Car hire companies in the United Kingdom:Which are most popular?

Name: Car hire companies in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In September 2026, Enterprise Rent-A-Car was the most searched car hire company in the United Kingdom, accounting for 38.2% of all searches among the 11 companies we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Arnold Clark showed up in every answer. Arnold Clark was recommended most often, coming first in two out of four responses.

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Top car hire companies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Arnold Clark appeared every time. Arnold Clark was recommended most often, coming first in two out of four answers. Enterprise Rent-A-Car was second, and Zest Car Rental was third. Thrifty, which ranked ninth in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Most recommended by AI

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

Mentioned by AI

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

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
Arnold Clark	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 1 Google AI Overviews	4 of 4
Enterprise Rent-A-Car	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 1 Google AI Overviews	3 of 4
Zest Car Rental	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	3 of 4
Europcar	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	2 of 4
Sixt	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 1 Google AI Overviews	2 of 4
Avis	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 1 Google AI Overviews	2 of 4
Hertz	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	2 of 4
Drivalia	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	1 of 4
Green Motion	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	1 of 4
Budget	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 1 Google AI Overviews	1 of 4
Thrifty	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	0 of 4

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
Budget1 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
Thrifty0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about car hire companies

4 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best car hire company in the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which car hire company should I use at a UK airport?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Who has the cheapest car hire in the UK?”
1. 1Drivalia
2. 2Green Motion
3. 3Arnold Clark
4. 4Europcar
5. 5Hertz
6. 6Zest Car Rental
Searched Google, AI Overview
“car hire”
1. 1Enterprise Rent-A-Car
2. 2Arnold Clark
3. 3Budget
4. 4Avis
5. 5Sixt

Not named in any answer:

Thrifty

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 do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each car hire company by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 car hire companies we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.

Share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom, by month

Month	Enterprise Rent-A-Car	Europcar	Sixt	Avis	Hertz	Zest Car Rental	Drivalia	Green Motion	Thrifty	Arnold Clark	Budget
Oct 2025	39%	20.7%	11.3%	11.3%	5.1%	3.4%	2.8%	1.9%	2.3%	1.5%	0.66%
Nov 2025	42.6%	18.5%	12.4%	10.1%	4.6%	2.5%	3%	2%	2%	1.4%	0.9%
Dec 2025	41.9%	18.2%	14.9%	9.9%	3.9%	2.4%	2.4%	2%	2%	1.6%	0.88%
Jan 2026	35.6%	18.9%	15.4%	12.6%	5.2%	3.8%	2.5%	1.7%	2.1%	1.4%	0.92%
Feb 2026	36.4%	20.7%	13.8%	11.3%	4.8%	4.1%	2.8%	1.5%	2.3%	1.5%	0.82%
Mar 2026	33.1%	17.6%	14.4%	17.6%	5%	3.5%	2.9%	1.6%	1.9%	1.6%	0.86%
Apr 2026	32.8%	19.7%	16.1%	13.2%	5.3%	3.9%	2.6%	1.8%	2.2%	1.8%	0.63%
May 2026	32.8%	21.9%	14.8%	12.1%	5.3%	4.4%	2.4%	2%	2%	1.6%	0.72%
Jun 2026	31.7%	21.2%	17.4%	11.7%	5.6%	4.3%	2.3%	1.9%	1.9%	1.3%	0.69%
Jul 2026	33.5%	20%	16.5%	11%	6.1%	4.9%	2.2%	1.8%	1.8%	1.5%	0.66%
Aug 2026	35.9%	19.7%	16.2%	10.8%	6%	4%	2.2%	1.8%	1.8%	1.2%	0.64%
Sep 2026	38.2%	17.2%	14%	11.5%	6.5%	4.2%	2.3%	1.9%	1.9%	1.5%	0.84%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	Enterprise Rent-A-Car	38.2%	165K	-18%	+2.3 points
2, held 2nd	Europcar	17.2%	74K	-32.7%	-2.5 points
3, held 3rd	Sixt	14%	60.5K	-33.1%	-2.2 points
4, held 4th	Avis	11.5%	49.5K	-18.2%	+0.7 points
5, held 5th	Hertz	6.5%	28.2K	-15.3%	+0.6 points
6, held 6th	Zest Car Rental	4.2%	18.1K	-18.5%	+0.2 points
7, held 7th	Drivalia	2.3%	9.9K	-18.2%	+0.1 points
8, held 8th	Green Motion	1.9%	8.1K	-18.2%	+0.1 points
9, held 9th	Thrifty	1.9%	8.1K	-18.2%	+0.1 points
10, held 10th	Arnold Clark	1.5%	6.6K	0%	+0.4 points
11, held 11th	Budget	0.84%	3.6K	0%	+0.2 points

