---
title: "Car hire companies in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?"
description: "Compare the companies people in the UK hire cars from. Share of Search among Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Europcar, Sixt, Avis, Hertz, Zest Car Rental, Drivalia, Green Motion, Thrifty, Arnold Clark and Budget, the car hire companies Brandwave compares in the United Kingdom, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-car-hire-companies"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

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

Compare the companies people in the UK hire cars from. Share of Search among Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Europcar, Sixt, Avis, Hertz, Zest Car Rental, Drivalia, Green Motion, Thrifty, Arnold Clark and Budget, the car hire companies Brandwave compares in the United Kingdom, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Car hire companies
- **Market**: United Kingdom
- **Brands compared**: 11
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 38.2%

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

- 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%.
- 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.

## 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.

Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options.

| Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Arnold Clark | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 |
| Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 |
| Zest Car Rental | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 |
| Drivalia | 4th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 |
| Green Motion | 5th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 |
| Hertz | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 |
| Avis | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 2 of 4 |
| Sixt | 8th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 2 of 4 |
| Europcar | 9th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 |
| Budget | 10th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 1 of 4 |
| Thrifty | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 |

## Every AI answer about car hire companies

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

Not named in any answer: Thrifty.

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Enterprise Rent-A-Car vs Europcar: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/enterprise-rent-a-car-vs-europcar): 38.2% against 17.2% Share of Search.
- [Enterprise Rent-A-Car vs Sixt: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/enterprise-rent-a-car-vs-sixt): 38.2% against 14% Share of Search.
- [Enterprise Rent-A-Car vs Avis: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/avis-vs-enterprise-rent-a-car): 38.2% against 11.5% Share of Search.
- [Enterprise Rent-A-Car vs Hertz: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/enterprise-rent-a-car-vs-hertz): 38.2% against 6.5% Share of Search.
- [Europcar vs Sixt: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/europcar-vs-sixt): 17.2% against 14% Share of Search.
- [Europcar vs Avis: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/avis-vs-europcar): 17.2% against 11.5% Share of Search.
- [Europcar vs Hertz: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/europcar-vs-hertz): 17.2% against 6.5% Share of Search.
- [Sixt vs Avis: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/avis-vs-sixt): 14% against 11.5% Share of Search.
- [Sixt vs Hertz: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/hertz-vs-sixt): 14% against 6.5% Share of Search.
- [Avis vs Hertz: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/avis-vs-hertz): 11.5% against 6.5% Share of Search.

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

- 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.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 38.2% | 165K | -18.0% | Enterprise Rent-A-Car |
| 2 | Europcar | 17.2% | 74K | -32.7% | Europcar |
| 3 | Sixt | 14% | 60.5K | -33.1% | Sixt |
| 4 | Avis | 11.5% | 49.5K | -18.2% | Avis |
| 5 | Hertz | 6.5% | 28.2K | -15.3% | Hertz |
| 6 | Zest Car Rental | 4.2% | 18.1K | -18.5% | Zest Car Rental |
| 7 | Drivalia | 2.3% | 9.9K | -18.2% | Drivalia |
| 8 | Green Motion | 1.9% | 8.1K | -18.2% | Green Motion |
| 9 | Thrifty | 1.9% | 8.1K | -18.2% | Thrifty |
| 10 | Arnold Clark | 1.5% | 6.6K | 0.0% | Arnold Clark |
| 11 | Budget | 0.84% | 3.6K | 0.0% | Budget |

