“[With the Covid-19 pandemic] companies were forced to dispose of a large part of their fleet, seeking to minimise costs. With the current recovery and the problem of disruption of distribution and supply chains, they are finding it very difficult to replace the fleet”, justified the Regional Secretary for Tourism, Berta Cabral.

The official explained that it is intended to implement “a transitional regime that allows the use of these vehicles [with more than five years] by rent-a-car companies for a period of one year, extendable for another year”.

The current legislation determines “that only vehicles that are not more than five years old, counted from the date of first registration, can be used in the 'rent-a-car' activity, and that limit may be exceptionally extended for periods of one year, until a maximum of two, after inspection of the respective vehicles”.

Berta Cabral revealed that the measure is expected to cover 800 vehicles from the 161 rent-a-car companies in the region.