National Car Rental was created in 1947 when 24 independent car-rental companies joined together under the National name, starting with a combined fleet of roughly 800 vehicles and more than 60 U.S. locations. Enterprise Mobility's official history records that Enterprise's Taylor family acquired the National and Alamo brands in 2007 through the purchase of Vanguard Car Rental Group, and Enterprise Mobility now manages National alongside Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Alamo. National is positioned primarily toward frequent airport and business travelers, with the Emerald Club loyalty program and Emerald Aisle service designed to reduce time at the counter at participating locations.
Those convenience features should not be described as universally available because eligibility depends on location, vehicle class, membership status and reservation conditions. For customers, the rental agreement at pickup is the controlling document. A reservation establishes the planned vehicle class, dates and rate, but the final rental can include local taxes, airport fees, optional protection products, fuel charges, tolls, additional drivers, age-related charges or extensions. National operates through corporate locations, regional subsidiaries, franchisees and licensees in different countries, so policies and contact details can vary by market.
National's official U.S. contact page currently lists 844-382-6875 for reservations, 844-393-9989 for customer service, 800-367-6767 for roadside assistance and 800-962-7070 for Emerald Club member services; Canada and other markets use separate numbers. The same page says National has grown into a global company serving travelers at more than 1,500 locations, but location counts are moving figures and should not be treated as permanent profile data. Customers should keep the reservation number, rental agreement, final receipt, pickup/return location and any vehicle-condition evidence available when disputing a charge.
If the booking was made through a travel agency, corporate booking tool or third-party site, that intermediary can control some reservation changes or prepaid refunds even though National operates the rental itself. Emerald Club points, free-day rules and status benefits also change over time and have separate terms. National's corporate relationship should be stated clearly: it is an Enterprise Mobility brand, not an independently owned rental group today, while the National brand itself predates Enterprise by a decade.
