Thinking about booking with Hertz? You’ve probably seen the mixed reviews and wondered if the brand still holds up. The answer isn’t a simple yes or no — it depends entirely on who you are as a traveler. This post breaks down everything you need to know before handing over your credit card.
What’s Actually Changed at Hertz Recently
Hertz isn’t the same company it was two years ago. Under CEO Gil West, the company launched a major operational overhaul in early 2025 called the “Back-to-Basics” strategy. The goal? Fix the fleet, cut costs, and stop the bleeding from years of poor decisions.
Here’s what that looks like on the ground:
- Newer cars: By end of 2025, the average fleet age dropped to under 10 months — the lowest in nearly a decade
- Lower depreciation costs: Depreciation per unit (DPU) fell from over $500 to under $300
- Better utilization: Fleet utilization climbed from 78% to a projected 82–84%
| Fleet Metric | 2024 | 2025 (Q1–Q2) | 2026 Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Fleet Age | ~18–24 months | Under 12 months | Under 10 months |
| Core U.S. Fleet Under 12 Months | Unknown | 70% | Over 85% |
| Depreciation Per Unit | Over $500 | $353 | Under $300 |
| Vehicle Utilization | 78% | 80% | 82–84% |
For you, this means fewer breakdowns and more modern features in the cars you actually pick up. That’s a real improvement worth noting.
The EV Experiment: What Happened and Why It Matters
Remember when Hertz was going to be the Tesla of rental car companies? That didn’t go as planned.
Between 2021 and 2022, Hertz committed to buying 100,000 Teslas and thousands of EVs from Polestar and GM, targeting a 25% EV fleet by end of 2024. By late 2024, they were selling 30,000 EVs instead.
Why did it fail?
- Weak demand: Leisure travelers didn’t want to deal with charging infrastructure or range anxiety
- Repair costs were brutal: EV collision repairs cost significantly more than ICE vehicles
- Tesla’s price cuts wrecked resale values: Hertz took massive depreciation losses when used EV values tanked
Today, Hertz has shifted its investment back to internal combustion vehicles like the 2025 Jeep Wrangler. If you were hoping for an EV rental, the selection is slim and the remaining units are older stock being phased out.
How Does Hertz Actually Score Against Competitors?
This is where things get interesting — and a little contradictory.
The J.D. Power 2025 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study puts Hertz at 702 out of 1,000. That’s above the industry average of 691. Sounds decent, right?
Then you check Trustpilot. 83% of reviewers give Hertz a 1-star rating, with an average score of 1.3 out of 5.
That gap tells a story. The “average” experience might be fine. But when things go wrong at Hertz, they go really wrong.
| Company | J.D. Power 2025 Score | Market Position |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | 734 | Industry leader |
| National | 721 | Premium business travelers |
| Sixt | 711 | Rising premium competitor |
| Hertz | 702 | Mid-tier, in transition |
| Industry Average | 691 | Baseline |
| Avis | 672 | Below average |
The Hidden Fee Problem You Need to Know About
Here’s where is hertz car rental good becomes a genuinely complicated question. The most consistent complaints across Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau aren’t about the cars — they’re about what shows up on the bill afterward.
Watch out for these specific issues:
- Fuel charges on a full tank: Customers get charged for fuel even after returning the car with a full tank. This often comes from miscalibrated automated sensors
- App and website glitches: Error codes like DZX006-46-ERR-39776-80 cause booking failures, double billing, and credit card update failures
- Administrative fees that balloon: A $300 rental can quietly become a $1,000 rental once toll processing fees, minor damage fees, and administrative charges stack up
The AI Inspection System That’s Causing a Firestorm
This is probably the biggest change to the Hertz experience in 2025, and it’s not getting enough attention.
Hertz partnered with UVeye to deploy an AI-powered vehicle inspection system at over 100 major U.S. airports, including ATL, LAX, and ORD. The “Atlas” system uses 16 high-resolution cameras to scan every inch of the car — body, undercarriage, tires — as you drive through a return portal.
Hertz says it removes subjectivity. Consumer advocates call it a revenue generation tool.
Here’s the problem in plain numbers: damage billing increased 5 times compared to manual inspections.
The AI flags:
- Hairline scratches that used to count as normal wear and tear
- 2mm scuffs that a human inspector would ignore
- Windshield chips that were already there when you picked up the car
And the fees aren’t small. A minor dent might carry an $80 repair cost — plus $115 in “processing” and “detection” fees on top of it.
