While the vehicle shortage is global, the Automobile Club of Luxembourg warned that it could be particularly acute in France, which is a popular thoroughfare for motorists travelling from Luxembourg to destinations like Portugal, Spain and Italy.

“We’ve been in touch with the majority of renters in France, they all tell us that they have a shortage of cars,” Vania Henry, ACL spokesperson told Delano, adding: “People who break down in France will have a hard time getting a replacement vehicle.”

The shortage derives from the fact that vehicle rental agencies reduced their fleet sizes during the pandemic when travel was limited and demand low. Vehicles were sold off, and leases ended without being renewed. But, it has taken longer than anticipated to scale up fleets, in part because of component shortages and supply chain issues.

A spokesperson for rental outfit Enterprise told Delano: “A key contributor to the challenge right now is the global [semiconductor] chip shortage, which has impacted new vehicle availability across the industry at a time when demand is already high. We continue to work closely with our manufacturing partners to secure additional vehicles to meet the ongoing increase in demand. We also are leveraging our large network of neighbourhood and airport locations in Europe to move vehicles where possible to support regional spikes in demand. Our teams will continue to do everything we can to help customers get back on the road again.”

According to research company Gartner, the semi-conductor shortage is expected to continue until the second quarter of 2022.

Henry pointed out that private car owners have tended not to replace their vehicles during the pandemic year. “If cars are older, they are more likely to break down. That’s why we encourage people to get their car checked here. It’s not a nice way to start the holidays especially after the year we’ve had,” she said.

Enterprise urged people planning to rent cars to book as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

As for people planning to travel in private passenger cars, Vania urges them to contact their garage as soon as possible for maintenance checks.  

“You might not know there’s a problem. The longer people wait, the more complicated it’s going to be to get the car fixed in time for the holidays,” she said.