Easy Rider: Find the Best Rental-Car Services for Your Needs

Ask Travel + Leisure, and they will tell you that according to their 2008 survey of the best car-rental companies, their subscribers indicated that the top five were Hertz, Enterprise, Avis, Sixt and National. However, don't discount other top car-rental companies, such as Budget, Dollar, Alamo and Thrifty. It all comes down to what you want in a car-rental company. Is cost the number one factor? Excellent customer service? A wide selection of models?

The Travel + Leisure survey considered vehicle selection and availability, car-rental location, service and value. Here is how their top five rental companies stacked up.

#1: Hertz

Probably one of the best-known rental companies in the world, Hertz was first founded in 1918 and is considered an industry leader. In fact, as a testament to their leadership, Hertz announced in 2007 that their fleet was "going green" and adding 3,400 Toyota Prius hybrids by 2008.

However, not everyone bestowed Hertz with No.1 honors. According to more than 13,000 users who rented cars at airports and responded to evaluations by J.D. Power and Associates between September 2007 and October 2008, Hertz fell to the No.2 spot.

#2: Enterprise

Even though Enterprise ranked second in the Travel + Leisure survey, the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Rental Car Satisfaction Study ranked Enterprise the No. 1 car rental company for the fifth year in a row.

Apparently what Enterprise has to offer is a low-cost, no-frills service (as much as 20-percent less than the competition) that provides clean cars and helpful employees. To verify the price claim, I went to Travelocity.com and checked out the prices for four of the competitors. Below is a chart demonstrating the costs for a two-day rental of an intermediate-sized car in Los Angeles.

In fact, National, Avis and Hertz were the three highest prices listed, while Enterprise came in fourth out of all 11 companies shown - comparable to Dollar, Thrifty, Alamo (owned by Enterprise) and Budget. Only three were less expensive: EZ Rent-a-Car, Payless and SimplyWheelz (operated by Hertz).

#3: Avis

Even though Avis's long-standing tagline is "we try harder," the company has notoriously ranked behind Hertz in the No.2 spot. But, according to the Travel + Leisure survey, they have fallen to No.3 behind Enterprise, too. And, on the J.D. Power and Associates Survey, they were deemed just average.

However, in their effort to keep up with Hertz, Avis also announced in the summer of 2007 that they were going green. Their plan: to make 1,000 hybrid vehicles available almost immediately in selected markets.

#4: Sixt

If you've never traveled outside the U.S., you probably have never heard of this rental-car company. However, in 80 countries worldwide (mainly Europe and South America), Sixt offers car models that most U.S. companies do not: Mercedes, Peugeot, and Renault, among others.

For an equivalent mid-size vehicle, I selected an Opel Vectra in Dublin, Ireland for 153.53 Euros (1 Euro = $1.30685) or approximately $201 for the two days using the Sixt website. Included in the price is unlimited kilometers, third-party insurance, road tax and tourism levy. Here's how Sixt compared in price to the three other car-rental companies, as determined by Travelocity.

Enterprise wasn't available in Dublin, and Sixt wasn't represented by Travelocity. However, Budget (the least expensive), Dollar and Thrifty were all available for less. Most of the vehicles Travelocity listed were manual transmission and had no air conditioning - important facts to consider.

#5: National Car Rental

Started in 1947, National Car Rental calls itself an "airport-based" organization, unlike its parent company, Enterprise, which offers rental offices in a variety of locations and focuses on in-town and insurance-replacement rentals. While National was generally considered about average (alongside Avis) on the J.D. Power and Associates survey, they squeaked past Avis in one category: pick-up process.

Choosing a car-rental company can be tough if you haven't done it before. However, utilizing these charts and speaking to friends, family and coworkers may ease the decision-making process. Eventually, you'll discover which service is the best fit for your needs.