Avis Car Rental Review

With over 1,500 locations in the U.S. and thousands more worldwide, Avis is available at most popular travel destinations. But is it the best option for your trip? Our Avis rental car review will dig deep into the company’s costs, fees, services, customer experience, and more. We’ve compared the best car rental agencies and ranked Avis third behind Budget and Hertz among our top picks.

Our Avis Review: 4.6 Stars

Avis offers everything you’d expect from a multinational rental car company: a wide selection of vehicles, helpful add-ons, predictable service, and transparent rates. In particular, our team found Avis to be cheaper than the average car rental company, which is why we named it Best Value. Avis also has a variety of deals that can help travelers save more money.

Avis Rental Car Rating

Below is our rating of Avis Rent-A-Car in five major categories:

Avis Pros And Cons

About Avis Car Rental

Founded: 1946

Locations: 1,583 in the U.S., 5,500 worldwide

Headquarters: Parsippany, NJ

Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating: A+

Loyalty program: Avis Preferred^®

Vehicle types: Wide range from economy cars to full-size sedans, pickups, luxury cars, premium SUVs, and sports cars

Avis is a rental car provider founded by Warren Avis in 1946 at Willow Run Airport in Michigan. Now they have grown into a major rental car agency globally and are known for their low pricing and many discount deals by their customers. The agency is also a part of Avis Budget Group which includes other major rental vehicle providers including Budget Rent-A-Car, Budget Truck Rental, and Zipcar.

Avis Rental Car Cost

Our team found weekly rental rates from Avis ranging from $401 to $554 with an average cost of $453 which is cheaper than the industry average of $539. However, the price you pay depends on a variety of factors including how you pay, timing, the vehicle chosen, rental service type, and location.

When renting a car from Avis, you’ll have two payment options: pay now or pay later. You can save up to 35 percent on your reservation if you pay upfront, but you’ll be subject to Avis’ cancellation fees. Paying later allows you to pay at the pickup location and avoid cancellation fees altogether, but it costs more.

Avis Rental Car Prices

To give you a better idea of what an Avis rental car actually costs, we’ve gotten quotes for standard sedans and SUV’s across the United States at major airport locations. Below we have listed rates from the Orlando, Dallas Fort Worth, and LAX airports:

Avis Security Deposit

Be prepared for Avis to put a hold on your debit or credit card for at least $250 when you pick up the vehicle. The hold will be released back to your account when you return the car, but it can take up to two weeks for you to see the funds. Avis can use this hold if your car comes back scratched or trashed on the inside.

Taxes And Fees

Our team found a seven-day reservation for a Tesla Model 3 at Orlando International Airport for $337 with the pay now option. But after clicking on the reservation, the price increased to $439 with fees and taxes included. Below are the taxes and fees that added up to $103 for the Tesla Model 3 reservation:

What exactly are these fees? Most are business expenses that the Avis rental location passes along to the customer. For example, the Orlando International Airport charges all rental agencies fees to use its facilities, which accounts for the customer facility fee above. You’ll see a similar customer facility fee if you rent a car from any other agency at the airport.

Young Renter Fee

Young renters are usually less experienced drivers and therefore pose a greater liability to the rental company. This is why companies charge young drivers an extra daily fee to rent cars. 

Avis requires drivers to be at least 21 in most states, though drivers who are 18 can rent cars in New York and Michigan. The young renter fee for drivers from 21 to 24 is about $25 per day. In New York, 18- to 20-year-olds will pay a whopping $84 per day, and 21- to 24-year-olds pay $35 per day. Young drivers in Michigan pay $41 per day until they are 21, then they pay $28 per day.

Additional Driver Fee

Spouses and life partners over the age of 25 can drive your rental car for free. Bosses and employees can also drive vehicles without fees if they are on a business trip. However, if you want a friend or another family member to drive your rental, you’ll pay a fee of $13 per day in most states (with a maximum of $65 per rental).

Avis Discounts

Avis has a variety of discount offerings. Those who are a part of the AARP program can receive up to a 30% reduction of base rates for rental cars. Military members can also receive save up to 25% total off their reservations. Also, if you book a vehicle for longer than five days you can receive up to a 10% decrease in your prices for your booking.

Avis Deals

Another thing that makes Avis a good value is the variety of deals it offers. A few current deals include:

• $15 off $175 for three or more rental days 
• Free upgrade on your next rental
• Save 10% on rentals of five days or more
• Save 10% at neighborhood locations
• Save up to 25% by donating 5% to Susan G. Komen^® or Make-A-Wish^®
• Save up to 30% as an AARP member
• Save up to 25% as a military member, veteran, or military family member

You can find rotating deals and discounts on Avis’ offers page.

