National Car Rental

Reviews

• BI

  Bruce InCharlotte

  2 days ago
  5.0
  Ten years have passed since my last review of National at TPA, and it felt like the right moment to offer an update. A lot has changed around the airport, but National continues to deliver the same dependable experience that made me a fan in the first place. Tampa has shifted all rental cars to a separate facility that you reach by shuttle train. The ride takes about five minutes, it runs smoothly, and in the handful of times I have used it, I have never had a delay or a hiccup. It is an easy, predictable part of the arrival routine. National is simple to find, and as an Emerald Aisle member, I still get to bypass the counter and head straight to the garage. I used to be Executive, but I am regular Emerald now, which means choosing from a slightly lower tier. That was not a problem today. For this visit, I specifically wanted a minivan and had my pick of at least a dozen, walking right past a row of SUVs and sedans to get the most boring and generic one with a Florida tag. Exiting the facility and heading to downtown was just as smooth. A friendly agent checked my ID, waved me through, and I was on the road within moments. The van itself was spotless, had fewer than 2000 miles, and ran without a single issue for the entire week. Returning the car was equally straightforward. The signage is clear, the lanes are well marked, and the whole process moves quickly. I had the email with my final receipt before I even stepped back onto the train to the terminal. National at Tampa continues to be a reliable choice for me, and I expect to keep renting from them whenever I fly through TPA.
• HT

  Howard Tyska

  5 days ago
  3.0
  The rental itself went fine the buick that I rented ran fine. I did not like how hard it was to run the car. It's extremely hard to operate even the radio. Not National's fault but since there are no manuals in the car I had to pull over and try and figure things out with the cruise control and radio. Never did figure out the radio. 2024 VW with just as complex of an operation but it is was very much easier to figure out. And I've owned GM vehicles since I started driving, I know things have changed but the operation of the Buick is terrible. I also am a IT specialist and should have been able to figure out how to do things. Whomever makes the decisions on which cars should be in the fleet should take this into consideration. I did relay my comments to the person when I returned the vehicle and he did offer me some breaks on the rental.
• TT

  TYK

  Dec 31, 2025
  5.0
  We were very pleased with our first experience with National. Prior to this, we had used another agency for years. We grew tired of their poorly functioning website and the failure of being able to get our rental and go at airports because their quick service program constantly failed, causing us to wait in long lines. With National, the website was efficient and we were able to go directly to the rental car lot and take immediate possession of the auto we had reserved--actually, we had a choice!
• TP

  Tom P

  Dec 29, 2025
  5.0
  The service people, the convenience and car quality (brand new car) were all excellent at the National Tampa Airport car rental. I left a small black bag in the back seat with an iPad and headphones in it after dropping off the return in late December 2025. When I went back for it 25 minutes later the check in person had secured the bag in the return office and returned it to me completely intact. I was very pleased with that and the overall experience. I have Executive Elite status fortunately and I have never had a significant problem with National in over 15 years of several rentals a year.
• EE

  eclipse

  Dec 28, 2025
  5.0
  Hands down this was my best experience with car rentals. We needed an all wheel drive, large suv for a trip and decided to give National a try. We used the Tampa Airport location. From the gentleman helping us navigate our choices to the young man checking me in once I returned the car, the whole experience was genuinely friendly and easy. I’m talking about actual genuine smiles and fabulous attitude. Not the typical, forced monotone ‘how are you’, you get in most places these days. Not to mention, I had a beautiful Platinum edition Ford Expedition. Car was clean and in amazing shape. Drove like a dream. If this is the norm service from National, I’m all in for all my rentals.

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