Budget vs National Car Rental:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Budget had more branded searches than National Car Rental among car rental companies in the United States. Budget had about 1.2 million branded searches, while National Car Rental had 823,000. Budget made up 19.8% of all car rental company searches we track, and National Car Rental accounted for 13.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about car rental companies, Budget appeared in all four answers and National Car Rental in two. Budget and National Car Rental were each mentioned first in two of the four answers.
Who do people search for more?
Budget, about 48% more searches than National Car Rental
Who does AI mention more?
Budget, 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, Budget 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. Budget 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 Budget or National Car Rental more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Budget 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 Budget, National Car Rental. 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 Budget and National Car Rental comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Budget was ahead of National Car Rental in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Budget’s share of searches among car rental companies in the United States moved from 19.1% to 19.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.2M.
- 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.
In September 2026, Budget lost share of searches among car rental companies in the United States, from 21.1% to 19.8%.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Budget’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.
Budget
1 branded search term
- budget car rental
National Car Rental
1 branded search term
- national car rental
Other head-to-heads among car rental companies
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