Less than two years after receiving its first allocation of Daily vans, leading rental company, Europcar, recently took delivery of its 200th Daily vehicle, having earlier in the year expanded its partnership with IVECO to include the supply of Europcar’s new Pantech-body trucks.

The company was initially attracted to the Daily range due to its combination of safety features, car-like driving characteristics, low cost of ownership and modern appearance – important benefits that remain core to all Daily models.

Europcar Head of Fleet Procurement and Planning, Laura Harewood, said that with the strong performance of the earlier models, Europcar had no hesitation in investing in the Daily range to further grow its commercial rental fleet.

“Since having the Daily 35S van model in our fleet, the feedback from our clients has been very positive,” Laura said.

With a 12m³ volume capacity and over 1.5 tonnes of payload, Laura said this particular model Daily was an ideal specification for rental applications.

“It’s a great size in that it has a solid payload and carrying capacity while still being easy to drive and manoeuvrable,” she said.

“We have a range of customers using the Daily product, from those renting it for the weekend to move house, all the way through to freight and transportation companies who might take a vehicle for several weeks to meet a contract need or while their vehicle is off the road for maintenance.

“For the most part though, our clientele are not regular drivers of commercial vehicles, so we need to provide them with a vehicle that drives very similarly to a passenger car, and the Daily shines at doing this.”

The strong relationship between Europcar and IVECO was recently expanded to include the supply of Daily Cab Chassis’ with Pantech bodies. In a segment historically dominated by Japanese offerings, Europcar has excitingly embraced the IVECO product to deliver to the rental truck market, a clear and demonstrable point of difference.

All the Daily vehicles available to rent from Europcar feature IVECO’s market-leading, 8-speed ‘Hi-Matic’ full automatic transmission matched to either an efficient 2.3 litre turbodiesel engine producing 126 hp and 320 Nm of torque (Daily Van), or a 3.0 litre turbo-diesel engine delivering 170 hp and 430 Nm (Daily Cab Chassis).

In terms of safety, both vehicles are well equipped boasting four SRS airbags, front and rear disc brakes with ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Electronic Stability Program, Anti-Skid Regulator, Hill Holder and more.

For additional safety and convenience, the vans are fitted with a factory bulkhead and window, as well as a Bluetooth-equipped radio with steering wheel mounted controls and reversing buzzers.

“Another benefit for our clients is that the IVECO Daily range is good on fuel, and for Europcar, as a business, we get the longevity of a quality engine as well as long oil change intervals of 40,000 kilometres for reduced downtime,” Laura said.

Vehicle performance aside, Laura also cites the Daily’s clean and modern appearance as another reason why Europcar partners with the IVECO brand.

“The rental market is a competitive industry and one way Europcar sets itself apart is to have the most modern commercial fleet possible,” she said.

“We typically refresh our commercial vehicle fleet every two to three years to provide our customers with the very latest in vehicles and technology. 

“The Daily’s styling is at the forefront, and our customers like the way it looks – people want to drive a smart looking van, even if only renting it for a short time.”

Rising to meet COVID-19 Challenges

In light of the COVID-19 crisis, Europcar Mobility Group recently launched the 'Together' program across the group globally. As part of this program, Europcar in Australia will work in partnership with food retailers and logistics companies in order to offer a rental service of light commercial vehicles with drivers, to help meet the increased demand for logistics and delivery services across the country, whilst also keeping the Europcar operations team in employment. Discussions are already taking place with some of the country’s largest supermarket chains and food retailers. 

Every vehicle is now subject to rigorous cleaning and disinfecting measures after each rental, as well as a ‘zero contact’ policy with Europcar employees in branches.