Budget vs National Car Rental:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Budget had more branded searches than National Car Rental among rental car companies worldwide. Budget had about 1.5 million branded searches, while National Car Rental had 1 million. Budget made up 12.2% of all rental car company searches we track, and National Car Rental accounted for 8.1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about rental car companies, Budget appeared in all five answers and National Car Rental in four. National Car Rental was mentioned before Budget in three out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Budget, about 50% more searches than National Car Rental
Who does AI mention more?
Budget, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
National Car Rental, named ahead of Budget in 3 of 5 answers
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Top rental car companies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Budget appeared in all five answers. National Car Rental was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. National Car Rental was listed before Budget in three out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car1st- Budget2nd
- National Car Rental3rd
Hertz4th
Avis5th
Sixt6th
Europcar–
Turo–
Thrifty–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Budget5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- National Car Rental4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Hertz3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Avis3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Sixt1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Europcar0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Turo0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Thrifty0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about rental car companies
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which rental car company should I book?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best rental car companies?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best rental car company for airport trip?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“rental car companies”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best car rental”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.
Is Budget or National Car Rental more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Budget and National Car Rental by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine rental car companies we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Budget, National Car Rental. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Hertz | Avis | Sixt | Budget | Europcar | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | National Car Rental | Turo | Thrifty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 20.6% | 16.9% | 11.3% | 13.8% | 11.3% | 9.2% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 1.9% |
| Nov 2025 | 23.1% | 15.4% | 12.7% | 12.7% | 10.3% | 10.3% | 6.9% | 6.9% | 1.7% |
| Dec 2025 | 22.6% | 15.1% | 12.4% | 12.4% | 10.1% | 12.4% | 6.8% | 6.8% | 1.7% |
| Jan 2026 | 21.8% | 17.9% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 8% | 6.6% | 8% | 2% |
| Feb 2026 | 22.8% | 15.2% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 10.1% | 8.3% | 8.3% | 8.3% | 2% |
| Mar 2026 | 22.3% | 18.3% | 12.2% | 12.2% | 10% | 8.1% | 6.7% | 8.1% | 2% |
| Apr 2026 | 19.7% | 16.1% | 13.2% | 13.2% | 10.8% | 8.8% | 7.2% | 8.8% | 2.2% |
| May 2026 | 19.5% | 15.9% | 13% | 13% | 10.7% | 8.7% | 8.7% | 8.7% | 1.8% |
| Jun 2026 | 19.1% | 15.6% | 12.7% | 12.7% | 12.7% | 8.5% | 8.5% | 8.5% | 1.7% |
| Jul 2026 | 18.5% | 15.1% | 15.1% | 12.3% | 12.3% | 10.1% | 6.7% | 8.2% | 1.7% |
| Aug 2026 | 19% | 15.5% | 12.7% | 12.7% | 12.7% | 10.4% | 6.9% | 8.5% | 1.7% |
| Sep 2026 | 18.2% | 14.9% | 14.9% | 12.2% | 12.2% | 9.9% | 8.1% | 8.1% | 1.6% |
How has the Budget and National Car Rental comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Budget was ahead of National Car Rental in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Budget’s share of searches among rental car companies worldwide moved from 13.8% to 12.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.8M to 1.5M.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, National Car Rental’s share of searches among rental car companies worldwide moved from 7.5% to 8.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1M.
How did search popularity change for rental car companies worldwide in September 2026?
3 changes
In September 2026, Sixt overtook Budget and Europcar to rank 3rd among rental car companies worldwide, with 14.9% of the searches.
In September 2026, National Car Rental overtook Turo to rank 7th among rental car companies worldwide, with 8.1% of the searches.
In September 2026, Budget lost share of searches among rental car companies worldwide, from 12.7% to 12.2%.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Budget’s and National Car Rental’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Budget
1 branded search term
- budget car rental
National Car Rental
1 branded search term
- national car rental
Other head-to-heads among rental car companies
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