Brandwave

Hertz vs Zest Car Rental:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Hertz had more branded searches than Zest Car Rental among car hire companies in the United Kingdom. Hertz had about 28,200 branded searches, while Zest Car Rental had 18,100. Hertz made up 6.5% of all car hire company searches we track, and Zest Car Rental accounted for 4.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about car hire companies, Zest Car Rental appeared in three of the four answers and Hertz in two. Zest Car Rental was mentioned before Hertz in two out of three answers that named either.

Among car hire companies in the United Kingdom in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Hertz, about 56% more searches than Zest Car Rental

Hertz 28.2K searchesZest Car Rental 18.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Zest Car Rental, mentioned in 3 of 4 answers, Hertz in 2

Zest Car Rental in 3 of 4Hertz in 2 of 4

Who does AI recommend more?

Zest Car Rental, named ahead of Hertz in 2 of 3 answers

Zest Car Rental first in 2Hertz first in 1

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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. Hertz was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Zest Car Rental was listed before Hertz 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.

  1. Arnold Clark1st
  2. Enterprise Rent-A-Car2nd
  3. Zest Car Rental3rd
  4. Drivalia4th
  5. Green Motion5th
  6. Hertz6th
  7. Avis7th
  8. Sixt8th
  9. Europcar9th
  10. Budget10th
  11. +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

+1 more

See every answer about car hire companies

4 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.

Is Hertz or Zest Car Rental more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Hertz 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.

Hertz and Zest Car Rental among car hire companies in the United Kingdom, by month

Share of searches by month for Hertz, Zest Car Rental. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthEnterprise Rent-A-CarEuropcarSixtAvisHertzZest Car RentalDrivaliaGreen MotionThriftyArnold ClarkBudget
Oct 202539%20.7%11.3%11.3%5.1%3.4%2.8%1.9%2.3%1.5%0.66%
Nov 202542.6%18.5%12.4%10.1%4.6%2.5%3%2%2%1.4%0.9%
Dec 202541.9%18.2%14.9%9.9%3.9%2.4%2.4%2%2%1.6%0.88%
Jan 202635.6%18.9%15.4%12.6%5.2%3.8%2.5%1.7%2.1%1.4%0.92%
Feb 202636.4%20.7%13.8%11.3%4.8%4.1%2.8%1.5%2.3%1.5%0.82%
Mar 202633.1%17.6%14.4%17.6%5%3.5%2.9%1.6%1.9%1.6%0.86%
Apr 202632.8%19.7%16.1%13.2%5.3%3.9%2.6%1.8%2.2%1.8%0.63%
May 202632.8%21.9%14.8%12.1%5.3%4.4%2.4%2%2%1.6%0.72%
Jun 202631.7%21.2%17.4%11.7%5.6%4.3%2.3%1.9%1.9%1.3%0.69%
Jul 202633.5%20%16.5%11%6.1%4.9%2.2%1.8%1.8%1.5%0.66%
Aug 202635.9%19.7%16.2%10.8%6%4%2.2%1.8%1.8%1.2%0.64%
Sep 202638.2%17.2%14%11.5%6.5%4.2%2.3%1.9%1.9%1.5%0.84%

Hertz sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “hertz uk”.

How has the Hertz and Zest Car Rental comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Hertz gained share of searches among car hire companies in the United Kingdom, from 6% to 6.5%.

  2. 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.

How are branded searches counted?

5 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hertz’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.

Hertz

4 branded search terms

  • hertz car hire
  • hertz car rental
  • hertz heathrow
  • hertz uk

Zest Car Rental

1 branded search term

  • zest car rental

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among car hire companies

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