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Travel + Leisure
20 hours ago
- Automotive
- Travel + Leisure
Travel + Leisure Readers' 5 Favorite Car Rental Companies of 2025
Securing a rental car is often one of the final steps in planning a trip—but it can have a lasting impact on the travel experience. A smooth pickup, a dependable vehicle, and clear, upfront pricing can make the difference between a stress-free journey and a vacation gone sideways. That's why feedback from fellow travelers is invaluable when choosing a rental car company. In Travel + Leisure 's 2025 World's Best Awards survey, readers shared the rental car companies they return to time and again—those that consistently deliver on service, reliability, transparency, and value, no matter the destination. Every year for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe—to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Nearly 180,000 T+L readers completed the 2025 survey. A total of more than 657,000 votes were cast across over 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.). Car-rental companies were specifically rated on the criteria below: Vehicle selection Vehicle availability Car-rental location Service Value For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses. Of the top five rental car companies, three are headquartered in the United States—including the No. 1 pick. There were two European car rental companies in the ranking: Europcar (No. 5), a French company that started in Paris in 1949, and Sixt (No. 2), which was started in Germany and is headquartered near Munich (but has a North American headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida). One reader called Sixt a 'bright spot in the industry,' while another called the company their 'favorite rental agency. Customer service is the best in the business, their fleet is new, and car selection is far superior.' The top four car rental companies in 2025 were also the top four in 2024. Europcar was the only new arrival on the list, replacing Hertz. National Car Rental A customer at a National car rental location. National Car Rental was rated the No. 1 car rental company by T+L readers, a designation the company must be used to by now—they were rated No. 1 in the survey in 2024 as well as in 2023. Readers had a lot to say about National Car Rental's Emerald Club, which offers benefits like choosing your own car from the 'Emerald Aisle' (and not paying an upgrade fee) and free rental days. 'The Emerald Club selection of any car within a category is still a game changer … outstanding!' said one reader, while another added that National is 'hands-down my favorite rental car agency. Their Emerald Club has a ton of perks. Great vehicle selection. Typically always brand-new vehicles. Pricing is excellent.' National, which is headquartered in St. Louis, has more than 1,500 rental locations around the world, including 300-plus in the United States. 1. National Car Rental WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Reader Score: 86.75 2. Sixt Reader Score: 79.84 3. Enterprise Rent-A-Car WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Reader Score: 79.39 4. Alamo WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Reader Score: 77.11 5. Europcar Reader Score: 77.07
Auto Blog
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Hertz's New AI Damage Scan Could Mean Surprise Fees for Renters
AI is scanning your rental car — and maybe your wallet Hertz is rolling out artificial intelligence-powered vehicle scanners at airport locations across the U.S., promising faster, more accurate damage inspections. But for some customers, the high-tech upgrade could come with an unexpected price tag. The new inspection system, developed in partnership with Israeli tech firm UVeye, uses advanced cameras and machine learning to automatically scan cars for damage before and after a rental. It's already in place at the Atlanta airport and is expected to reach 100 Hertz locations by the end of 2025. Hertz claims the move is about transparency, efficiency, and accuracy, but a report from The Drive raises concerns that the system may also lead to costly and hard-to-contest damage charges, especially for minor scrapes. One-inch scrape, $440 bill According to The Drive, a reader renting through Hertz's Thrifty brand returned a vehicle at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Minutes later, he received a digital damage report flagging a one-inch scuff on a wheel. UVeye scanner — Source: UVeye Then came the charges: $250 for the repair, $125 for processing, and $65 in administrative fees — a total of $440. Hertz offered discounts if the customer paid quickly, but when he tried to dispute the claim, he ran into another problem: the company's automated system wouldn't connect him with a human representative. The chatbot only logged the case for review, which could take up to 10 days, well after the payment deadline. The customer could have called Thrifty's hotline, but he says that option wasn't clearly presented. Is AI making things fairer, or just more expensive? Hertz defends the scanners as a step forward. A spokesperson said most rentals are incident-free, but when damage does occur, 'our goal is to enhance the rental experience by bringing greater transparency, precision, and speed to the process.' Teslas in front of a Hertz — Source: Hertz Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. The company argues that the digital inspections reduce disputes by offering clear documentation and that it's fairer to charge customers responsible for damage directly, rather than increasing prices for everyone. However, it's unclear whether a human inspector would have found the same wheel scuff or levied the same repair and administrative fees. The rapid turnaround and automated communications raise concerns about renters' ability to understand or challenge the charges. Final thoughts The use of AI for car inspections isn't inherently bad. If implemented with care, it could reduce human error and eliminate subjective judgments. But for now, it appears that Hertz's rollout may leave some customers feeling blindsided. What's more, without a straightforward way to reach a real person to contest a claim, renters are left navigating chatbots and delays while the clock ticks down on payment discounts. For travelers, the lesson is clear: document everything. Take photos and videos before and after your rental, especially if you're renting from a location with these new scanners. With AI watching every angle, even a tiny scratch could turn into a big bill. About the Author Elijah Nicholson-Messmer View Profile
