Car rental, decoded
The glossary the industry never gave you.
Plain, neutral definitions for the terms that decide what a rental really costs, and how the business behind it works. 228 terms and counting.
New here? See how car rental actually works, five journeys that connect these terms end to end. Renting outside North America? See US vs UK and Australian terms.
228 terms
A
ACRISS codeClassification
A four-letter code describing a rental car's category, body type, transmission, and fuel/air conditioning.
Additional driver feeFees & surcharges
A charge to register a second authorized driver on the rental.
Administrative feeFees & surcharges
A charge added when the company processes something on your behalf after the fact, a toll, a fine, a damage claim, on top of the underlying cost.
Affiliate / referralDistribution & selling
A channel where a website or influencer refers customers to a booking site or operator for a commission, without handling the rental itself.
Age surcharge / minimum ageBooking & counter
Rules setting the youngest (and sometimes oldest) age allowed to rent, and any extra charge for younger drivers.
Agent portalTechnology & data
A booking interface built for travel agents and business partners rather than consumers, often showing net rates, commissions, and tools the public site doesn't.
Airport locationRental locations
A rental desk or depot at or served by an airport.
Airport surchargeFees & surcharges
A charge that passes on the concession and facility costs an operator pays to operate at an airport.
Allocation / allotmentOperations & metrics
A block of cars a supplier sets aside for a particular seller or channel to sell from.
American Car Rental Association (ACRA)Industry bodies & events
The national trade association representing the car rental industry in the United States.
Ancillary revenueOperations & metrics
Income beyond the base rate, coverages, upgrades, equipment, fuel, additional drivers, tolls.
API latencyTechnology & data
The delay between requesting live data from a supplier and getting it back.
Application programming interface (API)Technology & data
A defined way for software systems to exchange data and requests, for example connecting a booking site to an operator's availability and rates in real time.
Arabian Travel Market (ATM)Industry bodies & events
A leading travel and tourism trade show for the Middle East, held annually in Dubai, where regional and international travel suppliers and buyers meet.
AuthorizationPayments & settlement
The card network's approval that funds are available and can be charged.
Auto Rental NewsIndustry bodies & events
A leading trade publication covering the car rental industry, and the organizer of the International Car Rental Show.
Automatic vs manualVehicle & fleet
The gearbox type.
AutomationTechnology & data
Using software to perform manual, repetitive, or error-prone tasks in booking, pricing, fleet, and operations.
AvailabilityOperations & metrics
Whether a car in a given class can actually be booked for a specific place and time.
Average Daily Rate (ADR) · ADROperations & metrics
The average revenue earned per paid rental day, a headline pricing-health metric.
B
B2B · B2BDistribution & selling
Business-to-business: dealings between companies rather than with the end customer, such as a supplier selling capacity to a broker or a platform serving travel agents.
B2C · B2CDistribution & selling
Business-to-consumer: selling directly to the end customer, as an operator's own website or a consumer booking site does.
Back officeTechnology & data
The systems that handle what happens after a booking, confirmations, changes, billing, settlement, and reporting, as opposed to the customer-facing search and book.
Base ratePricing & rates
The core charge for the vehicle over the rental period, before taxes, fees, coverages, and extras.
Basic ratePricing & rates
A stripped-down rate that includes little beyond the car itself, with coverages and extras added separately.
Billing currencyPayments & settlement
The currency a charge is finally billed in on your statement.
Blackout periodPricing & rates
Dates when discounts, promotions, or certain rates do not apply, usually during peak demand.
Booking engineTechnology & data
The software that runs a search and turns a chosen option into a confirmed booking, connecting the storefront to supplier availability and rates.
Booking referenceBooking & counter
A code that identifies a reservation across systems.
Booking widgetTechnology & data
An embeddable search-and-book component a partner can place on its own website, connecting to a supplier's or aggregator's inventory behind the scenes.
Booking window / lead timePricing & rates
How far ahead of pickup a rental is booked.
Brazilian Car Rental Association (ABLA)Industry bodies & events
The national trade association for the car rental industry in Brazil (Associacao Brasileira das Locadoras de Automoveis), representing operators and publishing industry data for on
British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA)Industry bodies & events
The trade association for the vehicle rental, leasing, and fleet industry in the United Kingdom.
BrokerDistribution & selling
A company that sells rentals to customers without owning the fleet, aggregating supply from many operators and taking a margin or commission.
Buyback / repurchase programVehicle & fleet
An arrangement where the manufacturer agrees to repurchase vehicles at a set price after a period, reducing the operator's residual-value risk.
