Length of rental

Length of rental, or LOR, is the number of rental days in a hire, from pick-up to return. Operators usually price in bands, such as 1 to 2 days, 3 to 6, 7 to 13 and 14+, with a lower daily rate for longer bands.

Formula

LOR = return date − pick-up date, counted in 24-hour periods (check how your terms treat a late return).

Average LOR = total rental days ÷ number of hires

Worked example

Hypothetical. Say each hire costs you NZ$60 to turn around: cleaning, check-in, check-out and a bit of admin. Compare two bookings of the same car over the same week:

The longer hire wins at a lower daily rate, because it fills the gap day and halves the turnaround cost. That's the logic behind LOR discounts.

Why it matters for a rental operator

Your average LOR moves your costs, your utilisation and how far you can discount. In peak periods the maths flips: short hires at high rates can beat one long discounted hire, which is why some operators set a minimum rental length on busy dates.

See it in Rate Pulse

Rate Pulse checks 3-day hires only. The daily rates it shows are 3-day totals divided by 3. It doesn't vary LOR, so compare it with your own 3-day price, not your weekly rate.