1.Enterprise Rent-A-Car
38.2%
Held 1st. 165K estimated branded searches, -18% vs prior month. Share +2.3 points.
2.Europcar
17.2%
Held 2nd. 74K estimated branded searches, -32.7% vs prior month. Share -2.5 points.
3.Sixt
14%
Held 3rd. 60.5K estimated branded searches, -33.1% vs prior month. Share -2.2 points.
4.Avis
11.5%
Held 4th. 49.5K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.
5.Hertz
6.5%
Held 5th. 28.2K estimated branded searches, -15.3% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.
6.Zest Car Rental
4.2%
Held 6th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.
7.Drivalia
2.3%
Held 7th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
8.Green Motion
1.9%
Held 8th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
9.Thrifty
1.9%
Held 9th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
10.Arnold Clark
1.5%
Held 10th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.
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”.

Which brand is most popular in search among car hire companies in the United Kingdom?

11 brands

In September 2026, Enterprise Rent-A-Car was the most searched among car hire companies in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 165K branded searches, 38.2% of all searches for the 11 we track. Europcar is in 2nd place, 21 percentage points behind at 17.2%.

United Kingdom car hire companies, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Enterprise Rent-A-Car	39% → 38.2%	42.6%Nov 2025	31.7%Jun 2026	1st
Europcar	20.7% → 17.2%	21.9%May 2026	17.2%Sep 2026	2nd
Sixt	11.3% → 14%	17.4%Jun 2026	11.3%Oct 2025	4th → 3rd
Avis	11.3% → 11.5%	17.6%Mar 2026	9.9%Dec 2025	3rd → 4th
Hertz	5.1% → 6.5%	6.5%Sep 2026	3.9%Dec 2025	5th
Zest Car Rental	3.4% → 4.2%	4.9%Jul 2026	2.4%Dec 2025	6th
Drivalia	2.8% → 2.3%	3%Nov 2025	2.2%Aug 2026	7th
Green Motion	1.9%	2%Nov 2025	1.5%Feb 2026	9th → 8th
Thrifty	2.3% → 1.9%	2.3%Oct 2025	1.8%Aug 2026	8th → 9th
Arnold Clark	1.5%	1.8%Apr 2026	1.2%Aug 2026	10th
Budget	0.66% → 0.84%	0.92%Jan 2026	0.63%Apr 2026	11th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom decreased from 39% to 38.2%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Europcar’s share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom decreased from 20.7% to 17.2%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sixt’s share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom increased from 11.3% to 14%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hertz’s share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom increased from 5.1% to 6.5%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zest Car Rental’s share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom increased from 3.4% to 4.2%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom peaked at 42.6% in November 2025 and was lowest at 31.7% in June 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Europcar’s share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom peaked at 21.9% in May 2026 and was lowest at 17.2% in September 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sixt’s share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom peaked at 17.4% in June 2026 and was lowest at 11.3% in October 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Avis’ share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom peaked at 17.6% in March 2026 and was lowest at 9.9% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hertz’s share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom peaked at 6.5% in September 2026 and was lowest at 3.9% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zest Car Rental’s share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom peaked at 4.9% in July 2026 and was lowest at 2.4% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sixt rose from 4th to 3rd among car hire companies in the United Kingdom.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Avis fell from 3rd to 4th among car hire companies in the United Kingdom.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Green Motion rose from 9th to 8th among car hire companies in the United Kingdom.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Thrifty fell from 8th to 9th among car hire companies in the United Kingdom.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Drivalia, Arnold Clark and Budget held steady: their share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

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

8 changes

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%.
In September 2026, Avis gained share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom, from 10.8% to 11.5%.
In September 2026, Hertz gained share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom, from 6% to 6.5%.
In September 2026, Europcar lost share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom, from 19.7% to 17.2%.
In September 2026, Sixt lost share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom, from 16.2% to 14%.
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.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Zest Car Rental in the United Kingdom rose 22.3% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 18.1K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Drivalia in the United Kingdom fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 12.1K to 9.9K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted for car hire companies?

15 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among car hire companies comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.