USA TODAY International Edition
Enterprise tops new J. D. Power survey for rental car satisfaction
When it comes to renting a car, customers are feeling very satisfied, according to a J. D. Power study released Wednesday.
From cost, to the ease in picking up and dropping off a vehicle, the overall satisfaction level when renting a car at an airport location jumped to 798 out of 1,000 points, the highest since 2006, in the 2015 J. D. Power North America Rental Car survey.
“It’s ... a combination of improved service by rental car agencies as well as a more informed consumer,” says Rick Garlick, global travel and hospitality practice lead at J. D. Power.
In recent years, the car rental process has become simpler, from mobile check- in to “select and go,” where renters can head straight to the parking lot, choose a car and drive off without ever stopping at the counter, Garlick says. Such efficiency may be a key reason why for the first time, those renting cars for business are happier than those picking up a car for a vacation. Satisfaction among business customers was 802 points vs. a customer satisfaction score of 796 for those who were renting for personal reasons.
Millennials are also playing a role. They comprise 34% of car renters and are more satisfied than their Boomer or Gen X peers, with a score of 834 when it comes to business- related rentals and 809 for leisure trips.
“Millennials, who most people think are the most critical con- sumers, are actually in this case the happiest people,” Garlick says.
“They tend to get on social media more. ( And) we find there’s increased satisfaction with both reading social media commentary and leaving social media commentary.”
The major rental car companies made double- digit gains in the past year, but it was Enterprise that once again came out on top.
It scored 831 points, followed by National, which netted 818, and Alamo with a score of 807.
Favorable impressions of the service provided by a rental site’s shuttle bus or van improved the most, leaping 37 points on the index.
The survey polled 12,101 customers who’d rented a vehicle at an airport location for business or leisure between August 2014 and August 2015.