The Sun
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Our rental car burst into FLAMES while we were sat in traffic – we escaped by the skin of our teeth
A COUPLE whose hire car unexpectedly caught fire within minutes while on holiday now want answers from the rental company - who they claim appeared "completely unbothered" by the frightening ordeal. Jenna Willcox, 41, and her partner, Matt Jackson, 39, were driving near Killorglin, a small town in County Kerry, Ireland, when their rented Peugeot 3008 began to emit white smoke and a terrible smell. 4 4 4 Sensing a major issue, they quickly got out of the car and pulled most of their belongings out with them, including their suitcases. Moments later, the car was completely engulfed in flames, leaving them stunned. 'It literally happened within minutes, we were sitting in traffic outside this little town and smoke started coming out of the bonnet,' said Jenna, speaking exclusively to Sun Motors. 'It was pouring out, it was the worst thing I've ever smelt. I don't know what was on fire, but it smelled like hell.' The couple ran up the road to a nearby petrol station, watching in shock as the car they'd been sitting in was reduced to a burnt-out husk. 'I keep thinking, if the lock hadn't worked or if we hadn't been able to get away in time. 'Luckily, people around us were able to drive away - but what if we'd been inside a tunnel or stuck in traffic?' After the ordeal, the couple managed to get a bus back to their accommodation, expecting Enterprise, the company they'd hired the car from, to provide assistance - perhaps with an offer of compensation or a replacement car. But Jenna says their response was slow and disorganised, with the company completely unprepared to manage the situation. She claims they were passed around and transferred to a vehicle recovery company, despite there being "nothing to recover." Cars & 30-tonne HGV collide in high-speed pile-up – but is all as it seems 'We literally spent the whole of the next day on the phone to Enterprise to get them to send us another vehicle - we thought the least they could do was send us another vehicle.' After speaking to Jenna, Sun Motors reached out to Enterprise. A spokesperson for the company said: 'At Enterprise we aim to always deliver high-quality customer service. 'If incidents occur, we maintain consistent communication with the customer during and post-incident to provide ongoing support and keep them informed of progress. 'We believe that our actions in this case followed all necessary steps to resolve the situation.' However, Jenna and Matt vehemently disagree with Enterprise's assessment. They claim that instead of offering immediate assistance, Enterprise told them they needed to return to the nearest outlet - some 100 miles away - despite the fact they no longer had a means of transport. How to deal with a vehicle fire If your car catches fire or emits smoke while driving, stop safely, evacuate all passengers and call emergency services. Leave the vehicle quickly, as electrical systems might fail. Use an extinguisher on small external fires only if safe, but don't put yourself at risk. Avoid opening the bonnet as it could worsen the fire, move away from traffic lanes, stand behind barriers if possible and keep a safe distance due to risks like toxic fumes, tyre explosions, or flying parts. Inform emergency services about the vehicle type and any flammable cargo, especially if it's an electric vehicle, as these require special handling. Most of all, prioritise your safety over saving the car. It was only after failing to find a taxi and making several further phone calls, they claim, that an employee eventually drove a replacement car to them. Enterprise disputes this claim, saying that it promptly offered transport to the customers. "It seemed like they had absolutely no contingency plan in place,' added Jenna. 'Even if the car had broken down, you would think they'd have some sort of plan to bring us one. 'The whole thing with Enterprise, the whole way through, they were really bad at communication. 'They didn't apologise or ask us how we were - they didn't seem to care about any of that.' Jenna and Matt continued to chase a response from Enterprise after the incident happened in September. 'Eventually, they got to the stage where they're like, 'Okay, we need to do an investigation into what happened.' 'But it was all from that perspective; what they were interested in was, was it our fault?' Jenna says they never explained or shared any details about the evidence they had - pointing out it was impossible to figure out what caused the fire since the car was completely destroyed. 'At this point, we were terrified, like, what if they think it's our fault? They could prosecute us or take us to court. There was no explanation or communication on what the consequences might be.' Eventually, Enterprise concluded their investigation, finding that Jenna and Matt were not at fault. However, much to the couple's frustration, that was the end of the matter. When they contacted the Ombudsman group European Car Rental Conciliation Service (ECRCS), they said they were told by Enterprise that there was a complex investigation ongoing involving many departments. When the couple asked Enterprise about this directly, they claimed the company did not respond - which meant ECRCS said they were unable to act. Eight months later, Zurich, Enterprise's insurance company, finally offered them £600 in compensation, later increasing it to £900. However, this failed to account for the ruined holiday, emotional distress and time spent resolving the issue. 'Sometimes when I drive home from work, it does go through my mind. 'You'll sometimes get a weird smell, and you don't know if it's your car or someone else's car, and it does go through my mind - what if it happens again? 'Before this fire, I would have just been like, 'Don't be ridiculous, a car can't just catch on fire.' But now I know that it does happen for no reason. That does go through my mind, which is pretty horrible.'
