Avis Reviews 

Avoid using Avis – extremely poor customer support in an emergency.

We rented a car in France for a journey, but partway through the trip the designated driver had a serious fall and had to return home urgently for emergency surgery. Naturally, we contacted Avis to explain the situation and asked for help—specifically to add another driver so we could safely continue and return the car.

Shockingly, they refused. We were told this was “not an emergency” and “not their problem.” There was no flexibility, no empathy, and no attempt to help.

As a result, we were left completely stranded. We had to pay for a second rental car out of our own pocket just to get home, and Avis still refused to assist in retrieving their vehicle. Instead, they told us we would need to arrange and pay for towing ourselves.

This experience was stressful, expensive, and entirely avoidable if Avis had shown even basic customer care. In a genuine emergency, they offered zero support.

I would strongly advise others to think twice before using Avis—you may be left on your own when you need help the most.

Do not pick up your Avis rental car in London from 88 Eversholt Street.
My experience is that it takes at least an hour to get your car. The staff there has no notion of customer service, and they are there to raise every possible issue that could stop you from getting your booking, instead of helping you find solutions.
You do not fit in their box; then, you are out of luck.

I have contacted Avis 4 times over the past 2 weeks to resolve a billing issue: rental charge was charged to an incorrect credit card when I expressly told the counter agent I wanted it charged to a different card and swiped that card. I have been attempting to back out the charge from the incorrect card and charge the correct card . Each time I have called, I was advised that it would take 3-5 or5-7 business days before I see the correction. The first call was made on 4/24 yet here I am 9 days later not seeing the correction. The last agent I talked to today advised that “email was sent” some other department which did process the correction but now I have to wait another 5-7 business days for it to process? Are you freaking kidding me. This is worst customer I’ve dealt with and will not be renting from AVIS ever again for both my personal and business travel. Not impressed with their customer service at all

Utter scam artists! Full of personable chat at Seattle airport. Asked if would like to prepay the fuel to return the car without the need to refill at San Francisco. Was advised would only be charged for fuel required to refill but that’s the lie. You are charged for a full tank regardless and try to claim this is £80! Avoid at all costs as the hidden ‘charges’ are a scam.

Avis charged me €260 euros + extras for a wheel scratch that I didn't do, and didn't send any proof of the scratches. It is the type of company that just doesn't care about the customer, and is looking to make profits everywhere. Stay away!

Complete scam. Went with guaranteed price of £900. They asked for my card for a deposit which I have to them and they charged me £350 for products that I never asked for and was never told about including refuelling. I returned the car with a full tank of gas. When I emailed and asked them to explain the charges, they refused to take them off.

Very bad experience being over charged on our booking.
On collection they were rushing to close the office and when getting in the car we realised there was no baby car seat . Fortunately I was able to run and catch up with the staff as they had left and closed the office. The guy that served me said there was no car seat on the contract even though they called me 2 days prior to confirm how old our child was. He said “there is no car seat in the contract but enjoy it and have it for free” (we had pre paid extra for the car seat). This service was disappointing, along with the fact that our car was damaged (clearly involved in a collision with the back boot door smashed in).

We then had to change the car mid holiday as it started to smell of petrol inside. We didn’t feel secure driving in that car with a young child. I then had to leave my wife and child alone for half a day whilst I drove to exchange the car, wasting my time.

We then returned the vehicle upon leaving Spain and was told we wouldn’t have paid for the car seat up front as that’s Avis’s usual policy. Our booking confirmation clearly shows that we did. We have since been charged again.

It was imposible to get a response from anyone on customer service. We felt very disappointed, they refunded us the amount they overcharged but never got a response or polite email. We will definitely not use Avis car hire again.

Low life scammers! What else can I say, if I can convince one person not to use this company I would be happy

Awful company, didnt refund me. Hired a car in Egypt in February and they owe me around £100, I spoke to them and they kept telling me they will refund but still haven't seen this. Don't bother with this disgraceful company, Sixt had better customer service.

Made a reservation in December last year and paid the full amount of £534 at the time of booking. The total price clearly included:

Car rental: £373
Vehicle cover plus insurance: £161
Total paid: £534 for 7 days

when arrived in Iceland today to collect the car, I was informed at the counter that the £534 I paid only covers the car rental and that the Vehicle cover plus insurance was not included. I was further told that I would need to pay again for the Vehicle cover plus insurance when returning the vehicle.

It was too late to cancel and rebook, this is scam. Im preparing to take it to court. DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY.

First one star service I ever wrote!

Totally Disappointed with the service provided by AVIS-Budget Heathrow, to the point that I needed to write it immediately after being treated so badly by the female staff on duty in the night of 22nd March (around 7pm).

Walked in with booking confirmation from 3rd party (trip.com), served by a male staff who informed us that the system was down so it would take quite a while to process bookings. Upon checking the UK DVLA of my husband, the male staff said that the system not showing synchronize data (or data not came up), and he then asked the lady (he seemed junior compared to her, and to our suprise, she immediately said: “WE CAN’T GIVE THE CAR TO YOU GUYS”, in a very harsh and unfriendly tone. She also added: “you can try re-booking but if you book
through 3rd party we wont be able to give you cars (does she have any problem with 3rd parties that do car rental service maybe? but even so, is it professional to treat customer this way?)

My husband immediately checked himself to the website (while they served other passengers, naturally), then he showed the synchronized data on the official website of the UK DVLA, asking the guy to have a look, but the female staff came again and said no.

We then asked if we can use the foreign driving license, and while the male staff first said yes (he did try to help but seemed scared of her), the rude woman immediately came and said (witnessed by many visitors there, please check CCTV): “NO, WE WILL NOT GIVE YOU ANY CARS BECAUSE YOUR DATA DID NOT COME UP ON OUR SYSTEM”
So instead of providing help/solution, she just immediately blocked and cut off the conversation.

