The best car rental companies

Enterprise Rent-A-Car is a trusted name that performs impressively well across all categories, including customer satisfaction, online booking, and price. According to the 2019 survey by trusted market research company JD Power, Enterprise scored highly for their website and app (placing second and third respectively), as well as placing second for overall customer satisfaction, with 855 points out of a possible 1,000 possible points and just one point behind leaders Hertz.

Typical quote: One-week rental comes in at $469 including taxes and fees.

Current COVID-19 cleaning policy: Enterprise Rent-A-Car has a new Complete Clean pledge, which includes, "washing, vacuuming, general wipe down, and sanitizing with a disinfectant that meets leading health authority requirements, with particular attention to more than 20-plus high-touch points."

Current cancellation policy: During the pandemic, the company is extending its existing no-fee cancellation policy to include customers with pre-paid rentals booked directly through them. Previously, pre-paid rentals that were canceled would incur a fee. Cancellations must be made 24 hours or more before the pick-up, otherwise, a no-show fee of $100 will be assessed.

Look out for: Enterprise's daily rate can be slightly higher than the average car rental rate, but the company reports that it has reduced other additional charges, such as those for drivers under the age of 25.

Hertz has one of the top-regarded, best long-term reputations, with a decades-long presence. The company has more than 1,600 locations at airports in the United States alone, with a varied fleet and an impressive rewards program. Hertz's pick-up and drop-off processes at airports are particularly efficient, which was one of the main factors behind their high score of 856 out of 1,000 by respondents to JD Power's 2019 survey.

Typical quote: One-week rental comes in at $683 including taxes and fees.

Current COVID-19 cleaning policy: The company's new cleaning policy is quoted as, "A 15-point cleaning checklist, and all cars that have been sanitized are being marked with a "Hertz Gold Standard Clean" sticker, which will only be broken when the car's driver accesses the rental for the first time, meaning that the driver's area is disinfected as a last step when the car is moved to its final location.

Current cancellation and fees policies: Young renter (under 25) fees are being waived and the minimum renter age lowered from 20 to 18 years old to help college students and young drivers return home. Customers with pre-paid Hertz rentals booked prior to March 13 can cancel their reservation for no fee and transfer their balance for use toward a future booking within 24 months. Otherwise, regular cancellation fees apply: full price for a no-show, $50 if canceled more than 24 hours before pick-up, $100 if canceled less than 24 hours before pick-up.

Look out for: The quotes for short term rentals with Hertz are slightly higher than some of the company's competitors, especially when renting for just a day or two. Longer-term rentals are more competitive.

National Car Rental is particularly proud of its services and loyalty program for business travelers, and this focus on customer service bleeds over into its leisure customer service as well. This is most apparent in its website and app, both of which are highly regarded, with the company placing first and second place respectively in those categories in the 2019 JD Power survey of travel industry online portals.

Typical quote: A one-week rental comes in at $693 including taxes and fees.

Current COVID-19 cleaning policy: National shares sister company Enterprise's Complete Clean Pledge, which includes, "washing, vacuuming, general wipe down, and sanitizing with a disinfectant that meets leading health authority requirements, with particular attention to more than 20-plus high-touch points."

Current cancellation policy: During the pandemic, the company is extending its existing no-fee cancellation policy to include customers with pre-paid rentals booked directly through them. Previously, pre-paid rentals that were canceled would incur a fee. Cancellations must be made 24 hours or more before the pick-up, otherwise, a no-show fee of $100 will be assessed.

Look out for: National is somewhat focused on business travelers and does not currently offer drop-off or pick-up services.

Alamo Rent-A-Car is a well-established, well-trusted name in the car rental market. Alamo's prices were regularly among the cheapest prices we found when gathering quotes both through the various companies' own websites and third-party comparison sites. Though the company has relatively fewer locations, Alamo's prices are always very competitive.

Typical quote: A one-week rental comes in at $447 including taxes and fees.

Current COVID-19 cleaning policy: Alamo shares the Complete Clean Pledge offered by National and Enterprise, which includes, "washing, vacuuming, general wipe down, and sanitizing with a disinfectant that meets leading health authority requirements, with particular attention to more than 20-plus high-touch points."

Current cancellation policy: During the pandemic, the company is extending its existing no-fee cancellation policy to include customers with pre-paid rentals booked directly through them. Previously, pre-paid rentals that were canceled would incur a fee. Cancellations must be made 24 hours or more before the pick-up, otherwise, a no-show fee of $100 will be assessed.

Look out for: Alamo Rent-A-Car has slightly fewer locations than many of its competitors, and the locations it does have are very concentrated on airports.

Peer-to-peer car rentals are still making inroads into the market, but Turo is a consistently favorite, allowing people to both rent out their private cars and rent from private car owners. Set-up is relatively straightforward and the renting process is nearly identical to that of any traditional rental vehicle. The company also offers well-defined insurance options. Pick-up and drop-off locations depend on individual owners and will change for each booking. Turo also offers their own roadside 24/7 assistance policy and prices are very attractive.

Typical quote: A one-week rental comes in at $285 including taxes and fees.

Current COVID-19 cleaning policy: The company asks hosts to "clean and disinfect the car after each trip with disinfectant wipes or spray. Wipe down the steering wheel, door handles, trunk latch, keys, and any other surfaces that are touched frequently."

Current cancellation policy: Guests may cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before their trip starts. Guests who book within 24 hours of their trip have one hour after booking to cancel for free. For canceled trips longer than two days, a guest is charged one day's trip cost. For canceled trips two days or shorter, a guest is charged 50% of one day's trip cost. The trip cost includes the trip price and trip fee.

Look out for: Obviously the variety of cars on offer varies considerably and customer service levels and actual cleanliness practices depend on individual hosts, though they do receive a public rating, which can help inform your experience.

Dollar: The company has average pricing for the industry but locations are not quite as widespread and offers fewer benefits, for example, there's no at-home customer drop-off or pick-up.

Sixt: A big name in Europe that is making strides in the American market, however, some car sizes might seem ungenerous to American companies.

Thrifty: Attractive, competitive prices but fewer locations than many of its peers and a less expansive loyalty scheme.

Budget: A good number of locations but it also has a less attractive loyalty program and their airport pick-ups can be subject to additional fees.

Avis: Good, affordable quotes for weekly rates and a great app, but the loyalty program makes it challenging to earn points, and airport pick-ups can be subject to fees.