Arnold Clark vs Thrifty:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Thrifty had more branded searches than Arnold Clark among car hire companies in the United Kingdom. Thrifty had about 8,100 branded searches, while Arnold Clark had 6,600. Thrifty made up 1.9% of all car hire company searches we track, and Arnold Clark accounted for 1.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about car hire companies, Arnold Clark appeared in all four answers and Thrifty in none.
Who do people search for more?
Thrifty, about 23% more searches than Arnold Clark
Who does AI mention more?
Arnold Clark, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Arnold Clark, the only one of the two named
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Top car hire companies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Arnold Clark appeared in all four answers. 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.
- Arnold Clark1st
Enterprise Rent-A-Car2nd
Zest Car Rental3rd
Drivalia4th
Green Motion5th
Hertz6th
Avis7th
Sixt8th
Europcar9th- +1 more
- 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
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?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“car hire”
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.
Is Arnold Clark or Thrifty more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Arnold Clark and Thrifty 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 by month for Thrifty, Arnold Clark. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| 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% |
Arnold Clark sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “arnold clark car hire”.
How has the Arnold Clark and Thrifty comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Thrifty was ahead of Arnold Clark in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Arnold Clark’s share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom held steady at 1.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 6.6K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Thrifty’s share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom moved from 2.3% to 1.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 9.9K to 8.1K.
How did search popularity change for United Kingdom car hire companies in September 2026?
1 change
Estimated monthly branded searches for Thrifty in the United Kingdom fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 9.9K to 8.1K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Arnold Clark’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.
Arnold Clark
1 branded search term
- arnold clark car hire
Thrifty
1 branded search term
- thrifty car hire
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