Car Rental Companies Ranked Worst To Best (According To Consumer Reports)

SlashGear has already ranked car insurance companies, the most reliable used cars under $15,000, and the cars with the worst blind spots using Consumer Reports results — there's something to be said for listening to expert advice when it comes to buying a car. On the other hand, what if you need a rental? 

You might think that there aren't many options, and that you get what you get when it comes to rentals. While that might be true in a small town, there are often numerous car rental services in every airport and big city across the United States.

Unfortunately, not every car rental company seems to have its customers' best interests at heart. You could be spoiled for choice, but are any of those choices actually good? From adding surprise fees to offering dirty rentals in need of repair, plenty of companies have earned disappointing marks from Consumer Reports' deep dive into the data.

Given how terribly some customers ranked their rental experiences, it's not surprising that some consumers have turned to renting a U-Haul instead of a car (even U-Haul agrees its rentals are cheaper). If you do want to rent a car (or SUV or pickup) instead of a moving van or truck, you might want to avoid some of the worst-rated car rentals.

To that end, these are the worst-to-best rated car rental companies, according to Consumer Reports.

Thrifty performed the absolute worst in Consumer Reports' customer survey and subsequent investigation. Interestingly, Thrifty is owned by Hertz (which also owns Dollar) which fared much better in Consumer Reports' review. With an abysmal overall satisfaction score of 26, Thrifty was rated low across Consumer Reports' four categories. Consumers gave the customer service and picking up experience a 1/5, while the value earned a 2/5. The car condition had the highest score, at 4/5.

Though a synonym for affordable is in the rental company's name — and Thrifty says it aims to serve "cost-conscious business and leisure travelers" — prices were the highest with Thrifty. Customers averaged $91 per day, including taxes and fees, and one of Consumer Reports' analysts suggested that the fees are what make up most of the cost.

While discounts like the ones drivers get as members of AAA can lower the price, unexpected fees soured many consumer's experiences with Thrifty. Consumer Reports didn't ask its respondents much about fees (it did ask about the amounts paid and price transparency), but the low transparency ranking might be a result of hidden fees. Thrifty does have a page that lists its fees, which span everything from airport-required fees to taxes to early return fees.

Although Consumer Reports reached out to Thrifty to ask about its customer service, the publication did not receive a response.

Like Thrifty, Fox received bottom-of-the-barrel pickup experience ratings, though its customer service fared slightly better, earning a 2/5. Fox also received a 2/5 for value, and a 4/5 for vehicle condition. An overall score of 31/100 suggests that Fox isn't the best car rental company, especially if you're looking for a positive pickup experience. Consumer Reports also notes that Fox ranked right alongside Thrifty for the lowest price transparency rating.

Like its fellow low-rated car rental companies, Fox did not respond to Consumer Reports' information request regarding those low ratings. Fox didn't earn good customer service ratings, and many complaints suggest that the entire experience with a company can be soured by a poor pickup experience.

Plus, Fox's rates were deemed less transparent than those of many other rental companies, which isn't surprising. While perusing the Fox Rent a Car website, visitors might see limited-time deals for as low as $12 per day. However, once you click to book a reservation, the total taxes and fees for your trip may equal the rental rate.

Fox also offers "pay now" specials, but it specifies in the fine print that those deals — such as $3 off per day — don't slash the cost of taxes and fees. Those reservations are also non-refundable. Interestingly, Fox had one of the lowest age requirements; civilian drivers aged 19 and over can rent from Fox (military members can rent at 18).

Like Fox, Dollar Car Rental's pickup experience was rated the lowest of the four metrics Consumer Reports measured. Overall, Dollar scored 39/100, with a 2/5 for customer service, 3/5 for value, and 4/5 for car condition. Given that Dollar and Thrifty are "siblings" (this is stated on Thrifty's website, and both refer to corporate Hertz policies), their similar rankings probably make sense.

Although Consumer Reports reached out to Dollar Car Rental to ask about its ratings, the publication noted that Dollar Car Rental (or, rather, Hertz Corporation) did not "directly answer" the questions posed. While there might seem to be some perks with Dollar Car Rental (rent at age 20 and reserve without a credit card), the overall rating of 39/100 suggests there are better options on the market.

