Enterprise Ranks No. 1 in Car-Rental Survey

Enterprise Rent-a-Car, a closely held car-rental company with the most U.S. locations, ranked highest in a J.D. Power & Associates survey of customer satisfaction with car rentals near airports. Avis Group Holdings Inc. placed second, while Hertz Corp. and ANC Rental Corp.’s National were judged above average, according to the market research company. Quick car pickup was the most important factor in customer satisfaction, followed by a fast return process, rental prices and the condition of the car. Satisfaction tended to drop if a respondent had to wait 20 minutes or more at any point in the process, J.D. Power said. Airport car rentals tend to be dominated by leisure travelers, accounting for about two-thirds of rentals. The study was based on 3,068 evaluations from customers who used the eight major U.S. car-rental firms. Budget Group Inc., Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. and ANC Rental’s Alamo finished at or below industry average. St. Louis-based Enterprise only recently expanded into airport markets. The company started by providing rentals to customers in cities and suburbs whose cars were being repaired. It has more than 4,000 locations worldwide. Park Ridge, N.J.-based Hertz, the world’s largest car-rental company, has 6,500 locations worldwide.