AutoSlash had said that, so far, everyone who was able to make a reservation eventually got a car. This would be a noteworthy change.

When I called branches of each company, they all seemed to try to reassure me that I can trust their booking process. It's like they realized that people may stop trying to get a rental car if they don't feel they can count on it, and this shift in consumer behavior may outlast the shortages. As in, even if rates go back down, customers won't know, or care, because they'll have moved on to instinctively booking alternatives, without even bothering to check availability.

It's like the article I read yesterday, about how people got so used to affordable Uber rates. Whenever they landed somewhere new, they immediately opened the app. Relatively few people planned for, or even researched, cheaper mass transit or rental car options first. The recent massive price hikes are forcing a rethink, which could likewise become more permanent.