Clout-starved influencers are hiring people to drive them around in £500,000 supercars before hiding to look like they can drive, a rental boss has revealed.
The shameless social media wannabes now outnumber genuine motorists at luxury car hire firms, where engines have become ‘secondary to the engagement’.
Bosses say many of the flashy motors, from Lamborghinis to Rolls-Royces, are not hired to be driven at all, but used as stage props to impress followers online.
Some clients, often young entrepreneurs who made fast money in crypto, gaming or modelling, even demand cars are parked outside swanky Mayfair hotels so they can film themselves ‘arriving’ for a night of luxury partying.
Starr Luxury Cars boss Ike Ordor said his industry has been ‘transformed’ by social media.
Speaking to Metro, he said: ‘A decade ago I was helping petrolheads live out their motoring fantasies.
‘Now it’s all about the perfect Instagram shot.
‘Our customers used to love the thrill of driving cars they could never afford. Today it’s photo power, not horsepower.’
He revealed one influencer changed outfits three times in the back seat between stops, so their content looked like it had been taken on different days.
Another even asked staff to park a Ferrari outside a Mayfair hotel, leave the keys and vanish, so they could swagger in on camera as if it was their own.
‘The theatre of luxury is sometimes just as valuable as the thrill of driving it,’ Ike explained.
The car hire boss also says his customer base has changed dramatically.
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Once, loud Lamborghinis that screamed ‘look at me’ were in demand.
Now influencers are chasing ‘quiet luxury’, sleek, understated models that project a cooler kind of confidence, he explained.
‘Instagram has transformed my industry,’ he said. ‘A decade ago, people rented supercars to experience the drive. Now, half the time, it’s just to experience the moment.
‘Social media has turned the steering wheel into a stage prop, and our cars into characters in their brand story.’
He explained that younger clients are often less interested in the car’s horsepower and more focused on clout.
A carefully posed shot pulling up outside an exclusive London club can rack up thousands of likes, while a short clip filmed behind the wheel can convince followers they are living the dream lifestyle.
‘We’ve had 21-year-olds renting cars they can’t even insure for a weekend, only to spend hours crawling around London’s hotspots with photographers in tow,’ he added.
‘For them, the engine is secondary to the engagement.’
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