100 Years of Hertz History

Today, we celebrate the small victories, landmark achievements, and milestones that we’ve accomplished for over a century. This is for all those who have trusted us and have been a part of our journey for all these years.

1918: The Beginning

Over a century ago, in 1918, a gentleman called Walter L. Jacobs from Chicago, Illinois, founded Rent-A-Car. The small rental company began operation with only 12 Model T Ford cars. It was a huge success as the business flourished, and John D. Hertz set his sights on buying the business.

1923: Hertz Drive-Ur-Self

After just five years in business, Rent-A-Car expanded from just 12 vehicles to 600. The success of the fleet drove John D. Hertz to make an offer and finally purchase the business in 1923. He renamed the company Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System. Jacobs remained in the company as the president.

1925: Goes Coast-to-Coast

In 1925, Hertz pioneered a coast-to-coast car rental network. A year later, and after just three years in operation, the business received an offer from General Motors Corporation. In 1926, GM purchased the Drive-Ur-Self System. This was the beginning of a car rental network that would span the entire nation.

1932: Nation's First Airport Service

By 1932, Chicago's Midway Hertz became the first car rental company to open a rental office at Chicago Midway Airport, with countless more to follow over the next several decades. Hertz made business travel simple by allowing business passengers to get off their flight and drive to work without wasting time, just like taking your car out of a car park.

1933: One-Way Rental Option

In 1933, Hertz introduced the nation's first one-way rental option that would revolutionize the use of car rentals across all states. For the first time, passengers could drive across states without having to worry about getting the rental car back to the pick-up location. The new simplicity of renting cars drastically increased car rental use in the U.S.

1938: Hertz Goes International

Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System was expanding rapidly within the United States. For the first time in 1938, it expanded its service across the U.S. border and opened a location in Canada. This was an unprecedented success and the first of many international ventures that would make Hertz a global name in car rental.

1950: Hertz Expands to Europe

After unprecedented success in the Americas, Hertz crossed the Atlantic and opened its first office in Europe. The first European location was in France. Today, the Hertz Corporation is spread over five continents including Australia (and New Zealand), Africa, and the Middle East.

1955: 1,000 Locations

Only five years after opening the first European office, Hertz became the first ever car rental service to boast 1,000 locations. This was a mind-blowing achievement for a humble service that started in the Southside of Chicago with just a dozen Ford Model-Ts. This number was soon to be dwarfed as Hertz expanded both in reputation and service.

1966: Rent-A-Racer

In 1966, Hertz started a phenomenon when they introduced the new custom Ford Mustangs in their service. This was the beginning of the Shelby G.T.350H and a new legacy was born as soon as the cars started hitting the drag strips. This marked the beginning of a new era of Hertz special cars.

1972: #1 Club

A common theme in Hertz’s 100-year history is its commitment to convenience and speed - fast, reliable service and a comfortable ride. In 1972, Hertz introduced the new #1 Club which is currently known as Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. Back in those days, this allowed for an unprecedented fast and easy computerized car renting service. The new campaign read: "There's no faster way to get from a runway to a fairway".

1983: Hello Future!

In 1983, back when cell phones were not even a thing for most people, Hertz saw the opportunity and became the first car rental service to use cellular phones. These were far from modern cell phones and had to be installed in the cars. This revolutionized the way car rental worked, and other car rental and cab companies later followed suit.

1989: #1 Club Gold: From Air to Ground

In 1989. Hertz unveiled their new premium membership plan - the Hertz #1 Club Gold. This was the new express service that allowed passengers to bypass the airport counter and go directly from the plane to their cars. The move to seamless rental car boarding received huge media coverage across all channels - radio, TV and print media.

1996: Hertz.com and NeverLost

In 1996, Hertz launched its first website Hertz.com. Much unlike the current version, this was a simple website that provided passengers with useful information. Towards the end of the year, Hertz had a fleet of more than 7,500 cars fitted with a state-of-the-art onboard navigation system called NeverLost. This allowed passengers to seamlessly navigate through unknown terrains and easily find gas stations, ATMs and addresses.

2006: Go Green

In 2006, before 'carbon footprint' became a thing, Hertz started their green campaign.  To help reduce carbon emissions, the company launched its first fleet of eco-friendly Green Collection rental cars. This was a welcome move for a growing number of passengers who were looking for an 'economically and environmentally friendly' rental car option.

2013: Hertz Expands Portfolio

Hertz began expanding its portfolio in 2013 by including a network of reputable rental car brands like Thrifty, Dollar Car Rental, and Firefly. This transformed Hertz into the world's most diverse global car rental company. The company said that the move was to re-enter the deep-value, leisure, and car rental market in the US.

In the same year, Hertz Global relocated its worldwide global headquarters from Park Ridge, New Jersey to Estero, Florida.

2016: Women in Power

Equality and uniformity have always been at the heart of Hertz. In 2016, Kathryn Marinello became the first female CEO of Hertz Corporation. At a time when the company was looking for new ways to improve the service and increase in size, the company shareholders cited Kathryn Marinello as the "right person to lead Hertz as we move forward”.

2017: 500,000+ Rental Cars in the US

The Hertz fleet that started with just a dozen cars grew into over half a million rental cars in the U.S. alone. From one location in Chicago, Hertz spread to more than 10,300 locations worldwide. That's a mind-blowing growth figure for any company.

2018: Centenary Anniversary

One of the world's most iconic names in car rental hit 100 years in 2018. Hertz collected over 150 accolades from the travel industry in that same milestone year. Top influencers of the travel industry poured laurels to recognize the focus, speed, and outstanding efficiency of the company's service to the people.

Now and a Greener Future.

While maintaining focus on service, passengers, and an ever-expanding fleet across the globe, Hertz has launched an ambitious plan to electrify its fleet. The company has placed an order for 100,000 zero-emission electric vehicles. Passengers can now rent a Tesla Model 3 for a day for around a hundred dollars.

Thank you for 100 years of trust. We're here to get you there.