Not Hertz, Not National – This Is JD Power's Top-Rated Car Rental Company

Renting a car can be stressful — there's a long list of things to do before driving to avoid hidden fees, you might be renting a car model that you've never driven before, and you might be in an unfamiliar city. Finding a rental company that makes the renting and returning process as painless as possible should therefore be high on anyone's list of priorities. Local rental companies can sometimes be a good option, but if you're looking for a major national or international chain, there are a few big names that you'll inevitably end up picking from.

Some of those big chains provide more consistently good service than others. According to JD Power, the chain with the best customer satisfaction overall is Enterprise. The company scored 734 points in the outlet's 2025 survey, just ahead of National with 721 points. Joint third place in the rankings went to Sixt and Advantage Rent A Car, both of which scored 711 points.

The study quizzed customers about all key parts of the rental process, including the reservation of their car, pickup, returns, and how they felt about any additional fees they were charged. While the above companies scored well in those key metrics, some rivals fared much more poorly. At the bottom of JD Power's rankings were Payless, Fox Rent A Car, and Dollar. Other major names like Budget, Avis, and Thrifty all also ranked below the industry average in the study.

In a similarly comprehensive ranking of car rental companies, the folks at Consumer Reports reported similar findings to the JD Power study. National and Enterprise were ranked at the top of the table, while Thrifty and Fox Rent A Car scored much lower.

JD Power's rankings have also remained relatively consistent over the years: in its 2024 customer satisfaction rankings, National and Enterprise were once again the top-ranking companies, followed by Sixt in third place. All three companies should be a safe bet based on the latest customer satisfaction data, no matter whether you're heading out on vacation, traveling to see friends and family, or simply needing a ride to get to work while your own car is out of action.

While renting a car from a top-rated company is always advisable, buying an ex-rental car has a longer list of pros and cons. If you're shopping for a used car, ex-rental cars can look attractive thanks to their low prices and maintenance history, but it's worth keeping in mind that plenty of rental drivers aren't very careful with their cars. Even the best-rated car rental company might still attract inexperienced or careless drivers, and so it's safe to assume that wear and tear will be higher than a non-rental car of a similar age.