A bad rental car experience is huge pain that can ruin your entire vacation. Some rental car companies charge hidden fees, some make you wait in line for hours, and others just have bad vehicles.
After having one of these experiences myself, I decided to test all of the rental car companies in Las Vegas to see which one has the best customer service.
Customer Service Ratings for Las Vegas Rental Car Companies
Let’s start off with some ratings to get an overall view of each company’s customer service track record. The ratings in the chart below are from Yelp. Each company had hundreds of ratings, so there shouldn’t be too many outliers.
One important thing to note is that many companies have received a lot of bad reviews because of the rental car shortage in 2020 and 2021. So while they may currently have a poor rating, it will likely improve over time as inventory increases.
| Company | Rating (Yelp) | Price (Prepay) | Price (Pay on arrival) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alamo | 4 stars | $270.16 | $283.30 |
| National | 4 stars | – | $313.30 |
| Enterprise | 3.5 stars | – | $292.38 |
| Hertz | 2.5 stars | $224.89 | $292.42 |
| SIXT | 2.5 stars | $212.13 | $231.99 |
| Avis | 2 stars | $164.97 | $209.97 |
| Dollar | 2 stars | $218.10 | $283.37 |
| ACE | 2 stars | – | $173.36 |
| Advantage | 2 stars | – | $194.72 |
| Budget | 1.5 stars | $176.30 | $189.57 |
| Thrifty | 1.5 stars | $237.64 | $261.59 |
| Payless | 1.5 stars | $229.15 | $239.97 |
| FOX | 1.5 stars | $209.54 | $215.78 |
| NU Car Rentals | 1.5 stars | $193.02 | $201.76 |
**The ratings and prices in the table above are from each company’s location closest to McCarran Airport. The rates are for a 3 day compact car rental.
It’s clear that Alamo and National have the best customer service ratings, based off of the Yelp reviews. Both companies received 4 out of 5 stars. Enterprise was a close second with 3.5 stars.
It’s no surprise that the companies with the best service also come with a higher price tag. The top 3 highest rated companies have the most expensive rental cars.
If price is what’s most important, I recommend you check out the article I wrote comparing rental car prices in Las Vegas. But if CUSTOMER SERVICE is what you’re after, keep reading. I go more in-depth on each individual company below. By the end of this article, you should know exactly which company to go with.
1. Alamo Rent A Car
- Location: Airport
- Price: $$$
- Rating: 4 stars
- Open: 24 hours
Alamo has excellent ratings across the board. The employees are extremely friendly and won’t pressure you to get add-ons or upgrade your vehicle. Check-in is very quick, with minimal wait time.
The cars themselves are in great shape. If there is every an issue with Alamo not having your vehicle in stock, they will automatically upgrade you to a better car.
It’s really easy to book a vehicle with Alamo online. I recommend you make a reservation in advance so that the process is as easy as possible. The office is located at the McCarran Rental Car Center at the airport. To get there, just take the free airport shuttle.
Pros:
- Excellent service
- Fast check-in and drop-off
- Friendly staff
- Easy to book
- Quality vehicles
- Good selection of cars
- Location
Cons:
- Price
2. National Car Rental
- Location: Airport
- Price: $$$
- Rating: 4 stars
- Open: 24 hours
National’s check-in and drop-off process is fast and easy. Getting to the location is very straightforward-just take the shuttle to the McCarran Rental Car Center from the airport.
My only issue with National is the price. They are the most expensive rental car company in Las Vegas.
National has a similar Yelp rating to Alamo however, they have received more negative reviews as of late. There have been a good number of recent reviews complaining about rude employees at this National location. I didn’t have this experience myself, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Pros:
- Quality vehicles
- Fast check-in and drop-off
- Good selection of cars
- Easy to book
Cons:
- Price
3. Enterprise Rent-A-Car
- Location: Airport, Hotel and Neighborhood
- Price: $$$
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Open: 24 hours (Airport)
Enterprise has over 30 locations in Las Vegas. You can rent from the airport, from many of the hotels on the Strip, and in neighborhood locations (off the Strip). The neighborhood locations have best rates, followed by the airport, then hotel locations.
Booking, checking in, and returning cars at Enterprise is really easy and painless. Their staff is also very friendly and accommodating in my experience. The only real drawback is the price, which is on the high end.
Enterprise only has 3.5 stars on Yelp, but it seems like that’s due to the fact that people are reviewing the neighborhood locations on the airport location’s Yelp page. The airport location is excellent, but it’s rating is brought down by poor reviews at neighborhood locations. Stick with the airport location, the reviews are a poor representation of the service.