C
Cached availabilityTechnology & data
Availability held from a previous check and reused briefly instead of asked live, trading perfect accuracy for speed.
Cached ratesTechnology & data
Prices stored from an earlier fetch and reused for speed, rather than requested live each time.
Cancellation deadlineBooking & counter
The point up to which a booking can be cancelled or changed under its terms without penalty.
CapturePayments & settlement
Turning an approved authorization into a real charge that moves money.
Car classClassification
The category you actually book (economy, compact, intermediate, and so on) rather than a specific model.
ChargebackPayments & settlement
A reversal a cardholder initiates through their bank to dispute a charge.
Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)Coverage & liability
An agreement in which the rental company waives its right to charge you for damage to the car, usually above an excess.
CommissionPricing & rates
A share of the booking value the supplier pays a seller for making the sale, typical of the agency channel.
Commissionable ratePricing & rates
A published rate that pays the seller a commission when they book it, as opposed to a net rate the seller marks up.
Complimentary / forced upgradeOperations & metrics
When the booked class is unavailable, the supplier may give a larger car at no extra charge.
Concession agreementOperations & metrics
The contract under which an operator pays an airport for the right to do business there, typically a percentage of revenue plus fees.
Confirmation numberBooking & counter
The reference issued by the seller when a booking is confirmed.
Confirmed reservationBooking & counter
A booking the supplier has accepted and guaranteed, as opposed to a request still awaiting approval.
Congestion chargeInternational rental
A fee for driving into a designated busy urban area during set times, used by some cities to reduce traffic.
Contactless / digital check-inTechnology & data
Completing pickup steps (identity, agreement, coverage choices) via app or online before arrival, reducing counter time.
Contracted ratePricing & rates
A rate a supplier has agreed to give a particular seller or account under a contract, rather than the public price.
Corporate locationDistribution & selling
A rental location owned and run by the brand itself rather than an independent operator.
Corporate rateDistribution & selling
A discounted, negotiated rate available to a company's employees or members, usually tied to an account or discount code.
Credit card rental coverageCoverage & liability
Coverage for a rental car provided by paying with a particular credit card.
Cross-border authorizationInternational rental
Permission from the rental company to take the car into another country, sometimes needing paperwork, a fee, or specific coverage.
Cross-border feeFees & surcharges
A charge, and often a required authorization, for taking the car into another country.
Currency conversionPayments & settlement
Converting a charge from one currency to another.
Customer Facility Charge (CFC)Fees & surcharges
A per-day or per-rental fee, common at US airports, that funds the shared rental car facility.
D
Damage administration feeFees & surcharges
A fee for the paperwork of processing a damage claim, charged on top of the repair.
Damage inspectionBooking & counter
The review of the car's condition at pickup and return.
Data normalizationTechnology & data
Cleaning and reconciling data from many sources into a consistent form, for example mapping different companies' vehicle classes to a common standard so they can be compared.
Debit card restrictionBooking & counter
Rules limiting or barring the use of debit cards (and sometimes requiring a credit card in the main driver's name) for the deposit.
DeductibleCoverage & liability
The US term for the excess: the portion of a damage or theft loss the renter pays before any waiver or coverage applies.
DepositPayments & settlement
An amount required at pickup to secure the rental, held or charged against potential costs such as fuel, damage, or the excess.
DepreciationOperations & metrics
The loss in a vehicle's value over time.
Destination marketDistribution & selling
The market where the car is actually picked up and driven, which sets local rules, taxes, and fleet.
Diminished valueCoverage & liability
A claim for the drop in a vehicle's resale value after it has been damaged and repaired, which a rental company may seek in addition to repair costs.
Direct bookingDistribution & selling
A reservation made straight with the operator (its site or counter) rather than through an intermediary.
Direct connectTechnology & data
A one-to-one integration between a seller and a supplier, rather than going through an intermediary network.
Distribution mixDistribution & selling
The blend of channels an operator sells through and the share of business each carries.
Domestic one-wayInternational rental
Picking up and dropping off in different locations within the same country.
Domestic rentalInternational rental
A rental where the customer lives in, or is renting within, the same country as the pickup.
DowngradeBooking & counter
Receiving a lower class than booked, usually when the reserved class is unavailable and no equivalent or better car can be provided.
Downtown locationRental locations
A branch in a city center rather than at the airport, convenient for travelers arriving by other means or renting mid-trip.
Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) · DCCPayments & settlement
An option at payment to be charged in your home currency instead of the local one, with the conversion done at the point of sale.
Dynamic pricingPricing & rates
Prices that move frequently based on demand, supply, timing, and channel rather than sitting at a fixed published level.
E
Early returnBooking & counter
Handing the car back before the booked end.
Economy / compact / intermediateClassification
Common size labels running roughly from smallest and cheapest upward.
Electric vehicle rentalVehicle & fleet
Renting a battery-electric car, which adds considerations the renter should confirm: charging responsibility, the return state-of-charge policy, range, and any charging-related fee
Equipment rental feeFees & surcharges
A per-day or per-rental charge for optional equipment such as child seats, GPS units, ski racks, or additional accessories.
ExcessCoverage & liability
The amount the renter remains responsible for if the car is damaged or stolen, even when a waiver applies.
Excess reimbursementCoverage & liability
A separate policy, often bought from a third party rather than the rental desk, that pays back the excess you would owe after damage or theft.
F
Ferry restrictionInternational rental
A term limiting or forbidding taking the rental car on a ferry, or requiring prior permission.
FiturIndustry bodies & events
One of the largest international tourism trade fairs, held annually in Madrid.
FleetVehicle & fleet
The total set of vehicles a rental company owns or controls.
Fleet ageOperations & metrics
The average age or mileage of vehicles in the fleet, which affects maintenance cost, resale value, and customer experience.
Fleet cost / holding costOperations & metrics
The cost of owning a vehicle over its rental life, depreciation, financing, insurance, maintenance, net of resale.
Fleet management systemTechnology & data
Software for tracking vehicles through their life, acquisition, deployment, maintenance, and resale, and the utilization and cost metrics that go with it.
Fleet mixOperations & metrics
The blend of vehicle types and classes a company holds, chosen to match expected demand.
Fleet rotationVehicle & fleet
The planned buying, deploying, and selling of vehicles so the fleet stays the right size, age, and mix for demand.
FranchiseeDistribution & selling
An independent business that operates under a larger brand's name, standards, and often its reservation system, but owns its own location and fleet.
Free cancellationBooking & counter
A booking term allowing cancellation without penalty up to a stated cutoff.
Free saleOperations & metrics
An arrangement where a seller can confirm bookings instantly without checking the supplier for each one, on the assumption that stock is available.
Fuel policyVehicle & fleet
The rule for how fuel is paid.
Full to emptyVehicle & fleet
A fuel policy where you prepay for a full tank at pickup and return the car empty, with no refund for fuel left in it.
Full to fullVehicle & fleet
A fuel policy where you collect the car with a full tank and return it full, paying only for the fuel actually used at normal prices.
G
Ghost fleetTechnology & data
Vehicles still listed for rent in data or systems that are no longer realistically available or even in production, an artifact of stale or inconsistent inventory data.
Glass and tire coverCoverage & liability
An add-on covering windscreen, glass, and tires, which standard CDW/LDW commonly exclude.
Global Distribution System (GDS)Distribution & selling
The reservation networks (such as those used by travel agents and corporate bookers) that connect sellers to rental inventory and rates.
Grace periodVehicle & fleet
A short allowance (often 29–59 minutes) after the scheduled return time before an extra day is charged.
Gross ratePricing & rates
The retail price a customer pays, i.e.
Guaranteed modelClassification
A booking where a specific make and model is promised, rather than a class represented by an example car.
I
Idle fleetOperations & metrics
Vehicles not currently rented, in cleaning, maintenance, transit, or simply unbooked.
In-terminalRental locations
A rental desk located inside the airport terminal, with cars usually in an adjacent or connected facility.
Inbound rentalInternational rental
A rental by someone visiting from another country.
Inclusive ratePricing & rates
A rate that bundles the main coverages and fees into one price, so there is little or nothing to add at the counter.
International Car Rental Show (ICRS)Industry bodies & events
The main annual trade show dedicated to the car rental industry, held in the United States.
International Driving Permit (IDP)Booking & counter
A standardized translation of a home driving license, required in some countries to rent or drive legally alongside the normal license.
International one-wayInternational rental
Picking up in one country and dropping off in another.
IPWIndustry bodies & events
The flagship international travel trade show of the U.S.
ITB AsiaIndustry bodies & events
The Asian edition of the ITB travel trade show, a business-to-business event held annually in Singapore, serving the Asia-Pacific travel market.
ITB BerlinIndustry bodies & events
One of the world's leading business-to-business travel trade shows, held annually in Berlin.
