My experience renting literally hundreds of cars from every agency plus working in the industry for 15 years is that they’re all pretty equally unconcerned with minor dents and scratches.

Enterprise actually has a tool at their locations used to measure damage. If it’s less than the specified size, it’s not chargeable.

Elsewhere in the industry, I’ve heard mentions of scratches less than four inches or not through the paint and dents smaller than a golf ball as being too small to charge.

Your experience will likely vary more by individual location, especially if you’re renting from a franchise, than by company.

However, note this does not apply overseas, where things are often much more strict. If you ever rent a car in Germany, look it over very carefully and make sure you report any pre-existing damage—basically, anything that you would report to a dealer when purchasing a brand-new car. They have zero grace there and will charge you for even the tiniest of superficial scratches.

Things are much more relaxed in India.

Ogonn is a growing car rental platform in india, which is providing well maintained cars on rent.What car rental companies are most and least tolerant