Senator Richard Blumenthal sent a formal letter to Hertz questioning whether the system crosses an ethical line. The House Oversight Committee launched its own investigation.
What you should do: Photograph every inch of the car before you leave the lot. Ask for a timestamped pre-scan report. If the location can’t provide a baseline scan, document that in writing.
Hertz’s Legal Baggage Is Still Very Real
Any honest answer to “is hertz car rental good” has to address this.
The False Arrest Scandal
Hertz’s administrative systems failed to register rental extensions or track returned vehicles. The result? Hundreds of innocent customers were reported to police as car thieves. Some were arrested at gunpoint. One plaintiff spent two weeks in jail and nearly lost custody of her child. Another lost her home.
Hertz paid $168 million to settle 364 claims. But lawsuits from 2023 and 2024 suggest the problem wasn’t fully resolved when management said it was.
The 2025 Data Breach
A zero-day vulnerability through vendor Cleo Communications exposed customer names, contact details, driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers, and passport numbers. Hertz discovered the breach in February 2025 but didn’t notify the public until April.
Class-action lawsuits are now in motion. If you rented with Hertz in late 2024, your data may have been compromised.
Is the Gold Plus Rewards Program Worth It?
For frequent travelers, Hertz’s loyalty program is its strongest selling point. The ability to skip the counter entirely is genuinely valuable. J.D. Power data shows that counter-bypass customers score 704 in satisfaction versus 662 for those who wait in line — and save an average of 8 minutes.
| Status Tier | 2026 Qualification | Key Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Free to join | Skip counter, choose your car, free spouse driver |
| Five Star | 3 rentals or $1,000 spend | 25% point bonus, one-class upgrades |
| President’s Circle | 15 rentals or $3,000 spend | 50% point bonus, guaranteed upgrades |
But there are caveats. FlyerTalk members in 2026 report that elite benefits have weakened:
- Some locations merged Five Star lanes with the general Gold row
- President’s Circle “upgrades” sometimes mean a Nissan Rogue, not an actual premium vehicle
- A hard 5-year expiration on all points regardless of activity is now in effect
Hertz vs. Enterprise vs. Sixt: The Fast Comparison
If you’re deciding between companies, here’s the straightforward picture.
| Company | U.S. Locations | Fleet Size | Satisfaction Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | 4,659 | ~2.1 million vehicles | #1 |
| Hertz | 2,523 | ~550,000 vehicles | #5 |
| Avis | 1,399 | ~480,000 vehicles | #9 |
Enterprise’s fleet is roughly double the combined size of Hertz and Avis. That means better availability during peak travel periods. National offers the cleanest business traveler experience through its Emerald Aisle. Sixt frequently undercuts Hertz on price while offering newer premium vehicles like BMWs and Mercedes.
Hertz isn’t typically the cheapest option in 2025–2026. It offers a price match plus 10% discount for identical rentals, but budget competitors and Sixt often beat its base rates outright.
Hertz in Europe and the Caribbean: A Different Experience Entirely
The “is hertz car rental good” question changes dramatically depending on where you are.
In Europe (UK, Spain, France):
- UK locations are notably strict on damage — even with the AI inspection system creating extra friction
- Travelers in Spain and France regularly report pressure to buy unnecessary local insurance at the counter
- Trustpilot UK shows 83% one-star ratings for 2025–2026 rentals
- Sixt and Europcar are stronger choices in most European markets
In the Caribbean (e.g., Grand Cayman):
- Licensee-operated locations don’t connect to the Gold Plus Rewards system
- Points don’t accrue or redeem at these locations
- Elite status benefits don’t apply
If you’re a loyal Gold member heading abroad, double-check whether your destination runs a corporate or licensee location before assuming your status matters.
So, Is Hertz Car Rental Good? Here’s the Real Answer
It depends completely on your situation:
If you’re a frequent business traveler with Five Star or President’s Circle status: Hertz works well. The fleet is newer than it’s been in years, and the counter bypass at major U.S. airports is a genuine time-saver.
If you’re an occasional or leisure traveler: The risk is higher than it should be. Without loyalty status, you’ll wait in line, face the AI inspection system at return, and have limited recourse if billing goes sideways.
If you’re traveling internationally: Look at Sixt or local alternatives first. Hertz’s reputational and operational scores outside the U.S. are significantly weaker.
The bottom line: Hertz fixed its cars. It hasn’t fully fixed its customer experience. Go in with your eyes open, photograph everything at pickup and return, and know your rights before you sign anything.
