Avis Reviews 

BE VERY VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS PEOPLE
NANTES AIRPORT
When I collected the car I was told there was no damage on it. I noticed a dent on the drivers door and the tow screw cover on rear bumper loose. I asked a member of AVIS staff to check it and he said these issues were too insignificant to be reported.
When I returned the car no one checked it and I was told to leave the key at the desk and nothing else necessary , including no return form to sign.
I was still at the airport waiting for my flight when I received an email with the charges from damages found on the car. Nothing about the door, but a scratched rim and the broken cover on the rear bumper.
Of course I can only blame myself for trusting that people and not taking pictures of the “insignificant issues” that I noticed before using the car.
Fortunately I have insurance to cover the cost AVIS charged on my card.

The worst expereince ever of renting a car.

I rented a car recently from Avis Budget at Nantes Airport.

I returned the car in good condition and asked for the car to be checked. No one was available to do so.

A few days later I got an email & photos claiming the car had been in an accident and that there was €1k of damage. There was no accident during my rental contract period. The photos were blury and taken 2 days after I returned the car.

I complained and 8 weeks later I have had no reply except an automated response. Eventually I got a full refund and no apology.

Avoid this company at all costs.

Horrendous experience at Geneva, France. Avis refused to give us the car we already paid for, and required us to make a new booking and effectively pay twice.

Details:
Paid a rental car upfront, then needed to make a deposit. They wouldn’t accept any card we had - no physical card, no Apple Pay, no credit cards, no debit card, not even Visa, which their Terms of Service states they accept. They refused to give us a car and required us to make a new booking and pay double. We spent an hour at the counter and eventually caved in. A truly abysmal way to start your holiday. Never booking with Avis again. What a disgrace

If I could give no stars I would. We hired a vehicle from Avis Limoges airport recently. The vehicle was faulty and on day two, we were driving back to our accomodation at 22:00 when lots of warning lights flashed on the dash regarding the hybrid part of the vehicle. It could not switch to fuel and apparently this is a known fault with the software. We were on a very dark road with bends, the vehicle went into limp mode and we managed to get home. This was incredibly stressful due to not knowing if the vehicle was going to just stop on a bend in the dark. The next day we were told to take the vehicle back. We started the vehicle and it seemed to have cleared the fault, so we took the chance and drove the 50 minutes to the airport rental desk.
We said we had not filled it up with fuel as just wanted to make sure we could get it back. The lady said no problem. We were then given one of their run around vehicles with 65km on the clock and dents/scratches all over it but at least it was reliable. We were only in France for six days; however a whole day was wasted with sorting out another vehicle. Instead of a gesture of good will they debited €80 for the fuel we didn't get due to not stopping with the dangerous faulty vehicle. Will never use this company again and we use car hire companies on a regular basis.

I had a very disappointing experience when I collected my Avis rental car.

Firstly the documentation indicated that there were lots of scratches and dents on the car. The operator didn't accompany me to the car the to check / review the reported damage. This was very disappointing as it meant that I would then need to check the car carefully myself to ensure that there wasn't any unreported damage, which I would then become responsible for.

When I eventually found the car, which took over 15 minutes as the operator didn't know where it was parked, the car was filthy both inside and out. The outside was so dirty it was impossible to check the reported damage and verify if there was any other damage, which puts me at risk of additional charges. The inside of the car had stains on both front seats and dirty foot wells, the boot area was caked in a muddy residue.

I was informed that the radio antenna was missing, but told that this wouldn't affect the operation of the car radio. However, this wasn't the case as the radio reception was very poor and therefore unusable.

I reported all this to the operator at the time who said that she would discuss these issues with her manager and come back to me the following day and I was told that there were no other cars available. The promised call back didn't happen and they basically ignored all the reported problems.

When driving the car away from the airport I noticed that the fuel tank wasn't completely full and also that the car judders in the lower gears.

Overall both the car and the collection experience have been very disappointing and it appears that the operator wasn't intending to resolve these issues.

Therefore in my opinion the car was unsuitable for rental.

I am writing this to expose a pattern, not just a bad experience. Avis is running a systematic scam to steal customer deposits.

What happened to me:
Rented from Avis Marseille (Contract 690600002). Returned the car at 04:00, took timestamped photos showing zero damage. Avis inspected the car 5 hours later (at 09:35) – without me present. They claimed a tiny scratch, their own document admits "Le client n'a pas pu signer" (I could not sign), and they stole €378.83 from my card. They ignored all my emails.

