Hail Storm Depletes St. Louis Rental Fleet

Last weekend’s hail storm damaged thousands of vehicles in the St. Louis area, but good luck trying to find a rental. That’s because car rental companies are scrambling to fix or replace their own fleets.

Hail as big as softballs was reported in parts of the region on Saturday. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Enterprise Rent-A-Car is bringing in more than 1,000 vehicles from other states to replace cars damaged in the storm. Of those damaged, about 800 were at Lambert Airport.

Avis had more than 300 cars damaged at the airport. The company is honoring some reservations but is putting customers on waiting lists until more cars arrive from other areas.

Some car rental companies are suspending reservations until they can replenish their fleets.