Hertz. Avis. National. These are the three best car rental companies on wheels – at least according to a consensus of customer surveys and my own customer interviews. I thought I’d get that out of the way first, because it’s the easiest (and easily the most important part) of this column.
Where should you rent your next car from? Hertz, Avis and National. In that order.
Says who? Well, says the most recent Plog Research American Traveler Survey. Says Travel + Leisure magazine’s readers’ poll. And says the latest survey from our good friends at J.D. Power & Associates. These choices were bolstered by your comments, which I weighed heavily against the findings of the statisticians.
Among the reasons you cited:
Good service. That’s why Dave Harley, a construction company vice president in Stone Mountain, Ga., prefers Hertz. “I always get a premium car when I reserve a full-size four-door car,” says Harley, a frequent traveler. “Several locations I rent from always provide a low-mileage Avalon, Volvo or sometimes a Jaguar. You can’t beat the personal service.”
New fleet. Veronica St. Claire, who runs a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles, likes the fact that Avis’ cars are new – and clean. “They also offer good rates, and they’re nice people,” she adds. “As my very quotable mother would say, they are very obliging. Nothing is too much trouble.”
Lots of choices. William Muckelroy, a Dallas business traveler, leans toward National because it lets him pick the car he wants without over-billing him. “I get a preferred rate for a midsized car, but am able to choose any car on the lot,” he says. “It’s nice to be able to pick a different car or the same car every time you need a rental.”
Between the top vote-getters and the bottom-scrapers (I’ll get to those in a second; if you’ve made it this far, it’s probably the real reason you’re reading this column), there’s a middle-class of car rental companies that is neither bad nor good. They’ve got their fans, but they also have their critics. In an industry where revenues slid from $19.4 billion in 2000 to $17.9 billion in 2002, most rental experiences – really, a vast majority – will probably be just so-so.
Three to steer clear from
Dollar. Payless. Enterprise.
Again, I base the list on their placement (or lack thereof) in the surveys, plus feedback from travelers. Why?
Bad service. Los Angeles consultant Mark Stanley is turned off to Dollar because of what he considers the hassles and inconveniences of renting from them. Often, he is sent to an off-airport location to rent a vehicle, and the rates aren’t always competitive, he says. As a business-travel columnist for this site and as National Geographic Traveler’s ombudsman, I’ve also received an unusual number of complaints regarding Dollar, ranging from problems with inexperienced rental agents to being overcharged for insurance. Too many to ignore.
Old fleet. Rental car companies are keeping their vehicles longer as a way of saving money, which means you’re likelier to get a high-mileage car. That’s what David Yeutter found when he rented an Enterprise car at Washington, D.C.’s Dulles International Airport recently. “Filthiest cars on earth,” he complains. “I asked them to dry the car after they just ran it thought their car wash. They laughed and said that driving it off of the lot would take care of the water – and indeed, it did. And it also left water spots all over the windows and mirrors to the point that they were distracting. The car broke down two days later.”
Nickel-and-diming. In order to make an extra buck or two, the worst of the car rental companies are jacking up their fees when you least expect it. Consider Matt Turner’s recent rental experience with Payless. When he arrived at the rental counter in Las Vegas two hours late, the South Charleston, W.Va., tourism official was told his rate would now be $48 a day instead of $113 a week – even though the holdup was caused by a canceled flight. Tough luck, said the manager, who told Turner he should have asked a flight attendant to “call and tell us from the airplane.”
Michael J. Harley, Payless president and chief operating officer, disputes the contention that raising Turner’s price constitutes “nickel-and-diming.” He notes that “hold” policies such as the one Turner encountered are common in the industry. “We do our best, just like the other companies, to be friendly and provide clean, safe vehicles,” Harley says.
Price and location matter, too
Since a majority of car rental locations are owned by franchisees, you’ll find a lot of exceptions to these lists. (Indeed, after this article first appeared, some of you e-mailed me with your own stories about clean, new vehicles from Enterprise, reasonably priced autos from Payless, and excellent service rendered by Dollar.)
As a frequent traveler and car renter, I can think of a few exceptions myself. I would rent from Dollar in Albuquerque, N.M., in a heartbeat, for example. While on assignment there a year ago, I had what was probably the best car-rental experience in recent memory. The rental agent upgraded me at no additional charge and offered me a brand-new car (no, I didn’t tell her who I was).
And I’d probably skip the Hertz counter in Hartford, Conn., where I was hassled about a drop-off charge I didn’t owe, even though they did know who I was.
And then there’s price. The award-winning, full-service car rental companies are almost always more expensive than the rest. So it’s possible that you could spend more without really getting much more.
In order to ensure the best possible rental experience, I would consider a company’s national ranking against a variety of other factors. The franchise’s individual reputation, your elite status (yes, you get preferred treatment if you belong to programs such as Fastlane or #1 Club Gold) and, of course, price, matter too.
The top three and bottom three car rental companies I’ve listed in this column shouldn’t be the deciding factor in your rental decision. Consider them a signpost in making your car-rental purchasing decision.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
i had an excellant experience with a breakdown in the hinterlands in germany, on a fri night.
no one spoke english, everything was closed.
we did’nt know how to make a phone call.
avis came through with a replacement, and was cheerful,and appologetic, after a friendly floozy prostitute understood our problem, pointed out her hotel of choice,( and phone) and shared her pizza with us.
