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    National Car Rental

    4.2 (526 reviews)
    Open • Open 24 hours
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    Dirty car

    I've had the worst experience with National than I have with any other car rental service I've used. When I arrived on Sunday at 9am when they were supposed to open, no on was there. I waited 15 minutes for someone to show up, eventually had the car brought over to find the tire pressure monitoring sensor was on, but that model didn't show the actual pressure. Went back in, they took the car and then brought it back with the same error showing and said it was fine to drive. Not to mention the exterior of the car was very dirty, with a couple half-hearted swipes with a rag it looked like. About 3 hours into my trip, I got rear ended at a stop light in a small town in Texas. Police showed up asking for insurance information that I wasnt on my car rental agreement. I spent the next hour being bounced around National's hellscape that is their customer service departments. No one has access to the info I needed, but they were happy to keep sending me to another department or giving me another phone number to call. Finally, the officer said don't worry about it, you aren't at fault. National can figure out the insurance side and let me go. Then I got to spend another 45 minutes trying to find out what National wanted me to do with the damaged vehicle I was now stuck with. I was told that the nearest location I could swap it out was at a small regional airport an hour out of my way. But not to worry they would call ahead and set everything up. When I arrived, the clerk and manager had no idea who I was and that they had no vehicles to rent for THREE OR FOUR HOURS. I still had 3 hours to drive and it was 6pm by now and I had a job to get early the next morning. This delay ended up with my being late for that job and having to cancel my flight and instead drive 8 hours to my next assignment. I called National AGAIN to try to switch to a more comfortable vehicle, was told again to go to another branch and they would set everything up. You can guess what happened next, that branch had no idea who I was and had nothing available. I have not heard back from National regarding any of this, any contact has been on my part chasing them around and receiving noncommital "apologies". Edit: I reached out again after National's automated response to this review and was told again that there was no way to contact anyone higher up or to address my issues and that I would receive a call back "sometime". Thanks National!

    Bill T.

    Based on my Yelp photos, I've rented here a couple of times and I have to say, for an experience that can usually be very painful (renting a car, that is), the team at National Car Rental at PHX do a great job. Most recently, I rented a car for a week and after taking the train to the rental car center, I was able to skip the desk and head straight to the Emerald Aisle to pick any available car. I would highly recommend setting up an account with National and taking advantage of this.... being able to skip a line at the counter is a blessing. In any event, we went to the aisle, picked out our car and were off after a brief stop at the gate to check everything. Return was also quick and painless. Josh did a thorough inspection of the car, which we returned with a full tank and in pristine shape, and we were on our way in no time. It's amazing how frictionless the experience can be, as opposed to how awful other companies (I'm looking at you Hertz) can make it. I highly recommend National.

    Car selection and customer service were great! I was able to find an Acura MDX in Executive!

    rows and rows of cars
    Alaric S.

    this airport had the best selection of cars in the emerald aisle! definitely worth the extra $$ we paid since there were rows and rows of cars! we got lucky and scored a rav4 hybrid! thanks!

    My vehicle for the week
    Yochanan H.

    When I landed in Phoenix, I had no idea where to go, but I had zero issues since Phoenix is the friendliest and easiest airport to navigate around. Follow the signs to the Sky Train. Once exited, I followed the signs to the National desk, selected my car, stopped at the exit booth to present my ID and the tab on the keys, and went to my hotel. When returning the vehicle, I used the Waze app to find the location, turned over the agent's keys, and went back on the Sky Train.

    Kendra M.

    Forgot my earbuds in the car. Submitted a report and they're stating not found... my location finder says different. I do not like dishonest people.

    Unauthorized CDW for $130

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    2 months ago

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    12 days ago

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    9 months ago

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    11 days ago

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    5 days ago

    National is the only way to rent. Walk to your car and drive off. Return was a snap and Aaron was amazing!

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    2 months ago

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    8 months ago

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    9 months ago

    National has always been great, even when there wasn't much of a selection. Customer service is top notch and never had any issues here.

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    7 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    5 months ago

    Fantastic service and great car from all the team at National Car PHX Airport. This is my go to car rental. Thanks!

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    11 months ago

    Excellent service and vehicles. Easy in and out. Easy online booking if you are a National member.

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    2 years ago

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    Ask the Community - National Car Rental

    Can someone please confirm that this location is at the airport and does not require a shuttle to an alternate location?

    All rental cars at PHX airport use a common shuttle to an offsite location. There's no gas station convenient either so plan ahead

    How bad are the fees for someone who is 24 years old?