Avis Rental Car Services

In this section we’ll describe what service Avis offers, their selection of vehicles, and key policies you need to know when renting a car with the agency. The company has all the standard rental car services you’d expect from a major agency: 

• Short-term car rental: This is Avis’ standard rental option and how most people use rental cars.
• Long-term car rental: With Avis Flex, you can save money on long-term car rentals of up to 11 months at a time. You can choose the exact car model through the Avis app and can swap models at any time.
• One-way car rental: You can get one-way car rentals with Avis. However, vehicle availability may be limited depending on your origin and destination.
• Group car rentals: Avis offers special pricing if you need to rent five or more vehicles for a business event, wedding, religious function, convention, reunion, or other reason.

Avis Rental Car Selection

Avis offers a variety of rental car options offering a large selection of newer vehicles from economy to full-size vehicles. Avis covers all the bases from compact to full-size sedans and SUVs plus luxury cars, EVs, vans, pickup trucks, and sports cars. However, if luxury vehicles are your thing, you may find a slightly better selection with Hertz or Enterprise.

Below are the classes of vehicles available with Avis for cars, SUVs, and trucks:

• Economy
• Compact
• Intermediate
• Standard
• Mid-size
• Full-size
• Premium
• Luxury

Avis Car Rental Requirements

To rent at any Avis location you must have your driver’s license and another valid form of identification such as a travel itinerary at the reserved time of your rental. You must also be above the age of 21 in most states to rent a car from Avis, but if you are renting in Michigan and New York the requirement is 18. 

Avis Car Rental Policies

The major policies you need to know when renting an Avis rental car are as follows:

• Under-25 policy: Those who rent a car under the age of 25 with Avis are charged a fee upon purchase. Young renters will also not have access to specialty cars, high-class SUVs, and vans.
• Cancellation policy: If you chose the pay later option you can cancel anytime before your rental period. If your rental is prepaid, you will be charged a fee is $50 for any cancellations made more than 24 hours prior to pickup and $150 for cancellations within 24 hours of pickup.
• Return policy: Return policies for Avis vary by location, but if you are dropping off at an airport you should be able to follow the signs and check out at the desk. If you are returning a vehicle late, you are charged 75% of your daily rate plus $0.01 hourly.
• Debit Card policy: Debit cards are accepted as long as they are from Visa and Mastercard and they will place a hold on your card for at minimum the cost of the rental. You may also be limited in the vehicles that you can select.
• Pet policy: Pets are allowed in rental vehicles as loong as you notify the location beforehand. However, you may be charged a cleaning fee.
• Gas policy: As long as you fill up the car and present a receipt you will not be charged for refueling after returning the car. Otherwise, if you are driving under 75 miles you’ll have to pay a flat fee of $15.99. 
• Flat Tire policy: 24/7 Avis roadside assistance will replace your flat tire with a spare or tow it to the nearest repair facility. You will also be reimbursed for taking it to a shop yourself as long as you provide the receipt and have them call your pickup location.

Avis Add-Ons

Avis offers a variety of add-ons for an extra cost from GPS navigation to extra insurance. However, not all costs are standard and they can vary by location. Below are several add-ons you may find when you book your trip:

• Emergency Sickness Protection: This option covers treatment costs for you and other international travelers in your group if you get sick during the rental period (can be as low as $5 per day).
• Cover The Car: The Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) releases you from responsibility for damages to the car during the rental period and keeps you from having to use your insurance company (minimum of $9 per day)
• Cover My Liability: This option increases liability insurance on the vehicle and covers other people’s repair and hospital bills if you cause an accident (standard daily rate of $14.00)
• Cover Myself: This coverage adds medical insurance during your rental ($7 per day)
• Cover My Belongings: This covers your personal items during your trip up to a limit ($2.95 daily).
• Satellite Radio: Get SiriusXM® for the duration of your trip ($7.99 daily and $29.99 weekly).
• Mobile WiFi: This allows you to connect up to five devices in the car ($10.99 rate daily).
• GPS: Get a large hands-free navigation screen to use during your trip ($16.99 each day)
• Child Seats: You can get infant, safety, and booster seats with this option ($14.00 daily)
• Cover Roadside Issues: This is 24/7 coverage for things like battery jump-starts, lockout assistance, fuel delivery, towing, and more ($7.99 per day).
• Additional Driver: This option allows someone besides your spouse, coworker, or boss to drive your rental (flat rate of $13.00 daily)
• Avis Travel Partner: This concierge service can help you with translation, finding medical services, locating lost luggage, directory services, and more ($7.99 per day)
• e-Toll Unlimited: This device covers unlimited electronic tolls during your trip ($12.99 each day).
• Fuel Plans: You can pay for a full tank of gas in advance and drop the car off empty (the cost depends on the market rate at your location).