L
Late returnBooking & counter
Returning the car after the agreed time.
LeaseuropeIndustry bodies & events
The European federation representing the leasing and automotive rental industries, based in Brussels.
Length of rental (LOR)Pricing & rates
The number of rental days, which strongly affects the daily rate.
LicenseeDistribution & selling
An operator granted the right to use a brand's name in a territory, usually with more independence than a franchisee.
Load factor / demand densityOperations & metrics
How concentrated demand is in a place or time.
Local currencyPayments & settlement
The currency of the country where the car is rented.
Local operatorDistribution & selling
An independent rental company operating in one market or a handful of locations, usually without a global brand.
Location codeRental locations
A short identifier for a specific rental location used across booking systems.
Location mappingTechnology & data
Reconciling the same physical pickup point as it appears across different suppliers and systems, so one airport or depot is not treated as several.
Loss Damage Waiver (LDW)Coverage & liability
Similar to CDW but broader: it covers both damage and theft of the vehicle.
Loss of useCoverage & liability
A charge a rental company can seek for the income lost while a damaged car is repaired and off the road.
Low Emission Zone (LEZ) · LEZInternational rental
An area where only vehicles meeting emission standards may drive, sometimes for a fee, enforced by cameras in a number of European cities.
Loyalty / membership ratePricing & rates
A rate or benefit tied to a rental company's loyalty program or a partner membership, sometimes including faster pickup, upgrades, or waived fees.
M
MappingTechnology & data
Matching one system's way of naming things to another's so data lines up, locations, vehicles, and rates from many sources reconciled to a common standard.
Market mapTechnology & data
A structured view of who operates where, locations, companies, and their real relationships, built by counting and de-duplicating fragmented public data.
Markup / marginPricing & rates
The amount a seller adds on top of the net rate it pays the supplier to reach the retail price a customer sees.
Master franchiseDistribution & selling
A partner that holds the rights to a brand across a whole country or region and may in turn appoint sub-franchisees.
Maximum rental lengthBooking & counter
The longest continuous rental allowed on a booking before it must be re-contracted or handed to a longer-term product.
Mechanical breakdownCoverage & liability
A failure of the car's own mechanical parts, as distinct from accident damage.
Meet and greetRental locations
A service where a company representative meets the customer at an agreed point, often the terminal, to hand over the car, rather than the customer finding a desk.
Merchant of Record · MORPayments & settlement
The party that legally sells to the customer and is responsible for the card transaction, receipts, taxes, and refunds.
Mileage capVehicle & fleet
A limit on included distance, above which a per-mile or per-kilometer charge applies.
Minimum rental lengthBooking & counter
The shortest rental a rate or vehicle allows.
Modification / amendmentBooking & counter
A change to an existing reservation, such as dates, location, or car class.
N
Named driverBooking & counter
A person formally registered on the rental agreement and permitted to drive.
Net ratePricing & rates
The wholesale price an operator gives an intermediary, with no consumer margin.
niftiOSTechnology & data
The system behind a car rental business, from live supplier rates to pricing and margins, the customer storefront, payments and the operations console, in one place.
niftirentDistribution & selling
A car rental booking site for travelers, built by Nifti Mobility Group and running on niftiOS.
No-showBooking & counter
A reservation the customer never collects.
O
Off-airport locationRental locations
A branch away from the airport, reached by shuttle, taxi, or transit.
Off-terminalRental locations
An airport-serving branch reached by a shuttle from the terminal rather than located inside it.
On requestOperations & metrics
A booking that is not confirmed instantly and must be checked and approved by the supplier before it is guaranteed.
One-way feeFees & surcharges
A charge for returning the car to a different location than pickup, covering the cost of repositioning the vehicle to where it is needed.
Online travel agency (OTA)Distribution & selling
A consumer-facing website that sells travel, including car rental, from many suppliers.
Opaque ratePricing & rates
A discounted rate where some details (such as the specific brand) are hidden until after booking.
Or similarClassification
The standard disclaimer that you are booking a class, not a guaranteed model.
Out-of-hours feeFees & surcharges
A charge for picking up or returning the car outside a location's normal opening times, covering the extra staffing or handling involved.
Outbound marketInternational rental
The home market that travelers depart from when renting abroad.
OverbookingOperations & metrics
Accepting more reservations than cars on hand, betting on no-shows and returns, to maximize utilization.
P
Package ratePricing & rates
A rental sold as part of a wider travel package (with flights or a hotel), usually at negotiated terms.