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

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 171K | 39% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Europcar | 90.5K | 20.7% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Avis | 49.5K | 11.3% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Sixt | 49.5K | 11.3% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Hertz | 22.5K | 5.1% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | Zest Car Rental | 14.8K | 3.4% | 6 |
| Oct 2025 | Drivalia | 12.1K | 2.8% | 7 |
| Oct 2025 | Thrifty | 9.9K | 2.3% | 8 |
| Oct 2025 | Green Motion | 8.1K | 1.9% | 9 |
| Oct 2025 | Arnold Clark | 6.6K | 1.5% | 10 |
| Oct 2025 | Budget | 2.9K | 0.66% | 11 |
| Nov 2025 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 171K | 42.6% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Europcar | 74K | 18.5% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Sixt | 49.5K | 12.4% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Avis | 40.5K | 10.1% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Hertz | 18.2K | 4.6% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Drivalia | 12.1K | 3% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | Zest Car Rental | 9.9K | 2.5% | 7 |
| Nov 2025 | Green Motion | 8.1K | 2% | 8 |
| Nov 2025 | Thrifty | 8.1K | 2% | 9 |
| Nov 2025 | Arnold Clark | 5.4K | 1.4% | 10 |
| Nov 2025 | Budget | 3.6K | 0.9% | 11 |
| Dec 2025 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 171K | 41.9% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Europcar | 74K | 18.2% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Sixt | 60.5K | 14.9% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Avis | 40.5K | 9.9% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Hertz | 15.7K | 3.9% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Drivalia | 9.9K | 2.4% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | Zest Car Rental | 9.9K | 2.4% | 7 |
| Dec 2025 | Green Motion | 8.1K | 2% | 8 |
| Dec 2025 | Thrifty | 8.1K | 2% | 9 |
| Dec 2025 | Arnold Clark | 6.6K | 1.6% | 10 |
| Dec 2025 | Budget | 3.6K | 0.88% | 11 |
| Jan 2026 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 171K | 35.6% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Europcar | 90.5K | 18.9% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Sixt | 74K | 15.4% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Avis | 60.5K | 12.6% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Hertz | 24.9K | 5.2% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Zest Car Rental | 18.1K | 3.8% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | Drivalia | 12.1K | 2.5% | 7 |
| Jan 2026 | Thrifty | 9.9K | 2.1% | 8 |
| Jan 2026 | Green Motion | 8.1K | 1.7% | 9 |
| Jan 2026 | Arnold Clark | 6.6K | 1.4% | 10 |
| Jan 2026 | Budget | 4.4K | 0.92% | 11 |
| Feb 2026 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 160K | 36.4% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Europcar | 90.5K | 20.7% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Sixt | 60.5K | 13.8% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Avis | 49.5K | 11.3% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Hertz | 20.9K | 4.8% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Zest Car Rental | 18.1K | 4.1% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | Drivalia | 12.1K | 2.8% | 7 |
| Feb 2026 | Thrifty | 9.9K | 2.3% | 8 |
| Feb 2026 | Arnold Clark | 6.6K | 1.5% | 9 |
| Feb 2026 | Green Motion | 6.6K | 1.5% | 10 |
| Feb 2026 | Budget | 3.6K | 0.82% | 11 |
| Mar 2026 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 171K | 33.1% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Avis | 90.5K | 17.6% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Europcar | 90.5K | 17.6% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Sixt | 74K | 14.4% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Hertz | 25.5K | 5% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Zest Car Rental | 18.1K | 3.5% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | Drivalia | 14.8K | 2.9% | 7 |
| Mar 2026 | Thrifty | 9.9K | 1.9% | 8 |
| Mar 2026 | Arnold Clark | 8.1K | 1.6% | 9 |
| Mar 2026 | Green Motion | 8.1K | 1.6% | 10 |
| Mar 2026 | Budget | 4.4K | 0.86% | 11 |
| Apr 2026 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 151K | 32.8% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Europcar | 90.5K | 19.7% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Sixt | 74K | 16.1% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Avis | 60.5K | 13.2% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Hertz | 24.5K | 5.3% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Zest Car Rental | 18.1K | 3.9% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | Drivalia | 12.1K | 2.6% | 7 |
| Apr 2026 | Thrifty | 9.9K | 2.2% | 8 |
| Apr 2026 | Arnold Clark | 8.1K | 1.8% | 9 |
| Apr 2026 | Green Motion | 8.1K | 1.8% | 10 |
| Apr 2026 | Budget | 2.9K | 0.63% | 11 |
| May 2026 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 165K | 32.8% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Europcar | 110K | 21.9% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Sixt | 74K | 14.8% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Avis | 60.5K | 12.1% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Hertz | 26.7K | 5.3% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Zest Car Rental | 22.2K | 4.4% | 6 |
| May 2026 | Drivalia | 12.1K | 2.4% | 7 |
| May 2026 | Green Motion | 9.9K | 2% | 8 |
| May 2026 | Thrifty | 9.9K | 2% | 9 |
| May 2026 | Arnold Clark | 8.1K | 1.6% | 10 |
| May 2026 | Budget | 3.6K | 0.72% | 11 |
| Jun 2026 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 165K | 31.7% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Europcar | 110K | 21.2% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Sixt | 90.5K | 17.4% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Avis | 60.5K | 11.7% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Hertz | 29K | 5.6% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Zest Car Rental | 22.2K | 4.3% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | Drivalia | 12.1K | 2.3% | 7 |
| Jun 2026 | Green Motion | 9.9K | 1.9% | 8 |
| Jun 2026 | Thrifty | 9.9K | 1.9% | 9 |
| Jun 2026 | Arnold Clark | 6.6K | 1.3% | 10 |
| Jun 2026 | Budget | 3.6K | 0.69% | 11 |
| Jul 2026 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 184K | 33.5% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Europcar | 110K | 20% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Sixt | 90.5K | 16.5% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Avis | 60.5K | 11% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Hertz | 33.6K | 6.1% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Zest Car Rental | 27.1K | 4.9% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | Drivalia | 12.1K | 2.2% | 7 |
| Jul 2026 | Green Motion | 9.9K | 1.8% | 8 |
| Jul 2026 | Thrifty | 9.9K | 1.8% | 9 |
| Jul 2026 | Arnold Clark | 8.1K | 1.5% | 10 |
| Jul 2026 | Budget | 3.6K | 0.66% | 11 |
| Aug 2026 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 201K | 35.9% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Europcar | 110K | 19.7% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Sixt | 90.5K | 16.2% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Avis | 60.5K | 10.8% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Hertz | 33.3K | 6% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Zest Car Rental | 22.2K | 4% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | Drivalia | 12.1K | 2.2% | 7 |
| Aug 2026 | Green Motion | 9.9K | 1.8% | 8 |
| Aug 2026 | Thrifty | 9.9K | 1.8% | 9 |
| Aug 2026 | Arnold Clark | 6.6K | 1.2% | 10 |
| Aug 2026 | Budget | 3.6K | 0.64% | 11 |
| Sep 2026 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 165K | 38.2% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | Europcar | 74K | 17.2% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | Sixt | 60.5K | 14% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | Avis | 49.5K | 11.5% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | Hertz | 28.2K | 6.5% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | Zest Car Rental | 18.1K | 4.2% | 6 |
| Sep 2026 | Drivalia | 9.9K | 2.3% | 7 |
| Sep 2026 | Green Motion | 8.1K | 1.9% | 8 |
| Sep 2026 | Thrifty | 8.1K | 1.9% | 9 |
| Sep 2026 | Arnold Clark | 6.6K | 1.5% | 10 |
| Sep 2026 | Budget | 3.6K | 0.84% | 11 |