Several years ago I rented a full-size car from Dollar in Albuquerque. Contrary to your experience, I received a filthy car with cigarette burns in the upholstery. The car also had only a 4 cylinder engine which hindered its acceleration in the NM mountains. To add insult to injury, I subsequently discovered that the same car Dollar calls full-sized was a cheaper category at Hertz. Now I use Hertz.
January 27, 2007
I reserved a car from an Expedia preferred vendor, Payless. I am convinced that at the Orlando location, they operation unethically. The clerk pressured my husband for several minutes to upgrade his Economy rental. When all was said and done, my husband refused all offers and was then handed keys to a Nissan Titan…they didn’t have our car and rather than complying with their contract, tried to rip him off. Clearly switch and bait.
I rented from enterprise in chicago area, the next day i had a flat on a major highway and called the roadside assistance number. I was informed that it would be 61.00 to have someone come and change the tire. I am female and it was 19 degrees outside, I’ve changed a tire only once in my life. a passerby finally stop and helped me. Thank you Phillip. Thanks for nothing enterprise. and now liable for the useless tire too.
Dollar Rent a Car
49 Mall Dr W
Jersey City, NJ 07310-1605
This is a franchise location and not owned by the “Dollar Corporate”. The Owner/Manger – FRANK is a loser and a old rogue. I had a terrible experience renting car from them. I had to call roadside assitance and they have no clue about the rental agreement as the two systems- Corporate V Franchise are not in sync. To add to this the regular customer service has no clue to tracking system on the issue or say to the Franchise locations as they are independent . They are just terrible!
I spoke to seven different Customer Service Reps in their Customer Servcie Center in Ohio- Sherry, Keenan, Vincent, Ebony…. They just don’t want to see both sides of the issue and even my USPS certified mail request was lost in their system.
Stick with bigger nationwide brands as they have a better dispute resolution system.
If flying into Ft Lauderdale I don’t suggest you simply do a web search for the rate. I used http://www.carrental8.com and it was a great rate but .despite the fact they took my DL and my credit card information up front, I never recieved any kind of confimation email or voucher. The number to make contact is an international number! I now have to worry about whether some foreign person is having a field day with my credit cad.
I had also recieve a quote from A Rental Car company in Ft. Lauderdale. I confimed that reservation the night before. The lot is actually located 6 1/2 miles or a $25 taxi ride from the airport. Their “complimentary shuttle” is very limited as I have been at the airport since 7:00 AM and they may be able to pick me up at 9:30 am or so. I see that for my Sunday drop off they will only have shuttle service until 1:30 pm. Since my flight doesn’t leave until 7:30. I get to pay the $25 taxi fare. I wish I would have stuck with a well known company!
I had the worst roadside experience with NATIONAL Car rental in New Jersey. Flat tire in the morning; called and arranged for roadside by 3pm.
At 2:18 National Called to confirm roadside was on its way.
At 3:30 I called to find out where they were…running 15 minutes late!
At 4:30 I called to find out what happened with 15 minutes late?
At 6:30 a National Roadside agent told me that maybe they tried to come and I was not there!
At 7PM a Leo at the New Jersey National Car rental site said he was going to fix it for me and that someone would come at 9PM!
9PM was the best National could do (said they could not call any service to change the tire only ones who worked with National).
Not sure I ever want to have this lovely experience again.
Thought others should know how National Treats their Customers.
Enterprise: Simply the Worst
Dear Prospective Car Renter,
To put it simply, Enteprise is just, well the worst. A little anecdote – once upon a holiday season I reserved a Ford Focus. After waiting an hour and tolerating many sup par attempts at customer pacification, I was shoved with a Dodge Caliber. Now, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the vehicle, a Dodge CaIiber, it is nowhere near the beauty that is a Focus; I felt like I was driving some sort of bottom heavy bug. But I had my tail between my legs – It was Christmas Eve Eve! So, I take the Dodge. It breaks down. The gears won’t shift out of park. I call Enterprise – forty five minutes on hold and they tell me that I am responsible for getting to the airport, an additional thirty minutes away, to get a new car. Oh yeah, and I’ve gotta get the Dodge towed, which, is impossible to do. I’ve been trying to for the past three hours. If I don’t get it towed – I’m responsible. If I do get it towed and there are any damages (which there will be) – I’m responsible.
There is no rhyme or reason for the agony Enterprise puts its customers through. It is simply some form of sick attempt at taking advantage of the vulnerable car renters. I have yet to encounter anyone of remote intelligence or compassion that comes from Enterprise, nor do I expect to. And, if ever I were to meet an Enterprise employee at a recreational event, say a party or a bar, I would treat them as I would a terrible ex- lover, or an ex – employee who’d defecated in the faculty lounge.
Does anyone know which of the 3 has the best reward program for frequent renters?
It cost $50 to join Emerald Club the rest are upgraded by renal frequency.
Currently I use National these are the point:
Membership Level Credits needed for one rental day
Emerald Club 7
Emerald Club Executive 6
Emerald Club Executive Elite 5
And the points expire so since I did not use my 2008 they were all lost on 12/31/2009 Not too good a deal.