Which Rental Car Company Usually Has the Lowest Prices?

Most travelers know that Spirit Airlines is a low-cost airline. They’re likely aware that a Four Seasons is almost always more expensive than a Motel 6.

But when it comes to rental car companies, which one usually has the lowest prices? Is Thrifty all that thrifty? Will Budget best help you stick to your budget?

A NerdWallet analysis conducted in June 2024 tracked more than 480 rental car prices across eight major U.S. companies to find which had the cheapest car rentals — and which had the most expensive.

By almost all metrics, National Car Rental was the most expensive, followed by Avis. Meanwhile, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Hertz and Thrifty ranked among the cheapest.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

In our analysis of average rental car prices across different companies, weekly car rentals ranged in cost from about $400 to more than $600.

The prices analyzed in this study were based on 7-night rentals over a mix of dates throughout the next three months, and for both downtown and airport locations in regions that host the nation’s 15 largest airports. Rental types were the cheapest possible option (typically a small sedan) that allowed you to pay at the counter (as opposed to upfront in advance), and include taxes and fees.

Here are a few smart ways to save on rental cars:

Change how you book

A separate NerdWallet study in June 2024 found that booking rental cars in advance often doesn’t actually save you any money. If you’re fine with the uncertainty of booking last-minute, you might actually save more than if you had not been a procrastinator.

People arriving to their destination by air and who intend to rent a car upon landing might also save more money by booking from a nearby, off-site car rental location (as opposed to the rental car outpost located at the airport). Another NerdWallet study, also in June 2024, found that rental cars average 15.5% cheaper when booked off-site versus at the airport.

Earn credit card rewards (and take advantage of many credit cards’ car insurance benefits)

Some credit cards for car rentals outshine others, offering bonus points and miles for paying for your car rental on that card.

Though perhaps even more valuable than the bonus points is another, lesser-known credit card benefit: rental car insurance. Many premium credit cards offer varying degrees of rental car insurance coverage, which can cover eligible damages in the event you get into a rental car accident or someone breaks into your car.

To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, see this page.

» See more options: Best credit cards for rental cars

Take advantage of rental car loyalty programs

Most major car rental companies have accompanying loyalty programs that can earn you free rentals and upgrades.

While National’s car rentals tend to be among the most expensive, its loyalty program — dubbed the National Car Rental Emerald Club — is one of the best. Members with Emerald Club Executive Elite Status receive a free car rental day for every five qualified car rentals made, on top of other benefits like complimentary private airport delivery.

Look to rental car alternatives

If all else fails, you might skip renting from a major rental car company completely. Look to car rental alternatives, which are companies that have devised clever ways of getting your hands on the wheel, whether it’s peer-to-peer car rental services for borrowing an individual owner’s vehicle, or renting a car from a non-traditional rental car company such as Kyte.

Rental cars are expensive. If you prioritize getting the best possible deal, then it’s a good idea to browse prices across multiple rental car companies and — if you can be flexible — across multiple locations within the same city.

Generally speaking, deal hunters might want to start the search with Thrifty, Hertz or Enterprise — which rank among the cheapest car rental companies.

Just beware before you see a deal that seems too good to be true.

Understand the final price (and not just the advertised price)

Hidden fees have plagued all sorts of aspects of travel, ranging from resort fees to cleaning fees. Some rental car companies are offenders of hidden fees, too. Many of those fees can amount to huge discrepancies between the original price show and the post-fee price — often amounting to many hundreds of dollars.

If you're booking directly with the rental car company, know that the cheaper car rental companies screen their pricing behind multiple loading pages. The worst offenders for this are Budget and Thrifty, both of which require you to check a box refusing insurance and navigate through two pages before showing you after-tax pricing.

Though Thrifty still came out as the cheapest overall rental car company even after taxes and fees in NerdWallet's analysis, know that the final price you pay might be more than the price you initially expected.

In contrast, the more expensive rental car companies such as National were more transparent with up-front pricing.

You get what you pay for

In general, there's a correlation between price and degree of customer satisfaction.

Starting with the booking process, note that — while many car rental websites offer a terrible user experience — the cheaper rental car companies tend to have a clunkier interface than the more expensive ones. For example, Dollar rental offered the ability to search for non-airport locations in nearly all situations, but almost none of these locations actually populated results.

As far as the actual rental, customers are generally more satisfied with the pricier rental car companies. For proof, just look to the results of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Travel Study 2023-2024, which sought to understand consumer sentiment toward U.S. airlines. This year’s study, which ranked car rental brands on a 0-100 scale, found that National had a customer satisfaction score of 84. That's the highest of any rental car company analyzed.