Though travel buyers gave car
rental companies mixed reviews in Business Travel News’ (BSN) 2024 Car
Rental Survey, National Car Rental secured another win, its ninth in a row in
customer satisfaction.
According to BSN, three companies rated higher scores compared
to 2023 and two showed declines. The average for the industry was 4.08 on an
ascending scale of one to five, down from 4.12 last year.
On a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent), National’s rating
of 4.27 was a tad higher than its 2023 score of 4.26. National's sister
brand Enterprise garnished second place for a third year in a row with an
average score of 4.16, a decline of 0.02 points.
Avis secured another
third-place finish, with an average rating of 4.02, down from 4.07, but its
brand mate Budget moved up to fourth place with a 0.03 improvement to 3.97.
Hertz landed in the fifth spot with its score dropping 0.13 points to 3.95.
"National created the 'pick your car, get in your car
and go' model," KesselRun VP of program management Krissy Herman said.
"From a corporate traveler standpoint, there is not a better method. Some
of the other vendors are attempting similar type models that allow for choice
and ease, but National has been doing it forever, and I think that really
resonates with true corporate road warriors."
Rental car survey categories included:
- Availability
and ease of booking
- Clean,
well-serviced cars
- Negotiating
pricing and amenities
- Productivity
of rental
- Mobile
app functionality
- Upgrades
and services for VIP travelers
- Pricing
transparency
- Complaint
resolution
- Relationship
with account managers and sales reps
- Communication
with buyers about changes
- Quality
data and reporting
- Overall
value
- Final
rating
Eleven of the 12 categories with declining average scores
year after year showed improvement in 2023. The sole criterium that notched a
gain was negotiating pricing and amenities, up 0.03 points to 3.93—but it still
came in with the lowest average score of all categories.
However, according to GoldSpring Consulting’s Neil Hammond, “Rental
car company pricing recovered the soonest before anybody in the marketplace.
People already suffered the worst of the negotiations. Whether it was because
rental car companies went in asking for a lot, and in some cases, they would
yield—some on city surcharges, or yield on multipliers—buyers felt they got
something back in negotiations. They didn't feel great, which shows the overall
bad score, but they did get something out of it."
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