Avis Car Rental Reviews 4,083

Initial problems at Jasper Train station as upon collection the staff had no acknowledgement of the paid reservation. This was eventually sorted.It was agreed the car was to be dropped off at Calgary airport on the day of departure. The car provided was covered in dust and internally the mats were muddy and ful of grass and dirt. I queried if it was company policy to provide dirty cars and I was informed that staffing was an issue at Jasper and policy was to return the car in the state received!!
At Calgary airport the team were appalling. Three senior people could not address the issue as Avis now wanted to charge us more money than had been agreed at the initial pickup. I would never use Avis again. The case is being disputed with Avis as Calgary team would not accept Jaspers paperwork of the agreed rental agreement cost alleging the paperwork we had was not stored on the computer, yet we had a hard copy of the agreement. Disgraceful behaviour .

Date of experience: July 04, 2025

Horrible experience with Avis (via Costco Travel) — unprofessional and unacceptable

We booked a 7-seater SUV through Costco Travel, fulfilled by Avis (Confirmation #35906923US3), and this turned out to be one of the worst rental experiences we’ve ever had.

When we arrived, Avis didn’t have the vehicle we reserved. A staff member went over to Budget (in the same building) to check if they had any cars available and came back saying they didn’t. However, we showed him on Budget’s website that two vehicles were showing as available at that exact location. Despite that, we were eventually given a car in horrible condition.

The vehicle smelled strongly of cigarettes or possibly worse, was visibly dirty inside and out, full of dents, chips, and scratches, and the passenger seat was broken, completely unsafe and unacceptable. It was obvious the car had not been cleaned or inspected at all.

The customer service experience was equally disappointing. At the Budget counter, two female employees were loudly discussing their personal problems, ignoring customers. One turned her chair away from us, and the other was eating a snack while interacting with us. When I asked why the car wasn’t ready, one of them slammed her hand on the desk and snapped, “It’s not us!” clearly irritated that we interrupted their conversation.

We were then told to “ask Enterprise,” and even mocked about traffic, being told we wouldn’t get to our destination on time anyway. The manager never showed up or returned any calls.

Only one male employee made any effort to help, but the overall service was shockingly unprofessional.

We booked with Avis via Costco Travel expecting a clean vehicle and reliable customer service, but received the opposite. We won’t be returning to this location and are strongly reconsidering using Avis in the future.

Date of experience: July 04, 2025

Absolutely brilliant .Daniel and his colleagues were the most professional helpful people I've met.My car broke down and Daniel pointed me in the right direction helping me through his break time and acting as translator.Promote this man give him a raise he puts your company in front.

Date of experience: June 30, 2025

I booked a car 2 days in advance. That car was not available when I came for the pick up. However, they offered me another car which had scratched all over. I needed a car so I took it.
When I brought the car back they complained about a little scratch at the front (which I did not cause). The whole car was full of damages and scratches when I took the car, and now they want to charge me 800 USD for a little scatch at the front that I did not cause (I guess they just overlooked it).
Never again Avis!

Date of experience: July 05, 2025

Recently I reserved and paid for a rental vehicle so that I could attend a concert in Grand Rapids MI. Upon calling the store the morning of pick up I was advised that they did not have a vehicle for me and that my reservation had to be canceled! I called the 800 # and they advised that I could change my pick up to a city 1 hour away from me. Mind you, this was at noon and the location closes at 1PM and in addition to that, my vehicle is currently in the shop, hence the rental, so I'd have to Uber aaand my destination is 2 hours away so I might as well just Uber there at that point!!!! I issue is more absurd than I could have ever imagined as now I am out the money I spent for the concert and the money I spent for the hotel! Up until this incident myself, my friends and colleagues have always used Avis and had good experiences and in fact I was going to rent another vehicle July 10-17 for a vacation up north but in light of this recent BS I can no longer trust Avis to not ruin my plans and only be given a "I'm sorry, I understand" on the phone.

Date of experience: July 05, 2025

We pre-booked a rental car online, came with documents and a driving license we had paid in full already online. We came to the place in Faro airport and they refused to accept our bank card for a deposit. After being stranded for 90 minutes they turned us away and refused to give us a refund online. Don’t use avis.

Date of experience: July 05, 2025

Budget/avis is the worst company ever. We arrived in Baltimore at 1030 pm. The guy at the desk said they were closed and sent us to the Avis counter. The Avis counter had over 22 people in line and ONE person working
The counter. At 1030 pm. Worst service ever. Never ever will we rent from these jokers again.

Date of experience: July 03, 2025

They charge too much of insurance and even when you pick it up from the airport where they have office already! And the funny thing is they charge per day for airport facility charge! Everything is per day! Ridiculous!

Date of experience: July 01, 2025

Avis lost a good customer and company with lots of sales travel
Brian,
Today I received a bogus charge of $450 for bringing my car rental back with what they are calling excess garbage. 2 coffee cups and 2 water bottles. I have rented many cars over the years with three to four sales folks in the car. They have all left a water bottle or some wrappers behind and we have never ever been charged such an insulting fee. This is how you treat your customers? Charging them B.S. stuff like this. Looking at the pictures this is about 2 minutes of work if that.

The letter can from Nora Henry I spoke to Jayana first who sent me the wrong picture. Then asked for her boss Dadrin (sp)who was condescending and refused to give me the name of his boss. Great customer service. BTW - I waited over an hour in line because you had one person checking out people.

