de Formação ARAC) and the Clean & Safe certification protocol for rental companies, ensuring compliance with health and safety standards during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• IMT - Instituto da Mobilidade e dos TransportescoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Collaboration with IMT for the Clean & Safe certification process, where ARAC confirms regularization of member companies with IMT to verify they are authorized to exercise rent-a-car activity.
• AMT - Autoridade da Mobilidade e dos TransportescoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Partnership for the Clean & Safe certification, with AMT responsible for supervising compliance with obligations arising from the certification.
• SABSEG - Corretora de SegurosminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2017Insurance protocol providing preferential conditions for ARAC member companies on vehicle and business insurance products.
• BP PortugalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2017Fuel protocol offering preferential pricing on fuel for ARAC member companies' fleet vehicles.
• Manheim PortugalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2017Vehicle remarketing protocol providing auction and sale services for used rental vehicles from member companies.
• AutorolaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2017Vehicle remarketing protocol providing online auction platforms for used rental fleet vehicles.
• Intrum PortugalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2017Debt management protocol providing collections and credit management services for member companies.
• CCR LegalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2017Legal services partnership providing employment law and corporate law advisory services to member companies during the COVID-19 pandemic support initiatives.
• PwCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARAC partnered with PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) to deliver webinars on COVID-19 support measures for member companies, including topics on lay-off schemes, credit lines, financial moratoria, and fiscal measures. The partnership involved PwC specialists presenting on labor law, corporate law, and tax matters relevant to the vehicle rental sector.
• CTP - Confederation of Portuguese TourismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARAC is a founding member of CTP (Confederation of Portuguese Tourism), collaborating on tourism policy advocacy, industry representation, and joint initiatives to support the tourism sector which accounts for 60% of rent-a-car business volume.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• BVRLA - British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association: UK trade association for vehicle rental, leasing, and fleet management companies. Directly comparable to ARAC in scope and function, representing a national membership of rental and leasing operators, providing advocacy, training, statistics, and member services.
• ANIASA - Associazione Nazionale Industria dell'Autonoleggio e Servizi Automobilistici: Italian national association representing the car rental, leasing, and mobility services industry. Directly comparable to ARAC as a national employers' association for vehicle lessors, with advocacy, statistical, and member service functions.
• Leaseurope AISBL: European federation representing the leasing and automotive rental industries at the EU level. Comparable to ARAC in mission (advocacy, statistics, member services) but operating across multiple European countries with a broader geographic mandate.
• CNPA - Conseil National des Professions de l'Automobile: French national federation representing automotive professions including vehicle rental and mobility services. Directly comparable to ARAC in representing rental operators and adjacent automotive professions in a single country.

Broad incumbents

• Confedera\u00e7\u00e3o do Turismo de Portugal (CTP): Portuguese tourism confederation of which ARAC is a founding member. Comparable as a national employers' association but operating across the broader tourism sector (including hospitality, travel agencies, and tourism services) rather than specializing in vehicle rental.

Others

• ACEA - European Automobile Manufacturers' Association: European association representing automobile manufacturers. Adjacent to ARAC's ecosystem (manufacturers supply ARAC's member rental fleets) but operating at the OEM level rather than the rental operator level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ARAC-Associa%C3%A7%C3%A3o-dos-Industriais-de-Aluguer-de-Autom%C3%B3veis-SCondutor-1505740573065164

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about arac