Rental Car Customer Satisfaction Improves as Industry Stabilizes

Image: Improved staffing, inventory and stable prices are making customers happy. (Photo Credit: FG Trade/E+)

by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 8:00 AM ET, Wed October 11, 2023

Rental car customers are reporting increased satisfaction compared to recent years that were plagued by inventory shortages, soaring rates and staffing issues in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the J.D. Power 2023 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study released Wednesday, a combination of stabilized pricing—the average customer-cited price-per-day rental fee held steady at $91—increased vehicle availability and improved staffing have helped overall customer satisfaction increase 14 points on a 1,000-point scale.

Overall customer satisfaction for the industry reached 843, up from 829 in 2022, 830 in 2021 and 841 in 2020.

Enterprise ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction for the third straight year, earning a score of 866. National (865) and Alamo (862) round out the top three companies.

"The post-pandemic period has been tough for North American rental car companies and their customers, but now that things have stabilized, customer satisfaction has started to increase significantly," Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power, said in a statement.

"Given the tight correlation we see between vehicle availability, price and customer satisfaction, it’s going to be important to keep an eye on the UAW strike as a potential supply chain issue that could negatively affect customer satisfaction during the course of the next year," Taylor added, referring to the uncertain outcome of the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike.

The 2023 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study is based on responses gathered from 8,632 business and leisure travelers who rented a vehicle at an airport location in the past year.