The largest car rental location in Europe has been opened by Europcar UK Group, the UK’s leading vehicle rental provider, with an investment of over £1m.  In close proximity to Heathrow Terminal 5, the new, 3.4 acre site on the Perimeter Road opened on 1st April 2008 and is not only the largest in Europe but the most innovative.  Designed to capture increased traffic to and from the airport as a whole, the site features a series of industry-leading customer service initiatives that significantly enhance the car rental experience for in-bound and out-bound business and leisure customers.

With a total fleet of 4,500 vehicles and resources to handle up to 190,000 check-ins and check-outs per annum, the new location supports customers from all brands in the Europcar UK Group – Europcar, National Car Rental, Alamo Rent A Car and Guy Salmon Prestige Rental.   Critically, the new site features a completely new and best in class courtesy coach fleet providing a highly frequent service between all terminals, with a dedicated facility for Terminal 5.

“Travellers want a swift and stress-free transition – whether it’s from plane to car or car to plane – and that has been our total focus in the creation of this industry–leading facility.  By opening the largest car rental location in Europe, with some of the most advanced customer service initiatives in the sector, we are reinforcing our position as the UK’s Number One car rental provider” confirmed John Leigh, Managing Director, Europcar UK Group

Significant investment has also been made to ensure the right level of resource is available to support every aspect of the customer experience at the airport with more staff to support check-in and check-out, as well as dedicated check-out desks for corporate customers.

“This unique facility at Heathrow – the largest in Europe - demonstrates our commitment to providing the ultimate convenience for air travellers” concluded John Leigh.  “Customers of each of our brands will have the confidence of a wider choice of vehicles across all groups, a comfortable and speedy transition to and from their flights, plus a greater resource at the location for the best possible customer experience.  Vehicle rental is a key component of business and leisure travel today and this operation represents a real  milestone in the evolution of our sector.”