Alamo vs National Car Rental:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, National Car Rental had more branded searches than Alamo among car rental companies in the United States. National Car Rental had about 823,000 branded searches, while Alamo had 381,000. National Car Rental made up 13.3% of all car rental company searches we track, and Alamo accounted for 6.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about car rental companies, Alamo appeared in all four answers and National Car Rental in two. Alamo and National Car Rental were each mentioned first in two of the four answers.
Who do people search for more?
National Car Rental, about 2 searches for every 1 for Alamo
Who does AI mention more?
Alamo, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Each is named first in 2 of 4 answers.
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Top car rental companies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Alamo appeared in all four answers. National Car Rental was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Alamo and National Car Rental were each listed first in two of the four answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car1st- Alamo2nd
Hertz3rd
Budget4th- National Car Rental5th
Avis6th
Sixt7th
Turo–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Budget4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
- Alamo4 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
- Hertz3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
- National Car Rental2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- Avis2 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
- Sixt1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- Turo0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
See every answer about car rental companies
4 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which car rental company should I use in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best car rental companies in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the cheapest car rental company at US airports?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“car rental”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Searched Google, AI Overview
“rental cars”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 22, 2026.
Is Alamo or National Car Rental more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Alamo and National Car Rental by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight car rental companies we track, month by month, from searches in United States.
Share of searches by month for National Car Rental, Alamo. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Budget | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | Hertz | National Car Rental | Turo | Avis | Alamo | Sixt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 19.1% | 15.6% | 19.1% | 12.9% | 10.5% | 12.9% | 6.8% | 3.1% |
| Nov 2025 | 19.6% | 16.1% | 19.6% | 10.8% | 10.8% | 13.2% | 6.6% | 3.2% |
| Dec 2025 | 18.7% | 18.7% | 18.7% | 10.3% | 10.3% | 12.6% | 6.7% | 3.8% |
| Jan 2026 | 20% | 13.5% | 20% | 11.1% | 11.1% | 13.5% | 6.7% | 4% |
| Feb 2026 | 20.5% | 11.3% | 20.5% | 11.3% | 11.3% | 13.9% | 6.9% | 4.1% |
| Mar 2026 | 19.8% | 13.2% | 19.8% | 10.9% | 13.2% | 13.2% | 6.6% | 3.2% |
| Apr 2026 | 17.9% | 14.7% | 17.9% | 12.1% | 14.7% | 12.1% | 6.9% | 3.6% |
| May 2026 | 21% | 14% | 17.1% | 11.5% | 14% | 11.5% | 7.5% | 3.4% |
| Jun 2026 | 20.3% | 13.6% | 16.5% | 13.6% | 13.6% | 11.2% | 7.2% | 4.1% |
| Jul 2026 | 20.9% | 17% | 17% | 11.5% | 11.5% | 11.5% | 6.5% | 4.2% |
| Aug 2026 | 21.1% | 17.1% | 17.1% | 11.6% | 11.6% | 11.6% | 6.5% | 3.5% |
| Sep 2026 | 19.8% | 16.2% | 16.2% | 13.3% | 13.3% | 10.9% | 6.2% | 4% |
How has the Alamo and National Car Rental comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- National Car Rental was ahead of Alamo in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Alamo’s share of searches among car rental companies in the United States moved from 6.8% to 6.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 436K to 381K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, National Car Rental’s share of searches among car rental companies in the United States moved from 12.9% to 13.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 823K.
How did search popularity change for United States car rental companies in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, National Car Rental overtook Avis to rank 4th among car rental companies in the United States, with 13.3% of the searches.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Alamo in the United States fell 12.6% over 12 measured months, from 436K to 381K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Alamo’s and National 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.
Alamo
2 branded search terms
- alamo
- alamo car rental
National Car Rental
1 branded search term
- national car rental
Other head-to-heads among car rental companies
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