Collision-related rental lengths in the United States declined again in the first quarter of 2026, continuing a gradual easing from post-pandemic highs while remaining above pre-2020 levels and slightly higher than Canadian averages.
Enterprise Mobility reports average length of rental (LOR) reached 16.3 days in Q1 2026, down 0.4 days from 16.7 days a year earlier. The U.S. figure remained 0.6 days higher than Canada’s Q1 2026 average of 15.7 days.
State-level results varied sharply.
Rhode Island recorded the highest overall U.S. LOR at 20.8 days, up 1.2 days year-over-year. Alaska followed at 19.8 days, down 1 day, while West Virginia reached 19.6 days, down 1.1 days.
By comparison, Newfoundland and Labrador posted Canada’s highest provincial LOR at 18.3 days.
Hawaii and North Dakota posted the lowest average U.S. LOR at 12.4 days each, followed by Washington, D.C. at 12.7 days. Prince Edward Island recorded Canada’s lowest provincial average at 13.4 days.
Oklahoma recorded the sharpest U.S. decline, falling 2.8 days to 16.4 days. Colorado dropped 2.6 days to 16.3 days. In Canada, Alberta posted the largest provincial decrease, falling 2.7 days to 16.1 days.
John Yoswick, editor of CRASH Network, said shorter repair shop backlogs may be helping reduce rental times in the U.S.
“The average scheduling backlog of work at shops around the country was 1.8 weeks,” Yoswick said. “That was up modestly from the prior quarter — but down from 2.6 weeks in Q1 2025.”
Yoswick added that fewer than 10% of U.S. shops reported backlog waits of four weeks or more, roughly half the level seen a year earlier. Meanwhile, 18% of shops reported having no backlog at all and could immediately schedule new work.
Regional differences remained significant.
The Northeast recorded the highest U.S. regional LOR at 17.8 days, followed by the Southeast at 16.8 days and the Southwest at 16.6 days. California posted the lowest regional result at 14.1 days.
Breakdowns by claim type also showed lower year-over-year results.
LOR for drivable claims fell 0.2 days to 15 days in the U.S., compared with 12.4 days in Canada. Non-drivable claims declined 0.5 days to 22.4 days in the U.S., compared with 26.8 days in Canada. Total loss-related rentals averaged 14.9 days in the U.S., compared with 19.5 days in Canada.
Among non-drivable claims, Alaska recorded the highest U.S. LOR at 29.7 days, followed by West Virginia at 28.8 days and Vermont at 27.1 days. Newfoundland and Labrador reached 38.1 days for non-drivable claims in Canada.
For total loss claims, West Virginia recorded the highest U.S. LOR at 19.4 days, followed by South Dakota at 18.8 days and New Hampshire at 17.8 days. New Brunswick led Canadian provinces at 21.7 days.
Greg Horn, chief industry relations officer at PartsTrader, linked parts delays directly to rental performance.
“The similarity in parts delivery data for those parts that are experiencing delays verifies that parts delays are a major cause of longer rental length,” Horn said.
“With recent reports of automotive grade aluminum supply shortages, we may see delays in obtaining replacement aluminum panels, and a potential increase in repairable rental days,” he added.
Ryan Mandell, vice-president of strategy and market intelligence at Mitchell International, said repairers continue shifting toward repairing and reusing more components.
“The percentage of parts repaired continues to increase, reaching 16.2% (undeveloped) compared to 14.4% in Q1 2025 (fully mature),” Mandell said.
“The use of alternative parts increased to 41.6% in Q1 2026, a rise from 39.5% in Q1 2025,” he added.
Mandell also noted that average U.S. deductibles rose slightly year-over-year to US$832 from US$819. In Canada, average deductibles reached a record $601, up from $540 a year earlier.
