Vote now! Readers' Choice Awards Best Rental Car Companies of 2027

Surprise hidden fees, unexpected insurance upsells, and costly fuel add-ons at the counter can quickly derail even the best-planned travel budget. It doesn’t need to be that frustrating, though.

To help you avoid those rental headaches, we turned to our trusted travel experts to highlight 15 rental car companies that deliver fair pricing, dependable vehicles, and seamless pickup experiences. Explore the nominees listed below and cast your vote for your top picks in this round of the Readers’ Choice Awards!

Voting period ends on December 2, 2026. We'll announce the winners on December 10.

Vote for the best affordable rental car company

Nominee #1: Ace Rent A Car

Most people walk right past Ace because it’s not in the airport terminal. That’s the point. Ace locations are independently owned, usually a shuttle ride from the terminal, and priced accordingly—you’re not paying for that prime airport real estate.

With a friendly neighborhood feel rather than a crowded airport location, Ace appeals to budget-conscious road-trippers. Our review team highlighted it for travelers who are happy to trade a brief shuttle ride for meaningful daily savings instead of paying a premium for an in-terminal desk. It may be low-key, but the savings speak for themselves.

Nominee #2: Alamo Rent A Car

Alamo was built for the family-vacation crowd, and it shows. At many airports, you can walk into the garage and pick your own car from the reserved class—no standing at a desk while someone types for 10 minutes. The self-service kiosks handle everything with a driver’s license and a reservation number.

That focus on getting you behind the wheel without hassle is precisely why Alamo earned a place on this list. Operating under Enterprise Mobility alongside Enterprise and National, Alamo stands out for its relaxed, vacation-oriented approach and the absence of high-pressure counter sales. Anyone who has weathered a kid's meltdown in a rental line will immediately appreciate why this makes a difference.

Nominee #3: Avis Car Rental

Avis has a reputation as a pricier brand, but writing it off is a mistake. You can save a substantial amount on a week-long rental simply by booking through Costco Travel or using a AAA or corporate discount code.

The Avis Preferred program also lets you skip the counter at participating airports, and many people don’t realize it’s free to set up. The panelist who nominated Avis called it their go-to specifically because the rate breakdown is visible at booking—no nasty surprises at pickup. If you’re someone who spends 10 minutes hunting for promo codes before checking out online, Avis tends to reward that habit.

Nominee #4: Budget Car Rental

You can probably guess what Budget is aiming for. And it delivers. The company has a presence at virtually every major airport across the U.S., maintains a fleet focused on economical options, and regularly offers promo codes.

What might surprise you is the Fastbreak program: It lets members head straight to their car without stopping at the desk, a perk usually reserved for more expensive brands. The contracts are also written in plain English, not the small-print legalese you’ve probably stopped reading at other companies. Reviewers on our panel said Budget is worth checking before you default to whatever an aggregator site spits out first, because the promos do stack up.

Nominee #5: Dollar Car Rental

The reason people book Dollar is the rate. It tends to land noticeably below the big names on comparison sites, and—this is the part that matters—what you see at booking tends to be close to what you pay at the pickup window. Dollar is owned by Hertz, so the cars are maintained and the locations function, even though Dollar keeps everything else deliberately minimal. One evaluator described it as the rental-car equivalent of ordering from the menu and getting exactly that. Dollar Express Rewards speeds things up for regulars, but the pricing honesty is there from your first rental.

Nominee #6: Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Here’s something most people don’t think about until they need it: Enterprise has locations in strip malls and small towns all over the country, not just at airports. That’s why your insurance company sends you there when your car is in the shop—and it’s also why off-airport Enterprise rates can be noticeably cheaper than what you’d pay at the terminal.

The “We’ll pick you up” tagline isn’t just marketing. A lot of neighborhood locations will get you. The evaluators who nominated Enterprise pointed to consistently strong satisfaction scores, and that tracks—the pickup is fast, the pricing is upfront, and the people behind the counter tend to act like they want you to come back.

Nominee #7: Fox Rent A Car

When Fox opened in Los Angeles in 1989, the pitch was dead simple: rent the same cars for less money. That’s still the pitch. You’ll find Fox at major airports, especially across the West and Southwest—Vegas, Denver, Phoenix, LAX—plus affiliate locations in other markets. One panelist called Fox the first place to check when you’re landing somewhere in the western half of the country, and Hertz's quote makes you wince.

The experience is no-frills. You’re not getting a lounge or a loyalty concierge. But if you’re landing in Vegas for the weekend and Fox is quoting noticeably less per day than the name-brand counter down the hall, does any of that matter? Another expert called Fox a go-to for vacationers who’d rather spend money on the trip itself than on the rental. Hard to argue with that math.

Nominee #8: Hertz

The Gold Plus Rewards experience at Hertz is still one of the most satisfying things in travel. You walk into the garage, find your name lit up on the board, get in the car, and drive out. It’s free to sign up, which is the part a lot of people miss.

Hertz rates aren’t always the cheapest in a side-by-side search, but the company partners with so many airlines, hotels, and membership programs that there’s almost always a discount code floating around if you look for it. The contributor who nominated Hertz wasn’t even talking about price—they were talking about that moment in the garage. Once you’ve experienced it, standing in a rental car line starts to feel personal.

