Why longer rentals should cost less per day

It is counter-intuitive if you think in terms of the vehicle, and obvious once you think in terms of your time.

A three-day booking and a one-day booking cost you nearly the same in handover, inspection, cleaning, admin and the risk of an empty day either side. Spread across three days, that overhead per day is a third of what it is on a one-day rental. A seven-day booking also removes six turnaround gaps you would otherwise have to fill.

So a normal shape is:

• 1 to 2 days: full daily rate.
• 3 to 6 days: around 10 to 15% less per day.
• 7 to 29 days: around 20 to 30% less per day.
• Monthly: priced separately, often 35 to 45% below the daily rate.

Set these as deliberate brackets rather than negotiating each one. Negotiating means the answer depends on who asked and how tired you were.