Market rate index

A market rate index is your price divided by the market's typical price for the same car type and day. An index of 1.00 means you're in line with the market. Above 1 you're dearer, below 1 you're cheaper.

Formula

Market rate index = your median daily rate ÷ market median daily rate

Use the median, not the average. A handful of very cheap or very dear offers drags an average around. The median doesn't move much.

Worked example

In the Rate Pulse sweep of 7 Nov 2026, Sixt at Madrid Barajas had a price index of 1.17. Across its car types and pick-up days, it sat 17% above the market median. Clickrent sat at 0.57, or 43% below.

The two brands aren't selling the same thing. Sixt has its desk in the terminal. Clickrent runs a shuttle to a depot about 6 km away. That's why you read the index next to desk type and rating, never on its own. See the Madrid page.

Why it matters for a rental operator

The index turns "are we expensive?" into one number you can track. Set a target band per car type, say 0.95 to 1.10, and act when you drift out of it.

It also shows positioning. A brand at 1.17 with a top rating has room to hold price. A brand at 1.17 with middling reviews probably doesn't.

See it in Rate Pulse

The "price vs market" column in each airport's brand ranking is this index, shown as a percentage. Benchmark your rates shows yours per car type. Start at Rate Pulse.