A 28 year old Mississauga business carries a 2.8 Trustpilot score and an F BBB letter grade in the September 2026 records
Mississauga, Ontario - September 11, 2026 - Is Routes Car Rental legit is a question that turns up whenever a discount rate sits well below the majors, and the public record answers it in two parts. Routes is a registered Canadian business that has rented vehicles since 1998, and its ratings run from a mid score on one platform to the bottom grade on another. Renters can compare prices on CarRentalMatch for the same dates before deciding.
For this report we read the public record behind the question is Routes Car Rental legit in September 2026, and set it beside the rental policies the company publishes itself.
What the company behind the brand is
Routes Car Rental is a privately held rental company with its head office at 3035 Orlando Drive in Mississauga, Ontario. The Better Business Bureau file records the business as having started on April 5, 1998, which puts it at 28 years of trading in September 2026. Its LinkedIn page lists 501 to 1,000 employees and a network of more than 200 corporate branches and partner agencies.
The booking system lists more than 340 pickup points in 35 countries, of which about 33 are company branches in Canada and the United States. The rest belong to affiliates, so the counter a renter meets at a given airport may be run by a partner rather than by Routes itself. Airport service is off site, and arriving renters are told to call for a shuttle that runs during business hours.
Is Routes Car Rental legit: what the public record shows
Trustpilot listed Routes at 2.8 out of 5 from 5,650 reviews when we read it on September 11, 2026. The split is wide rather than average: 63 percent of raters gave five stars and 29 percent gave one. The company has claimed the profile since August 2022, and positive reviewers name the price first, then counter staff, then newer cars.
The Better Business Bureau file reads differently. BBB listed Routes with an F letter grade in September 2026 and records the company as not accredited. Customer reviews on that file averaged 1.09 out of 5 from 319 raters, and the bureau notes that it publishes the text of a quarter of the complaints it receives as a representative sample. BBB states that "Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of the BBB Letter Grade Rating," so the letter grade reflects the bureau's assessment of complaint handling rather than the star average.
Renters posting critical reviews cluster on a few themes: deposit holds larger than expected, disputed damage assessments, charges raised after the car went back, and shuttle waits. Each of those sits next to a rule the company prints in advance.
The policies Routes publishes
The money rules are where Routes differs most from the major brands, and they are set out before booking. The deposit is a hold of $500 to $2,000, or the estimated rental total plus 30 percent, whichever is greater, with a minimum hold of $2,000 for local renters. Debit cards do not qualify a renter, and prepaid and virtual cards are declined.
Unlimited mileage applies only inside the province or state of pickup. Outside it, Routes allows 200 kilometres or miles a day and charges $0.20 to $0.25 for each extra one. The damage waiver is optional, and renters who decline it must show their own transferable North American insurance. Waiver prices reach $39.99 a day in Toronto and Vancouver and $69.99 in Denver. Prepaid bookings cannot be changed or refunded, and a pay later booking needs 48 hours notice to cancel.
How to check the price
Running the same dates and pickup point across several suppliers, then reading the total after taxes and fees rather than the daily rate, shows where Routes actually lands. A free tool such as CarRentalMatch checks offers across suppliers for one trip. If Routes still wins once the waiver and the hold are counted, the saving is real.
Verdict on the question is Routes Car Rental legit in 2026
The company is real, registered and 28 years old, with a claimed platform profile and a published rulebook. The gap in the ratings tracks preparation: a credit card in the renter's own name with room for the hold, insurance paperwork, the mileage cap and photographs at pickup and return cover most of what the one star posts describe. Pricing the same trip against two or three other suppliers is worth the minute it takes.
About CarRentalMatch
CarRentalMatch is a free car rental price comparison website. It shows rates from a range of suppliers for the same pickup point and dates, so travellers can see the spread. It does not rent vehicles itself. CarRentalMatch does not own, operate or represent any rental brand named in this release.
Media Contact
Company Name: CarRentalMatch
Contact Person: Media Relations
Email: Send Email
Country: United States
Website: https://carrentalmatch.com/
