Car rental agent Job Information | National Careers Service

Job profiles

Car rental agent

Hours

35-40 per week
Starting salary

£12,500 + per year

Car rental agents handle all the administration and enquiries involved with renting vehicles to businesses and the public. If you enjoy meeting people and have an interest in cars, you may enjoy this career.

To do this job you will need to have excellent customer care. You will need good communication skills. You will also need a basic understanding of cars.

Employers will expect you to have a good standard of general education.

The work

As a car rental agent, your work would generally include:

dealing with customer enquiries about the availability and cost of vehicles
taking bookings and explaining the terms of rental or leasing agreements
completing paperwork with the customer and taking payments
showing customers to their vehicle and pointing out any bumps, scrapes or special features
checking mileage and inspecting for damage when vehicles are returned
providing ongoing service and sales support, if you deal with regular business leasing accounts.

In some jobs you may deal with international clients.

Hours

In most full-time jobs you would work 35 to 40 hours a week between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday. You may need to work shifts if you work for one of the larger car hire companies that provide a 24-hour service at major airports.

You would be based in an office, but may spend some of your time moving vehicles that have been returned. Many employers will provide a uniform.

Income

Car rental agents can earn between £12,500 and £16,500 a year.

Team leaders can earn around £18,000 to £20,000 a year.

Salaries may include bonuses or commission for meeting sales targets. There may also be extra shift allowances for working unsocial hours.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

You will not usually need any particular qualifications. Employers will expect you to have a good standard of general education and usually look for English and maths GCSE at grades A-C.

It is also important to have good communications skills. Having the right personality and skills is often considered to be more important than formal qualifications. It would be an advantage to have previous experience of customer service, office, or sales work.

Some employers will prefer you to have held a full driving licence for at least one year. For work at airports, ports and tourist destinations, it would be helpful to have foreign language skills.

You may be able to get into this job through an Apprenticeship scheme. You will need to check which schemes are available in your area. To find out more, visit the Apprenticeships or The Institute of Motor Industry websites.

Training and development

You will do most of your training on the job. You may be encouraged to work towards NVQs in Customer Service or Business and Administration at levels 1 to 4. These qualifications are also relevant:

City and Guilds QCF Certificate in Customer Service (4410)
City and Guilds Certificate and Diploma in Business Administration (4413)
IMI Awards Certificate and NVQ in Customer Service for the Motor Industry (500/1548/5)
IMI Awards Diploma in Business Administration (500/2528/4).

You could improve your career prospects by working towards the Institute of Motor Industry's Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA). This professional development programme has two levels: Customer Service Advisor and Senior Customer Service Advisor, as well as specialised Rental and Leasing Customer Service Advisor. You would take a series of practical exams and online knowledge tests in order to pass each level.

If you work for a member of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), there is a range of courses such as an Introduction to Daily Rentals, and Vehicle Inspection and Damage Recognition. The BVRLA also runs short courses and a management development programme, which could be useful in your career.

Skills and knowledge

To be a car rental agent, you should have:

excellent customer care and communication skills
a basic understanding of cars
sales skills
the ability to deal with complaints in a professional manner
good organisational and time management skills
accuracy and attention to detail
administrative and IT skills
basic maths and cash handling skills
the ability to work under pressure.

More information

Institute of the Motor Industry (Opens new window)
Fanshaws
Brickendon
Hertford
SG13 8PQ
Tel: 01992 511521
www.motor.org.uk

British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) (Opens new window)
River Lodge
Badminton Court
Amersham
Bucks
HP7 ODD
Tel: 01494 434747
www.bvrla.co.uk

City & Guilds (Opens new window)
1 Giltspur Street
London
EC1A 9DD
Tel: 0844 543 0000
www.cityandguilds.com

Opportunities

You could work for one of the large international vehicle rental and leasing companies found in towns and cities throughout the UK, as well as airports and ports. There are also smaller, locally-based companies.

With experience, you could progress to a supervisory or management post. If you gain experience in business leasing accounts, you could become an account manager, or move into fleet management.

Jobs are advertised in the local press, in Jobcentre Plus offices, on employers' own websites, Directgov (Jobseekers page) and on the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) website.

Directgov - (Jobseekers page)
British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.

Related industry information

Industry summary

The vehicle rental and leasing industry is part of the automotive retail sector, represented by the IMI Automotive Sector Skills Council, which also includes: vehicle maintenance and repair; vehicle sales; and vehicle parts, distribution and supply. The UK automotive retail sector employs an estimated 514,572 people, accounting for 1.9% of the UK workforce. Future growth for the whole sector is forecast to be an increase of 2% by 2017.

The vehicle rental and leasing industry comprises the rental and leasing of all cars, light motor vehicles and trucks, which includes:

light motor vehicles and vans up to 3.5 tonnes
land‐transport equipment without drivers
trucks, haulage tractors, trailers and semi‐trailers
recreational vehicles

Key facts:

The vehicle rental and leasing industry accounts for 7.3% of all employment in the automotive retail sector.
There are an estimated 4,000 business units in the industry.

Jobs in the industry include: fleet controller, fleet manager, vehicle returns inspector, service technician, telephone receptionist.

National and regional data

East Midlands – There is an estimated 3,250 jobs in the industry, which is an increase of 60% since 1998. The East Midlands accounts for 11% of all employment within the vehicle rental and leasing industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is set to decline by 4% in the region by 2017.

East of England – There is an estimated 3,020 jobs in the industry, which is a fall of 2% since 1998. The East of England accounts for 10% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is set to increase by 4% in the region by 2017.

London – There is an estimated 3,937 jobs in the industry, which is a fall of 18% since 1998. London accounts for 13% of all employment within the vehicle rental and leasing industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 14% in the region by 2017.

North East – There is an estimated 859 jobs in the industry, which is a rise of 12% since 1998. The North East accounts for 3% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 11% in the region by 2017.

North West – There is an estimated 3,899 jobs in the industry, which is a fall of 28% since 1998. The region accounts for 13% of all employment within the vehicle rental and leasing industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 4% in the region by 2017.

South East – There is an estimated 5,061 jobs in the industry, which is an increase of 23% since 1998. The South East accounts for 17% of all employment within the vehicle rental and leasing industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is set to increase by 17% in the region by 2017.

South West – There are an estimated 3,649 jobs in the industry, which is an increase of 6% since 1998. The region accounts for 12% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 16% in the region by 2017.

West Midlands – There is an estimated 3,840 jobs in the industry, which is an increase of 54% since 1998. The region accounts for 13% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to increase by only 1% in the region by 2017.

Yorkshire and the Humber – There is an estimated 1,964 jobs in the industry, which is a rise of 6% since 1998. The region accounts for 7% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to increase by 15% in the region by 2017.

Wales – There is an estimated 931 jobs in the industry, which is a rise of 17% since 1998. Wales accounts for 2% of all employment within the industry and 4% of all employment in the automotive retail sector. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 2% by 2017.

Scotland – There is an estimated 2,748 jobs in the industry, which is an increase of 40% since 1998. Scotland accounts for 8% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to increase by 1% by 2017.

The following data is for the automotive retail sector as a whole:

Northern Ireland – The automotive retail sector has seen a growth in employment over the past decade, to an estimated 13,893 jobs. Employment is forecast to continue to increase by 17% by 2017. It accounts for 3% of all national employment within the automotive retail sector.