Lotte Rental's car rental brand tops premium index for 18th consecutive year

Lotte Rental's car rental brand ranked first in the rental car category of the 2026 Korea Standard Premium Brand Index (KS-PBI) for the 18th consecutive year, the company announced Thursday.

The KS-PBI is a brand value assessment model jointly developed by the Korean Standards Association and Seoul National University's Business Research Institute. It surveys consumers who are aware of a brand to measure their perception of its asset value, then selects the top brand in each industry. This year's survey ran for about eight weeks from April to May and covered 120,000 respondents. Lotte Rental said it topped the rental car category on the strength of high scores in brand awareness and brand image.

The company has rolled out a series of new products and services this year aimed at expanding customer touchpoints. In January, it launched two long-term rental products for corporate customers — "Bizcar420" and "Bizcar530" — both designed as flexible return plans that allow customers to hand back their vehicles after two or three years, respectively, without penalty fees. The products improve cost efficiency and contract flexibility, and come with accident, maintenance and emergency roadside services, as well as on-site maintenance visits, corporate expense processing and tax benefits.

Lotte Rental also introduced a vehicle inspection proxy service. Through its "Chabangjeong" app — whose name stands for "the right answer to managing your car" — customers enter their license plate number to check the type of inspection required and the associated cost. A professional driver then picks up the vehicle, completes the inspection and returns it, with the entire process averaging under two hours. The service is open to all drivers, not just Lotte Rental customers.

In May, the company unveiled an advertising campaign featuring actor Baek Hyun-jin under the tagline "Cheaper, more convenient, No. 1." The campaign highlighted the economic value, convenience and reliability of long-term rentals through its corporate "Bizcar" and personal "Mycar" product lines.

"Winning first place in the KS-PBI rental car category for 18 consecutive years is thanks to our customers, who have shown their love and support for our brand, and to our employees, who give their best every day," said Choi Jin-hwan, chief executive of Lotte Rental. "We will continue to respond flexibly to evolving automotive consumption trends and build a brand that customers trust — one that lets them worry less about their vehicles and focus more on their daily lives and businesses."

Meanwhile, Lotte Rental posted consolidated sales of 730.9 billion won ($479 million) and an operating profit of 83.6 billion won in the first quarter of this year, up 6.6 percent and 24.8 percent, respectively, from the same period a year earlier. Operating profit in the auto long-term rental segment rose 34.4 percent, a sign that the company's strategic shift toward a rental-focused business model is gaining momentum.