Though Dollar Car Rental notes that it accepts younger drivers, it apparently applies an underage driver fee, and reserving (and paying) with a debit card involves some additional hoops to jump through. For example, if you use a debit card to reserve and pay for your rental car, you also have to show a return ticket if you're picking up at an airport, plus offer up an additional form of ID beyond a Driver's License, like a passport or non-government ID with a photo. With those restrictions in place, it's not entirely surprising that Dollar earned low marks in almost every category.

Overall, Budget Car Rental ranked poorly in Consumer Reports' review, suggesting it doesn't offer great service or value. Its poorest ranking was the pickup, which earned a 2/5, and customer service and value both earned 3s. Vehicle condition earned a 4, but that wasn't enough to bump Budget out of the lower tier; it earned a 46/100.

Like many of the other car rental companies Consumer Reports ranked, Budget Car Rental has a sibling in the industry. Unsurprisingly, Budget Car Rental and Avis Car Rental earned similar ratings, though Avis' scores were slightly higher.

Budget Car Rental has a similar structure to its competitors, with underage renter surcharges for people under age 21. The rental requirements page also specifies that you're not able to read your Rental Agreement in advance; only a "master" version is available. Read the fine print carefully when picking up. Of course, that could be part of the issue that resulted in Consumer Reports' ranking of 2/5 for the pickup portion of the rental experience.

As for Budget Car Rental's claims that it offers the "best rates guaranteed," given that other car rental companies ranked lower for cost, there might be some fine print to decipher there, too. Not only that, but the price matching only applies to Budget's rates as quoted by other vendors. That means you can't get a lower quote from a Budget competitor, and get Budget to match it.

Budget Car Rental's sibling vendor, Avis Car Rental has earned a few more accolades, but not many. Avis' overall ranking is 54/100, with 3s in customer service, value, and picking up, with a 4 for condition. That said, Avis is kind of the turning point on Consumer Reports' list, with all five of the metrics earning at least a 3 from here on out.

Avis also offers a similar rate guarantee to Budget's model, but again, it's only a rate comparison tool for Avis rates, and no other vendors'. One possible perk is that Avis (as well as Hertz and Enterprise) has electric vehicles you can rent, if that's important to you. However, consumers weren't thrilled with Avis' services, despite the vehicle itself earning the highest number of points in the whole ranking.

Avis does have some perks, though, like Avis Elite for United Airlines MileagePlus Premier members. In fact, Avis has an airline points partner program, plus a hotel points partner program, so if you travel a lot, you can earn more perks with Avis than some of its competitors. Avis' own point program lets you earn rewards, like rentals and accessories, and you can jump the line in most locations when picking up.

While Avis' motto of "We try harder" doesn't necessarily reflect in its ranking, it's not the absolute worst rental company. Plus, if you travel often, the combination of Avis points and travel partner programs could be handy.

Rental car company Sixt earned average rankings across the board, with 3/5 for both picking up and value categories, but 4/5 for customer service and condition. Sixt's overall score is 59/100, which doesn't sound like much, but it's far better than other budget competitors.

In Consumer Reports' recap of its findings, Sixt wasn't mentioned much, although it may be noteworthy that Sixt ranked just below Hertz, but above Hertz's subsidiaries, Thrifty and Dollar Rental. With everything ranked at just about middling, what's the good and bad with Sixt? Consumer Reports didn't mention Sixt rates specifically, but it didn't have the lowest rates overall.

However, Sixt's rewards program could help get you some money back. In addition to discounts earned with each car rental, Sixt offers "bonus points" through partner programs, similar to Avis. Sixt also offers a "car subscription" program, something not seen with lower-ranking rental companies, but it appears to function much like a traditional lease; prices start around $769/month.

The highlights with Sixt are reflected in its subscription program; the vehicles are luxury level and higher, and Sixt also states that its standard rentals are, on average, about 3 months old. The subscription program limits miles, but Sixt does have an unlimited miles rental option, too. If you're willing to put up with a potentially subpar pickup experience and middling value, Sixt could work out.

Hertz Car Rental earned above-average marks with Consumer Reports, though its subsidiaries Dollar Rent a Car and Thrifty Car Rental were ranked far lower. Hertz earned a 63/100, with threes in customer service and value and fours in condition and picking up, which is on the higher end of Consumer Reports' rankings.

