Short-term rentals allow Stellantis to put newly launched models on the road immediately and later bring them back into its retail network as used vehicles. The group wants to make better use of both stages, turning rental fleets into a tool that supports registrations, promotes new products, and protects their long-term value.
Stellantis uses buyback agreements to control rental stock and residual values
Giorgio Labate, Head of Short-Term Rental at Stellantis Italy, outlined the strategy during an event organized by Fleet&Business Solutions for professional customers. Stellantis defines the approach internationally, but each country adapts it to local demand and market conditions. In Italy, the strategy also changes from one brand to another, as an urban Fiat requires a different approach from a Jeep or a commercial vehicle.
Buyback agreements allow Stellantis to retain control of the vehicles even after rental companies purchase them. Once the agreed period ends, the automaker buys the cars back and sends them to its dealer network, where retailers can recondition them and offer them on the used-car market. Labate described the system as an internal value chain.
Directly managing vehicle returns also helps Stellantis prevent too many similar cars from reaching the market at the same time and pushing resale prices down. The company therefore considers rental volumes alongside return schedules and the dealer network’s ability to absorb used inventory. This approach supports residual values without giving up the registrations generated by the rental channel.
Rental fleets also offer a level of visibility that a conventional test drive cannot match. Customers drive a rental car for several days, use it during their normal journeys, and experience it in conditions much closer to everyday life. For Stellantis, the process becomes a real-world commercial test, particularly when the company needs to introduce a newly launched model to a wider audience.
In Italy, deliveries begin to rise between February and March as tourism increases, accelerate through spring, and reach their highest levels in summer. Most vehicles then return between September and October. Vans follow a different pattern, as demand rises during the second half of the year alongside last-mile deliveries and the Christmas shopping period.
According to figures provided by Labate, Stellantis registrations of commercial vehicles for the rental channel increased by 88% in 2026 compared with the previous year. The group also uses buyback agreements for vans, although those contracts generally keep the vehicles in rental fleets for longer than passenger cars. Stellantis could eventually extend the same strategy to other markets.
