According to the J.D. Power 2016 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study, travelers who combine business and leisure travel report the highest satisfaction with their rental car experience.
The study shows that while business travelers generally report higher satisfaction than leisure travelers, “bleisure” travelers — those blending business and leisure on the same trip — rate their rental experiences the highest. This trend is especially common among Generation Y renters (born 1977–1994), who are increasing their presence in the rental market.
“With such a significant increase in satisfaction among ‘bleisure’ renters, rental car companies should consider ways to attract and serve this group, such as offering simple methods to separate charges for business days from leisure days to streamline expense reporting,” said Rick Garlick, global travel and hospitality lead at J.D. Power. “Targeting bleisure travelers could differentiate providers from competitors and help build loyalty among a growing customer base.”
The study evaluates overall customer satisfaction at airport rental locations across several factors: costs and fees, pickup process, return process, rental vehicle, shuttle bus/van, and reservation process. Each factor contributes to an overall index score measured on a 1,000-point scale.
For the third year in a row, Enterprise ranks highest in customer satisfaction among airport rental car companies, earning an overall index score of 830 and performing strongly across all measured factors. Following Enterprise are National (813), Alamo (809), and Hertz (804).
These results highlight the importance of service consistency across the rental journey — from reservation and pickup to vehicle condition and return — and suggest that addressing the specific needs of bleisure travelers could be a valuable strategy for rental companies seeking to improve satisfaction and foster repeat business.