Some perks with Hertz are its apparently better-than-average pickup experience and value perception, and it might be one of the better-known companies, too. In fact, Hertz made up about 10% of the brand share in the U.S. car rental market as of 2022, which puts it in second behind Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Neither of Hertz's subsidiaries made the board, though Statista just uses a catchall "others" to represent the remaining 50% of the rental car market share.

Hertz has some other things going for it, too, like a loyalty program and increased status based on points earned with certain credit cards. Hertz's partner programs also involve hotels, airlines, and other travel and service industries. With the in-house rewards at Hertz, you can go straight to your rental (skipping the counter) and earn points, get add-ons for free, and more.

Like other car rental companies, Hertz has a best rate guarantee, but as you may have guessed, it's only a self-competitive program. That said, Hertz's ratings aren't the worst, and it's reasonable to assume its rates also are not the worst, though Consumer Reports didn't specifically cover costs.

Alamo, Enterprise, and National are "corporate siblings," according to Consumer Reports, so it makes sense that all three are together at the tippy-top of the rankings. Alamo earned a 72/100 overall, and its highest ranking was for the vehicle condition (5/5), with fours for customer service and picking up, and a three for value. While a 72 might be a C-average in another setting, in Consumer Reports' ranking it's not bad at all.

Given that Consumer Reports' surveyed drivers said that vehicle condition was a plus, it seems like Alamo might have a reliable fleet at its disposal. Although Alamo Car Rental doesn't post its fees and surcharges up-front (and what car rental agency truly does?), the company does break down the extras that you have to pay for, and those that are optional.

Alamo charges the same underage driver "youthful surcharge" as other companies, but given that it's common, it's hard to fault the company for that. There's also a rewards program, where you can save on reservations, plus airline and hotel partners that can help you save even more. Alamo partners with Enterprise for used car sales, too, and it claims that part of the operation earns 4.7/5 customer service stars.

Again, Consumer Reports didn't break down rates from Alamo Car Rental, so it's unclear how the company stacks up against other competitors. However, it did not beat out the best-ranked and cheapest rental company.

With fours across the board in the customer service, value, condition, and picking up categories, Enterprise Rent-a-Car is one of the best-rated car rental companies according to Consumer Reports. Enterprise earned a 75/100, and its four rankings aren't surprising given that Enterprise does rather well market share-wise.

Enterprise makes up 11% of the car rental market as of 2024, which means it holds an even bigger share than the top-rated rental company. National Car Rental only makes up 2% of the rental market, but more on its highlights next.

I've had positive experiences with Enterprise Rent-a-Car, so I'm not surprised that it earned decent marks, though I didn't stick with it long enough to take advantage of the point-earning program. The Enterprise Plus Program is said to offer over 20 ways to earn bonus points, and the points never expire as long as you remain a member and rent at least once every three years.

Newer vehicles (between one and three years old) and car subscriptions (similar to Sixt's concept) might appeal to those drivers wanting a more exciting rental experience – you can even swap vehicles up to four times per month.

While the parent company of Alamo, Enterprise, and National seems to know what it's doing when it comes to customer service, value, vehicle quality, and the pickup experience, only one of the big three earned a score over 80.

National Car Rental earned the highest marks from Consumer Reports, with a satisfaction score of 93/100. National was the only company to earn a 5/5 in customer service as well as a 5/5 on the pickup experience. National also earned a 5/5 for the vehicle condition, plus a 4/5 for value.

National customers paid less than drivers with other companies, according to Consumer Reports' findings, with an average cost of $73 per day. National was, by far, the best for price transparency, and it offers loyalty program perks like skipping the line when picking up your rental. The Emerald Club also offers free rental credits and free upgrades to midsize or larger cars. You can even become an Executive-level member after 12 paid rentals.

As far as restrictions, National does require customers to be 21 years old to rent (unless you're in Michigan or New York), and a credit card is required. Car rental companies can check your driving record, but National only says it could refuse a temporary driver's license if it can't verify your identity or the document's authenticity. Yet National states it may also charge a "Youthful Surcharge," which could apply to drivers between 21 and 24.

The fact that National includes all this information on its FAQ pages seems to showcase the transparency Consumer Reports praised. That, combined with the lowest average rates, suggests National is truly the best deal.