The ability to pick a specific car is key to customer satisfaction with car rental companies, according to the JD Power 2026 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study. The study found that overall customer satisfaction rises 10 points (on a 1,000-point scale) when the reserved class of vehicle is available and rises 18 points when customers are able to pick a specific vehicle from the rental car lot.

“The ability of rental car companies to deliver on customers’ specific vehicle preferences is an important part of the overall rental experience, and when the reserved class of vehicle is not available, the overall satisfaction score falls by 111 points,” said Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at JD Power.

On the whole, said Taylor, “the industry is getting better at delivering on this level of vehicle-specific customer preference, with 90% of customers now indicating they received a vehicle in the class they reserved and 85% indicating they were able to choose a specific vehicle from the lot — both of which are improvements over last year.”

Enterprise ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction for a second consecutive year, with a score of 739. National (726) ranked second and Advantage Rent A Car (717) ranked third. 

The study examines the customer experience with rental car companies across seven core dimensions (in order of importance): ease of rental; pick-up/drop-off; level of trust; vehicle; staff; value for price paid; and digital tools. It is based on responses gathered from 7,845 business and leisure travelers who rented a vehicle at an airport location. The 2026 study was fielded from August 2025 through August 2026.

The latest study comes as data from JD Power on airlines, airports, hotels, and hotel management companies shows all four sectors are doing a “great job” of keeping customers satisfied.