New law will hit car rental companies. Fines of up to 30,000 zlotys and mandatory verification of driving licenses.
In short:
Do you have a court-issued driving ban? You won’t be able to rent a car!
The government wants to tighten the regulations. Car rental companies will check customers’ status.
Fines will be imposed on business owners who lend vehicles to people with an active driving ban.
The maximum penalty could reach up to 30,000 zł.
The new regulations are also set to apply to motorcycles, scooters, and even watercraft and aircraft.
Car rental companies facing penalties
The Ministry of Justice has announced stricter rules for car rental businesses. The government plans to add a new paragraph to Article 96 of the Code of Offenses, which would impose fines on business owners who lend vehicles to people with an active driving ban. The maximum penalty could reach 30,000 zł—equal to the upper limit for fines under Polish law.
The change will not be limited to cars alone. The new regulations are also set to apply to motorcycles, scooters, and even watercraft and aircraft. This is a response to the growing problem of drivers who continue to get behind the wheel despite court orders prohibiting them. According to data from the National Police Headquarters, 16,700 people were arrested in 2025 for driving despite a ban, and 10,100 drivers ignored the county official’s decision to revoke their licenses.
It is worth recalling that in the first half of 2026, regulations were introduced allowing courts to order the confiscation of vehicles in such cases. Now the government wants to close another loophole, namely the possibility of renting out cars.
Rental companies will be safer. In case of an accident caused by a driver with a ban, financial liability and administrative procedures may fall on the company that provided the vehicle. The new law aims to prevent this.
What’s the current situation?
The customer service procedure will also change. Previously, the rental company employee would only check the driver’s license. With the new regulations, they will need to verify the license status in the mObywatel system or on moj.gov.pl. Delivering a vehicle to someone without driving rights could result in fines for the company.
The new rules are intended to make it harder to circumvent driving bans. If a driver lost their own car due to seizure, they could previously simply rent a vehicle and continue breaking the law. After the changes, this will be much more difficult.
Rental companies at this critical point
The new regulations come at a time that is already facing difficulties. According to IBRM Samar’s analysis, the car rental sector ended 2025 with a 5.1% year-on-year decline in the number of vehicles in its fleets. This is the first such significant slowdown after years of growth.
Car rental is sensitive to economic conditions. When uncertainty rises, both business and individual customers tend to avoid renting cars more often. This immediately affects demand.
At the same time, the market is highly fragmented. PZWLP represents six large chain rental companies, whose combined fleet (excluding Sixt Polska) numbered 18.4 thousand vehicles by the end of 2025. However, there are several thousand smaller companies operating in Poland — ranging from short-term rental firms to those that serve airports and provide assistance services. The introduction of mandatory driver verification will hit them least hard, as it is precisely the small companies that have the fewest resources to quickly implement new procedures.
Poles are changing their attitude toward cars. Rental has become the norm
Despite industry challenges, demand for car rentals remains high. According to data from the SIXT Polska report, as many as 64 percent of Poles have already used a car rental service. There is also a shift in thinking about mobility — the car is no longer seen as an obvious good but rather as a service.
The most common renters are people aged 25-39 who value flexibility and cannot always afford to buy a car. Car rental is no longer limited to large cities. In urban areas, 72% of respondents use it, but in smaller towns and rural areas, the percentage of users has nearly doubled—from 36-37% to 62-64%.
The reasons for renting vary. They include vacation trips, weekend getaways, special occasions, test drives before purchasing a car, or work-related needs. For 39% of respondents, renting is simply a way to maintain mobility when their own car is in the repair shop.
Car rental is thus becoming a daily service rather than a luxury. However, new regulations could change market dynamics by increasing operational costs, prolonging the customer verification process, and raising risks for businesses.
Oskar Włostowski