National Car Rental vs Thrifty:Which is searched more?
In September 2026, National Car Rental had more branded searches than Thrifty among rental car companies worldwide. National Car Rental had about 1 million branded searches, while Thrifty had 201,000. National Car Rental made up 8.1% of all rental car company searches we track, and Thrifty accounted for 1.6%. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Is National Car Rental or Thrifty more popular in search?
Compare the rental car companies people choose between. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.
Share of searches by month for National Car Rental, Thrifty. 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 National Car Rental and Thrifty comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- National Car Rental was ahead of Thrifty in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- 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.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Thrifty’s share of searches among rental car companies worldwide moved from 1.9% to 1.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 246K to 201K.
How did search popularity change for rental car companies worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, National Car Rental overtook Turo to rank 7th among rental car companies worldwide, with 8.1% of the searches.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Thrifty worldwide fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 246K to 201K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using National Car Rental’s and Thrifty’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.
National Car Rental
1 branded search term
- national car rental
Thrifty
1 branded search term
- thrifty car rental
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