    I believe it's an extra $25 a day.

    View All 3 Questions

    Review Highlights - National Car Rental

    “I booked with National because they had the lowest price and was not previously a member of the Emerald Club.”

    Mentioned in 41 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Fox Rent A Car

    Fox Rent A Car

    1.4(1.3k reviews)
    0.2 mi

    Listen to the bad reviews we are telling you the truth!! This is a horrible company to rent from!!…read morewhen we rented yes we also had long wait lines, I denied rental insurance and they still tagged it on, and I had no clue until I returned the car. They don't listen to you. I left my personal belongings in the car when I returned and rode the train and was like where is my purse. I had to go all the way back, went to the car. They had already moved. It spoke to a manager. he went by himself, and he stole three of my credit cards and had the audacity to use them!! this is a very very dishonest company and I complained about that and they could care less!!

    The only positive experience I had with Fox Rent A Car at Phoenix Sky Harbor was Juan, who was…read morefriendly, helpful, and professional. Honestly, Juan deserves to work for a much better company. When I returned the following day to pick up my rental, I was directed into a line with an employee who looked a Temu Kevin Hart. From the looks and demeanor he was giving me, I could tell the interaction was not going to be pleasant. He opened with, "How can I help you?" I told him I had a reservation, and he responded condescendingly, "Well, you do know I need a driver's license and credit card." That set the tone for the entire interaction. What followed was an extremely frustrating experience involving management, conflicting information, and misinformation regarding their payments policies. When I questioned what I was being told, the manager did not resolve the situation professionally and, in my experience, was not truthful about what had been communicated or what the company's policy actually was. He also made my son late for his baseball game. Juan was the one exception and deserves recognition for actually providing the level of customer service you would expect. Unfortunately, my experience with the other employees and management was enough that I would not recommend Fox Rent A Car at Phoenix Sky Harbor.

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    Fox Rent A Car - Expired license plate on Fox rental car.

    Expired license plate on Fox rental car.

    Fox Rent A Car - Their cars are literally held together by duct tape.

    Their cars are literally held together by duct tape.

    Fox Rent A Car - Diagram paper to note any damage you find before you pick up the car and also gas gauge.

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    Diagram paper to note any damage you find before you pick up the car and also gas gauge.

    Hertz Rent A Car - Lots of stations but nobody to attend!

    Hertz Rent A Car

    1.9(1.1k reviews)
    0.2 mi

    Getting to the rent a car place you have to take a sky train which takes around 15 minutes to get…read morethere and is a long ride to get there as it used to be in a garage, but now has changed since the last time I went which was 10 years ago. Unfortunately, I could not pick up the car ASAP since being a gold member and had to see customer service, but thank god there was no wait. They told us to pick a car from the presidential circle. We ended up with a KIA Niro which was not too bad. It is a cute SUV white. Our car needed an oil change however, but we did get a full tank of gas. The car had scratches too so worried about the AI scanner for the car. They do have the UYE AI scan, we had terrible luck in North Carolina. So my wife took a 360 video of the car before and after. When we returned the car, they did the scan but no text messages saying about damage. Then, the following day they send you a damage report which there was none. So I am happy they have someone look at the AI scan's now, I believe. Last time I got a text message last minute saying I did damage, but now there is no worries. I guess Hertz learned there lesson. I would rent from them again. However, I would not be surprised if there were bad experience due to the scanner.

    Super Chaotic! One location closed on us even with reservation. No clear instructions no clear…read moredirection. Getting someone on the phone is impossible!!!!!! I spent 2 hours making sure my husband didn't have to spend a night in Arizona due to communication issues. If your first timer on car rental don't use them! We were first timers and we were stressed! During this experience I was able to get Experian on the phone immediately and tried to help me even though I wasn't renting with them! Just take that into consideration when choosing who to rent with!

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    Mercedes EQB 250+

    Hertz Rent A Car - Short line for Gold Members at Hertz

    Short line for Gold Members at Hertz

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    Budget Rent A Car - Long line and 3 people working at counter that should have 18 workers.

