Many reviewers describe surprise charges, preauthorisations that stay held, and disputed damage fees that never get cleared up. Complaints also often mention long waits to reach support and refunds that arrive late or not at all. A smaller group report quick, professional help, clean cars, and problems fixed right away. Ratings sit at the extremes, with many one-star stories alongside a few five-star experiences.
Examples from available reviews (Mar 2022 – Feb 2026).
Avis holding a £500 deposit unfairly and barely answering calls.
“they’ve been holding my deposit of 500 unfairly”
Multiple unauthorised charges were taken from my card without notification.
“I checked my credit card and they had taken $780 (£400) for upgrades that I never made.”
Received a free upgrade, clean car and instant deposit refund.
“I was given a free upgrade when checking in”
Rental car battery died and replacement later had a flat tyre overnight.
“My rental cars from AVIS at the Maui airport broke twice.”
Several reviews say no car was available at pickup, reservations were cancelled, or staff were rude at the counter. Some describe messy recovery arrangements after breakdowns. A smaller number mention fast, helpful fixes and free upgrades that solved problems immediately.
Unexpected fees come up repeatedly, including unauthorised card charges, fuel penalties, and large damage holdbacks. Customers often mention added "package" charges, exchange-rate surcharges, and fees after drop-off that they did not agree to. Complaints about value outweigh praise for clear pricing.
Reviewers point to booking and usability issues, including prepaid reservations with no vehicle available and local systems that did not work. Long lines and slow processing at the desk also appear in multiple accounts. These issues show up less than billing and communication problems but still recur across locations.
Some reviews describe cars returned dirty, smelling of smoke, or showing faults such as dead batteries and low tyre pressure. Several customers also report expired tags or multiple defects at handover. Mentions of well-kept vehicles appear, but not as often.
Many reviewers describe slow or missing responses, with long phone waits, unanswered complaints, and invoices that never arrive. Numerous accounts mention preauthorisations kept on hold and refunds delayed without a clear reason. A few reviewers report follow-up contact, though those cases are less common.
Reviews swing between frequent one-star accounts focused on charges and poor communication and a smaller number of five-star accounts praising staff and smooth rentals. Billing and customer support problems drive most negative impressions. Positive experiences exist but are heavily outweighed by service and value complaints.
For each review, the core experience based on original source reviews.
Sources: Trustpilot (40) · yelp.com (20) · Collected.reviews (1) · Quotes shortened · As of: February 2026
Avis holding a £500 deposit unfairly and barely answering calls.
“they’ve been holding my deposit of 500 unfairly”
No car available on arrival and no assistance or phone response.
“When I arrived, there was no service or car.”
Initial low fare increased to £131 with added charges and wrong damaged car.
“Total rip off, customer services useless, car was damaged and a different car to the one I hired.”
Forced into an expensive upgrade and later charged unexplained additional amounts.
“after returning home, 4 days later an additional charge for the vehicle was made”
Company fabricated damages and charged for a full tank despite returning partly filled.
“If you return the car out of hours and drop the key off you cannot control this theft.”
Deposit withheld caused severe stress and delayed refund despite complaints.
“be warned your deposit does not come back immediately and over payment you have to wait 28days”
Rental car battery died and replacement later had a flat tyre overnight.
“My rental cars from AVIS at the Maui airport broke twice.”
Was unexpectedly told a 650 credit score was required and felt mistreated.
“he told me I have to have a 650 credit score to rent the car.”
Was told staff would wait for late flight but nobody was there on arrival.
“we were told they stay until last flight....wrong!”
Regular customer reporting consistently positive experiences and intention to return.
“have never been disappointed or sorry that I rented from them.”
Quick pickup and excellent, professional service from Yonnas.
“Yonnas provided excellent customer service.”
Paid significantly more than quoted and return wasn't checked off-hours.
“Terrible customer service all around. Paid significantly more than my quote.”
Overall excellent experience with quick check-in and efficient process.
“Overall an excellent experience.”
Employees were rude and the website provided misleading winter tyre information.
“their employees are rude, have zero training, and one even straight out lied to me repeatedly.”
Car rented out while en route and another location refused to provide alternatives.
“They called me to inform me that they had rented out the car I had reserved”
Prepaid reservation but no cars available and cancellation contact missing.
“Allowed me to book and required pre-payment, then called and said: They have no cars”
Car pickup was unpleasant due to a strong smell of weed.
“literally smelled like someone had been smoking weed”
Staff member Austin accommodated reservation and provided excellent service.
“his overall customer service was top tier!”
Helpful, cheerful staff and smooth vehicle check-in and return.
“Cheery chap at vehicle return, deserves a bonus given rain and 50mph winds.”
Car was filthy, smelled of cigarette smoke and had expired tags.
“it reeked like cigarette smoke.”
Company contacted reviewer and disputed downgrade, citing an upgrade instead.
“They reached out to me based on this review”
Rental included unexpected fees and a different car than agreed.
“They lied about the daily rate and then added a bunch of fake, unexplained fees.”
Advertised online price differed greatly from quoted phone price.
“I found the price of 1875 a day plus taxes”
Charged for an extra day due to returning two minutes after closing.
“I was charged for an extra day because I arrived at 1:02 PM”
Car had a low rear tyre pressure reading but did not look flat.
“the tire pressure of the left rear tire, was low, 29 psi.”
Reviewer criticised being asked to sign blank forms and received a dirty car.
“As a criticism, why would any company have you electronically sign blank forms”
Customer service poor, with staff who do not understand English.
“Has the worst CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!”
Experienced a 1 hour 33 minute wait to reach customer service.
“I gave up after waiting 1 hour 33 min 14 sec.”
Car suffered oil failures and recovery arrangements were chaotic and uncommunicative.
“we were charged an extra day”
Multiple unauthorised charges were taken from my card without notification.
“I checked my credit card and they had taken $780 (£400) for upgrades that I never made.”
Assured no fuel charge but charged anyway and refund refused.
“they still charged me both after I filled it”
Desk agent refused the delayed reservation, locked the office and threatened security.
“the agent actually locked the office door, walked away, and threatened to call security”
Purchased extra insurance but was still charged £500 after a tyre incident.
“charged an additional £500.”
Received a free upgrade, clean car and instant deposit refund.
“I was given a free upgrade when checking in”
Quotation errors, long queues and broken systems made the rental dreadful.
“The rental agreement was printed on a dot-matrix printer. Really???”
Deposit not returned months later despite complaints and submitted ticket.
“No refund made. No change made to my online complaint.”
Charged excessively at £75 daily and £147 for an extra 16 hours.
“Absolute rip off!! £75 a day for a small car”
Charged for 19 gallons despite using less than a quarter tank.
“I was charged for 19 gallons, more than the tank capacity of the vehicle”
Invoice not provided and prolonged customer service delays hindered resolution.
“How a global car rental company cannot produce a bill 72 hours after a transaction is completed is baffling.”
This page combines submitted experiences with public reviews from platforms such as Google, Trustpilot, etc. Recurring points are summarised without changing the content of reviews.
Avis is an international car rental company with airport and city locations. It rents vehicles for short or long periods across types including compact cars, SUVs, and vans. Customers can book online or through a mobile app and add extras such as GPS, child seats, and additional insurance. Avis also offers corporate rental programmes and membership options that save driver details for faster pickup.