Brandwave

How popular isThrifty?

In September 2026, people searched for Thrifty by name about 8,580 times in the United Kingdom, a 21.3% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 1.9% of all United Kingdom car hire company searches, placing Thrifty ninth out of 11 companies. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about car hire companies, Thrifty did not appear in any of the answers.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Thrifty is the ninth most searched of 11 competitors and not listed in any AI answer.

  1. Enterprise Rent-A-CarShare of searches 38.2%Mentioned in 3 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. EuropcarShare of searches 17.2%Mentioned in 2 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 9th
  3. SixtShare of searches 14%Mentioned in 2 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 8th
  4. AvisShare of searches 11.5%Mentioned in 2 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th
  5. ThriftyShare of searches 1.9%Mentioned in 0 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –

+6 more

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Top car hire companies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Thrifty did not appear in any of the four answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Arnold Clark1st
  2. Enterprise Rent-A-Car2nd
  3. Zest Car Rental3rd
  4. Drivalia4th
  5. Green Motion5th
  6. Hertz6th
  7. Avis7th
  8. +1 more
  9. Europcar9th
  10. Budget10th
  11. Thrifty–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Arnold Clark4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Enterprise Rent-A-Car3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Zest Car Rental3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Europcar2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Sixt2 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Avis2 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Hertz2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Drivalia1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Green Motion1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Thrifty0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about car hire companies

4 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026.

Which car hire companies compete with Thrifty?

Thrifty against car hire companies in the United Kingdom, by month

Share of searches by month for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Europcar, Sixt, Avis, Hertz, Zest Car Rental, Drivalia, Thrifty. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthEnterprise Rent-A-CarEuropcarSixtAvisHertzZest Car RentalDrivaliaGreen MotionThriftyArnold ClarkBudget
Oct 202539%20.7%11.3%11.3%5.1%3.4%2.8%1.9%2.3%1.5%0.66%
Nov 202542.6%18.5%12.4%10.1%4.6%2.5%3%2%2%1.4%0.9%
Dec 202541.9%18.2%14.9%9.9%3.9%2.4%2.4%2%2%1.6%0.88%
Jan 202635.6%18.9%15.4%12.6%5.2%3.8%2.5%1.7%2.1%1.4%0.92%
Feb 202636.4%20.7%13.8%11.3%4.8%4.1%2.8%1.5%2.3%1.5%0.82%
Mar 202633.1%17.6%14.4%17.6%5%3.5%2.9%1.6%1.9%1.6%0.86%
Apr 202632.8%19.7%16.1%13.2%5.3%3.9%2.6%1.8%2.2%1.8%0.63%
May 202632.8%21.9%14.8%12.1%5.3%4.4%2.4%2%2%1.6%0.72%
Jun 202631.7%21.2%17.4%11.7%5.6%4.3%2.3%1.9%1.9%1.3%0.69%
Jul 202633.5%20%16.5%11%6.1%4.9%2.2%1.8%1.8%1.5%0.66%
Aug 202635.9%19.7%16.2%10.8%6%4%2.2%1.8%1.8%1.2%0.64%
Sep 202638.2%17.2%14%11.5%6.5%4.2%2.3%1.9%1.9%1.5%0.84%

  1. 1.Enterprise Rent-A-Car

    38.2%

    Held 1st. 165K estimated branded searches, -18% vs prior month. Share +2.3 points.

  2. 2.Europcar

    17.2%

    Held 2nd. 74K estimated branded searches, -32.7% vs prior month. Share -2.5 points.

  3. 3.Sixt

    14%

    Held 3rd. 60.5K estimated branded searches, -33.1% vs prior month. Share -2.2 points.

  4. 4.Avis

    11.5%

    Held 4th. 49.5K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

  5. 5.Hertz

    6.5%

    Held 5th. 28.2K estimated branded searches, -15.3% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.

  6. 6.Zest Car Rental

    4.2%

    Held 6th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  7. 7.Drivalia

    2.3%

    Held 7th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  8. 8.Green Motion

    1.9%

    Held 8th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  9. 9.Thrifty

    1.9%

    Held 9th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  10. 10.Arnold Clark

    1.5%

    Held 10th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  11. 11.Budget

    0.84%

    Held 11th. 3.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

Hertz and Arnold Clark sell other things too, so only their searches that name this product count here, like “hertz uk”.

Compare popularity between Thrifty and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Thrifty

11 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Thrifty changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Thrifty in the United Kingdom fell from 10.9K to 8.6K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Thrifty fell from 8th to 9th among car hire companies in the United Kingdom.

How did search popularity change for United Kingdom car hire companies in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Enterprise Rent-A-Car gained share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom, from 35.9% to 38.2%.

  2. In September 2026, Avis gained share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom, from 10.8% to 11.5%.

  3. In September 2026, Hertz gained share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom, from 6% to 6.5%.

  4. In September 2026, Europcar lost share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom, from 19.7% to 17.2%.

  5. In September 2026, Sixt lost share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom, from 16.2% to 14%.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Budget in the United Kingdom rose 24.1% over 12 measured months, from 2.9K to 3.6K in September 2026.

How are Thrifty’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Thrifty’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • thrifty car hire
  • thrifty van hire

Do you work for Thrifty? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Thrifty compete?

Thrifty is ranked in two competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Car hire companies9th of 111.9%Shown above
Van hire companies6th of 60.73%Show ranking
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Is Thrifty your brand?

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