Do NOT let them get away with it. Here is exactly how to fight them:

Document EVERYTHING. Take timestamped photos at the moment you return the car. Keep your contract and all emails.

File a Chargeback with your Bank. Tell them: "Services not provided as agreed. The merchant charged me for damage without a joint inspection. I have photos proving the car was undamaged at return."

File a FREE complaint with the official French Mediator (Mobilians). Avis is legally obliged to respond. Search online for "Médiateur Mobilians" – their service is completely free.

File a report with the French Consumer Authority (SignalConso). This creates an official record. Search for "SignalConso" – it is the French government's consumer protection platform.

Do NOT waste time with endless emails to Avis. They will deliberately ignore you. Escalate immediately through these channels.

If everyone who gets scammed fights back, they will stop this predatory behavior. Avis holds a 1.2/5 rating on Trustpilot for a reason – they rely on people giving up. Don't be one of them. Fight for your money.

Stay persistent, stay formal, and use the official channels. It works.

Extra charges - no explanation. Website says please DM but no way of doing this. Queried extra charges but no reply. Very difficult to deal with. They finally admitted they were in the wrong after escalating to British Airways. They had charged me for an extra driver when I am an Avis preferred member. Avis refunded the Euro amount they overcharged me, leaving me short by 38p. No apology or goodwill. Just an email saying that's it and escalate it to Arbitration if you want. I am not sure they have had any Customer Service training. So much for being an Avis preferred member.

It's impossible to reach Avis France after you've rented a car.
During my rental period, Avis suddenly changed the price of my rental and sent me the updated contract with a higher price than I had agreed when I picked the car up at Nice airport. I tried three times to phone Avis but after waiting 45 minutes each time, had to give up.
When returning the car, I tried to discuss with the staff at the counter. First guy had no clue. Second guy was quite disrespectful and made up an excuse for the extra charge which was clearly untrue but I did not have time to discuss further as I had a flight to catch. I have emailed them but I can only say to future clients, don't bother with Avis. It's impossible to reach them. I rented from them before and when I wanted to make a change, spent something like 5 hours trying to reach them. It's scandalous.

I never really had a great experience with Avis and actually only use their services because I am an Aéroplan member. But this time was even worse when I returned the car at CDG airport in April 2026. I wax charged more than 200 euros for a quasi invisible scratch on the front passenger rim which might most likely have been there before I picked up the car. The remote battery was nearly dead, zero windshield fluid. Last all gas stations around Paris were empty that day April 13 and Avis did not take that into account, they charged more than 160 euros, no commercial gesture. I will stop using Avis.

absolut shit
they gave us a too small car and would not give us a bigger one
the also did not take our plates from car
never use this so garbage
we could not also get out of the building with the car and some guy did not help us at all
the machine sounded like porridge
not nice
absolut garbage shit show

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.

I recently rented a vehicle through Avis at Grenoble Airport (booking via Rentalcars). After returning the car during staffed hours, I received a damage claim including a windscreen chip, cleaning charge, and a vehicle downtime fee.

I immediately returned to the desk to dispute this. The alleged damage was recorded as 3–5mm, however when measured it was significantly smaller. When I challenged this, the explanation changed and no consistent evidence was provided.

I was also charged for vehicle downtime, despite observing the same vehicle being rented out again immediately, which contradicts the basis of that charge.

During the interaction, the situation escalated. The manager became aggressive and physically interfered while I was recording the conversation for documentation purposes.

I escalated the matter formally and disputed the charge via my card provider. Avis has since confirmed in writing that the damage charge was incorrectly applied and issued a full refund.

While I appreciate the resolution, this experience raises serious concerns about the damage assessment process and customer handling at this location. I would recommend that renters take detailed photos/videos at both pickup and return.

I rented a car from Avis in Paris from March 13 to March 14, 2026, with return in Caen. A €200 deposit was taken at pickup. The one‑way fee was fully prepaid and clearly included in the total rental price.

After returning the car in Caen, the agent there tried to charge me an additional €216 for the one‑way fee that I had already paid. They did not actually charge that amount, but they kept my €200 deposit. I went back to the Avis office in Paris, and the employee who originally helped me confirmed that the Caen office made a mistake. She sent an internal email asking them to return my €200 deposit.

That was five days ago. Since then — nothing. No refund. No reply to my emails. Complete silence.

They took my €200 deposit, invented a false charge to justify keeping it, and are now ignoring me. Avis is a scam. They steal your money and refuse to communicate. If you ever have an issue, they simply disappear.

