CarRentals.com
CarRentals.com is an online car rental price-comparison and booking marketplace operated as a subsidiary brand of Expedia, Inc. within Expedia Group. It aggregates inventory from 20+ rental suppliers and serves individual leisure and business travelers searching, comparing, and reserving vehicles worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersJersey City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What CarRentals.com does
CarRentals.com is an online car rental search engine and price comparison marketplace that allows consumers to search, compare, and book rental vehicles from a curated set of third-party rental suppliers. Founded in 1998 and operated as a subsidiary brand of Expedia, Inc. — a Washington corporation within Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) — the platform aggregates inventory from more than twenty car rental brands including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Sixt, Dollar, Europcar, Payless, Ace Rent A Car, Advantage Rent-A-Car, Fox Rent a Car, and others across both core and minor strategic tiers. Travelscape, LLC is named as a wholly-owned operating subsidiary within the same corporate group.
The core technology stack is Expedia Group's online travel booking platform, comprising a comparison search engine, reservation management system, and customer-facing web and mobile interface with self-service online booking supplemented by phone-based reservation support. The platform supports both "Pay now and save" and "Pay at pick-up" payment models, and offers a Collision Damage Protection insurance add-on that can be purchased at checkout or up to 24 hours prior to pick-up. Ancillary products include the CarRentals Rewards loyalty program and an AI-powered virtual agent chatbot that supports text-based help, multilingual interaction, and trip-planning assistance. Members access discounts and special features via authenticated accounts, with social-login integration through Google and Facebook.
CarRentals.com generates revenue primarily through transaction fees or commissions earned on completed car rental bookings between consumers and supplier brands, with additional modest contribution from the optional Collision Damage Protection product. Distribution is direct-to-consumer online through carrentals.com for individual and business travelers, with phone-based reservation support as a secondary channel. The customer base is segmented into individual leisure/business travelers (primary segment) and corporate business travelers (secondary), both served through the same horizontal platform. Marketing relies on organic search, paid digital advertising, and email/member communications managed within Expedia Group's marketing infrastructure. Compliance posture includes PCI-DSS, GDPR, CCPA, EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, Global CBPR, and CSA STAR Level 2 certifications inherited from the Expedia Group.
CarRentals.com firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CarRentals.com
- Legal name
- Expedia, Inc.
- Website
- https://carrentals.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CarRentals.com is an online car rental price-comparison and booking marketplace operated as a subsidiary brand of Expedia, Inc. within Expedia Group. It aggregates inventory from 20+ rental suppliers and serves individual leisure and business travelers searching, comparing, and reserving vehicles worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CarRentals.com industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Travel Booking
- NAICS
- Passenger Car Rental and Leasing (53211), Automotive Equipment Rental and Leasing (5321)
- SIC
- Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Car Rental & Mobility Reservation Engines (THALADAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Car Rental & Car-Sharing Booking Platforms (BPAMAIAF)
Keywords
Where CarRentals.com is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jersey City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CarRentals.com business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Car Rental Booking Commission: CarRentals.com generates revenue by facilitating car rental bookings between customers and car rental suppliers. The platform acts as an intermediary, earning commissions or transaction fees on completed bookings. The company offers both 'Pay now and save' and 'Pay at pick-up' payment models, with the platform收取交易费用或佣金。
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Members receive exclusive discounts and special features |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
CarRentals.com product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CarRentals.com is an online car rental search engine and booking platform that aggregates inventory from over 20 car rental suppliers (including Hertz, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Alamo, National, Sixt, Thrifty, Dollar, Europcar, and others). Customers can search, compare prices, and book rental vehicles through the website or phone, with options for airport and off-airport pick-up, one-way rentals, and same-day reservations. The platform also offers optional Collision Damage Protection insurance and member-exclusive discounts through a free loyalty account.
Product overview
CarRentals.com is a consumer-facing car rental price comparison and booking platform that aggregates inventory from multiple third-party car rental companies. It operates as a single unified website and mobile application within the Expedia Group ecosystem. The core platform enables users to search, compare prices, and book rental cars from suppliers including Ace Rent A Car, Advantage Rent-A-Car, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Europcar, Fox, Hertz, Midway, National, Nu Car, Payless, Routes, Sixt, Thrifty, Silvercar, Green Motion, and others. Related offerings include Collision Damage Protection (optional insurance product), member-exclusive pricing through account membership, and trip management tools for viewing and modifying bookings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CarRentals.com Booking Platform Web-based and mobile platform for searching, comparing prices, and booking car rentals from multiple supplier companies. Supports filtering by car type, rental company, pick-up location, and includes same-day booking capabilities. Offers airport and off-airport pick-up, one-way rentals, weekend rentals, and long-term rentals.
- Collision Damage Protection
Companies that use CarRentals.com
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
CarRentals.com technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability10 records
CarRentals.com partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Ace Rent A CarcoreAce Rent A Car is one of the car rental brands available for booking through the CarRentals.com platform. Customers can search and reserve Ace Rent A Car vehicles through the comparison marketplace.
- Advantage Rent-A-CarcoreAdvantage Rent-A-Car is a partner rental brand available on CarRentals.com's booking platform.
- Alamo Rent A CarcoreAlamo Rent A Car is one of the major car rental brands available through CarRentals.com's platform.
- AviscoreAvis is a partner brand available for booking through CarRentals.com.
- BudgetcoreBudget is a partner rental brand available on CarRentals.com.
- Dollar Rent A CarcoreDollar Rent A Car is available as a rental option through CarRentals.com.
