Hertz vs. Enterprise Car Rental

The time has come — you need to rent a car and you have a choice to make: Which company to rent from? Two options you may be looking at are Hertz and Enterprise, but between these two car rental companies, which is best?

Here’s what a closer look at Hertz versus Enterprise showed us.

Hertz has more than 1,600 locations at airports in the U.S. and more than 1,300 at airports internationally.

Hertz also has thousands of non-airport sites at what it calls “neighborhood locations.” All told, Hertz offers around 8,500 locations nearly 150 countries worldwide.

Enterprise, meanwhile, has more than 9,500 locations around the world but in fewer countries (around 100). It also lags in terms of airport operations, offering rentals at only 250 rental airports in the U.S.

Both Enterprise and Hertz rent all kinds of cars ranging from basic compact styles to minivans, as well as hybrids, electric cars, pickup trucks, luxury cars, sports cars and more.

Hertz says most of its cars are an average of 1-year-old.

If you want to rent a dream car, both have cars from Porsche, Maserati, Mercedes, BMW, Tesla and other luxury and exotic brands.

Let’s say you don’t want to lug accessories with you or you forgot something. Which company rents or sells what you need?

• Car seats: Both Enterprise and Hertz rent car seats, but they need to be booked in advance.

• GPS: Both Hertz and Enterprise rent GPS devices to help you get around so you don’t need to use your phone or if you’re going to a place with spotty cell service. 

• Chargers: Some Hertz locations have phone chargers, cords, battery packs and other items for sale.

• Toll services: Both Hertz and Enterprise have programs where you can enroll to pay tolls. The service is not offered at all locations.

• Ski racks: Both companies also offer ski racks for rent,

• Sirius XM: Both Hertz and Enterprise offer Sirius XM for an additional daily fee.

This isn’t a complete list, so if you’re looking for something special, it’s best to call the rental location and make sure it is available.

We compared rental prices and found Enterprise to be consistently more affordable than Hertz.

The rental criteria was for a small SUV (like a Nissan Rogue) rental picking up at Tampa International Airport on June 8, 2024, at 3 p.m. and dropping off on June 15 at 3 p.m. with a driver older than 25.

The base rental for Hertz for the week is $362 and Enterprise is $364.24

The optional damage protection upgrade for the Enterprise rental is $29.99 a day, whereas Hertz’s is $34.99.

The final price, including daily protection and taxes and fees came to $727.33 for Enterprise and $746.16 for Hertz, a difference of $18.83.

Some of the taxes and fees are different for a car rental from the same place for the same time period, such as the airport concession fee and the vehicle licensing fee recovery.

Let’s take a look at a different weekly rental, this time from Indianapolis International Airport during the same rental period for a minivan (at Hertz, a Toyota Sienna or similar and at Enterprise, a Chrysler Pacifica or similar).

The weekly base rate at Hertz is $1,332.00 and for Enterprise, $514.07.

Selecting no additional car rental protection, the final price for Hertz came to $1774.17 and Enterprise was $711.33, a big difference.

Now let’s look at a one-day rental, also from Tampa International Airport on July 24 and returning on July 25 for a medium sedan.

For Hertz, a Mazda 3 4-door or similar runs a base rate of $159 per day. For Enterprise, a Toyota Corolla or similar starts at $64.95 per day.

The recommended protections were added, and the total came to $237.38 for Hertz and $119.17 for Enterprise, a substantial difference of $118.21.

According to the J.D. Power 2023 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study, Enterprise ranked highest overall in customer satisfaction for the third year in a row.

Hertz ranked fourth after National and Alamo.

The survey is based on responses from more than 8,000 travelers who rented a car at an airport location between August 2022 and August 2023.

For years, Enterprise’s slogan was “We’ll pick you up” and someone will.

The company’s pick-up service is for non-airport locations during normal business hours. The point is for a representative of the company to pick up the renter, not to deliver a car. Once the renter arrives at a local office, they can complete paperwork and drive away in a car.

Hertz has what it calls Hertz Neighborhood Delivery for some customers, and it comes at a cost. To have someone deliver your car, you need to be a Hertz Gold Plus Rewards member and pay $30 each way.

So if you need someone to pick you up and take you to get a rental car, Enterprise might be your best option because the service is free.

After you land for any kind of trip, whether it’s long or short, you’ll probably just want to get in your rental car and be on your way.

This is one place where Enterprise and Hertz differ. With Enterprise, they assign you a car based on the category you chose when you made your reservation.

Hertz allows customers to choose their own car from the cars available that are in the category rented. They call it Hertz Ultimate Choice. Members of its Gold Circle Rewards program have even more choices.

So, if you like to choose based on a category of car instead of having someone choose for you, the nod goes to Hertz.

Both Enterprise and Hertz have rewards programs where you can earn points towards free rental days and other perks.

If your goal is unlimited upgrades, Hertz gets the nod here. If it’s needing the fewest number of rewards points to get something free, it’s Enterprise.

What’s more, if you’re not a member of a rewards program, you’ll more likely have to wait at a counter to check-in.

It is free to join and allows you to skip the counter at some locations, choose your car and drive away. When you return the car, you can just drop your keys.

There are three levels, Gold, Five Star and President’s Circle. All three levels allow the addition of a non-spouse or domestic partner as an additional driver for free.

• Gold: This is the base level and members earn one point for every dollar spent and have a choice of cars.

• Five Star: Awarded after 10 rentals a year or $2,000 spent. Members earn 1.25 points for every dollar spent. It includes category upgrades if they are available and a wider choice of cars.

• President’s Circle: Comes after 15 rentals or $3,000 spent in a year. Members earn 1.5 points for every dollar spent. Upgrades are guaranteed and members have the widest selection of cars to choose from. President’s Circle members can also call a dedicated customer service line. 

What about booking with points? A free rental day takes a minimum of 950 points with blackout days and 1,900 points without blackout days. A weekly free rental starts at 4,750 points.

Enterprise’s rewards program is called Enterprise Plus and has four levels: Plus, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

• Plus: This is for up to five rentals and members earn a point for every dollar spent.

• Silver: This tier kicks in for rentals 6-11 and members receive a 10% bonus for every dollar they spend and get one free upgrade a year.

• Gold: After 12 rentals or 40 days rented, people earn Gold status which gets them a 15% points bonus and two free upgrades. 

• Platinum: This is the highest level that comes after 24 rentals or 85 days rented. Members earn a 20% points bonus and have four upgrades a year. 

When using points a free rental day with Enterprise starts at 400 points with no blackout dates.

Save money at the counter by booking with a travel card that includes rental car coverage in its travel benefits. Just be sure to decline the coverage pitched to you by Enterprise or Hertz.

So, which is better, Enterprise or Hertz? Generally speaking, most travelers will be happiest with Enterprise.

Both companies offer a wide selection of locations, car types and optional accessories, as well as strong rewards programs for loyal customers. Enterprise, however, is often more affordable, and its customer service is all around better.

However, if you want more airport locations and to choose the type of car you rent, Hertz comes out ahead.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through December 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.