Do exotic car rental prices go up during big Scottsdale events?

Big events change the math on exotic rentals in Scottsdale. When tens of thousands of car buyers, golf fans, and spring-training crowds land in the same week, more people chase the same small fleet of supercars. The daily rate holds, but the calendar empties fast. The clearest case is late January, when Barrett-Jackson brings roughly 2,000 collector cars and heavy crowds to WestWorld. The cars people want most get booked first.

Which Scottsdale weeks drive demand up

A few stretches of the year pull the most demand: Barrett-Jackson in January, the WM Phoenix Open in February, Cactus League spring training from mid-February into late March, and any year the Super Bowl comes to nearby Glendale. These weeks pack the city with visitors who want a car to match the occasion.

The numbers show why supply gets tight. Barrett-Jackson's January 2025 Scottsdale auction sold every one of its 2,013 collector cars with no reserve, topping $198 million. The top sale was a 2023 Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster at $2.2 million, and a Corvette ZR1 with VIN 001 hammered for $3.7 million as part of $6.2 million raised for charity. That is a full week of people who came to Scottsdale to be around fast cars, and plenty of them want to drive one too. The auction was first held in Scottsdale in 1971 and has run annually at WestWorld since 1989, so this is a fixed date locals and fleets plan around every January.

The WM Phoenix Open pulls even bigger crowds. Its record week drew 719,179 fans in 2018, the highest single-week attendance on the PGA Tour. The par-3 16th at TPC Scottsdale, nicknamed The Coliseum, is a stadium-style hole ringed by grandstands that hold more than 20,000 fans. A crowd that size fills hotels, restaurants, and rental fleets across the whole metro.

Even outside those headline weeks, winter is the busy season. Scottsdale drew more than 11 million visitors in 2024, worth $3.7 billion in local spending, and most of that traffic lands in the cool months. So the January and February events sit on top of an already full calendar.

Why event weeks get tight

Grant Motor Group lists one starting rate per car and no event surcharge, so what changes in an event week is availability, not the rate. A rental company owns a set fleet. It cannot add a McLaren for one busy week and sell it off the next. When a hundred people want a supercar and only a handful are free, the open cars go fast.

The most-requested cars move first, so their calendars fill while the more affordable picks may still have room.

There is a second, quieter cost: the security hold and the paperwork do not get easier during a rush. You still need a card for the refundable hold (a credit card is the best way to carry it), full-coverage insurance in your name, and a clean driving record. Sorting that out the night before a sold-out weekend is a bad time to discover a problem, since the insurance cannot be added at pickup and has to be active in your name first.

The real cost is availability, not a surcharge

The biggest event-week hit is usually the sold-out calendar, not a line-item fee. Exotic fleets are small on purpose. Once the Ferrari 458 and the Urus S are booked for Barrett-Jackson weekend, no rate will conjure another one. For those January and February weekends, the most-requested cars are often spoken for well ahead of the event. If your heart is set on one specific car for that week, the calendar, not the price, is what works against you. That is why the smart move is to book early rather than to hunt for a discount later.

Flexibility is your best tool here. If the car you first wanted is gone, a strong second choice is often still open. The Corvette Z06 is no fallback prize: its 5.5-liter LT6 V8 makes 670 horsepower, the most of any naturally aspirated V8 ever fitted to a production car, and it hits 60 mph in about 2.6 seconds. A day in that during Phoenix Open week is hardly a downgrade.

Delivery also gets busy. Grant Motor Group delivers anywhere in Scottsdale, including hotels, resorts, and Scottsdale Airport; a delivery fee applies and is confirmed at booking. During a packed event weekend, delivery windows fill up, so the earlier you set your pickup time and place, the smoother the handoff.

How to lock a good rate before a big event

The way to beat the event-week crunch is to plan early and stay flexible. These steps, in order, give you the best shot at an open car:

1. Pin your dates first. For January and February weekends, reach out several weeks ahead. The calendar tightens sooner than most people expect.
2. Keep a backup car in mind. If the McLaren 600LT is booked, ask what else is open. A Porsche 911 GT3 or BMW M2 may still be free at a lower daily rate.
3. Ask about multi-day pricing. Grant Motor Group offers a multi-day discount, so a two- or three-day booking often lowers the price per day.
4. Use the price-match guarantee. Find the same car elsewhere for less and we'll beat it.
5. Confirm the numbers when you book. Rates can change, and the refundable hold and delivery timing are confirmed at booking, so lock them in writing.

What Grant Motor Group charges, and how to confirm it

Grant Motor Group lists a flat daily rate for each car, and those are the published starting points below. During a big event, the constraint is usually whether the car is open, not a special event fee. Rates can change, so confirm the current pricing when you reserve.

A few policies stay the same no matter the week. The security hold is a refundable authorization and the amount varies by car; a credit card is the best way to carry it, so confirm card options when you book. You return the car with fuel at the level you got it. Delivery is available anywhere in Scottsdale; a delivery fee applies and is confirmed at booking. Rates can change, so it is worth asking for the exact rate and hold on your dates before you commit.

Planning a trip around Barrett-Jackson or the Phoenix Open? Book the car well before the crowds arrive. Call or text (623) 400-3031, or send a DM to @grantmotorgroup on Instagram, and we will confirm the current rate and deliver anywhere in Scottsdale.