In the rental car industry, there is no one who compares to Hertz. Hertz is the largest airport general use car rental brand in the world, and the number one airport car rental brand in the U.S. Hertz has locations at 81 major airports in Europe, operating both corporate and licensee locations in cities and airports in North America, Europe, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. In addition, the company has licensee locations in cities and airports in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Product and service initiatives such as NeverLost customized, onboard navigation systems, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and unique cars and SUVs offered through the company’s Prestige, Adrenaline, and Green Collections, set Hertz apart from the competition.

Today, Hertz's Worldwide Reservation Centers handle approximately 40 million phone calls and deliver approximately 30 million reservations annually.

Take a road trip through Hertz' storied past:

1918 Hertz begins renting cars

1925 Hertz establishes first coast-to-coast car rental network through national franchise system

1926 Hertz offers the first advanced reservations and introduces Rail-Drive, which later expands to Fly-Drive & Sail-Drive. Hertz's National Credential Card is the industry's first identification card and precursor of the credit card

1932 Hertz opens the nation's first airport Rent-a-Car location at Chicago's Midway Airport

1933 Hertz's revolutionary Rent-It-Here/Leave-It-There option drastically increases use of rent-a-cars

1947 Hertz introduces first uniforms in the industry

1950 Hertz opens the first European location in France

1955 Hertz is the first car rental company with 1,000 locations

1957 Hertz offers first European Fly-Drive at Orly Airport in Paris

1959 Hertz uses first Centralized Billing System

1962 Hertz utilizes first Booking System for Travel Agents

1972 Hertz introduces the first #1 Club, a computerized data system that makes renting a car faster & easier

1978 Hertz introduces the first Nationwide Emergency Road Service

1980 With the first Express Service, #1 Club members bypass the airport counter

1984 First Computerized driving directions give printed directions to thousands of destinations in over 100 cities

1988 Hertz utilizes In-Car Cellular Phones

1989 Hertz launches #1 Club Gold®, which allows member to go directly from airplane to their car; even the engine is running

1995 Hertz introduces first On-Board Navigation System, NeverLost®

1996 Hertz launches its first World Wide Web Site

1998 Hertz creates first Hertz Return Centers

1999 Hertz launches its first Multilingual and Euro Conversion Web Sites

2000 Hertz introduces #1 Club Gold Five Star and President's Circle membership levels

2001 First launch of the Hertz Prestige Collection in North America

2000 Hertz becomes the first global car rental company to operate in China. Hertz first introduces SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Hertz first introduces the Hertz Prestige Collection in Europe

2004 Hertz introduces brand and model reservability to #1 Club and #1 Club Gold members

2006 Hertz rolls out the Hertz Fun Collection®, featuring vehicles tailor-made for travelers seeking exciting driving experiences. Hertz introduces the Green Collection of fuel-efficient, environmentally-friendly cars

2007 Hertz launches Hourly Rental Program in New York City and Boston

2008 Hertz begins its Online Check-In Guarantee, which get customers on their way in 10 minutes or less, guaranteed. Hertz launches Connect by Hertz (now known as Hertz On Demand), a pay-as-you-go car membership club that allows members to book a car for an hour, a day or even longer. The company begins operations in New York City, Paris and London with rapid expansion plans for 2009

2009 Hertz acquires Eileo S.A., the Paris-based leader in the design and deployment of best-in-class car sharing technology Hertz purchases the rights to Advantage Rent a Car, initially operating 20 Advantage locations in key U.S. leisure travel markets