Where do your team members rent cars? Perhaps where the price is lowest? Or perhaps where they’re concentrating points?

Business Travel News surveys travel buyers each year to determine the best car rental company. And, in 2017, National Car Rental sits at the top of that list — for the third consecutive year.

Here’s a look at the different metrics BTN uses in its rankings, as well as where other car rental providers land on the list.

The Categories BTN Measures

How does BTN generate its best car rental company ratings? Its survey includes questions on the following 7 subjects:

1. Negotiating Price
2. Negotiating Services & Amenities
3. Clean/Well-Serviced Cars
4. Quick & Effective Complaint Resolution
5. Communication With Buyers About Changes
6. Relationships With Account Managers & Sales Reps
7. Worth of Service Versus Rates/Fees/Charges

Respondents were able to rate each of 4 car rental companies on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest rating in a category and 5 being the highest. Here are the average ratings for each of the 4 companies:

1. National Car:34
2. Enterprise:21
3. Avis:99
4. Hertz:89

National took the top spot in 4 categories: Negotiating Services & Amenities, Clean/Well-Serviced Cars, Quick & Effective Complaint Resolution and Worth of Service Versus Rates/Fees/Charges. Enterprise took the top spot in the other 3 categories: Negotiating Price, Communication With Buyers About Changes and Relationships With Account Managers & Sales Reps.

What Makes National Car and Enterprise Stand Out?

National Car is a subsidiary of Enterprise and has been since August 2007. What are National and Enterprise doing that Avis and Hertz aren’t, helping them to rise to the top of the rankings — including a three-peat as the best car rental company for National?

Analysis from Neil Abrams of Abrams Consulting Group indicates that National and Enterprise enjoy several advantages that the company is leveraging to best serve its customers.

The first advantage is that National and Enterprise serve as an effective “one-two punch.” National is a value brand that offers no-frills car rental service for business travelers who simply want to get from Point A to Point B. Enterprise offers car rental with more high-end amenities for corporate travelers who have earned the right to choose premium services.

Also, National and Enterprise are privately owned, which means they are insulated from the insatiable appetite of shareholders. While publicly traded companies like Avis and Hertz may be forced to cut back in certain areas to meet quarterly projections, National and Enterprise are more free to focus on what’s best for the customer and the long-term business.

And, finally, National Car and Enterprise are known to promote from within, a philosophy and practice that leads to a stronger sense of team and a more comprehensive understanding of how best to serve customers throughout the organization.

JTB Business Travel: Making Life Easier for Travel Managers

Are you getting the best possible rental car deals for your company and the best possible rental car experience for your travelers? At JTB Business Travel, we work every day with major rental car providers, negotiating discounted rates and ensuring that our clients and their travelers get the best possible experience.

As a comprehensive corporate travel agency, we provide recommendations, tools and services that help your business maximize its investment in travel.

Contact us today about rental car agreements and all of your other corporate travel needs.