Best car hire companies 2025

Because most holiday car rental happens across borders, and often in a second language, it's hard to spot rip-offs, scams, pressure selling and lies when looking for the best car hire companies.

Some big-name providers think nothing of charging you hundreds of pounds for insurance you don’t need or fining you for damage to the car you didn’t cause. And a few low-cost operators abroad have descended into outright lawlessness.

Our annual survey will help you choose the best car hire firms. Two independent providers, AutoReisen and Cicar, are streets ahead of the multinational companies. They provide cheap, reliable rental at an all-inclusive price, and they meet all our requirements to be awarded Which? Recommended Providers (WRP). There's just one catch – you’ll only find them in the Canary Islands (though Cicar does operate on mainland Spain, albeit with different T&Cs). 

There are solid options elsewhere, including Centauro on the Med, Enterprise in the UK and Alamo worldwide. But you may be better off using a recommended car hire broker to find you the best deal, and provide support if any problems arise. Find out which car hire brokers we recommend.

Whatever you do, give Goldcar, a regular at the bottom of our table, a swerve.

We asked thousands of Which? members and the general public to tell us about their car hire experiences. Firms were compared on a range of criteria, including the clarity of information provided on extra charges, insurance, and terms and conditions, as well as the process of picking up and returning the car.

Find out how to get cheaper car hire in 2025.

Best and worst car hire companies rated 

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What is the best company to rent a car from in 2025?

Guy Hobbs, car hire expert says: There are excellent options for the Canary Islands: AutoReisen and Cicar are both great-value and hassle free. 

For everywhere else use the Which? recommended car rental broker, Zest Car Rental. It only works with local providers that have been vetted for quality and it continuously monitors standards. Zest won't work with Goldcar for example - the lowest scorer in our survey for more than a decade - because it's just not good enough. 

And if a problem does crop up, Zest's customer service agents will help you resolve it, in English. Its prices are excellent too.' 

Read our full review of Zest Car Rental.

Avoid overpriced insurance at the rental desk

Insurance sold by the car rental company is expensive and often inferior to the third-party specialist insurance you can buy online.

Earlier this year, a Which? undercover investigation in Spain found car hire companies using pushy sales pitches to sell us unnecessary insurance at the rental desk.

Pressure-selling is illegal. Find a decent excess policy before you travel and stand your ground against pushy sales agents. 

If you do feel forced to buy insurance, the CMA advises that you write on the contract that you object and reserve the right to ask for your money back. Jot down the staff member’s name and immediately raise a complaint with the rental company’s head office. 

Read our reviews of the best car hire excess insurance.

How we research car hire companies

In March 2024 we asked 2,324 members of Which? Connect and the general public to complete an online survey about their experience of using a car hire company in the past two years.

Only those car hire companies that were top of the table and met our consumer-focused criteria are eligible for Which? Recommended Provider status.

Planning a road trip further afield? Find out the best car hire insurance for USA and Canada.