History and how it works
Enterprise and Hertz have been a powerful duo in the car rental industry for quite some time. Besides a few nuances, both rental car companies work from a similar playbook in scheduling, loaning, and receiving rentals nationwide.
Enterprise
Enterprise entered the rental car scene in the late 1950s but remains a popular and affordable choice over its older competitor, Hertz. Jack C. Taylor founded Enterprise and gave the company the same name as the ship he served on, the USS Enterprise. His fleet of seven cars has now grown to over one million vehicles across the globe.
Drivers under 25 must pay a $25 per-day fee to rent a car with Enterprise or any of its rental car companies. You must be over 25 to rent an exotic car. Enterprise works with select insurance companies to give drivers 18 or older a rental car while their primary vehicle is in the shop.
Hertz
Hertz Global Holdings, otherwise known as Hertz, was founded by Walter L. Jacobs just a few years over a century ago. Built off the small fleet of a dozen Model Ts, Hertz now serves customers with hundreds of thousands of vehicles globally. Hertz is one of many rental car companies to add electric cars such as Teslas to their fleet.
You can rent a car from Hertz if you’re at least 18 in Michigan, 19 in Alabama, or 20 in the other 48 states. Drivers under 25 are subject to a $19 per day fee, one of the lowest in the industry. However, young drivers are limited to specific vehicles that can only be unlocked after their 25th birthday.
Summary
Hertz and Enterprise allow pets but charge a fine for smoking. If you smoke in your rental car, you’ll pay a $400 fine to Hertz and a $250 fine to Enterprise. Hertz has been in business longer than Enterprise, but the two consistently rival one another for the lion’s share of the rental car market.
In contrast to these American-made companies, Germany-based FINN enters the scene with a new approach to temporary car ownership. FINN offers car subscriptions with short terms (as low as six months) and an affordable monthly payment. You only pay FINN a security deposit if your credit score is lower than average, but there is no down payment required.