Never before I gave 1⭐️ review in my life, but even after saying that we have just arrived after 72hours flights (due to the middle east crisis), she simply did not want to help. And the funny thing was, we went and do another booking with other provider, and succeedeed. The staff there also super welcoming and provided extra quick help, knowing our long and tiring journey.

Avis, you need to really put serious attention on how your staff representing your name, and please tell her that yes, we customer do need their/your service, but it is never wrong to show empathy/kindness/solutions.

The team in Liverpool John Lennon Airport were absolutely outstanding to me on Friday 20th March.
My flight had been diverted there from Leeds - Flying from Dublin. I arrived at the car rental extremely upset as I’d been travelling for a family emergency.
I honestly couldn’t have asked for more supportive, empathetic and understanding customer service team. A huge thank you for everything you did for me

Avis company pressure sells when abroad in foreign country if your going to Gran Canaria watch out they will try to add cover you’ve already paid for using pressure tactics - Won’t refund very difficult to get hold off avoid

OK, fresh off my communication with their so called customer service department. Hired a car for three days, picked up and dropped off at Glasgow Airport, returned car with full fuel tank, still charged me for fuel. As I don’t trust these companies, I took photographs of the fuel tank and dashboard as well as a receipt for the purchase of the fuel. Still took the money, do not trust this company…you have been warned….

I had booked a rental car in Belgrade through CarTrawler for February of this year. However, in October 2025, I filed a complaint about the vehicle and the extensive damage to the bodywork. Apparently, this was not appreciated. After returning the car, I received an email stating that there was a scratch on the car and that I would be charged €800. Case closed! Avis are rip-offs and criminals.

Stay away from these thieves.

I am extremely disappointed and frustrated with the completely unacceptable service I have received from Budget.

Over 12 days ago I returned the rental car in perfect condition. The staff member who inspected the vehicle confirmed there was no damage and everything was fine, yet Budget is still holding £300 of my money with absolutely no explanation.

Since then, trying to contact someone has been nearly impossible. When you finally manage to reach someone on the phone, they simply tell you to communicate via email instead of actually helping resolve the issue. This is incredibly frustrating and feels like a deliberate way to avoid dealing with customers.

To make matters worse, I was asked to provide proof that the £300 was taken from my account, which is ridiculous. Budget should already be able to see that they charged my card. Regardless, I still sent them a clear bank statement showing the payment, yet days later the money is still missing from my account and nobody seems to care.

This situation is completely unacceptable. Holding onto a customer’s money like this without any proper explanation or urgency is disgraceful. That £300 is not small change, and the lack of communication and accountability from Budget is shocking.

If this issue is not resolved immediately, I will have no choice but to escalate the matter and pursue legal action to recover my money.

I strongly advise anyone considering renting from Budget to think twice, because based on my experience, once they have your money it becomes extremely difficult to get it back.

My experience with Avis at Heathrow Airport was deeply disappointing and far below the standard expected from a global rental company.
I had intentionally booked a Peugeot 2008 (Compact SUV – CDAR category) because I needed a spacious, comfortable vehicle to collect elderly family members arriving from long international flights. Instead of the SUV category I paid for, Avis provided a BMW 1 Series, a smaller hatchback that simply did not meet our needs. This was a clear downgrade, yet we were still charged the rate for the higher category vehicle.
Because of the limited space, my family — already tired and jet‑lagged — had to travel in cramped conditions with large suitcases squeezed into a vehicle that was not fit for purpose. This already set the tone for what became an extremely stressful journey.
Within 20 miles of leaving the airport, a low tyre pressure warning appeared on the dashboard. Being forced to stop on a busy motorway in heavy traffic was both frightening and unsafe. It raised serious concerns about whether the car had been properly inspected before being handed over. A vehicle from a major international airport should not present safety issues so soon after pickup.
What followed was a long and distressing ordeal:

We waited nearly four hours for roadside assistance.
We were stranded late at night with elderly, exhausted passengers.
Taxi services were difficult to secure due to roadworks, delays, and heavy traffic.
Our phones were running out of battery, leaving us vulnerable.
The stress caused one family member to become unwell shortly after.
We did not reach home until around midnight.

All of this happened on a day that should have been simple and straightforward.
Despite providing evidence — flight tickets, taxi receipts, and photographs — the situation felt entirely avoidable had proper vehicle checks been carried out and the correct vehicle category been supplied. A rental company operating at Heathrow Airport must uphold a duty of care, particularly when customers rely on them for safety and reliability after long‑haul travel.
This experience has significantly undermined my confidence in Avis. I believe it is only fair to receive:

reimbursement for the taxis we were forced to take,
compensation for being downgraded,
compensation for the safety risks and prolonged distress,
and a clear explanation of how the vehicle passed inspection.

Overall, what should have been a routine journey became a frustrating, unsafe, and exhausting experience for my entire family. I hope Avis reviews its processes so that no other customer has to face a situation like this.

Awful service! 23 days and counting waiting for my deposit to come back. Do NOT recommend!! Enterprise are much more efficient.

Poor experience with AVIS two times in a row.
1. Double charging car rental due to arriving 1 day late due to strike
2. Car with 60.000 km on the clock which could not reach 60m/h and eventually showed engineer failure.
3. Unable to reach AVIS at airport as close on Saturday afternoon and impossible to get in the phone.

I genuinely don’t understand how companies like this are allowed to trade. To take additional charges without supporting any evidence as to damages or fines and to present you with these charges a month after hire. I have raised a dispute with my credit card company, only for them not to bother responding to them either and persist on threatening me with legal action. They are fraudsters.