When it comes to travel across Europe – whether you’re embarking on a scenic European road trip, heading to international business meetings, or exploring historic European cities – choosing the best car rental companies makes all the difference.
From streamlined booking to exceptional customer service and an extensive fleet of vehicles, the top car rental companies in Europe are more than just a stop on your European itinerary. They’re a crucial part of your 2025 travel journey. With thousands of customers relying on these premier European car rental companies daily, which ones truly represent the best car rental companies in Europe?
To help you make a confident and informed decision for your 2025 European travels, SIXT magazine compiled this definitive list of the top 5 best car rental companies in Europe. Our ranking of the top 5 car rental companies covers the leading European car rental providers based on awards won throughout the European Union in 2025 and 2024.
1. SIXT
With a total of 12 awards, SIXT is the best car rental company in Europe.
SIXT has won the prestigious “World Travel Awards” 9 times in multiple categories, including:
- Germany’s Leading Car Rental Company – SIXT (7 years in a row!)
- Austria’s Leading Car Rental Company – SIXT (also, 7 years in a row!)
- France’s Leading Car Rental Company – SIXT (also, 7 years in a row!)
- Italy’s Leading Car Rental Company – SIXT (also, 7 years in a row!)
- Netherlands’ Leading Car Rental Company – SIXT (also, 7 years in a row!)
- Spain’s Leading Car Rental Company – SIXT (also, 7 years in a row!) and
- Luxembourg’s Leading Car Rental Company – SIXT (you guessed right, 7 years in a row!).
SIXT has also been specifically awarded in the fields of Luxury and Business rental.
SIXT was awarded Europe’s Leading Luxury Car Rental Company (8 years in a row!), and won multiple Business rental awards, making it also the best car rental company in Europe for Business travelers:
- Business Traveller Awards 2024 – Best Car Rental Company in Europe
- Business Traveller Awards 2024 – Best Car Rental Company in Germany
- DGTV Award 2024 – Winner in the Car Rental Category
SIXT is also the best car rental company in the United States 2025
2. Hertz
Hertz achieved 9 World Travel Awards in Cyprus, Finland, Malta, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Ireland and Greece.
3. Avis
Avis and Europcar have both the same amount of awards, but Avis has more branches in Europe (at least they are not shy of telling the amount of Branches in Europe, unlike Europcar – they only tell the global amount of branches). Awards won by Avis: 5 World Travel Awards in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary and Czech.
4. Europcar
Achieved 5 World Travel Awards in the Category “Leading Car Rental Company 2024” in Belgium, Denmark, Slovenia, Portugal, and for Europe.
5. Nova Rent a car
Honorable mention for Nova Rent a car, they have won the World Travel Award in the Category “Leading Car Rental Company 2024” for Croatia.
Final Words
Finding reliable transportation shouldn’t be a guessing game.
SIXT eliminates that uncertainty with consistently dependable service across Europe. Their commitment to maintaining cutting-edge vehicles and streamlined booking processes means less time worrying about logistics and more time focusing on what matters.
From business trips to family vacations, SIXT transforms car rental from a necessary hassle into a seamless part of your Europe-journey.
Table with Data of the Best Car Rental Companies in the Europe 2025
| Rental Company | SIXT | Hertz | Avis | Europcar | Nova Rent a car |
| Ranking | Nr.1 | Nr.2 | Nr.3 | Nr.4 | Nr.5 |
| Awards won (2024 / 2025) | 12 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
Methodology: We searched on the investor relation pages of the mentioned Car Rental companies for related rewards that cover countries in the European Union. Additionally, we checked the first two pages of the Google Search Results while searching “<name of the car rental company> + awards europe 2025” and “<name of the car rental company> + awards europe 2024”. If two or more companies have the same amount of awards, they are sorted by the amount of branches in the European Union.
