All the Reasons National Has Become My Preferred Car Rental Agency

Updated: April 11, 2025, 8:30am CDT

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Table of Contents

Credit Card Status Benefits
Rental Vehicle Selection
Easy Exits and Drop-Offs
Straightforward Rewards Redemption
Final Thoughts

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I tried National Car Rental this year after a bad experience with Avis, and now I won’t go back.

National has delivered a seamless car rental experience each time, from skipping the counter and choosing my own vehicle to helpful terminal directions when I drop off my rental car. With excellent customer service, high-quality vehicles, and straightforward rewards redemption, National Car Rental has proven to be a major upgrade to my car rental experience.

Here’s why I’ll keep renting from National.

Credit Card Status Benefits

With the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, I have rental car privileges with National Car Rental and Avis, which include status, discounts, and promotional offers.

Chase Sapphire Reserve National Car Rental status — The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers rental car privileges. Image Credit: Chase

I activated my Chase Sapphire Reserve card’s rental car benefits to get a complimentary Emerald Club Executive membership and a 5% discount on rental rates with National Car Rental. Reaching Emerald Club Executive level usually requires 12 paid rentals or 40 paid rental days in a calendar year, but I can maintain that status with my Chase Sapphire Reserve card whether I rent frequently with National Car Rental or not.

Emerald Club Executive status offers benefits including:

1 rental credit for each qualified car rental, which becomes a free rental day with 6 credits
Choice of any vehicle in the Executive Area for the midsize rate
Guaranteed upgrades when you reserve at least a full-size vehicle
Drop-and-go dropoffs
No second driver fees

One of the best features of National Car Rental status is the ability to skip the rental counter and go straight to the garage to pick out the vehicle I want to rent.

National Car Rental desk at PIT Emerald Club bypass sign — I always see signs directing National Emerald Club members to the garage instead of the rental counter.

Renting directly from the garage is a huge time-saver, as I can get out of the airport faster and skip waiting in lines.

National Car Rental desk at PIT Emerald Club — I don’t wait in rental car lines like these with National Car Rental.

Hot Tip:

In addition to status benefits, I get primary car rental insurance when I pay with my Chase Sapphire Reserve card and decline the rental company’s coverage. The card also earns 3 points per $1 on car rentals booked directly with rental companies, or 10 points per $1 when booked through Chase Travel.

Rental Vehicle Selection

Any time I book a rental with National Car Rental, I choose the least expensive vehicle class available then head to the Emerald Aisle or Executive Area aisle in the garage to pick out a rental car. This is my favorite feature of renting with National Car Rental. The ability to choose any vehicle in these sections gives me the flexibility to get a vehicle that works well for the trip I’m taking, whether I’m navigating urban streets or heading to higher elevations.

National Car Rental MCO Emerald Aisle sign — My family loves rental car shopping in the Emerald Aisle.

I’ve yet to be disappointed by the Emerald Aisle, though the selection varies by location and date. The lottery aspect of it is fun because I know there will always be a vehicle that works for my needs on a particular trip.

I usually see vehicles of all shapes and sizes — except pickup trucks. It’s common to see lots of sedans, small SUVs, and minivans, and about a quarter of the selection is usually hybrid or fully electric. I’ve yet to find a vehicle in the Emerald Aisle that’s older than the current model year, and I typically rent vehicles with fewer than 10,000 miles on them.

In October, I picked up a 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport with 1,700 miles on it that took my family over the Golden Gate Bridge and hugged the curves of Sonoma County roads.

National Car Rental SFO Mitsubishi Outlander Sport — I rented a brand-new Mitsubishi Outlander Sport in San Francisco from National Car Rental.

When I spent the night in Las Vegas, I grabbed a surprisingly powerful 2025 Toyota Camry Hybrid that easily navigated the Las Vegas Strip and barely sipped any gas. We refilled the tank in seconds before returning this car.

National Car Rental LAS Toyota Camry hybrid — I probably could have returned this hybrid without filling up and only paid a few dollars in gas charges.