I have attached the pics they sent me and if I am to ever rent from Avis again this charge needs to be immediately removed.

Date of experience: July 02, 2025

"Kanika Sharma, a recruiter at Avis, demonstrated highly unprofessional behavior during the hiring process. She misused her HR authority, showed a lack of discipline, and communicated with complete disrespect. This was one of the most disappointing interactions I’ve had with an HR representative."

Date of experience: July 02, 2025

Hidden airport fees, they do not inform you at all so read all the small letters (or better yet, avoid)

Date of experience: June 16, 2025

I met Mr Rajesh in Avis car at terminal 3 in Toronto YYZ airport, it was really good experience and lots of support I have received. It was very friendly while taking the car and return. Highly appreciated services. Thanks Mr Rajesh. My rental agreement is 953451063

Date of experience: June 30, 2025

Horrible guest service. Would rate negative stars if possible. Left my luggage traveling with a toddler and preschooler...no one called despite our phone # clearly identified on tag...the was Avis ATW. Unaccomodating with issue amd insisted I wait whil another customer call around to inquire if she should add insurance on rental...

Date of experience: June 29, 2025

Car hire in USA in three different states. Booked via Booking.com. Cars were in good condition and comfortable but the 'extras' that Avis tried to charge on EACH booking was terrible, you don't know about the extras until you get home and see your credit card bill. I had to go through an enormous amount of effort to get my money back. Would NOT recommend and nor will i ever use Avis again - not that they care.

Date of experience: March 20, 2025

Reserved a car to be told they did not have any cars available when we arrived at the rental center. Stranded us and several other families in Fort Lauderdale. Will not be renting from Avis again.

Date of experience: June 28, 2025

Avoid at all costs. Had to change the car halfway through my trip due to a fault. Had to drive 150+km for the exchange and got charged for the fuel consumption of that detour. On top, it clearly is impossible to get the customer support team on the phone or for them to reply to the ticket we had raised.

Date of experience: April 16, 2025

Review of Avis Car Rental – George Airport, South Africa

My experience with Avis at George Airport has been nothing short of frustrating. From the moment we landed, things went wrong. Despite confirming our booking, we had to wait over two hours for a vehicle that should have been ready. The staff were unprofessional and unfriendly, and the entire process felt disorganized.

We returned the car in better condition than we received it — fully refueled and spotless. All was well. I was assured on multiple occasions that my account was settled, and this was also confirmed in the official statements.

Then, four months later, I received a sudden and aggressive email threatening legal action over a small amount allegedly still outstanding — the first time I had heard of this. I immediately tried to make contact using the details provided, but no one was answering the phones, and it took nearly a week to get a reply. When someone finally did respond, it was with a sarcastic and dismissive tone, attaching the statement as if that excused the complete lack of prior communication.

My questions remain:

Why was I not informed earlier if this was truly outstanding?

Why threaten legal proceedings without making any effort to contact me beforehand?

Why take days to respond if the matter was so urgent?

And why the unnecessary sarcasm?

The entire experience has been a struggle from start to finish. I’m not writing this to be nasty — but rather to warn others. Avis has not only been inefficient but also unapproachable, unresponsive, and at times outright rude. I can handle delays and admin errors, but the attitude and lack of customer care are unacceptable.

If you value your time, money, and peace of mind, I strongly recommend using another rental company. Sadly, I won’t be returning to Avis — and judging from similar experiences shared by others globally, I know I’m not alone.

Avis, please do better. This was avoidable.

Date of experience: June 27, 2025

Booked a car for a week as my car was getting fixed and I needed to take my kids to school and get to and from work myself. Upon picking up the rental car I was assured that I would only pay for the days I used the vehicle and would be refunded if I returned the car early. Being a single parent every dollar counts so if i could get some money back that would be great. Well I returned the car 4 days early and was told all payments are non-refundable. I said fine since I've already paid I'll use the car for the rest of the allotted time and return it on the originally organised day. I was then told that because I had already returned the car the booking had been closed off and I was no longer allowed access to it even though it had been paid for for another 4 days. Absolutely unwilling to help resolve the matter, I was then told to call head office and sort it out with them. Absolutely disgusted with the way I was treated. I would advise anyone in need of a rental car to stay away from Avis.

Date of experience: June 27, 2025

Avoid Avis – blatant theft and terrible service.
We rented a car from Avis and had a truly awful experience. The car they gave us was old, full of dents and scratches, and not in great condition at all. It was handed over with only 2/3 of a tank of fuel — not even full.

When we returned the car, we brought it back in better condition than we received it, with more fuel in the tank than when we picked it up. Despite this, Avis charged us nearly $320 in unexplained costs after the rental without notifying us in any way. No breakdown, no warning — just a huge charge.

This feels like outright theft, and the lack of transparency is completely unacceptable. I would absolutely never rent from Avis again and strongly urge others to stay away. You deserve better.

Date of experience: April 24, 2025

IMPOSTORS – stay away!
we rented a van at LAX airport (using a booking.com vouchers)
we were offered extra that we declined. The sales rep added them fraudulently to the contract and removed our email address from the booking, so we never received contract nor invoice. We raised a complaint to Avis and they keep saying this is how they operate and there is nothing wrong this it. Basically they admit they are frauds with no shame!! Complaint now escalated to BBB – slowly receiving some money back. STAY AWAY FROM THOSE CLOWNS!

Date of experience: February 28, 2025