According to a recent study, airport rental car users are growing more dissatisfied as prices continue to rise.

A nationwide rental car shortage and the resulting price hikes have led to increasing dissatisfaction among customers. TPG obtained new insights from a recent J.D. Power study that monitored customer experiences with rental car companies over a 12-month span.

J.D. Power, a consumer intelligence firm, has published a report highlighting a notable drop in customer satisfaction for both business and leisure travelers who rented vehicles at airport locations from August 2020 to August 2021, largely due to a 58% surge in rental car prices during the last eight months of the study.

By summer 2021, the average price for a daily rental reached $90.40, and overall customer satisfaction fell by 11 points on a 1,000-point scale during that year, as outlined in the J.D. Power 2021 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study. The industry’s average satisfaction score dropped to 830 from 841 in 2020.

Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at J.D. Power, stated, "Rental car companies are encountering substantial difficulties regarding both vehicle availability and staffing. Rising costs coupled with long airport lines are adversely impacting customer satisfaction. It’s almost unbelievable that the average daily rental rate is now over $90, but there are reports of a subcompact vehicle, booked a month in advance, costing as much as $140 per day."

Enterprise Rent-A-Car received the highest overall ranking with a score of 861, followed by National Car Rental at 852 and Alamo Rent A Car at 837. All three are subsidiaries of Enterprise Holdings. These survey results were based on feedback from 4,279 business and leisure travelers who rented vehicles at airport locations from September 2020 to August 2021.

Enterprise Holdings expressed to TPG via email, "This recognition reflects the dedication of our exceptional teams and their commitment to our customers, particularly during these challenging times. Our teams are continually striving to meet the rising travel demands and support our customers' broader transportation needs."

Based in St. Louis, Enterprise is the second-largest car rental company in the U.S., following Hertz Corporation. In response to challenges posed by the pandemic, Enterprise brands have enhanced loyalty benefits for customers. Recently, both Enterprise and National announced the extension of loyalty perks for members for a second consecutive year to "offer even more flexibility to customers."

While National does not have a points system, allowing customers to earn credits for free rental days, they have also extended the Emerald Club Program Free Days for another year, valid until December 31, 2022. Additionally, tier statuses for Emerald Club Executive and Executive Elite members, as well as Enterprise Plus Silver, Gold, and Platinum elites, have been extended through February 28, 2023.

In contrast, Hertz and its subsidiary Thrifty Car Rental ranked in the lower half of customer satisfaction compared to their competitors.

"We have redirected our efforts toward key areas to ensure that service remains our top priority," said Lauren Luster, Hertz's communications director, in an email. "We have also implemented new strategies to better navigate the challenges we face in the industry, including staffing shortages and reduced fleet sizes due to the pandemic and ongoing microchip shortage."

Hertz did not confirm or refute the increase in their vehicle pricing mentioned in the report. Representatives from Avis Car Rental and Budget Rent a Car chose not to comment for this article.

In response to the report's findings, J.D. Power linked a "sharp rise in daily rental prices to the recent drop in satisfaction," as shown in the survey results.

"Rental car companies are in a difficult position, trying to meet the growing demand for leisure travel while their fleets are shrinking. Nearly all the rental car companies we monitor have raised their prices," Taylor noted via email, cautioning that this trend is likely to persist into the next year. "The anticipated shortage of new car production, due to chip shortages and other essential manufacturing materials, along with the tight market for used cars, does not bode well for the rental car industry in the near future."