Car hire broker comparison

Using a broker means you're not booking directly with the company that will give you a car when you arrive at your destination. You'll usually get car hire for a better price, and with a good broker, an added layer of protection. But if you choose a bad broker, you may find it very difficult to get a resolution if something goes wrong.

Unscrupulous practices prevail in the car hire industry and a good broker will act as a buffer between customer and car hire supplier. It provides assistance if things go wrong, investigating issues and potentially resolving them more quickly than a provider would. It can also ask car hire suppliers to review cases where it doesn't think the customer has been treated fairly. A good broker can also save you money, negotiating bulk rates with suppliers.

Unfortunately, not all brokers offer a brilliant service. And not all brokers have provided full cash refunds for car hire that was disrupted by the pandemic. It's very important that the broker's website makes absolutely clear what charges you will have to pay when you arrive, and what your rights to a refund are if the booking is cancelled.

To help you choose, we have rated five of the most-used car hire brokers, on criteria such as the clarity of the price, ease of booking and how satisfied customers were with the car hire company that actually provided the car.

Only one company met our criteria to be awarded Which? Recommended Provider status. This means that it not only provided the best customer experience but also met our Covid refund requirements and has taken steps to mitigate against the dramatic price rises and lack of availability that have hit the industry. Find out more: Why is car hire is so expensive in 2022?  

We also rated leading car hire companies including Avis, Enterprise, Europcar, Goldcar and Hertz to find out the best and worst car hire companies.

Car hire brokers rated

The best car hire broker

Zest Car Rental comes out as the top broker with a customer score of 90%.

It scored the maximum five stars for the clarity of extra charges, fuel policy, final hire cost and for customer service.

Zest says it has kept price rises to a minimum by working exclusively with some local companies - so they can guarantee availability for as long as possible.

At the start of the pandemic, Zest made a permanent change to its cancellation policy. Cancellation is free (up to 48 hours before collection) and easy to do online. And free amendments can be made at any time.  And 93% of Zest's customers were satisfied with the service they received when their car hire was disrupted (compared with the 77% average).

Zest also passed our pricing transparency tests and convinced us it only works with reputable car hire companies, demonstrating the efficiency of its process for removing a car hire provider that doesn't meet its standards. This allowed us to award Zest Which? Recommended Provider status for the fifth year in a row.

Book with: Zest Car Rental

How we research car hire brokers

In January 2020 we asked 2,282 Which? members to complete an online survey about their experience of using a car hire company in the past 12 months. In January 2021 we asked a further 843 Which? members about their satisfaction with Covid safe measures and Covid refunds. And in January 2022, we gained additional pricing information and reader comments from a survey of 657 Which? members.

You can have your say on what we research and help us achieve change by joining our online panel of members, Which? Connect.