Car rentals typically represent 15% of a firm's travel budget. In coming years, this percentage threatens to go significantly higher as rental rates continue to rise. But the industry remains highly competitive, which will allow you to at least slow the rate of increase.

There are seven firms that target the business rental market. Hertz and Avis are the largest, typically offering the largest numbers of cars and the most airport rental locations. Other competitors include Budget, National, Alamo, Dollar, and Thrifty.

In many areas, a second rental option consists of regional firms that target the leisure market. Although most leisure-oriented rental firms have fewer locations, they can often be found by airports. In addition, some offer a level of service comparable to the national firms. Some of the largest regional agencies are Value and Payless.

There are also a number of firms that concentrate on rentals to repair shops. Although most of these firms are located outside the airport and do not actively seek business travelers, they can be considered in a pinch. The largest firm in this market is Enterprise, which offers the largest number of rental locations of any firm nationwide.

This buying guide is designed to give you the facts you need to select a rental firm for business travelers at your company. You can choose to read this guide from beginning to end, or jump directly to a section of interest by clicking on the links above.