    Budget Rent A Car

    1.4(845 reviews)
    0.2 mi

    It shouldn't take almost as long to pick up my pre-reserved rental car as it did to fly into Sky…read moreHarbor from two states away, but it did (90 minutes). There was no long line (in fact, I was attended to immediately), it was just a HORRIBLE comedy of issues, one after another. This was my first experience with Budget, and will absolutely be my last. Here's a summary: I reserved an electric vehicle ("Ford Mach E or similar") through Budget using Costco's travel website. The rental fee for the entire 6 days was roughly $377, a phenomenal deal. I told the Budget employee that I had a reservation through Costco, and he couldn't find it. He asked for my confirmation number from my Costco confirmation e-mail, and found my reservation that way. He rung me up (took roughly 10 minutes), and said the total cost would be right around $1,700. I showed him the confirmation e-mail showing the $377 total, and he said that the "prices must have reset since it's now after midnight". He was unable to adjust the price because he needed a "manager number", and there were no managers on duty. He sought assistance from a coworker, who was able to help him (another 15 minutes), and got the price adjusted, but said that the car was no longer available. He looked for cars, and found a Genesis GV60, and said he could give it to me for another $10 / day, and I excitedly agreed. He went through the same ten-minute ordeal, and again, reported that the car was no longer available. This cycle went on over and over for over an hour, and I added that at that point I don't care if it's an electric car, I just want something to drive. He said he'd put me in a Mercedes, and would give it to me for the same $10 / day premium over my original price. He wrote parking space #140 on my pickup ticket, told me the keys were in the car, and to just go to spot 140 to pick it up, and show the QR code he'd texted me on my way out. So, off I went to the garage, found space 140, and in it was a Genesis, not the Mercedes on my contract. So, I went for help from the in-garage attendant, and he repeated the same "here's a car", "I'll update the contract", "Oops, that car's not available" a few more times. He eventually was able to transfer a "car over from the Avis side", and I went to the parking space to get it and it was a Ford Mach E, just like I'd reserved. Budget corporate responded to my "how did we so" survey, and refunded one day's rental fee, and apologized, thus the extra star.

    No lines had to wait about 20 minutes for my rental. 3 employees behind desk helping no oneread more

    Photos
    Budget Rent A Car - Current line at Budget at PHX airport.

    Current line at Budget at PHX airport.

    Budget Rent A Car
    Budget Rent A Car - Status of the line after one hour.  Still waiting

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    Payless Car Rental - Our 2022 Kia soul = 45mpg

    Payless Car Rental

    1.4(817 reviews)
    1.2 mi

    The check-in process was a nightmare. Each rental car company at the Phoenix Airport had a long…read moreline of at least 10+ guests. Only Payless had a short line of 3 people; I was the 4th. We arrived in line at 10:45am and did not get into our vehicle until 1:38pm. There was another party ahead of us whom had been waiting until 10am and still did not get their vehicle when we departed. Only 1 employee was working the desk (her initials are LL) and she was excessively slow. She carried on conversations with guests for an average of 45-minutes each. While I can appreciate the sentiment and her being friendly, she needs to read the room and realize the situation that she is holding up the line. Within the first hour, every other rental car company had resolved there line and had no guests waiting... except PAYLESS! Our line was now 15+ people long and was not making ANY progress. Another guest whom had lost his patience asked her why it was taking so long and she flipped her lid on him and called a manager to keep him at bay, even though his complaint and his reasoning was entirely valid. He did not raise his voice or do anything rude; it was her who overreacted. Mercifully, another employee arrived at 1pm. He cleared about 5 customers almost immediately before LL had moved on from 1 customer. But even then, he said there was a delay in his queue because vehicles were not being washed fast enough. This was a complete disaster to have wasted almost 3 full hours waiting to pick-up a rental car which was pre-paid, pre-organized and apparently in-stock and on the lot. I have had issues in the past with rental car companies when picking up from isolated locations, which has led me to always book at an airport because their stock is typically higher and efficiency is better. This was NOT the case for Payless. There were at least 10 parties of guests whom had to wait 2+ hours to pickup a pre-paid vehicle! Now that I am writing this review, I can see that the 2/5 stars rating and this type of customer service (or lack thereof) is common practice for this company. AVOID AVOID AVOID

    This place is awful!! Pre-reserved a car through Priceline got off my flight straight to the car…read morerental counter "No one There" closed with a sign stating to go to Avis, got to Avis a long line out the door guess what?? No clean cars available not enough employees to get the cars ready to cater to customers in line!! Walked around to another car rental company guess what no cars available! We were there on business we missed our meeting because the car rental could not get enough employees to get cars ready for their customers. What kind of operation are you running????? Especially at the airport!!! You guys owe me big time because that meeting was big money for our company!!!! What are you willing to do for us???

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    Payless Car Rental - Our 2022 Kia soul = 45mpg

    Our 2022 Kia soul = 45mpg

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    National Car Rental - carrental - Updated September 2026

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