Rental costs inflation was 2.9% in France last year

The cost of operating an equipment rental business in France rose by 2.9% last year, according to the French rental and distributors association DLR.

The association and its consultant NEO Engineering track 18 cost components – from labour to machine prices to the cost of energy – and found that overall costs were 2.9% higher in 2025 than in 2024.

DLR started the survey in 2019 and costs have risen by 25.8% since then, which DLR said reflected “a significant and sustained increase in costs for rental companies.”

The survey found that in 2025 the three major factors in higher costs – accounting for 90% of the increase – were labour (up 2.5%), depreciation and amortisation of the fleet (+3.3%) and borrowing costs (+18.9%).

DLR advised rental companies to “take ownership of this index and share it with their customers, in order to promote a better understanding of the economic developments in the sector.”

It said the index was a tool to benchmark the evolution of costs, to help in determining rental prices, and to “shed light on commercial relations between professionals and customers.”

DLR has more than 1,000 members in France who together represent more than 70% of the rental market.