## What is being compared

- **Arnold Clark**: Measured on the search term “arnold clark car hire”.
- **Avis**: Measured on the search term “avis”.
- **Budget**: Measured on the search term “budget car hire”.
- **Drivalia**: Measured on the search term “drivalia”.
- **Enterprise Rent-A-Car**: Measured on the search terms “enterprise car hire” and “enterprise rent a car”, summed into one figure.
- **Europcar**: Measured on the search term “europcar”.
- **Green Motion**: Measured on the search term “green motion”.
- **Hertz**: Measured on the search terms “hertz car hire”, “hertz car rental”, “hertz heathrow” and “hertz uk”, summed into one figure.
- **Sixt**: Measured on the search term “sixt”.
- **Thrifty**: Measured on the search term “thrifty car hire”.
- **Zest Car Rental**: Measured on the search term “zest car rental”.

- [Arnold Clark](/demand/uk/brands/arnold-clark)
- [Avis](/demand/uk/brands/avis)
- [Budget](/demand/uk/brands/budget)
- [Drivalia](/demand/uk/brands/drivalia)
- [Enterprise Rent-A-Car](/demand/uk/brands/enterprise-rent-a-car)
- [Europcar](/demand/uk/brands/europcar)
- [Green Motion](/demand/uk/brands/green-motion)
- [Hertz](/demand/uk/brands/hertz)
- [Sixt](/demand/uk/brands/sixt)
- [Thrifty](/demand/uk/brands/thrifty)
- [Zest Car Rental](/demand/uk/brands/zest-car-rental)

## Methodology

- [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

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

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.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Car hire companies in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-car-hire-companies

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-car-hire-companies. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.