National Car Rental

What National Car Rental does

National Car Rental is a US-headquartered car rental brand operating 1,500+ locations worldwide, primarily serving frequent business and airport travelers under the Enterprise Mobility portfolio (formerly Enterprise Holdings). Founded in 1947 and based in St. Louis, Missouri, the company reports 10,000+ employees and operates across North America, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Australia. The company's identity is anchored by its Emerald Club loyalty program, which delivers counter bypass, Emerald Aisle vehicle selection (choose any Midsize or above at the reserved Midsize rate), Emerald Checkout digital processing, and a tiered credit-based reward structure (7 credits for a free day at base, scaling to 5 credits at Executive Elite). Core differentiators include 10 consecutive years ranked No. 1 in the Business Travel News car rental survey and specialized programs for corporate accounts and U.S. government travelers.

The underlying technology platform comprises a reservation and fleet management system with Emerald Club integration, iOS and Android mobile applications featuring virtual pass barcodes, and pending patents covering website and mobile app menu operations and functional features. Distribution is multi-channel: direct online reservations through nationalcar.com and mobile apps, an enterprise sales motion for corporate business programs (up to 20% off base rates with unlimited mileage), travel agent distribution through the four major GDS platforms (Apollo-Galileo, Amadeus, Sabre, Worldspan) with 5% commission processing via TACS, a dedicated U.S. government travel program at 550+ locations, and 12+ airline and hotel loyalty partner programs. The platform also integrates with Enterprise Car Sales for used-vehicle disposition, providing downstream fleet value capture.

Revenue derives primarily from time-and-mileage vehicle rental transactions across economy through ultra-luxury vehicle classes, supplemented by contracted corporate accounts, government rates, travel agent commissions, and affiliate referral revenue from airline/hotel loyalty partners. The Enterprise Mobility parent generated $39 billion+ in FY2025 revenue across 67 million transactions, a 6% year-over-year increase. National's brand-level revenue, headcount, and unit economics are not separately disclosed. The company is privately held and controlled by the Taylor family of St. Louis, Missouri, with no external private equity or venture capital investors at the brand level.

Name

National Car Rental

Legal name

National Car Rental (brand of Enterprise Holdings, Inc.)

Website

https://nationalcar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

National Car Rental is a US-based car rental brand operating 1,500+ locations worldwide, serving frequent business and airport travelers through its Emerald Club loyalty program featuring counter-bypass, vehicle selection, and tiered free-rental-day rewards. It operates as a brand within the privately-held Enterprise Mobility portfolio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Car Rental Services

NAICS

Passenger Car Rental (532111), Passenger Car Rental and Leasing (53211)

SIC

Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Government Contract Car Rental (THADAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local City / In-Town Car Rental (THADAAAC), Specialty Vehicle Rentals (SUVs, Convertibles, 4x4) (THADAAAH)

Keywords

• Car rental services
• Airport vehicle rental
• Business travel rentals
• Loyalty car rental
• Corporate rental programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Rental Transactions: Core revenue from time and mileage charges on vehicle rentals across all vehicle classes from economy to ultra-luxury sedans, SUVs, trucks, and vans. Pricing varies by vehicle class, rental duration, and location.
2. Corporate Account Fees: Revenue from contracted corporate accounts receiving negotiated rates up to 20% off base rates with unlimited mileage on most vehicle classes. Corporate accounts generate consistent transaction volume from employee travel.
3. Travel Agent Commissions: Travel agents receive 5% commission on qualifying leisure rentals and non-negotiated corporate account rentals, paid on reserved or rented Time and Mileage (base rate only, excluding taxes and fees).
4. Government Contract Rentals: Revenue from U.S. Government travelers on official business at contracted rates with special benefits including included Loss Damage Waiver.
5. Partner Rewards Commissions: Revenue share arrangements with airline and hotel partners where National earns credits/miles on behalf of partners for qualifying rentals. Partners include American Airlines, Delta, Hilton Honors, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

National Car Rental provides daily, weekly, and extended vehicle rentals from economy to ultra-luxury classes (sedans, SUVs, trucks, vans, including electric vehicles) through 1,500+ locations worldwide, anchored by the Emerald Club loyalty program that delivers counter bypass, self-service vehicle selection at the Emerald Aisle, and digital checkout. The company serves frequent business and leisure airport travelers, corporate accounts, U.S. government employees, travel agents, and association members through dedicated programs and contracted rates.

Product overview

National Car Rental operates as a full-service car rental company offering a unified platform of rental services enhanced by its proprietary Emerald Club loyalty ecosystem. The core rental service is complemented by the Emerald Club program with tiers (Executive and Executive Elite), which powers the Emerald Aisle counter-bypass service and Emerald Checkout expedited processing. The company provides specialized programs for business and government accounts, a mobile app for iOS and Android, and the ONE TWO FREE promotion for loyalty rewards. Additional offerings include used car sales through Enterprise Car Sales, with integration to airline and hotel loyalty programs for point earning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Emerald Club: National Car Rental's loyalty program designed to make car rental experience faster and more convenient with special privileges for frequent renters including counter bypass, vehicle selection, and free rental days.