Part prepaid / deposit ratePayments & settlement
A rate where a deposit is paid at booking and the balance is paid locally at pickup.
Partial refundPayments & settlement
A refund of part of what was paid, for example unused prepaid days on an early return or a disputed portion of a charge, where the terms allow it.
Pay locallyPayments & settlement
Settling all or part of the rental at the counter in the destination, rather than prepaying at booking.
Pay-at-counter ratePricing & rates
A rate paid at pickup, typically a little higher but keeping flexibility to change or cancel.
Peer-to-peer rentalDistribution & selling
A model where private owners rent their own cars to travelers through a platform, rather than a company renting from an owned fleet.
Personal Accident Insurance (PAI)Coverage & liability
Optional coverage for medical costs and accidental injury to the driver and passengers during the rental.
Pre-authorization · pre-authPayments & settlement
A temporary hold placed on the main driver's card at pickup to cover potential charges, fuel, or damage.
Prepaid ratePricing & rates
A rate paid in full at booking
Primary coverageCoverage & liability
Coverage that pays first on a claim, without you having to claim on another policy beforehand.
R
Rail station locationRental locations
A rental point at or near a major rail station, common in countries with heavy train travel, letting travelers combine rail and road on one trip.
Rate codeDistribution & selling
An identifier attached to a specific rate and its rules (inclusions, cancellation, eligibility).
Rate mappingTechnology & data
Aligning different suppliers' rate structures and inclusions to a common form so prices can be compared on the same basis.
Rate parityPricing & rates
A condition, sometimes contractual, that an operator's price on one channel should not undercut another.
Rate shopping / rate parity monitoringTechnology & data
Tools that track how a company's prices compare across channels and against competitors, informing pricing and parity decisions.
Rate sourceTechnology & data
The origin of a price shown to a customer, which supplier, contract, or feed a given rate came from.
Real-time availabilityTechnology & data
Prices and availability fetched live from the supplier at search time, so what a customer sees reflects current fleet and rates.
Refueling chargeFees & surcharges
A charge for fuel not replaced before return, often at a per-liter or per-gallon rate well above pump price, sometimes with a service fee.
RefundPayments & settlement
Money returned to the customer, for example when a hold is released, a charge is disputed successfully, or a booking is cancelled within terms.
RemarketingVehicle & fleet
Selling vehicles out of the fleet at the end of their rental life, through auctions, dealers, or retail.
Rental agreementBooking & counter
The contract signed at pickup setting out the price, coverage, excess, fuel policy, mileage, and conditions.
Rental car centerRental locations
A shared building, common at large US airports, housing several rental brands and reached by a common shuttle or transit link.
Rental dayBooking & counter
The 24-hour unit a rental is charged in, counted from pickup time.
Rental extensionBooking & counter
Keeping the car longer than originally booked, arranged with the supplier.
Rental stationRental locations
A single physical location where cars are picked up and returned.
RepositioningOperations & metrics
Moving vehicles between locations to match supply with demand, for example after one-way rentals.
RepricingPricing & rates
Recalculating a booking's price when it is changed, using the rates available at the time of the change rather than the original price.
Reservation Management System · RMSTechnology & data
The core system a supplier uses to hold availability, rates, and bookings and to run the counter.
Reservation systemTechnology & data
The software that manages availability, rates, and bookings.
Revenue Management System · RMSTechnology & data
Software that recommends or sets prices and availability to maximize revenue from the fleet over time, applying the logic of yield management at scale.
Revenue per day (RPD)Operations & metrics
Average revenue earned per rental day, a core pricing-health metric.
Revenue per unit (RPU)Operations & metrics
Average revenue generated per vehicle over a period, combining how well each car is priced and how fully it is used.
Risk vehicleVehicle & fleet
A fleet vehicle bought without a buyback guarantee, so the operator carries the full risk of its resale value.
Roadside assistanceCoverage & liability
Help if the car breaks down or you are locked out or stranded.
RoadworthinessVehicle & fleet
Whether a vehicle is in a safe, legal condition to be driven.
S
SeasonalityOperations & metrics
The predictable rise and fall of demand across the year in a given market.
Secondary coverageCoverage & liability
Coverage that pays only after your primary insurance has been used, or reimburses what your own policy does not.
Security depositBooking & counter
An amount held (often blocked, not charged) on the main driver's card at pickup to cover potential charges, fuel, or damage.
SettlementPayments & settlement
The behind-the-scenes movement of money between the parties in a booking, customer, seller, and supplier, after a sale.
