The 3 Best Rental Car Companies — Including 1 You Might Not Have Heard Of

As car technologies become more complex, rental car drivers grow more frustrated.

A little more than half — 53% — of rental car drivers say it was easy to operate features and amenities the last time they rented a car, according to J.D. Power’s latest annual North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study.

That relatively poor showing suggests that rental car agencies will need to address this issue if they want to keep dissatisfaction levels low, according to J.D. Power.

In its latest rankings, J.D. Power gathered insights from nearly 8,400 business and leisure travelers who rented cars at airports between August 2023 and July 2024.

The study measures customer experience with rental car companies in North America across seven categories in the following order of importance:

• Ease of rental
• Pick-up/drop-off
• Level of trust
• Vehicle
• Staff
• Value for price paid
• Digital tools

Here are the rental car companies consumers like most.

1. National

Overall customer satisfaction score: 736 out of 1,000 possible points

National Car Rental got its start in 1947, when two dozen rental car companies decided to band together as one chain. In 2007, it was acquired by Enterprise.

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2. Enterprise

Overall customer satisfaction score: 729 out of 1,000 possible points

Enterprise Rent-A-Car is a Missouri-based company founded by World War II veteran Jack Taylor in St. Louis. It started with a fleet of just seven cars in 1957. Today, it has more than 8,000 locations in dozens of countries.

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3. Sixt

Overall customer satisfaction score: 708 out of 1,000 possible points

If you haven’t heard of Sixt, that might be because it has locations in fewer than three dozen U.S. cities. Or it might be because Sixt isn’t your average rental car company. It boasts a premium fleet with makes like BMW, Mercedes and Audi, and it offers a car subscription service.

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How other companies fared

The following rental car companies ranked above the study average score of 688 in the J.D. Power study:

• Advantage Rent A Car — 702 out of 1,000 possible points
• Alamo — 701
• Hertz — 692
• ACE Rent A Car — 690

On the other hand, these rental car companies ranked below the study average score:

• Payless: 683
• Avis: 669
• Fox Rent A Car: 655
• Thrifty: 653
• Budget: 647
• Dollar: 634

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