Rental Car Satisfaction Improves Amid Increased Price Pressure, J.D. Power Finds

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November 08, 2017

Rental Car Satisfaction Improves Amid Increased Price Pressure, J.D. Power Finds

Enterprise ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction for fourth consecutive year

Airport rental car companies are experiencing an increase in overall satisfaction despite increased airport passenger congestion and ongoing logistical challenges caused by airport construction, according to the J.D. Power 2017 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study,SM released today. The primary driver of rentersÕ increasing satisfaction, however, is a sharp decrease in rental rates.

ÒRental car satisfaction is improving, but itÕs not really the type of satisfaction increase rental car companies want to see,Ó said Michael Taylor, Travel Practice Lead at J.D. Power. ÒLower prices are having a positive effect on perceived value for renters, which is raising overall levels of satisfaction, but several other key quality measuresÑnotably, wait times and problems with the pick-up and return processesÑhave not improved over the past four years. But cheaper daily rental rates overcome those negatives for most renters.Ó

Here some of the key findings from the study:

Satisfaction up, prices down: Overall rental car satisfaction improves by 22 index points to 826 (on a 1,000-point scale) in 2017, driven primarily by increases in satisfaction in the cost & fees factor. The average reported daily rental car price has dropped $11 per day in 2017.

Wait times and problems with pick-ups/returns increase: Wait times to pick up a rental car have increased two minutes, on average, since 2013. Of customers who experienced a problem, 20% reported a problem with the pick-up process and 17% reported a problem with the return process, a phenomenon that is largely attributable to increased passenger volume and construction at airports.

Even in price war, features and benefits have big effect on satisfaction: Even though price perceptions have the greatest effect on overall satisfaction, renters who choose rental car brands based on price alone are the least satisfied (787), while customers who choose a rental car brand based on features and benefits are the most highly satisfied (889).

Social media becomes problem resolution battleground: Fully 70% of renters who post online about their rental experience expect a response from the rental car company, far outpacing the expectations of hotel guests and airline passengers, both of whom come in at 45%. When a rental car company simply responds to a post, satisfaction increases 63 points on average. If the issue is resolved, the satisfaction score jumps 95 points.

Rental Car Company Rankings

Enterprise ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction for a fourth consecutive year, with a score of 851. Enterprise is followed by National (846), Alamo (828) and Hertz (822).

The 2017 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study is based on responses gathered between September 2016 through August 2017 from 11,177 business and leisure travelers who rented a vehicle at an airport location from August 2016 through August 2017.

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