Nominee #9: National Car Rental

If you rent cars regularly—like, monthly—National’s Emerald Club is designed specifically for you. Members walk past the pickup window, head straight to the Emerald Aisle, and choose any car in the section. Not just from the class you booked. Anything on the aisle, including what often amounts to a free upgrade.

National is part of the Enterprise Mobility family (alongside Alamo and Enterprise), but it skews more corporate and efficiency-focused. The expert who nominated it described it as “no rental anxiety,” and that nails it. You show up, you pick a car, you leave. National isn’t chasing the lowest sticker price—it’s chasing the fastest, most painless rental experience.

Nominee #10: Payless Car Rental

The panelist who nominated Payless doesn’t rent cars often, and that’s exactly why Payless works for them. When you only need a car once or twice a year, you don’t care about loyalty points or which tier gets you into the Presidents Club. You care about the rate and whether you can understand what you’re signing. Payless keeps both of those things simple.

It’s Avis Budget Group’s stripped-down label, priced to sit below everything else in the airport garage, and the rental agreement is readable enough that a first-timer can get through it without a law degree.

Nominee #11: Sixt

Sixt is a German company that’s been in the car rental business since 1912—longer than any of the big U.S. names have existed. It established a North American headquarters in Fort Lauderdale in 2017 and has expanded aggressively since, reaching more than 50 U.S. airports.

The cars tend to be newer and a step above what you’d find at a typical budget counter, but here’s the kicker: The rates can undercut the established competition because Sixt is still fighting for market share in the States. The contributor who nominated it summed it up as “better pricing because they’re the new kid.” That aggressive pricing won’t last forever as the footprint grows, so it’s worth comparing Sixt quotes now while the math still works in your favor.

Nominee #12: Thrifty Car Rental

Thrifty caught one expert’s attention for a specific reason: the pricing on week-long rentals. Many brands quote a daily rate that stays flat whether you’re renting for two days or seven, but Thrifty’s numbers tend to improve the longer the trip runs. That quirk makes it especially worth checking if you’re planning a road trip or an extended work stay. Thrifty is owned by Hertz, and at many locations it offers a Wild Card rate: You pay a compact-car price, and the counter picks the vehicle—you won’t know whether you’re driving a compact or an SUV until pickup.

Nominee #13: Turo

A contributor on our panel described browsing Turo the way some people describe browsing Zillow: technically looking for something practical, but mostly enjoying the hunt. Turo is a peer-to-peer car marketplace where individual owners list their personal vehicles—you can see exactly which car you’re booking, down to the color and the interior photos, and the owner handles the keys directly.

The company launched in 2010 and now operates across thousands of cities in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and France. The catch is that every host is different—some are meticulous, some less so—which makes reading reviews essential. But for travelers who care about what they’re driving, or who want to skip the airport rental garage entirely, Turo turns the rental itself into part of the trip.

Nominee #14: U-Save Car and Truck Rental

U-Save is a franchise, so each location is locally owned and a little different. The people running these offices tend to be small-business owners, not corporate employees cycling through a script, and you can feel the difference in how they treat you at the desk.

Rates tend to run cheaper than the major airport desks, too. The editor who nominated U-Save kept coming back to the human element: The person behind the counter remembers regulars, answers the phone on the first ring, and hands you the keys like they’re glad you showed up. That’s harder to find at a 200-car terminal operation.

Nominee #15: Zipcar

Zipcar isn’t competing with the rest of this list—it’s solving a different problem entirely. It’s a membership-based car-sharing service designed for people who need a car for a few hours, not a few days. You pay an annual fee, reserve a car through the app, unlock it with your phone, and return it to the same spot when you’re done. Gas and insurance are included.

Founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2000, it now covers more than 500 cities and hundreds of college campuses. Avis Budget Group owns it, but the experience is nothing like a traditional rental. The contributor who nominated Zipcar described it as the car they use when they need to haul something home from a store or take a day trip outside the city.

Vote for the best affordable rental car company!

Our Experts

Susan Lanier-Graham

Lanier-Graham is an award-winning food, wine, and travel writer with more than three decades of experience exploring destinations around the world. She has visited luxury resorts, boutique properties, and hidden gems across six continents, bringing a discerning eye to every stay. As publisher of Wander With Wonder, she leads an award-winning digital publication that inspires readers to discover exceptional travel experiences. Her work blends firsthand insight with a passion for storytelling, offering trusted recommendations on where to stay, dine, and explore. Susan’s expertise helps travelers confidently choose destinations that transform trips into unforgettable, experience-rich journeys.

Joelle Machia

Joelle Machia is a travel writer, podcaster, photographer, and co-founder of Wanderers Compass, a multi-platform travel brand dedicated to immersive, culturally respectful storytelling. As a United Nations ECOSOC Representative and award-winning content creator, she focuses on sharing deeper travel experiences that go beyond the surface. Through Wanderers Compass, Joelle produces destination guides, long-form articles, a digital magazine, and a podcast that explores history, culture, food, and local communities.

Reviewed Editors & Experts

Reviewed editors and experts have hard-earned insights from a broad range of backgrounds, and our nomination panel includes independent researchers, subject-matter experts, and editorial team members. We provide unbiased, experiential editorial coverage on products, brands, and companies across the U.S.