Shuttle locationRental locations
A branch reached by a courtesy shuttle from the airport or a transport hub.
SIPPClassification
Standard Interline Passenger Procedures, the older name for what is now generally called the ACRISS code, the four-letter vehicle classification used in booking systems.
Source marketDistribution & selling
Where the customer is buying from, their home country or the market a booking originates in.
Stop sell / closeoutOperations & metrics
A supplier instruction that halts new bookings for a class, location, or date, usually because fleet is fully committed.
Super CDW / excess reductionCoverage & liability
An add-on sold at booking or the counter that lowers or removes the excess on a damage or theft claim.
Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI)Coverage & liability
Optional coverage that raises the third-party liability limit above the basic amount, common in the US.
Supplier / operatorDistribution & selling
The company that actually owns or controls the fleet and hands over the car.
Supplier confirmation numberBooking & counter
The reservation's identifier in the supplier's own system, which can differ from the number the seller gave the customer.
Supplier contractDistribution & selling
The commercial agreement between a supplier and a seller (broker, agency, or platform) that sets the rates, terms, and conditions on which the seller can offer that supplier's cars.
T
TelematicsTechnology & data
In-vehicle technology that transmits location, mileage, fuel, and condition data.
Territorial restrictionInternational rental
A rule on where the car may and may not be driven, certain countries, regions, or road types excluded.
Theft Protection (TP)Coverage & liability
A waiver covering loss if the vehicle is stolen, usually subject to an excess and to conditions such as returning the keys.
Third-party liabilityCoverage & liability
Coverage for injury or damage you cause to other people and their property.
TollFees & surcharges
A charge for using a specific road, bridge, or tunnel, paid per journey.
Tour operatorDistribution & selling
A company that packages travel (often flights, hotels, and cars together) and sells to consumers or through agents, buying rental capacity at wholesale terms.
Transaction daysOperations & metrics
The total number of paid rental days across all bookings in a period.
Travel agentDistribution & selling
A retail seller of travel who books rentals on a customer's behalf, historically via a GDS, earning commission from the operator.
U
Unlimited mileageVehicle & fleet
A rental with no distance limit included in the rate.
UpgradeBooking & counter
Receiving a higher class of car than booked.
UpsellBooking & counter
An offer at booking or the counter to add coverage, a bigger car, or extras.
UtilizationOperations & metrics
The share of the fleet actually earning revenue rather than sitting idle.
V
Vehicle mappingTechnology & data
Matching each supplier's vehicle descriptions to a common set of classes or models, so the same car can be compared like for like.
VignetteInternational rental
A prepaid permit, a sticker or its electronic equivalent, that allows use of motorways in some countries, bought for a set period rather than per journey.
Virtual Credit Card (VCC) · VCCPayments & settlement
A single-use or limited card number an intermediary generates to pay the supplier for a prepaid booking, separating the customer's payment from the supplier settlement.
VoucherBooking & counter
A document confirming a prepaid or agent-arranged rental that the customer presents at the counter.
W
WaiverCoverage & liability
A general term for the rental company giving up its right to charge you for a defined loss (damage, theft).
Walk / walk-awayOperations & metrics
When a customer with a valid reservation cannot be given a car because none is available, usually after overbooking.
Walk-up rentalBooking & counter
Renting on the spot at the counter without a prior reservation.
White labelTechnology & data
A booking service or technology that one company runs but another brands as its own.
Wholesaler / consolidatorDistribution & selling
An intermediary that buys rental capacity at net rates and redistributes it to other sellers, sitting between operators and retail channels.
Winter equipment feeFees & surcharges
A seasonal or regional charge for legally required winter tires or snow chains in certain countries and mountain areas.
World Travel Market (WTM)Industry bodies & events
A major international business-to-business travel and tourism trade show, held annually in London.
Y
Yield managementPricing & rates
Continuously adjusting price and availability to maximize revenue from a fixed fleet over time, raising rates when cars are scarce and demand is high, lowering them to fill idle cars.
Young driver surchargeFees & surcharges
An extra daily charge for drivers below a set age (often 25), reflecting higher assessed risk.
Z
Zero deductibleCoverage & liability
A cover option where the renter pays $0 toward covered damage or theft, instead of the standard deductible.
Zero excessCoverage & liability
A rental or add-on that reduces the excess to nothing, so the renter has no damage/theft deductible.
ZTL · ZTLInternational rental
Italy's limited-traffic zones in historic city centers, where only authorized vehicles may enter during posted hours.
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