Zuzuche: 2026 October Holiday Global Self-Driving Travel Report

Leading Chinese car rental platform Zuzuche has published an extensive report on global self-driving travel during the 2026 Chinese National Day holiday. “Go far” was the stand-out trend, with long-haul trips the most popular for self-driving travel. International car rentals on Zuzuche were up by 11% year on year, setting a new record.

Destinations

Zuzuche’s top 10 overseas destinations were USA, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Türkiye, Norway, Spain, Canada, France, and the UK.

Car rentals for North America increased by close to 30% year on year, with an increase of more than 35% for the US, where San Francisco and Los Angeles were the most popular departure points.

Car rentals in Oceania increased by 25% year-on-year, and Zuzuche’s report named New Zealand as the biggest “overall winner” this year, achieving significant growth from all eight of China’s top geographic source markets.

In Europe, Chinese self-driving travelers went beyond traditional destinations, with a 68% year-on-year increase in rentals for Türkiye and an 81% increase for Greece. Italy remained the top European country, but with a more diverse range of cities. Car rentals from Venice increased by 83%, Bolzano in the Dolomites by 180%, and Verona by 73%.

Chinese car rentals in Africa were up by 27% year on year. This included a 67% increase for South Africa, and 88% increase for Cape Town specifically. Car rentals for Namibia increased by 260%, while Mauritius and the Seychelles were also popular destinations for Chinese self-driving tourists.

Zuzuche’s data showed increasing demand for one-way rentals, emphasizing the multi-destination travel trend of this year’s Golden Week. One-way rentals accounted for more than half of the rentals in Italy and Türkiye, close to half of rentals in New Zealand, and nearly 40% in Spain. Zuzuche also reported a slight increase in the total number of global cities visited by its customers compared to last year.

Travel Dates

Self-driving trips happened a little earlier in 2026 than in 2025. The peak day for car rental reservations was 26 September – yet another indication that many travelers took advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival on 25 September to set out early.

The peak day for car returns was 5 October – this was two days earlier than in 2025, but the 2025 Golden Week holiday also lasted one day longer (1-8 October) because of the Mid-Autumn Festival on 6 October 2025.

Market Segments: Age and Geographic Source Markets

Customers born in the 1990s and 2000s accounted for more than half of overseas bookings on Zuzuche this Golden Week. These younger travelers particularly favored New Zealand, Italy, and Australia.

Meanwhile, silver-haired travelers grew by 10% year on year, traveling longer distances and at a more leisurely pace – trips of 10 days or more increased by 7%. Older travelers also showed a stronger preference for SUVs and MPVs, with 87% renting SUVs. North America was their preferred destination, while Serbia, Hungary, Georgia, Greece, and Germany were also popular among older drivers.

Guangdong was the top source market for Zuzuche’s outbound clientele, with steady expansion from Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. Hainan, Guizhou, Xinjiang, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Shaanxi showed the highest growth.

Travelers from Guangdong and Shenzhen favored New Zealand and Italy, while the USA and Australia were most popular among travelers from Shanghai, and Türkiye was most popular with Beijingers.

Translated from the Zuzuche report, 《2026“十一”假期全球自驾游报告》, published on 8 October 2026, and accessed via WeChat Mini Program