Vehicle choice now matters more than you think
In 2026, what determines whether a renter leaves satisfied is no longer just about speed or convenience. According to JD Power's annual satisfaction study, covering data from August 2025 through August 2026, the single most important factor is whether renters get the vehicle they actually want. When the vehicle class a customer reserved isn't available, their overall satisfaction score drops by 111 points on a 1,000-point scale—the largest impact of any single factor.
This shift reflects how renters' expectations have changed. Instead of simply accepting whatever car is available at pickup, modern travelers want the ability to choose from available vehicles within their reserved class.
How the satisfaction rankings changed
Enterprise maintained its lead in JD Power's 2026 rankings with 739 points, keeping a position the company has held in 18 of the 23 studies since 2004. National came second at 726 points.
The story this year, however, belongs to smaller operators. Advantage Rent A Car ranked third at 717 points, just ahead of Alamo at 716. Sixt placed fifth at 714 points. Hertz scored 711, above the study's overall average of 707.
Advantage and Sixt have held positions near the top since JD Power redesigned its methodology in 2024, which makes their consistency notable. In 2024, Sixt placed third and Advantage fourth, both at the same 711 points. Last year, they tied for third place.
The study included 13 brands in 2026, up from eight in 2023. Advantage, Sixt, ACE, Payless, and Fox all appear in the newer rankings but were absent from the 2023 published results—not necessarily because they performed worse, but because the study expanded to include them.
Why the satisfaction study was redesigned
JD Power changed how it measures the rental experience starting in 2024. The old methodology evaluated six factors: reservations, shuttle service, pickup, the vehicle, return, and costs and fees.
The current approach measures seven dimensions, ranked by importance:
- Ease of rental
- Pickup/drop-off
- Level of trust
- Vehicle
- Staff
- Value for price paid
- Digital tools
Trust, staff, and digital tools now appear as separate dimensions instead of being folded into other categories. Pickup and return are combined into one dimension. Because of this redesign, JD Power notes that scores before 2024 are not directly comparable with 2026 results.
The expansion of brands measured and the methodology change mean that historical comparisons have limits. The ranking shift toward smaller operators may reflect their improved performance, the new measurement approach, or both.
How availability improved, but gaps remain
The 2026 findings show incremental progress on whether customers get what they reserved:
- 90% of surveyed customers said the vehicle class they reserved was available at pickup, up from 87% in 2025
- 85% said they could choose a specific vehicle within their assigned class, up from 80% in 2025
Those are meaningful movements. Still, one in ten renters doesn't get their reserved class, and one in six can't pick a specific vehicle even within the class provided.
When the reserved class is unavailable, the damage is severe. The 111-point satisfaction drop is the largest negative impact documented by the study—larger than any issue with staff, pricing, or speed.
What this means for renters
If you're booking a rental car, vehicle availability and choice matter more than you might assume. Before you commit to a booking, think about whether a specific model or type of vehicle matters to your trip. If it does, check whether the company's website or app lets you see available vehicles before pickup, not just vehicle classes.
Smaller rental operators—those outside the Enterprise and National portfolio—have demonstrated competitive satisfaction scores. You're not necessarily sacrificing service by comparing available cars and prices from multiple companies.
The 2026 results suggest that operators are investing in technology to let renters see and select vehicles at the time of booking or pickup rather than accepting whatever car is assigned. That capability increasingly distinguishes a good rental experience from a frustrating one.
Why smaller brands are gaining ground
From an operational perspective, the competitive gains by Advantage and Sixt indicate that the car rental market is not as dominated by name recognition as it once was. Smaller operators can use modern rental management platforms—with online booking, digital agreements, and payment tools—to deliver the speed and control that travellers expect, regardless of company size.
Access to these technologies has leveled the playing field. A smaller operator with good tools can provide the same streamlined experience as an established national brand, and if they deliver on vehicle choice and availability, they can match or exceed the larger players in customer satisfaction.
The 2026 study was based on responses from 7,845 business and leisure travelers who rented at airport locations. It included data collected between August 2025 and August 2026. JD Power notes that numerical differences in rankings do not necessarily indicate statistically significant differences between companies.
