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What is a car rental agent and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a car rental agent. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.61 an hour? That's $32,460 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 32,900 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreCar Rental AgentUS Average
Salary
2.5

Avg. Salary $32,460

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.7

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
9.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 5.80%

Black or African American 10.72%

Hispanic or Latino 22.03%

Unknown 6.97%

White 53.82%

Gender

female 53.37%

male 46.63%

Age - 42
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42
Stress level
7.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
4.4

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance
10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Car rental agent career paths

Key steps to become a car rental agent

  1. Explore car rental agent education requirements

    Most common car rental agent degrees

    High School Diploma

    35.9 %

    Bachelor's

    25.7 %

    Associate

    23.9 %
  2. Start to develop specific car rental agent skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Reservations24.89%
    Credit Card15.41%
    Customer Satisfaction14.73%
    Cleanliness5.42%
    Car Rentals5.18%
  3. Complete relevant car rental agent training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New car rental agents learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a car rental agent based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real car rental agent resumes.
  4. Research car rental agent duties and responsibilities

    • Utilize OpenTable to take and manage reservations both from incoming calls and ones request online.
    • Offer other types of products, such as car upgrades, GPS systems or additional insurance.
    • Establish rental agreements with customers and offer upgrades, including insurance, GPS and XM, vehicle size upgrades.
    • Clean and prepare vehicles in preparation for customer reservations.
  5. Prepare your car rental agent resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your car rental agent resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a car rental agent resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable car rental agent resume templates

    Build a professional car rental agent resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your car rental agent resume.
    Car Rental Agent Resume
    Car Rental Agent Resume
    Car Rental Agent Resume
    Car Rental Agent Resume
    Car Rental Agent Resume
    Car Rental Agent Resume
    Car Rental Agent Resume
    Car Rental Agent Resume
    Car Rental Agent Resume
  6. Apply for car rental agent jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a car rental agent job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first car rental agent job

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Average car rental agent salary

The average car rental agent salary in the United States is $32,460 per year or $16 per hour. Car rental agent salaries range between $21,000 and $49,000 per year.

Average car rental agent salary
$32,460 Yearly
$15.61 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.