Pros:
- Friendly staff
- Quality vehicles
- Fast check-in and drop-off
- Good selection of cars
- Easy to book
Cons:
- Price
4. Hertz Rent A Car
- Location: Airport, Hotel and Neighborhood
- Price: $$
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Open: 8am-10pm (Airport)
Hertz is another company located at the McCarren Rental Car Center. In my opinion, Hertz is a decent rental company. There is nothing special about them, but nothing overly bad. The only thing I found distasteful where the pushy sales people.
Their online reviews aren’t great. On Yelp you’ll see many complaints including rude employees, pushy sales reps, limited inventory and dirty cars. They also have a tendency to overbook and cancel reservations out of nowhere.
With all of that being said, Hertz has the best prices if you book at one of their neighborhood locations. If you book at one of these locations, you’ll find the cheapest rates of any rental company.
Pros:
- Cheapest rates in Las Vegas (neighborhood locations)
- Many offices around the city
- Easy to book online
Cons:
- Subpar customer service
- Dirty vehicles
- Pushy sales reps
- Cancelations
5. SIXT Rent a Car
- Location: Airport and Downtown
- Price: $$
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Open: 7am-12am (Airport)
SIXT has two locations, one at the McCarran Rent a Car Center and one a the Plaza Hotel in Downtown Las Vegas. My experience with the SIXT airport location was pretty ordinary. They have average prices and pretty good service. My only issue was the long line.
The company reviews online are mixed. SIXT only has 2.5 stars on Yelp, but 4 stars on Google. Going through the reviews I found numerous complaints of extra charges appearing after a customer returns a vehicle. Many reviews also mention how difficult it is to get ahold of customer service.
Those are some serious claims, so I checked the Better Business Bureau to confirm. The BBB showed that there are plenty of unhappy customers. So while I didn’t have a bad experience with SIXT, I would exercise caution when booking at the airport. The Downtown location is actually highly reputable.
Pros:
- Good selection of cars
- Easy to book
- Good customer service (at counter)
Cons:
- Long lines
- Hard to get ahold of customer service after rental
- Lots of complaints of extra charges
6. Avis Rent a Car
- Location: Airport, Hotel and Neighborhood
- Price: $
- Rating: 2 stars
- Open: 24 hours (Airport)
Avis is the cheapest rental car option at McCarran Airport. They also have nearly a dozen other locations across Las Vegas, mostly inside hotels on the Strip.
Avis is notorious for long, slow moving lines. This is clearly the reason why they only get 2 stars on Yelp. You can easily be waiting in line for 1 or 2 hours before getting to the desk.
The vehicles themselves are of decent quality, but nothing to write home about. Overall, Avis is a solid company, just be prepared for long lines even with a reservation.
Pros
- Best prices at the airport
- Easy to book online
Cons
- Extremely long lines
7. Dollar Rent A Car
- Location: Airport, Hotel and Neighborhood
- Price: $$
- Rating: 2 stars
- Open: 8am-10pm (Airport)
Dollar has a location at the Las Vegas airport, along with a couple other spots on and around the Strip. They are operated by Hertz, so their pricing is very similar. However, you can occasionally find some really good deals here.
Dollar has the same issue as Avis. They have ridiculously long check-in lines. There are also a number of customer complaints online citing extra fees for add-ons that they specifically declined (mainly extra insurance).
Pros:
- Easy to book
- Occasionally offer great deals
Cons:
- Long lines
- Lack of inventory
- Small selection of vehicles
- Lots of complaints of extra charges
8. ACE Rent A Car
- Location: Off-Airport
- Price: $
- Rating: 2 stars
- Open: 6am-10pm
ACE has really good rates, but it’s not very easy to get to. ACE doesn’t have an office at the airport. To get to the office, you must take a shuttle the McCarran Rental Car Center, then take a second shuttle to ACE.
The company has cheap rates, but they are very pushy when it comes to adding extra insurance. The extra insurance can add up quickly, so if you want to keep the low rates, you must decline all of the extras.
The vehicles at ACE are a mix of newer and older cars. You can get lucky with a new car, but you can also get stuck with a low quality vehicle.
Pros:
- Cheap rates
- Easy to book online
Cons:
- Not located at airport (need 2 shuttles)
- Sales reps are pushy
- Car quality is mixed
9. Advantage Rent A Car
- Location: Airport
- Price: $
- Rating: 2 stars
- Open: 7am-10pm
Advantage isn’t located directly at the McCarran Rental Car Center, it’s just across the street. Advantage offers really low prices, but is a pain to book because they won’t allow you to make a reservation for more than 2 weeks out.
The rates are good, but the sales reps are super pushy with the add-ons. If you don’t decline the extra insurance, the prices inflate really quickly.
