Avis

The most-used company in this year’s survey, Avis operates in thousands of locations on six out of the seven continents.

Which? verdict: For a company trusted by so many, its customer service and value for money ratings are disappointing. However, it has introduced Covid-safe hygiene measures that impressed Which? members.

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Avis customer ratings

If you want to see how Avis measures up to its rivals, read our best and worst car hire page.

What's Avis like?

Avis’ customer score has not changed since last year. Customers reported that the experience of hiring a car with Avis was a bit hit and miss.

At the booking stage, customers rated the clarity of the final hire cost a mediocre three stars. Some drivers told us they’d been hit with extra fees they hadn’t been expecting. One warned: ‘Always check the receipt carefully.’

Avis did manage to bag four-star ratings in some areas, including for age, condition and mileage of cars, how well the description matched the car provided and clarity of fuel policy.

However, it is less impressive in categories such as the ease of opting out of additional extras. Some customers worryingly commented that ‘they use pressure selling to sell things you don’t want’ and ‘I hate that every time you pick up a hire car they try to upsell. Some 15% of Avis customers said they bought additional insurance because they felt under pressure. Pressure selling is illegal.

Customers who have joined the free Avis Preferred scheme gave more positive comments, particularly on queuing: ‘Generally the pick-up/drop-off is painless - our "preferred" card means we never queue, and all they need is a signature. It can be dropped off in less than one minute’. Avis Preferred customers also liked that they often received upgrades.

How is Avis rated for its Covid precautions?

We asked Avis customers who had rented a car in 2020, during the pandemic, how confident they felt that Avis had done everything it could to minimise the risk of Covid transmission. A whopping 94% said they were either very confident (55%) or fairly confident (39%).

Should I book with Avis?

Avis offers high-quality cars worldwide, and its free-to-join Avis Preferred loyalty scheme is well liked by members, but its customer service is mediocre. And if you plan on using this car hire company, watch out for those extra charges.