Avis

• Rental Car Variety 
• Luxury Price Range
• 50 States Available
• Airport Locations
• Instant Return
• Toll Prepay Option
• Loyalty Program

Economy Price Range

Avis offers low to average prices for their car rentals. Avis also has a wide variety of vehicles. They have moving vans, which are not always available at other rental companies, as well as pickups, which may be even less common. While these are not available at every Avis location, they can be found at several locations. This offers renters a wider range of vehicles to choose from than the average rental car company. With several models to choose from, you are likely to find a rental that fits your budget.

Avis also uses many environmentally-friendly vehicles in its fleet. Most of its smaller vehicles are SmartWay certified and do minimal harm to the environment. All of their vehicles are 100 percent smoke-free in the U.S. and Canada, so smokers who want to smoke in their rental car will have to try another company.

Luxury Price Range

If you're looking to rent a luxury car, Avis offers low to average prices in the car rental industry. Many popular rental car brands out there do not offer luxury rentals, making Avis more advantageous to luxury car renters. Although there are a few companies that offer lower rates, Avis' daily rates are pretty average for luxury cars in the industry. 

Avis also has a special series of vehicles called "Signature Series" cars, which provide renters with a more exotic, luxurious experience. In this collection of cars, renters can choose from Mercedes, BMWs, Maseratis, Corvettes, or a variety of other exciting vehicles.

50 States Available

Avis stands far above the competition with locations in all 50 states. Most companies have locations in an average of 23 states. Knowing there is an Avis in your destination airport or city makes formulating travel plans in advance much easier.

Airport Locations

With rental counters at most major airports throughout the United States and North America, Avis is much more accessible to travelers than its competitors. If you need a car rental from an airport location, an Avis location most likely will be there once you check out your luggage.

Instant Return

Avis has streamlined the rental return process so that renters can return their vehicles in as little as one minute using a kiosk instead of using the Avis counter. This reduces stress for busy travelers and ensures that renters trying to catch a flight won't be caught arriving late because of their rental returns.

Toll Prepay Option

Avis offers a toll prepay option called e-Toll, an electronic toll collection program that makes road travel more convenient. Avis e-Toll cannot be reserved in advance, but it is already conveniently installed in many cars, so it doesn't need to be ordered through their website. When you're making an online reservation, it allows you to check the box if you want to include this as an add-on service when paying for your reservation online.

The thing to know about e-Toll is that you are automatically enrolled in the service if you choose to not pay cash for tolls. This has led to customer issues. Those who were not aware of this found additional charges to their credit/debit card later on. Under the e-Toll program, once you pass through an electronic toll, you will pay a convenience fee of $3.95 for each day of the entire rental period, including any days on which e-Toll is not used, up to a maximum of $19.75 per rental month.

Loyalty Program

Avis Preferred is a revenue-based loyalty program. The rewards program is free to join and offers points for the money you spend with Avis. As an Avis Preferred Member, you can redeem points to rent a car or purchase accessories and upgrades for your rentals.

• Strict Cancellation Policy
• Roadside Assistance Expenses
• No On-Site Fuel Discount
• No Online Check-In

Strict Cancellation Policy

Avis charges $25 if you cancel within six hours before the rental period. After six hours, the cancellation fee increases to a no-show fee of $100, but the rest of the rental is refunded. The refund makes this a slightly better policy than some rental companies which will charge late cancellation fees for as much as 24 hours before the rental period with no refund. However, many companies have less strict cancellation policies and often do not require a cancellation fee.

Roadside Assistance Expenses

In case your rental vehicle has problems, Avis offers extended roadside assistance for $7.49 per day. This is slightly higher than the typical rental company who charges an average of $5-6 per day, but it is a good safety measure to take nonetheless.

No On-Site Fuel Discount

Avis offers several fuel plans, but on-site fuel discounts are not advertised. Avis car rental customers are either expected to bring the car back with a full tank or choose between fueling payment plan options.

No Online Check-In

Although Avis's return process is streamlined, their check-in process is not. This would not typically be a notable disadvantage, since in-person check-in is standard in the car rental industry. However, being a global brand that has been in business for over 70 years, one would think they would have innovated a feature allowing customers to check-in from the website instead of the rental counter. 

While returning an Avis rental can be very quick, many customers report that they had to stand in very long lines when picking up their vehicle. Some stood in line for a couple of hours at certain locations and noted that the employees at the counter seemed to lack a sense of urgency. 

When they arrived at the counter, employees tried to sell them insurance and upgrades, taking even longer. For travelers getting off of a long flight, hurrying to a meeting, or anxious to begin their vacation, this kind of wait is not desirable.