I drove my family around Orlando in a 2025 Chrysler Pacifica with great features. It was fully loaded with leather seats that featured heating and cooling in the front — plus heated seats in the second-row captain’s chairs — and a panoramic sunroof and moonroof that reached almost to the back of the vehicle. We felt spoiled with all the space and comfort, and it only had 600 miles on it when we picked it up.

National Car Rental MCO minivan — I’d never driven a minivan before, but I understand the appeal after renting this super comfortable van from National Car Rental.

On a Florida trip with my husband, we picked out a zippy 2025 Mazda CX-50 AWD. It had fewer than 3,000 miles on it, leather heated seats, and ample storage for the 2 of us.

National Car Rental MCO Emerald Executive Aisle Mazda C30X — The Mazda CX-50 was perfect for a couples trip.

Bottom Line:

It’s always fun to pick out a vehicle in the National Car Rental garages, and I’ve enjoyed driving everything I’ve rented from National.

Easy Exits and Drop-Offs

Once I’ve settled on the ideal vehicle, getting out of the garage is easy. I keep my driver’s license handy and drive to an exit kiosk, where an attendant takes my license, confirms my information, and sends me on my way. There are usually multiple open kiosks, and I’ve yet to face an exit line more than 1 car deep, so this process takes just moments.

National Car Rental exit MCO — I frequently encounter wide-open exit lanes with National Car Rental.

The exit attendants I’ve encountered have been friendly and helpful. They frequently offer directions for quickly getting out of the garage and do brief safety checks, like the attendant at Orlando International Airport (MCO), who verified that my Pacifica’s headlights were set to automatic.

I’ve experienced the same level of great service when I return vehicles. I’m always greeted promptly by an attendant in the drop-off lanes, and they’ve been helpful without being in the way. We’re usually in a whirlwind of unloading bags and collapsing inflatable booster seats, but they always seem to find the right moment to approach one of us to confirm we left the keys in the car, look it over quickly to confirm there’s no damage, and ask how we’d like our receipt delivered.

National Car Rental MCO drop off — The drop-off attendants offer excellent service at National Car Rental.

I’ve been impressed that the drop-off attendants asked for our feedback on the vehicle and rental process each time and directed us to the best way to head to the terminal to save us time getting to our flight. My interactions with National Car Rental employees have been largely limited to the exit kiosks and drop-off lanes, but I’ve always felt well taken care of as we leave with the vehicle and bring it back.

Bottom Line:

It’s no surprise I’ve experienced great service with National Car Rental, as the company is ranked first in the J.D. Power 2024 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study.

Straightforward Rewards Redemption

After 6 rentals with National Car Rental, I’ve earned a free rental day that I can easily redeem. I can’t say the same about Avis. I’ve rented with Avis several times and have a points balance of just 867, which is just over halfway to a free day.

Avis rewards redemption — I’ve rented with Avis about as frequently as I have with National Car Rental, but don’t have enough rewards for a redemption.

One of the benefits of National Car Rental’s Emerald Club Executive status is the ability to earn a free rental day after 6 rental credits. That’s like a loyalty punch card and much easier to understand than points. I like that it’s simple to accumulate rewards even if you’re primarily doing short rentals.

I recently earned a free rental day with National Car Rental and tested how easy it would be to redeem. I logged in, navigated to the rewards in my profile, and clicked “Redeem.” That took me to a booking search where I put in the dates and selected a vehicle class. Then I saw the free day and my status discount as adjustments before the final total.

National Car Rental rewards redemption — Earning and using a free rental day is straightforward with National Car Rental.

Final Thoughts

I made the switch to National Car Rental after being dissatisfied with the service at Avis. My only regret is not doing it sooner, as National has been a huge upgrade in terms of service, benefits, and vehicle selection. I love being able to choose between typically brand-new vehicles on-site and always feel well taken care of, whether exit attendants are doing safety checks or drop-off attendants are giving me clear directions to the terminal.