That’s a fair number of add-ons compared to competitors. Avis also offers a few discount packages if you don’t want to pick and choose each add-on. The Data Saver package includes GPS and satellite radio, the Protection & Safety package includes the LDW and roadside assistance, and the Ultimate Protection package includes additional liability insurance with an LDW and roadside assistance.

Avis Customer Reviews and Reputation

Avis has mixed reviews on the BBB and Trustpilot. About 570 customers on the BBB rate it 1.1 out of 5.0. And about 2,400 customers on Trustpilot rate it 1.3 out of 5.0. Avis also scored 816 out of 1,000 points on the J.D. Power 2022 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study, which was slightly below the industry average of 829. While the J.D. Power score is below average, it still shows the majority of customers in the study had a positive experience with Avis.

Positive Avis Car Rental Reviews

Many customers praise different Avis locations or staff members for positive service. A few common experiences from Trustpilot reviews include:

• Helpful service reps work through difficulties that come up
• Brand-new cars that are clean and ready to go
• Easy pickup and return process with Preferred perks
• Easy process for switching vehicles for more space or seating

Negative Avis Car Rental Reviews

Our team also noticed a few commonalities between negative Avis rental car reviews:

• Rental agreements had additional costs at vehicle pickup
• Avis charges expensive fees for returning the car late
• Some customer service representatives are impatient or rude
• Some cars were dirty or had low gas on pickup

We dug a bit more into Avis’ late-return policy. It turns out the company charges a hefty hourly rate if you pass the deadline. Let’s say you had a daily rate of $40 and returned the car three hours late. You would be charged $30.01 per hour, so you’d pay $120.03 for those three hours. That’s pretty steep.

If you need to return your car late, you’ll save money by adding a whole day to your reservation instead. You may have a small charge of $15 if you make a last-minute change, but that would still be better than paying hundreds in hourly charges.

Avis Rental Car Rewards Program

With Avis Preferred, you can earn points and redeem them for free rental days among other perks. To enroll you must first be a member with Avis since you’ll need and account’s wizard number to join, but other than that, it’s completely free. There are three levels of the program: Avis Preferred, Avis Preferred Plus®, and Avis President’s Club. 

Here’s a breakdown of the three tiers:

Avis Preferred Reward Points

You can use reward points for free rental days and accessories. Reserving one accessory for one day costs 250 points. Getting a free rental needs anywhere from 700-3,500 points depending on how expensive the standard rate is for a vehicle.

You can gain points by purchasing rental days and buying optional accessories, which include booster seats, GPS devices, roadside assistance, ski racks, and satellite radio. Every dollar you spend on rentals gives you a point and for accessories, it is two points. Unfortunately, purchasing insurance and protection products won’t earn you any rewards.

Avis Rental Car App

Avis, like most major rental car agencies, has an app where you can book rental cars and manage your reservations. The application also comes with a built-in parking reservation system and a gas station locator.

Avis App Reviews

The Avis app has high ratings from over 200,000 customer reviews on the apple IOS store with a score of 4.7 out of 5.0 stars. The rating is lower on google play at 3.6 out of 5.0 stars. Most people appreciate the streamlined services on the app and overall customer service quality. However, google play users report many technical issues with booking.

Avis Rent a Car Review: Conclusion

Looking at the whole picture, Avis offers good value for its rates and its variety of services. Our team found it to offer cheaper rental cars than other companies on average, but it’s always a good idea to compare your options. Start looking at offers using our free tool below.

Recommended Car Rental Agencies

Below are a few other rental car companies to compare rates from:

• Budget: We name Budget Best Overall and recognize it for offering good prices, service, and options throughout numerous locations around the world. 
• Hertz: Hertz offers a first-class rental experience with a huge selection of premium vehicles and reliable service anywhere you go.
• Dollar: Dollar is a good budget brand, especially for one-way car rentals. Our team found Dollar costs less for one-way rentals than many other competitors.

Avis Rental Car: FAQ

Below are some frequently asked questions about Avis rental car:

How We Rate Rental Car Agencies

Our process of reviewing car rental agencies aims to deliver unbiased and accurate assessments of their services. Even though there are multiple facets that make a rental car provider successful, our review team honed on what we think is the most important to consumers:

• Industry Standing: Vehicle rental companies with a long track record of service and good ratings from agencies like the Better Business Bureau score high in this category
• Availability: For this category, we considered overall location availability as well as overall vehicle selection offered by rental car providers. Those with widespread locations and a large variety of vehicles score well here.
• Cost: Companies that offer low rates, fees, and great discounts, deals, and overall provide great value get high ratings.
• Options and restrictions: Additional add-on options and fewer restrictions in regard to a rental car agency’s services give consumers choices without excessive stipulations.
• Customer Experience: Our team compiles and analyzes customer reviews on sites like Trustpilot to get a sense of each provider’s customer experience. The overall rating is formed from customer reviews, J.D. Power satisfaction ratings, and loyalty program