Motor 1
15-06-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
'Hertz Would Never:' Man Gets Pulled Over In a Rental. Then He Reaches For the Enterprise Car's Registration
This man was pulled over by police while driving. But he says it's clearly Enterprise's fault. When you rent a car, you know to inspect the vehicle beforehand for any scratches or damage that you don't want to end up getting blamed (or forced to pay) for. But it wouldn't cross your mind to think twice about the car's paperwork, like whether the inspection is up to date, the car is properly registered, or if it's recently been reported stolen. These rental places are legit businesses after all, and you'd expect everything to be above board. Right? This customer found out the hard way that some rental car companies aren't as responsible as you'd expect them to be, and people jumped in the comment section to back him up. What Happened With Enterprise Rent-A-Car? In a viral video with more than 780,000 views and hundreds of comments, content creator Staś (@staseatsstuff) shared the terrible experience he had with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Enterprise is one of the largest car rental companies in the world, with more than 9,500 branch offices in nearly 100 countries, according to its website . You can rent anything from a practical SUV to a luxury vehicle for just a weekend or up to a long-term rental. Despite its general reputation for good service, some customers have reported issues like overbooking, lack of vehicle availability, unnecessary upselling, and bad communication. And Staś is here to add another glaring issue to the list. 'What rental place gives you a car with a registration expired?' Staś said. In the background, you could see that there was a cop car pulled up behind him. 'Hertz would NEVER,' he added in the caption. Though commenters assured him that Hertz would do him just as dirty or worse. Can You Auto-Renew Vehicle Registration? Some commenters mentioned that it may be the case that the registration had automatically renewed, but that the car just didn't have the updated sticker on it. Most states make it easy for you to renew your car registration online, by mail, or in person. However, automatic renewal is only offered in some states. Some places require supplementary information, like an inspection or smog test, before re-registering, which makes auto-renewal unfeasible. Check your state's Department of Motor Vehicles website or give them a call to confirm your options. This Happened to Another Person—It Temporarily Ruined Her Life In 2022, a Baltimore woman was given a ticket for driving an Enterprise rental car with expired tags, the Baltimore ABC station WMAR 2 News reported . While the manager at Enterprise assured her that the issue would be taken care of, a couple of months later, she got mail letting her know her license would be suspended if the ticket went unpaid. Corporate then said they'd take care of it, yet a few months later, the woman was pulled over and informed that her license was suspended over the ticket. 'I apparently got a court date that I didn't get in the mail, so I had missed that and got a failure to appear and got a warrant,' she told the television station. Between a lawyer, fees, and court costs, the Enterprise issue ended up costing Bell $3,000 and more than a year of headaches. Commenters React to the Enterprise Headache Several people in the comment section shared their own similar horror stories. 'Enterprise gave me a car they reported stolen the previous day and I was pulled over at gun point. Still suing,' a person shared. 'Enterprise is also known to scam people by claiming damages when there is none,' another alleged. There have been disputed claims of this nature in the past. 'Yep they did the same thing to me! Half way to our vacation, and stopped for gas and noticed it. Called the local office and they said they would take care of the ticket if we got one!' a commenter wrote. It's unclear what came of this creator's experience. Motor1 reached out to Staś for comment via email and Instagram direct message and to Enterprise via email. We'll update this article if either party responds. Now Trending 'Can't Unsee It:' Why Are Drivers Flipping Their Ford Logos Around? 'Watched Too Much Fast & Furious:' MK4 Toyota Supra Evades Police on Highway. Then a Trooper Conducts 'Insane' PIT Maneuver Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
JONATHAN BROCKLEBANK: A labyrinth of misery with QR codes, apps and sign-ins. Why I WON'T be joining the electric car revolution!
