J.D. Power Japan has released its 2021 Rent-A-Car Service’s Customer Satisfaction Survey. Conducted in January 2021, the survey targeted users who rented a vehicle within the last six months.

When it comes to overall satisfaction, Toyota Rent-A-Car took first place with 718 points, according to the recent J.D. Power survey. The rental company has been No. 1 in overall satisfaction for three years in a row. Nissan Rent-A-Car took second place with 715 points while Times CAR RENTAL finished in third place with 714 points. The overall satisfaction score is calculated with a maximum of 1,000 points. The factors that make up the score include various charges, vehicles, departure/return response, service menu, and reservation (Web page, mobile app, phone).

After the spread of the new coronavirus infection, the survey looked at how the usage of rental vehicles changed. Nineteen percent of respondents used a rental car instead of public transportation during private travel and 10% used car rental more often when traveling by car to nearby areas. For commuting, 9% of respondents used a rental car instead of public transportation (train or bus) to prevent infection. And 7% of respondents used a rental car for bulk buying and other shopping.

When using a rental car, 15% of respondents have started to take preventative measures when first driving a rental car, such as sterilization of the steering wheel and ventilation. And 14% of respondents have confirmed that a rental company has coronavirus prevention measures for its vehicles.

The survey also asked about reasons for choosing a rental vehicle instead of a carsharing service. Some of the top responses included wanting to use a rental vehicle while traveling or for business travel; wanting a vehicle for one day or more; finding a cheaper price for a rental car rather than a carsharing vehicle; no carsharing service station near my house; difficulty trying to register as a member of a carsharing service; and wanting to rent various types of cars or wanting to pick a specific type of car.