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21 Jun 2024

Best and worst car hire companies 2024

There are only a handful of car rental firms you should rely on. Our survey of thousands of Which? members will help you steer clear of the duds

Guy HobbsPrincipal researcher & writer

Because most car rental happens across borders, and often in a second language, it can be hard to know when you’re being lied to, ripped off and outright scammed when you hire a car.

Some big-name providers think nothing of charging you hundreds of pounds for insurance you don’t need or fining you for damage to the car you didn’t cause. And a few low-cost operators abroad have descended into outright lawlessness.

Our annual survey will help you choose the best car hire firms. Two independent providers, AutoReisen and Cicar, are streets ahead of the multinational companies. They provide cheap, reliable rental at an all-inclusive price, and they meet all our requirements to be awarded Which? Recommended Providers (WRP). There's just one catch – you’ll only find them in the Canary Islands.

There are solid options elsewhere, including Centauro on the Med, Enterprise in the UK and Alamo worldwide. But you may be better off using a recommended car hire broker to find you the best deal, and provide support if any problems arise. Find out which car hire brokers we recommend

Whatever you do, give Goldcar, a regular at the bottom of our table, a swerve.

We asked thousands of Which? members and the general public to tell us about their car hire experiences. Firms were compared on a range of criteria, including the clarity of information provided on extra charges, insurance, and terms and conditions, as well as the process of picking up and returning the car.

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Best and worst car hire companies rated


RECOMMENDED PROVIDER AutoReisen	92%	Read full AutoReisen review	£21
RECOMMENDED PROVIDER Cicar	91%	Read full Cicar review	n/a	n/a		n/a
Centauro	83%	Read full Centauro review	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Alamo	73%	Read full Alamo review	£50
Enterprise	73%	Read full Enterprise review	£56
Hertz	71%	Read full Hertz review	£52
Europcar	69%	Read full Europcar review	£53

Using the table: Star ratings are from one to five, the more the better. 'n/a' indicates we did not receive enough responses to provide a rating. Avg price per day Based on respondents recall of the price paid per day. Clarity of extra charges eg: insurance costs, additional drivers, child seats, satnav etc. Customer score Combination of overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.

Avoid overpriced insurance at the rental desk

Insurance sold by the car rental company is expensive and often inferior to the third-party insurance you can buy online.

In our recent survey, half of you told us you bought more insurance at the rental desk because you felt under pressure to do so.

Pressure-selling is illegal. Find a decent excess policy before you travel and stand your ground against pushy sales agents.

Read our reviews of the best car hire excess insurance

How we research car hire companies

In March 2024 we asked 2,324 members of Which? Connect and the general public to complete an online survey about their experience of using a car hire company in the past two years.

Only those car hire companies that were top of the table and met our consumer-focused criteria are eligible for Which? Recommended Provider status.