Car rental firm Sixt is among six companies bidding for Europcar, according to the Financial Times.
The move comes as Europcar owner Volkswagen look to sell off the business, partly to raise funds for restructuring.
German-based Sixt has previously denied any interest in its rival which analysts estimate could attract bids of up to 2.5 billion Euro, including debt.
Other bidders are said to be US car hire company Enterprise and four private equity companies Cerberus, Cinven, Carlyle and Merrill Lynch Global.
The FT said none were available to comment or declined to do so.