The wait times at Advantage are surprisingly long for a company that isn’t as busy as some of the bigger agencies. Also, the cars aren’t the best quality.
Pros:
- Cheap rates
Cons:
- Can only book 2 weeks out
- Long wait times
- Low quality vehicles
- Pushy sales reps
10. Budget Rent a Car
- Location: Airport, Hotel and Neighborhood
- Price: $
- Rating: 1.5 stars
- Open: 6am-1am (Airport)
Budget is located at the McCarran Rental Car Center, but they also have a few other locations throughout Las Vegas. They have really good prices, but their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.
The airport location is unorganized and sends people through multiple lines. The lines are long, and it doesn’t seem like all of the staff members are on the same page. This location is understaffed which leads to bad customer service.
Budget is also known to have inventory problems. They will often not have the car you reserved even if you prepaid in advance. There are also plenty of issues with cleanliness and poorly maintained vehicles.
Pros:
- Great prices
- Easy to book online
Cons:
- Long lines
- Unorganized check-in process
- Subpar customer service
- Lots of complaints of extra charges
- Vehicles have cleanliness and maintenance issues
11. Thrifty Car Rental
- Location: Airport
- Price: $$
- Rating: 1.5 stars
- Open: 8am-10pm
Thrifty’s only Las Vegas location is at the McCarran Rental Car Center. It’s run by the same company that owns Hertz and Dollar.
This location has plenty of complaints from customers about extra charges being added on to their final bill. There are so many of these types of complaints online that they are hard to ignore.
I didn’t experience the extra charges myself, but I can say that their sales reps are extremely pushing. They try to upsell you on gas and insurance coverage at every turn. The lines are also very long. Ultimately, Thrifty is really expensive for what you’re actually getting.
Pros:
- Easy to book online
Cons:
- Pushy sales reps
- Long lines
- Lots of complaints of extra charges
12. Payless Car Rental
- Location: Airport
- Price: $$
- Rating: 1.5 stars
- Open: 8am-12am
The sole Payless office in Las Vegas is found at the McCarran Rental Car Center. Payless is run by the same company as Budget and Avis, but their rates are much higher.
It seems that this location is understaffed most of the time, so long lines are very common. There are a few reviews online mentioning vehicle maintenance issues, but I didn’t encounter them myself. The main drawback of using Payless is the long wait times.
Pros:
- Easy to book online
Cons:
- Long wait times
- Prices are average at best
13. FOX Rent A Car
- Location: Off-Strip
- Price: $$
- Rating: 1.5 stars
- Open: 24 hours
FOX doesn’t have an office at the airport. To get to the office, you must take a shuttle the McCarran Rental Car Center, then take a second shuttle to the FOX office.
Their rates are middle of the pack, but they sometimes offer good deals on 3rd party websites. When booking at FOX, you need to be very careful with the insurance add-ons. The sales reps are really pushy, and there are plenty of complaints online about extra charges for services that where declined.
The vehicles themselves are pretty outdated, with many of them requiring maintenance. The cleanliness of the cars is also an issue.
Pros:
- Easy to book online
- Occasionally offers good deals
Cons:
- Not located at airport (need 2 shuttles)
- Older vehicles
- Cleanliness
- Pushy sales reps
- Lots of complaints of extra charges
14. NU Car Rentals
- Location: Airport
- Price: $
- Rating: 1.5 stars
- Open: 7am-11pm
NU Car Rentals isn’t located directly at the McCarran Rental Car Center, it’s just across the street. You can either take a second shuttle or walk over yourself.
The rates at NU are pretty competitive, but their sales reps are really aggressive with the add-on insurance. There are plenty of reviews online from customers who were charged extra for services that they did not want.
The lines at NU can get really long, and the customer service is pretty bad. They are also known to have inventory issues. It’s not uncommon for them to not have the car you reserved in advance. You will either have to upgrade for an additional fee or downgrade (without a rebate).
Pros:
- Easy to book online
- Good rates
Cons:
- Bad customer service
- Pushy sales reps
- Lots of complaints of extra charges
- Low inventory
Best Overall Rental Car Company for Customer Service
Alamo Rent a Car has the best overall customer service in Las Vegas. They are conveniently located at McCarran Rental Car Center and have better prices than the other top-tier brands. Their online reviews are also head and shoulders above most of the competition.
If you’re on a tighter budget, Hertz is a good alternative to Alamo. Neighborhood Hertz offices (that aren’t located at the airport) often have the best prices of any rental car company in Las Vegas.
If you’re looking for the cheapest rental car company located at the airport, you’ll want to check out this post here.
