Drivalia vs Zest Car Rental:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Zest Car Rental had more branded searches than Drivalia among car hire companies in the United Kingdom. Zest Car Rental had about 18,100 branded searches, while Drivalia had 9,900. Zest Car Rental made up 4.2% of all car hire company searches we track, and Drivalia accounted for 2.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about car hire companies, Zest Car Rental appeared in three of the four answers and Drivalia in one. Zest Car Rental was mentioned before Drivalia in two out of three answers that named either.
Who do people search for more?
Zest Car Rental, about 83% more searches than Drivalia
Who does AI mention more?
Zest Car Rental, mentioned in 3 of 4 answers, Drivalia in 1
Who does AI recommend more?
Zest Car Rental, named ahead of Drivalia in 2 of 3 answers
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Top car hire companies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Zest Car Rental was mentioned in three out of four: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Drivalia was mentioned in one out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Zest Car Rental was listed before Drivalia in two out of three answers that named either.
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
Budget10th- +1 more
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
- Budget1 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 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 Drivalia or Zest Car Rental more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Drivalia and Zest Car Rental 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 Zest Car Rental, Drivalia. 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% |
How has the Drivalia and Zest Car Rental comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Drivalia took it in November 2025, Zest Car Rental took it in January 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Drivalia’s share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom moved from 2.8% to 2.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 12.1K to 9.9K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zest Car Rental’s share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom moved from 3.4% to 4.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 14.8K to 18.1K.
How did search popularity change for United Kingdom car hire companies in September 2026?
2 changes
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?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Drivalia’s and Zest Car Rental’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.
Drivalia
1 branded search term
- drivalia
Zest Car Rental
1 branded search term
- zest car rental
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