Rental Car Customers Who Skip the Airport Counter Are Significantly More Satisfied and Experience Shorter Pick-Up Times
Despite Saving Nearly Eight Minutes by Going Straight to the Lot, 80% of Customers Still Visit the Rental Counter First
TROY, Mich.: 8 Oct. 2025 — What would you do with an extra seven minutes and 57 seconds tacked onto your next vacation or business trip? According to the J.D. Power 2025 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study,SM released today, that’s the average amount of time rental car customers gain by skipping the airport car rental counter and going directly to the lot to fetch their vehicle. Despite the time savings and a better overall customer experience, however, 80% of airport rental car customers still visit the counter first.
Overall satisfaction among customers who bypass the rental counter is 704 (on a 1,000- point scale), compared to 662 among those who stop at the counter. Additionally, bypassing the counter—compared with visiting the counter—also results in notably higher satisfaction with the pick-up/drop-off experience (722 vs. 667, respectively) and ease/convenience of securing the rental (722 vs. 663, respectively). The study also finds that customers who skipped the counter saved time, with an average time to complete the rental pick up of 14 minutes and 6 seconds, compared to 22 minutes and 3 seconds for those who visited the counter.
“Given options of loyalty programs, kiosks and rental car company apps, there are more ways than ever to bypass the rental car counter and customers who take advantage of that added convenience are enjoying the benefits,” said Azari Jones, rental car practice lead at J.D. Power. “But for one reason or another, many customers are choosing to take the extra time to engage with representatives at the rental car counter. The key for rental car companies looking to maximize customer satisfaction is to clearly communicate the value of direct pick-up for time-pressed travelers, and to add value at the counter by delivering personalized service and more fully addressing customers’ questions and concerns.”
Study Ranking
Enterprise ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction with a score of 734. National (721) ranks second. Advantage Rent A Car and Sixt rank third in a tie, each with a score of 711.
The North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study examines the customer experience with rental car companies across seven core dimensions (in order of importance): ease of rental; pick-up/drop-off; level of trust; vehicle; staff; value for price paid; and digital tools. It is based on responses gathered from 8,263 business and leisure travelers who rented a vehicle at an airport location during the past year. The 2025 study was fielded from August 2024 through August 2025.
For more information about the North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/travel-and-hospitality/north-america-rental-car-satisfaction-study.
About J.D. Power
J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 55 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.
J.D. Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company's business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto-shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.
Media Relations Contacts
Joe LaMuraglia, J.D. Power; East Coast; 714-621-6224; media.relations@jdpa.com
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; john@jroderick.com
About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info
