Yang Zi Wan Bao Wang·2026-02-07 14:26Core Insights - The rental car market is experiencing significant growth during the 2026 Spring Festival, with a nearly 20% year-on-year increase in rental orders and an average rental duration extended to around 5 days, reflecting a 30% increase compared to last year [1] Group 1: Market Trends - Popular tourist destinations such as Kunming, Haikou, Sanya, Guangzhou, and Chengdu are becoming the preferred locations for rental car travel, with a notable rise in cross-city rental orders, indicating a shift towards "self-driving cross-city travel" as a new norm during holidays [1] - The growth in the rental car sector is driven not only by concentrated holiday travel demand but also by an upgrade in consumer expectations for the self-driving experience, emphasizing the need for certainty, flexibility, and security throughout the rental process [1] Group 2: Service Upgrades - The "New Worry-Free Rental" service by Ctrip represents an upgrade in rental service standards, providing a unified set of rules and addressing user pain points, which enhances the overall booking and rental experience [3] - The service guarantees the provision of vehicles that are no older than three years, with clear fuel and maintenance standards, thereby alleviating concerns about vehicle conditions for users [3] Group 3: Process Improvements - The "New Worry-Free Rental" service optimizes the pick-up and drop-off processes and cancellation policies, improving convenience and flexibility for users, including free pick-up and drop-off services and flexible cancellation options [4] - The platform enhances its role in dispute resolution through a review and damage assessment mechanism, ensuring the reasonableness of related costs and expanding service coverage to support regular road travel across mainland China [4] Group 4: Industry Evolution - The rental car industry is transitioning from a "seller-driven" model to a "user-driven" paradigm, with a focus on transparency in service rules and standardization of processes, significantly reducing uncertainty in the rental experience [4] - The increase in average rental duration and double-digit growth in per-order spending during the Spring Festival indicate that users are willing to pay a premium for higher quality and more reliable services, marking a shift in market competition from merely renting a car to renting a good car with excellent service [4] Group 5: Future Outlook - Industry experts believe that rental cars will evolve into a core component of the self-driving travel ecosystem, integrating deeply with destination resources, travel tools, and support systems to provide a "one-stop self-driving solution" [5] - As consumer demands for travel quality continue to rise, the rental car industry is expected to develop towards standardization, transparency, and user-friendliness, with platforms that genuinely build service systems around user scenarios likely to gain long-term trust and sustainability [5]