Enterprise Tops J.D. Power Car Rental Study As Satisfaction Levels End Decline

Car rental customers rated Enterprise Rent-A-Car the top brand for the sixth year in a row in J.D. Power and Associates' 2009 U.S. Car Rental Satisfaction Study, released today.

The study, now in its 14th year, tabulated 12,900 evaluations from business and leisure customers who rented a vehicle from an airport location between September 2008 and October 2009. It measured car rental vendors based on costs and fees, the pick-up process, the vehicle, the return process, the reservation process and shuttle or van service to and from the airport.

Overall satisfaction levels in the study remained about flat compared with 2008 levels, following two years of satisfaction declines. J.D. Power attributed the stabilization to the industry's success in fleet management, enabling them to better meet customer demands and decrease rental fees.

Enterprise earned a 37-point premium above the industry average of 733 points on a 1,000-point scale. Both National Car Rental, at 757, and Hertz, at 747, were close behind. "It is particularly notable that the three highest-ranked rental car companies in 2009 also have the fewest customer-reported problems," J.D. Power vice president of travel practice Paula Sonkin said in a statement issued with the findings.

National improved its rating considerably compared with 2008, and Hertz earned high points for its airport shuttle services, according to J.D. Power. Both Alamo Rent A Car and Avis Rent A Car scored just a few points below the industry average, while Budget Rent A Car and the Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group brands trailed further behind.