Length of Rentals Declines in Q1 2026, According to Enterprise Report
Overall length of rentals (LOR) for collision related rentals was 16.3 days days in Q1 2026, 0.4-day decline from Q1 2025, according to Enterprise’s Q1 2026 LOR Report.
John Yoswick, editor of the weekly CRASH Network newsletter, said the data he’s received suggests the reduction could be based on shops’ ability to get repairs started faster. He cited a “Who Pays for What?” survey of 600 shops, conducted in January by Collision Advice and CRASH Network, found that the average scheduling backlog of work at shops around the country was 1.8 weeks, down from 2.6 weeks in Q1 2025.
“Fewer than 10% of shops had backlogs of four weeks or more; that was about half the percentage with that length of backlog in the first quarter a year earlier,” Yoswick said. “At the other end of the spectrum, 18% of shops reported having no backlog at all, being able to schedule new work in immediately; that was up from less than 12% of shops in Q1 2025.”
Ryan Mandell, VP of strategy and market intelligence at Mitchell International, said the percentage of parts repaired increased to 16.2% from 14.4% in Q1.
“Repairing more parts allows shops to not only achieve higher margins but also faster cycle times, further contributing to reductions in LOR,” he said. “The use of alternative parts increased to 41.6 percent in Q1 2026 (undeveloped), a rise from 39.5 percent (fully mature) in Q1 2025.”
Drivable
For rentals associated with drivable claims, LOR was 15.0 days, a 0.2-day decline from Q1 2025. Rhode Island had the highest drivable LOR at 19.4 days, followed by Alaska at 17.7 days and Kentucky and Massachusetts at 17.4 days each. North Dakota recorded the lowest LOR at 10.6 days, with Hawaii (11.0) and DC (11.4) the next lowest. Sixteen states plus DC all saw drivable LOR increases.
Non-Drivable
LOR for non-drivable vehicles was 22.4 days, a 0.5-day decline from Q1 2025. Alaska had the highest non-drivable LOR at 29.7 days, followed by West Virginia at 28.8 days and Vermont at 27.1 days. DC had the lowest non-drivable LOR at 18.5 days, followed by Nebraska (19.6) and California (19.8). Wyoming (26) saw the largest increase of 2.8 days from Q1 2025. Vermont (27.1), Rhode Island (25.7), North Dakota (21.8), Montana (25.5) and Iowa (20.3) all had non-drivable increases greater than one full day. Thirteen additional states had increased less than one day. However, 16 other states plus DC had non-drivable LOR decreases.
Summary
While LOR continues to decrease, outlying highs, challenging market and economic conditions could have impacts on future results.
Enterprise remains committed to partnering with insurers, repairers, and suppliers to address the many factors influencing repair timelines and LOR. Through foundational support provided by the Enterprise Mobility Foundation, Enterprise is spearheading the Collision Engineering Career Alliance, designed to address the technician shortage and meet growing demand for highly skilled professionals in the collision repair industry.
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