Best-Rated Hire Car Brands

See Our Ratings Methodology.

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Most Satisfied Customers | Thrifty

Aussies have rated Thrifty as top pick in Canstar Blue’s latest hire car ratings, with five-stars for customer service, value for money, transparency of cost and fees, range of vehicles available, availability of vehicle booked, quality of vehicle and overall satisfaction.

Fact Checked Fact Checked

How we rate hire cars

Our review compares hire car brands on customer satisfaction, so you can find out what other Aussies think about the compared brands before you go ahead with a purchase. Think of it as like asking hundreds of your closest mates which hire car brand they think is best!


Canstar Blue surveyed 398 Australians for their feedback on cars they’ve hired in the last 12 months.

  • The outcomes reported in these ratings are measured via accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics.


Respondents rate their satisfaction with their hire car company from zero to 10, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and 10 is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
  • Overall satisfaction: measures consumer satisfaction with a hire car company as an individual score, NOT a combined total of all criteria.
  • Value for money: quality of service for price paid.
  • Customer service: staff are available, helpful, resolve problems effectively.
  • Quality of vehicle: vehicle ran smoothly, vehicle was clean/in good condition.
  • Transparency of costs and fees: refuelling charge, excess charges.
  • Range of vehicles available: multiple types of cars available for hire – sedan, hatchback, van, etc.
  • Availability of vehicle type built: the vehicle booked was available at the time of pickup.

The winning brand is the one that receives the highest overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.

  • Overall satisfaction is asked as a specific question and represents an individual measure, not a combined total of all criteria.
  • When we cannot determine a clear winner from the criteria for the overall satisfaction rating, we will then look at the other criteria measured in the rating.
    • The brand with the highest number of five-star ratings within the supporting criteria will become the five-star recipient in overall satisfaction, and thus win the award. If a clear leader still cannot be determined from the supporting criteria, joint winners will be declared.


Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
  • Thrifty
  • Hertz
  • Budget
  • Avis
  • Europcar

Find more detailed information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.


Top Hire Car Brand – Thrifty

Thrifty Logo

Thrifty offers a versatile fleet of vehicles at more than 170 locations across Australia, at all major airports and metropolitan areas. Whether you are needing space for a family, moving house or an outdoor adventure, Thrifty has cars, vans and trucks to fit any requirement.

About our consumer experts


Kate Lockyer: Content Producer

This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Content Producer Kate Lockyer. She has completed a Bachelor of Journalism at the University of Queensland. Kate’s been writing professionally for two years, and has worked as a content writer, media assistant and newsroom contributor for a variety of organisations and publications, including the National Family Violence Prevention Legal Service, community radio station 4ZZZ and Shelly’s Swim School.

 

Meet the Editorial Team

 

Samantha Howse: Consumer Research Specialist

Sam Howse Research Specialist

Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.

 

Meet the Research Team

Past Ratings

Here are the past winners from Canstar Blue’s hire car ratings:

  • 2023: Hertz
  • 2022: Budget
  • 2021: Avis
  • 2020: Avis
  • 2019: Europcar
  • 2018: Budget
  • 2017: Thrifty
  • 2016: Avis
  • 2015: Avis
  • 2014: Budget

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