This Rental Car Company Lets Many Travelers Skip the Counter Entirely—and It Was Just Named the Best in the U.S.

The rental car aisle may be the last place travelers expect to find new innovation or a seamless experience. But one company continues to receive accolades for improving the rental experience.

National Rental Car has been recognized as the best rental company by Travel + Leisure readers in the 2026 World's Best Awards . From easily booking through its mobile app to a speedy return of the car when finished, the company has streamlined the rental experience.

One of the biggest differences between National Car Rental and its competitors is most customers never have to stop at the rental counter since the company stores license and reservation information digitally, allowing drivers to walk directly into the lot and choose any car they wish in the designated area. There is no price difference between cars for travelers who book the "Emerald Aisle," rather than a specific class of vehicle.

Frequent renters can enroll in the Emerald Club loyalty program. Those who reach Executive status can earn rental credits that add up to free rental days, have access to a wider range of cars at lower rates, and are eligible for free upgrades.

In April, National was similarly listed as the highest-ranked rental car company in a survey from Business Travel News , and last year came in second behind Enterprise Rent-A-Car in J.D. Power's 2025 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study . Both reports spotlighted National's focus on customer service and clean vehicles. 

"One of Enterprise Mobility's greatest strengths is our consistency," Mike Guadagnoli, Enterprise Mobility's vice president of business rental sales and global operations, said in a statement shared with T+L earlier this year, adding the company is focused on "consistently delivering an exceptional customer experience. Our operators in the field and our sales professionals in the marketplace deliver for our customers every day."

National is part of Enterprise Mobility, which also owns Alamo and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, which took the No. 2 spot overall in T+L's rankings.

The rental car industry has been steadily growing since the COVID-19 pandemic as more travelers hit the roads. Enterprise Mobility alone hit $39 billion in revenue for the 2025 fiscal year, according to the company . That included nearly 67 million individual car and truck rental transactions, representing a more than 6 percent increase compared to the prior fiscal year.

This is full ranking of the best car rental companies for 2026 ranked in T+L's World's Best Awards.

1. National Car Rental 

2. Enterprise Rent-A-Car 

3. SIXT 

4. Hertz 

5. Alamo

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