- EnterprisecoreEnterprise is a partner brand available for booking on the CarRentals.com platform.
- EuropcarcoreEuropcar is available as a rental option through CarRentals.com.
- Fox Rent a CarcoreFox Rent a Car is a partner brand on the CarRentals.com platform.
- HertzcoreHertz is available for booking through CarRentals.com.
- National Car RentalcoreNational Car Rental is a partner brand on CarRentals.com.
- SixtcoreSixt is available as a rental option through CarRentals.com.
- Thrifty Car RentalcoreThrifty Car Rental is a partner brand on the CarRentals.com platform.
- SilvercarminorSilvercar is a partner rental brand available on CarRentals.com.
- Green MotionminorGreen Motion is available as an eco-friendly rental option on CarRentals.com.
- Rent-a-WreckminorRent-a-Wreck is a partner brand offering budget-friendly rental options on the platform.
- PaylesscorePayless is a partner rental brand available on CarRentals.com.
- Routes Car RentalminorRoutes Car Rental is available as a booking option through CarRentals.com.
- Nu CarminorNu Car is a partner brand available on the CarRentals.com platform.
- Midway Car RentalminorMidway Car Rental is available as a rental option through CarRentals.com.
- PricelessminorPriceless is a partner rental brand on CarRentals.com.
- NextCarminorNextCar is a partner brand available on CarRentals.com.
- U-SaveminorU-Save is a partner rental brand available on the platform.
- Economy Rent a CarcoreEconomy Rent a Car is a partner brand on CarRentals.com offering budget-friendly options.
- Expedia, Inc.coreCarRentals.com is a subsidiary and brand of Expedia, Inc., operating within the Expedia Group of companies. Expedia, Inc. is the parent company providing technology, distribution, and operational infrastructure.
- Expedia Group CompaniescoreCarRentals.com shares personal data and jointly uses technology with other Expedia Group companies for platform usage, booking purposes, communications, and security/compliance.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CarRentals.com competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kayak: Leading travel meta-search engine owned by Booking Holdings; compares flights, hotels, and car rentals. Directly comparable to CarRentals.com in the car rental comparison vertical, with broader cross-category distribution advantages.
- Rentalcars.com: Booking Holdings-owned car rental meta-search and booking platform. Most direct comparable to CarRentals.com in product (comparison booking engine), supplier breadth, and target customer (leisure/business travelers), differing primarily in parent conglomerate.
Broad incumbents
- Google Travel: Google's integrated travel search product including car rental comparison and direct links to suppliers. Comparable as a powerful search-driven intermediary competing for the same organic, high-intent car rental queries.
- Priceline: Booking Holdings' flagship OTA with car rental inventory alongside hotels, flights, and packages. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering car rental comparison and booking to a similar consumer base.
- Hotwire: Sister Expedia Group brand offering discounted travel including car rentals alongside hotels and flights. Comparable as an Expedia-owned car rental distribution channel that competes for similar traveler demand.
- Expedia: Flagship brand of CarRentals.com's parent company, offering car rentals among other travel products. Comparable as the dominant Expedia-owned travel platform that overlaps in car rental distribution and competes for the same bookings.
- Tripadvisor: Major travel meta-search and reviews platform with car rental comparison features. Comparable as a broad incumbent in travel comparison that overlaps with CarRentals.com's consumer-facing comparison and booking experience.
Regional players
- Skyscanner: Trip.com-owned global travel meta-search engine with car rental comparison. Comparable as a meta-search competitor with strong international (particularly European/APAC) reach where CarRentals.com has lighter brand presence.
Emerging players
- Hopper: Mobile-first travel app with AI-driven pricing for flights, hotels, and car rentals. Comparable as an emerging digital-native player bringing AI-led pricing and personalization to the car rental booking experience.
- AutoSlash: US-focused car rental discount and price-tracking service that helps consumers find cheaper rental rates. Comparable as a niche player in the car rental meta-search/comparison category with a focus on discount optimization.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CarRentals.com social profiles
Digital presenceCarRentals.com compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
CarRentals.com financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CarRentals.com leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
CarRentals.com subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
CarRentals.com funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CarRentals.com M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CarRentals.com
What does CarRentals.com do?
CarRentals.com is an online car rental search engine and booking platform that aggregates inventory from over 20 car rental suppliers (including Hertz, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Alamo, National, Sixt, Thrifty, Dollar, Europcar, and others). Customers can search, compare prices, and book rental vehicles through the website or phone, with options for airport and off-airport pick-up, one-way rentals, and same-day reservations. The platform also offers optional Collision Damage Protection insurance and member-exclusive discounts through a free loyalty account.
Is CarRentals.com a public or private company?
CarRentals.com is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was CarRentals.com founded?
CarRentals.com was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CarRentals.com based?
CarRentals.com is headquartered in Jersey City, United States, in the North America region.
How does CarRentals.com make money?
One revenue line is on record: car Rental Booking Commission.
Who are CarRentals.com's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kayak and Rentalcars.com. Broad incumbents are Google Travel, Priceline, Hotwire, Expedia and Tripadvisor. Skyscanner is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Hopper and AutoSlash.
Does CarRentals.com have an API?
No public API is recorded for CarRentals.com.
What industry is CarRentals.com in?
CarRentals.com's product category is Online Travel Booking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THALADAE, Car Rental & Mobility Reservation Engines, with a secondary code of BPAMAIAF, Car Rental & Car-Sharing Booking Platforms. Its NAICS code is 53211 and its SIC code is 7510.