Do not rent from these thieves. They will take your deposit and make up excuses to keep it. Zero accountability, zero customer service. Absolutely disgraceful.

Worst hire company you could imagine. I beg you please do not use, so many small ways of getting more and more money the staff in Geneva try their best to make the hire as impossible as they can and offer no service or assistance with problems. Please go elsewhere and avoid this company at all costs.

Rented car from limoges Airport, and after a few days warning light came on, we went to a garage but couldn't identify fault, 2 days later the car ran completely out of oil. We bought oil so car didn't break down. Last time the car ran out of ad blue, before you drive off, check your own oil level as if you do break down, you are liable for any damage to engine.

Hired a car in Papeete . The staff were indifferent ,rude and confrontational not a pleasing experience
The car was clean and well presented

We rented a vehicle from Avis San Diego location for 12 days. We returned the vehicle early January.

At the counter, we clearly and explicitly declined all optional insurance coverage, informing the agent that we were fully covered through our Mastercard Gold credit card.

However:
- Optional insurance products were not clearly explained.
- Individual pricing and total additional cost were not disclosed.
- We were asked to sign electronically on a tablet without being clearly shown which options remained selected.
- No copy of the signed rental agreement was provided at pick-up or return.

We later discovered that multiple insurance products had been added and charged.

Under basic consumer protection principles, valid consent requires clear disclosure, transparent pricing, and an explicit opt-in. None of these conditions were met.

We only received a copy of the rental agreement more than one month after vehicle return, after repeated requests. The document provided does not clearly reconcile with the invoice, making it extremely difficult to understand the charges.

After reviewing other public feedback, it appears that similar complaints have been reported at this same location.

This experience raises serious concerns regarding transparency and informed consent in the sale of optional insurance products.

Customers should exercise extreme caution and demand a printed contract before signing.

SCAMMERS. Avoid at all costs. The worst. Through Travelocity, I booked a 2-day rental with insurance with Avis in Aix-en-Provence. Total charges should have been €141, but Avis charged my bank card €790. In the past 3 months, I have called Avis dozens of times. No one EVER answers the phone. My bank and Travelocity have also repeatedly tried to contact Avis with NO success. This week, I finally received an email from Avis asking me to send photos proving that I did NOT damage the car. Seriously. My bank told me that it sees scams like this with car rental companies all the time. AVOID Avis. I’ll never use anyone but Enterprise again.

WARNING TO AVIS

I cant find anyone sensible to speak to so maybe someone at Avis is reading this. The non adding up invoices mean that Avis are systematically overcharging customers (theft) and potentially committing VAT fraud

UPDATE

See below a summary of my ticket from when I returned the car

€

Vehicle 1,065.29
Surcharge 45.00
Participation 29.57
Fuel 163.27
Second driver 155.81

1,458.94

This is includes an incorrect charge for a second driver. However much more disturbingly, the total on the ticket is €1,469.77- the ticket doesn't add up. This is blatant theft but no one seems interested

UPDATE

Just did our third car hire this year from Nice airport. They are totally incompetent. I have yet again been overcharged for a second driver- this time €174. I have a BA gold card and one of the benefits is that a second driver is free. I did explain this to the guy we picked the car up from, he nodded and agreed but still charged us. So once again, I am now wasting my time untangling this. Three experiences and three bad experiences all related to the same thing. It is appalling customer service

UPDATE

I just returned a car hire to Nice airport and guess what they did the same again. They are systematically producing invoices that do not add up. This is fraud

UPDATE

After chasing three times without any response at all, on 6/2/26 I finally received a reply. No explanation, no apology for wasting my time. A week later the refund appeared on my credit card, nearly five weeks after it was totally incorrectly taken. This is a blatant attempt at dishonesty. In effect Avis' systems produce statements that do not add up and hope the clients don't spot it

ORGINAL REVIEW
I booked a car hire on line from Avis at Nice Airport. I am a BA gold card holder so I am entitled to a second driver free of charge. Avis are very reluctant to publicise this and you cannot book this option on line so I clicked the box to pay for a second driver and made the necessary payment. I pointed this out when I collected the car. On returning it on 12/1/26, after adjusting for this (which was their mistake and not mine), they produced a calculation showing they owe me €43 but their final statement adjusted this to zero. I contacted them on the same day and despite three chasers, I haven't heard a word

I would also add that we regularly hire cars from Nice airport and they are generally in an appalling condition and filthy. This one came with the service light on during the hire, two more alerts appeared

Charged £100 for alledged rim damage, no proof offered, video, photos etc sent to their damage query site, no response, just automated replies.