One weekend in February I booked a hire car for my May sojourn in Mallorca, paid my euros and thought no more about it for three months. I didn't think about it when I printed off my rental documents hours before my departure from Glasgow Airport two weeks ago. I didn't even think about it on the minibus between Palma Airport and the depot where you pick up your wheels. I thought about it only when the woman behind the desk informed me the car I was about to drive away was charged to 60 per cent and that I must return it with a similar charge or else incur financial pain. 'Charged to 60 per cent?' I repeated. 'Wait a second. Is this an electric car?' 'Sí señor, it say on your document – 'fully electric'.' Gosh, so it did. I admitted I had never driven one of these before, far less charged one. 'You have a phone, señor? Just like charging your phone.' Well, if nothing else, I thought, it would be learning experience. Who knows, five years from now I might own one of these babies. The Scottish Government would certainly think me a good boy if I did. So let this holiday be my electric car induction. It was easy to locate my ride in the car park. It was the one that looked like a spaceship. I got in and looked for the ignition. There wasn't one. I felt for the gearstick. Gone. Let's at least release the handbrake. Vanished. I stared at an alien array of buttons and protrusions around the steering wheel and at the touchscreen monitor behind it, spilling with unfathomable data and taking up almost half the width of the car. They might as well have rented me a helicopter. Right, soldier. First things first. Let's figure out how to make it go, get where we're going safely and worry about the rest later. A 60 per cent charge should be ample for a few days. Bags of time for a smart guy like you to crack electric motoring. And how hard could it be? There's a global push to get us into these things. It's not like the industry would set out to confound us with intractable challenges which might serve only to rekindle our passion for the petrol pump. Forty miles later, at my lodgings in San Telmo, the charge was down to 48 per cent. But no brooding on that today. You're here safely. You made the electric car go and you didn't crash into anything. Relax now. You're on holiday. I brooded. A fifth of my charge gone and I'd only just arrived. I needed to know I could plug this thing in – you know, like you do with a phone – before any balcony G&Ts could happen. Electric cars are terribly clever in their way. They know where all the public charging points are, and you can ask the satnav to take you to them. My car told me that the village of San Telmo was a charging desert. But here was one in Port Andratx, a 15-minute drive away. I set off and eventually found it. It was for customers of an upmarket sailing club. It bore the brand name Porsche. A Porsche was plugged into it. It was the wrong kind of charger anyway. You may recall decades ago there were two kinds of videotape: VHS and Betamax. It was chaos – a format war between technology competitors which offered the customer nothing but confusion and inconvenience. Lessons, you would think, have been learned. Nobody intent on saving the planet would be crazy enough to introduce rival electric vehicle charging formats which render half of them a non-starter for all users. Yup, you would think. My charge was down to 44 per cent. Chin up, here's another charging point ten minutes away in Camp De Mar. I drove there and never found it. Empty pavement where salvation should have been. I glanced at the dashboard: 42 per cent. On, then, to Peguera where another charger was showing on the satnav. There were, in fact, two – one the wrong format and one the right one. I hauled the charging cable out of the boot and studied the digital display on the charging point, which was blank. I tapped my bank card against what looked like a sensor and the screen sprang into life. 'Access denied,' it said. I scanned the QR code on the sticker attached to the machine. It took me to a website which sold cars. I Googled the company name on the charging point and downloaded its app. I logged in as a new customer. It asked me for my ID number. What ID number? I gave up, put the cable back in the boot and decided to head back to San Telmo for that G&T. The car wouldn't start. A computer screen nearly a yard long and nothing on it telling me why. It relented after half an hour and I returned to base uncharacteristically careworn for day one in Mallorca. Down, now, to 35 per cent. The evening was spent in research mode. Tomorrow was a new day. I'd be fresh, alert, informed and would rise to the challenge. Just wait and see, by lunchtime I'd be fully juiced and seeing the funny side of today. By lunchtime I was parked at yet another uncooperative charging point in yet another Mallorcan town, practically sobbing down the phone to the rental company. 'I'm at 25 per cent! I'm wasting all my charge driving around the island looking for charging points. Soon I won't have enough charge to get me back to Palma. 'Look, I'm begging you now, give me a petrol car…' QR codes, apps, impenetrable sign-ins, vehicle ID codes, personal ID codes, plug compatibility… I was done in. Do you know, there are places called petrol stations where you swing by, fill up, pay at the kiosk and drive off, no questions asked? Would it have taken a genius to make electric car charging a bit like that? Downside If customers must live with the downside of having to leave their car charging for hours – as opposed to the minute it takes to refuel – might there at least be an upside in user friendliness? Clear instructions on every charger for newcomers to the electric revolution, perhaps? A scanner that accepts all major debit and credit cards? Nope. You're on your own, kid. Now save the planet. On returning to Scotland I've sought out several charging points to see whether they offer the new user any more hope of success than the Spanish ones. They don't. 'Scan this QR code'; 'Download this app'. Enter our maddening labyrinth of misery. The car hire firm sorted me out on day three. I sucked up the financial pain that flowed from returning it with a 13 per cent charge. Its petrol replacement was a beauty. Twin exhaust. 'Vrrrooooomm,' said the accelerator. Driving back to San Telmo, I turned the music up. I put my shades on. I passed filling stations I could do business with. On, then, with the holiday.
