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18 Dec 2023

Best and worst car hire companies 2024

Which car hire company should you use for your next trip? Our survey of thousands of Which? members reveals the car rental companies you can trust

Guy HobbsPrincipal researcher & writer

The cost of renting a car has skyrocketed in recent years. If you’re already paying through the nose, the last thing you need is to be hit with sneaky extra charges. And nearly half of you told us you worry about being ripped off when you hire a car.

That’s why it’s so important to choose the right car hire company. The good news is that the two top-rated companies are also the cheapest. The bad news; you’ll have to holiday in the Canary Islands to have the pleasure of using them. You’ve been singing the praises of Auto Reisen and Cicar for years, and their popularity has not waned for 2024. Thankfully there are other solid options for rental in the UK, Europe and beyond, including Alamo which offers a hassle-free experience worldwide.

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

We asked thousands of Which? members to tell us their experiences of using various companies. 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.

Only the top performing car hire companies are eligible for Which? Recommended Provider status.

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Best and worst car hire companies rated


RECOMMENDED PROVIDER AutoReisen	91%	Read full AutoReisen review	£196
RECOMMENDED PROVIDER Cicar	91%	Read full Cicar review	£210
Alamo	72%	Read full Alamo review	£441
Enterprise	72%	Read full Enterprise review	£539
Hertz	71%	Read full Hertz review	£469
Centauro	70%	Read full Centauro review	£231		n/a
Thrifty	70%	Read full Thrifty review	£343	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Using the table: Star ratings are from one to five, the more the better. Companies with the same customer score are presented in alphabetical
order. Sample sizes in brackets. An 'n/a' indicates we did not receive enough responses to provide a rating. WRP stands for Which? Recommended Provider. 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

One in seven of you ended up forking out more than the price you were originally quoted. Insurance was one of the main things that bumped up the cost.

A number of you who booked direct took out an extra policy (super collision damage waiver or excess waiver) at the rental desk – despite having already arranged your own cover before leaving home. One in seven of those people said they did so because they felt under pressure by the agent.

Not only is pressure-selling illegal, but the policies they try to upsell are often inferior and far pricier than those available from third parties online.

Read our reviews of the best car hire excess insurance

How we research car hire companies

In January 2023 we asked 2,657 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.