A 2.0 Trustpilot score and an F BBB letter grade sit beside franchise rules that change city by city
Laurel, MD – September 10, 2026 – Rent A Wreck reviews describe a budget rental brand where the advertised daily rate and the closing invoice are often two different numbers. The rules that decide the total are set by each franchise rather than by one national policy. Renters can compare prices on CarRentalMatch before they book.
For this report we read the public rent a wreck reviews on Trustpilot, the Better Business Bureau file for the franchisor, and the rental terms the company and two of its locations publish.
What is Rent-A-Wreck
Rent-A-Wreck rents older, used vehicles rather than new ones. Its own site calls the business the oldest and largest used car rental company in the world and “the Smart Alternative to the high prices of the large car rental agencies.” The about page dates the company to 1968 in Los Angeles, and the homepage says franchising began in 1973. Head office is in Laurel, Maryland, per the contact page. Auto Rental News reported in November 2025 that the franchisor, Bundy American LLC, moved under NPR Auto Group on July 15, 2025.
Fleet, locations and rental policies
Every branch is an independently owned franchise, and the corporate site states that a local office’s requirements and policies “will control when different from those listed here.” Each figure below belongs to the page it came from.
The corporate rental requirements page sets the minimum age at 21 at most locations, says an under-25 fee and an additional driver fee exist without publishing the amounts, and lists deposits of 150 to 250 dollars on a credit card and 200 to 700 dollars on a debit card. It also states that all renters must have verifiable collision coverage, and that the optional damage waiver “is not insurance.”
The location pages diverge from there. The San Francisco page sets a minimum age of 21, charges 5 dollars a day for drivers under 25, requires a credit card hold of at least 300 dollars, and prices the damage waiver at 11 dollars a day. The Greensboro, North Carolina page sets a minimum age of 18, includes 100 miles a day with 20 cents per mile beyond that, and takes a 100 dollar deposit. Branch counts differ by source too: AutoSlash listed 68 United States locations in June 2026, and the BBB file lists 124.
What rent a wreck reviews say about charges and deposits
On Trustpilot, read September 10, 2026, the rentawreck.com profile held a TrustScore of 2.0, labelled “Poor,” across 1,018 reviews. Recurring themes in the critical posts are a final bill above the quoted price, added charges for damage cover, toll transponders and recovery, deposits reported as held for several weeks, and post return charges for scratches or cleaning of 60 to 80 dollars that reviewers describe as unitemised. Positive reviewers point to low daily rates on older inspected cars and name specific offices, with Los Angeles cited more than once. AutoSlash writes that reviews of the brand “tend to vary wildly by location.”
The BBB file, held under NPR Auto Group LLC, doing business as Rent A Wreck, carries an F letter grade, and the business is not accredited. BBB gives its reason on the file as a failure to respond to 168 complaints and 18 complaints that were not resolved, and records 381 complaints in three years. Customer reviews on that file average 1.03 out of 5 from 235 posts. BBB states that “Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of the BBB Letter Grade Rating.”
How to get the best price
The comparison worth making is the full total for the same pickup and drop times at every supplier, not the headline daily rate. A free tool such as CarRentalMatch checks offers across suppliers for one trip.
Because policy sits with the franchise, a written quote from the specific office matters more here than the national terms. Asking that location for its under-25 charge, deposit amount and mileage allowance before booking removes most of the surprises.
Verdict on rent a wreck reviews in 2026
Read together, rent a wreck reviews describe a brand whose daily rates can undercut the majors while the deposits, waivers and post return charges decide what a trip really costs. The reviewers who report good rentals are usually naming one branch rather than the network. Confirming the local office’s terms in writing, photographing the car at both ends, and pricing the same dates against two other suppliers covers most of the ground.
About CarRentalMatch
CarRentalMatch is a free car rental price comparison website. It shows rates from a range of suppliers for the same pickup point and dates, so travellers can see the spread. It does not rent vehicles itself. CarRentalMatch does not own, operate or represent any rental brand named in this release.
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