Products and services

• Vehicle Rental Services Daily, weekly, and extended vehicle rentals spanning economy through ultra-luxury sedans, SUVs, trucks, vans, and electric vehicles across 1,500+ locations worldwide; serves individual consumers, corporate accounts, U.S. government travelers, and channel partners with time-and-mileage pricing.
• Emerald Club Loyalty Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 consecutive years as No. 1 in Business Travel News car rental survey
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American AirlinescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAirlines rewards partnership allowing customers to earn 2 American Airlines AAdvantage miles per $1 spent on qualifying National rentals.
• Delta Air Lines (Skymiles)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRewards partnership enabling customers to earn 2 Delta Skymiles per $1 on qualifying National rentals.
• ANA (All Nippon Airways)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational airline partner where customers earn 50 credits per day with maximum 300 credits per rental.
• EVA AirminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTaiwanese airline partner offering 500 miles per rental on qualifying National car rentals.
• Frontier Airlines (Frontier Miles)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCustomer earns 50 Frontier Miles per day with maximum 500 miles per rental.
• Korean Air (SkyPass)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerKorean Air loyalty partnership for earning SkyPass miles on qualifying rentals.
• Southwest Airlines (Rapid Rewards)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership offering 600 Southwest Rapid Rewards points per rental.
• Best Western Hotels & ResortscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHotel rewards partnership earning 3 Best Western points per $1 on qualifying National rentals.
• Hilton Hotels (Hilton Honors)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor hotel loyalty partnership offering 500 Hilton Honors points per rental.
• Signature Flight SupportminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFBO (Fixed Base Operator) partner for general aviation customers, earning 1 point per $1 on qualifying rentals.
• Blue RewardsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLoyalty program partner earning 1 point per $10 with maximum 100 points per rental.
• Caesars RewardsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCasino and hospitality rewards partnership earning 1 Reward Credit per $1 on qualifying rentals.
• Apollo-Galileo GDScoreTechnology or IntegrationGlobal Distribution System (GDS) platform enabling travel agents to book National rentals with real-time availability and pricing integration.
• Amadeus GDScoreTechnology or IntegrationGDS platform for travel agent distribution of National rentals with integrated booking capabilities.
• Sabre GDScoreTechnology or IntegrationGDS platform enabling travel agent bookings with commission processing through TACS settlement system.
• Worldspan GDScoreTechnology or IntegrationGDS platform for National rental distribution to travel agents with integrated booking and commission tracking.
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Enterprise Car Sales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated brand under Enterprise Holdings providing used vehicle sales through Enterprise Car Sales dealerships, selling quality vehicles from the rental fleet since 1962.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hertz Global Holdings: Major global car rental operator with Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty brands, competing head-to-head with National for airport business travelers and corporate accounts. Comparable in fleet scale, loyalty program (Gold Plus Rewards), and global footprint.
• Avis Budget Group: Parent of Avis, Budget and Payless, the second-largest U.S. car rental company. Competes directly with National in airport corporate and leisure segments, with Avis Preferred loyalty as a counterpart to Emerald Club.
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car: Sister brand under Enterprise Mobility and the largest car rental operator in North America by fleet and locations. Competes directly with National on corporate, airport and leisure rentals, and shares fleet purchasing and Emerald Club/Enterprise Plus reciprocity.
• Thrifty Car Rental: Value brand under Hertz Global Holdings, positioned as a low-cost alternative in airport and off-airport locations. Competes with National primarily on leisure and budget-conscious traveler segments.
• Sixt SE: German-headquartered premium car rental and mobility company with strong European presence and growing North American footprint. Directly comparable to National's premium/ultra-luxury sedans and corporate business segments, and increasingly competing in U.S. business travel.
• Dollar Car Rental: Value-focused car rental brand under Hertz Global Holdings. Competes with National at leisure and price-sensitive airport locations, often as a lower-priced alternative in shared airport facilities.
• Alamo Rent A Car: Sister brand under Enterprise Mobility, focused on leisure and value-oriented airport rentals. Targets the same rental customers as National (airport leisure and corporate) at typically lower price points, creating direct internal competition.
• Budget Rent A Car: Value-oriented car rental brand under Avis Budget. Directly competes with National on airport leisure and price-sensitive corporate rentals, and serves overlapping customer segments at lower price tiers.

Emerging players

• Zipcar: Car-sharing service owned by Avis Budget, providing hourly vehicle access in urban markets and universities. Represents an alternative mobility model competing with National for short-duration urban and business trips.
• Turo: Peer-to-peer car rental platform enabling vehicle owners to rent to consumers. Increasingly intersects with National on leisure and specialty vehicle rentals and represents a capital-light competitive threat to traditional airport rentals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nationalpro
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NationalCarRent
• Facebookfacebook.com/nationalcarrental
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-car-rental

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Car Rental