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 0.73% of all United Kingdom van hire company searches, placing Thrifty sixth out of six companies. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about van hire companies, Thrifty did not appear in any of the answers.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Thrifty is the sixth most searched of 6 competitors.

  1. Enterprise Rent-A-CarShare of searches 41.3%Mentioned in 3 of 3 AI answers
  2. Arnold ClarkShare of searches 33.8%Mentioned in 1 of 3 AI answers
  3. NorthgateShare of searches 15.1%Mentioned in 0 of 3 AI answers
  4. HertzShare of searches 8.2%Mentioned in 0 of 3 AI answers
  5. ThriftyShare of searches 0.73%Mentioned in 0 of 3 AI answers

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Top van hire companies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, Thrifty did not appear in any of the three answers.

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Enterprise Rent-A-Car3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Arnold Clark1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Northgate0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Hertz0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Europcar0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Thrifty0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers

See every answer about van hire companies

3 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 van hire companies compete with Thrifty?

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

Share of searches by month for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Arnold Clark, Northgate, Hertz, Thrifty. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthEnterprise Rent-A-CarArnold ClarkNorthgateHertzEuropcarThrifty
Oct 202539.9%39.9%9.7%8%1.1%1.5%
Nov 202535.3%43.1%10.5%8.6%1.1%1.4%
Dec 202540.8%40.8%9.9%6.6%0.88%1.1%
Jan 202640.6%40.6%9.9%6.6%0.88%1.3%
Feb 202638.5%38.5%11.5%9.4%0.83%1.3%
Mar 202639.3%39.3%9.6%9.6%0.86%1.3%
Apr 202642.5%34.8%10.3%10.3%0.92%1.1%
May 202639.4%39.4%9.6%9.6%0.86%1%
Jun 202642.6%34.9%10.4%10.4%0.93%0.93%
Jul 202638.6%38.6%11.5%9.4%1%0.84%
Aug 202638.6%38.6%11.5%9.4%1%0.84%
Sep 202641.3%33.8%15.1%8.2%0.9%0.73%

  1. 1.Enterprise Rent-A-Car

    41.3%

    Moved from 2nd to 1st. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +2.7 points.

  2. 2.Arnold Clark

    33.8%

    Moved from 1st to 2nd. 22.2K estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -4.8 points.

  3. 3.Northgate

    15.1%

    Held 3rd. 9.9K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +3.5 points.

  4. 4.Hertz

    8.2%

    Held 4th. 5.4K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -1.2 points.

  5. 5.Europcar

    0.9%

    Held 5th. 590 estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  6. 6.Thrifty

    0.73%

    Held 6th. 480 estimated branded searches, -18.6% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Arnold Clark and 2 other brands sell other things too, so only their searches that name this product count here, like “enterprise van hire”.

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?

3 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’s share of searches among van hire companies in the United Kingdom decreased from 1.5% to 0.73%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Thrifty fell from 5th to 6th among van hire companies in the United Kingdom.

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

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Enterprise Rent-A-Car overtook Arnold Clark to become the leader among van hire companies in the United Kingdom, with 41.3% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Northgate gained share of searches among van hire companies in the United Kingdom, from 11.5% to 15.1%.

  3. In September 2026, Arnold Clark lost share of searches among van hire companies in the United Kingdom, from 38.6% to 33.8%.

  4. In September 2026, Hertz lost share of searches among van hire companies in the United Kingdom, from 9.4% to 8.2%.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Thrifty in the United Kingdom fell 52% over 12 measured months, from 1K to 480 in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Europcar in the United Kingdom fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 720 to 590 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%Show ranking
Van hire companies6th of 60.73%Shown above
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Is Thrifty your brand?

Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.

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