When we think about travel hygiene, most of us focus on places like airport restrooms, hotel remote controls, and airplane tray tables. But there’s a frequently overlooked place that deserves a spotlight: the rental car. With over 108 million Americans expected to rent vehicles annually by 2027, these cars may be teeming with germs from countless travelers. Sure, that freshly vacuumed floor and pine-scented air freshener might suggest cleanliness, but looks can be deceiving. Beneath the surface, rental cars can harbor unwelcome souvenirs — hidden pockets of grime and bacteria — sometimes in places you’d least expect.
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Myth Busting: It Isn’t the Steering Wheel
The steering wheel is a high-contact zone, so it’s only natural to assume it must be one of the dirtiest places in a car. According to a consumer survey, U.S. drivers believe the top three germiest places in a car are the steering wheel, driver’s door handle, and gear shift. However, this isn’t entirely accurate.
Researchers at CloroxPro found 408 germs on the steering wheel, while another study from the microbiology team at Aston University in the U.K. identified 149 bacteria. This might sound like a lot, but it’s less than half the amount of bacteria and other germs found in the dirtiest parts of a rental car. So, what are the germiest spots? Let’s take a look below.
Dirtiest Places in a Rental Car
According to the University of Aston, the dirtiest locations in a car had a bacterial contamination level equal to or exceeding what you’d expect to find on the average toilet seat or handle, and there is one spot that is a bacterial bullseye: the trunk. In the university’s study, 1,425 bacteria were identified in the trunk, the most of any place swabbed. The Clorox team found that the trunk had the second-highest levels of contaminants, with 1,180 germs. (The driver-side floor mats were found to have the most germs in their study.)
Other highly contaminated areas in the Clorox study were the front seat cup holder (1,179 germs) and the dashboard air vent (1,082 germs). Aston University also found similar issues with the dirtiness of dashboards due to their high-touch controls. The university further revealed that the driver’s seat had twice the levels of bacteria as the back seat (649 vs. 323).
Surprisingly, the gearshift had nearly three times the amount of bacteria (407) as a steering wheel (146), suggesting that while steering wheels are cleaned often, gear shifts are overlooked.
Should You Be Worried?
While it’s not cause for significant concern, the microscopic dangers potentially lurking in your rental car might be something you consider during your next trip. “Based on our research, almost everyone agrees that a clean and sanitized car makes you feel better, but consumers rarely think about the germs in their cars and the impact they can have on their health,” Lynda Lurie, director of marketing at CloroxPro, said in the study.
When in doubt, take a few minutes before you start driving to sanitize high-touch zones in your rental car using travel-friendly disinfectant wipes. Along with wipes, you may wish to pack hand sanitizer and a small trash bag to create a rental car hygiene station.
As far as deep cleaning goes, major rental car companies such as Enterprise and Hertz guarantee that their cars are cleaned between every customer. Enterprise, for instance, has a “Complete Clean Pledge,” which promises to sanitize more than 20 high-touch points, including all the dirtiest areas we already mentioned, such as control buttons, gear shifts, cup holders, and more. But if you’re concerned about the cleanliness of your rental car, don’t hesitate to reach out to your rental agency directly before you hit the road.
About the data: To determine the grossest parts of a rental car, we looked at two studies. The first was conducted by a team of U.S. researchers at CloroxPro, whose swab tests measured levels of bacteria, yeast, and mold — all of which can impact your health while traveling. The second study was conducted by a microbiology team from Aston University in the U.K., who swabbed only for bacteria, such as E. coli and Staphylococcus.
Featured image credit: Olga Pankova/ Moment via Getty Images
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