Avis was founded by William Avis in the United States in 1946, and its first car hire outlet — at Willow Run Airport in Detroit — was the first airport car hire depot in the world. While Australian entrepreneur Eric McIllree eventually negotiated a deal with Avis for the rights to the name, he commenced operating under the name in 1955 with FJ Holdens stationed at six Australian airports. At the time, McIllree had the sole concession for car hire at airports, and by 1971 he had rented one million vehicles.
Today Avis has over 200 rental locations across Australia, including at all major airports and city centres. From these locations, Avis rents over a dozen types of vehicle including compact cars, standard cars, full size cars, and 4WDs, along with a selection of specialty vehicles, such as hybrid and luxury cars. Aside from cars, Avis also rents utes, vans, trucks and buses.
As Avis and Budget share the same owner, at airports you may find the two rental agents working side by side or even sharing the same desk. If you’re looking for the Avis desk but can’t find them, look for the Budget desk.
Rated 4 stars for Overall Satisfaction by Canstar Blue in 2022.
Over 200 car hire locations in Australia, including at major and regional airports.
A wide selection of urban and rural depots across Australia.
Frequent Flyer points awarded on bookings.
Compact and standard cars, 4WDs, luxury vehicles, and people movers are all available for hire through Avis.
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On renting a vehicle with Avis
Avis has outlets Australia-wide with depots in all the state capitals, international airports, and major urban centres. See the list below for the number of depots in each state. VIC (77), NSW (99), WA (54), ACT (6), QLD (85), SA (22), NT (8), TAS (12)
Avis has one of the broadest ranges of family-friendly vehicles in Australia, offering everything from compact cars and sedans through to pickups and commercial vehicles. Fullsize Wagon/Estate, Special, Luxury Passenger Van, Fullsize Pick up (single/extended cab) 2 door, Fullsize SUV, Fullsize Car, Intermediate Car, Intermediate Elite SUV, Standard Pick up (double cab) 4 door, Compact SUV, Oversize Passenger Van, Standard Car, Fullsize Elite Car, Economy Commercial Van/Truck, Fullsize Pick up (double cab) 4 door, Standard SUV, Economy Car, Fullsize Commercial Van/Truck, Premium SUV, Intermediate SUV, Compact Car, Premium Elite Commercial Van/Truck, Fullsize Passenger Van
Avis accepts Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club and American Express credit cards and Visa and MasterCard debit cards as payment for a rental car. Avis does not accept prepaid or reloadable stored value cards, travel money cards, or EFTPOS cards, nor does Avis accept cards presented on smart phones or watches, or other contactless forms of payment — you must present a physical card at the rental car depot desk.
The amount of the security bond, also known as a security deposit or bond, levied by Avis will vary depending on your means of payment (credit or debit card), the time of payment (pay later or pay now), and type of vehicle (passenger or commercial). Once you have returned your rental vehicle, subject to any additional charges, your security deposit will be released. The refund usually takes two to ten days, but the amount of time depends on your bank. For more details, please see the “Important Information” section for details specific to your rental vehicle, or contact our customer care team for assistance.
Avis’ minimum age requirement for drivers is 25. While some Avis locations may allow drivers of or over the age of 21 to rent a vehicle, drivers under the age of 25 may incur a young driver surcharge. This under 25 fee is a daily surcharge charged for the full period of the rental. Avis does not have an explicit upper age limit for drivers. To learn more, including the amount of the charge for drivers under the age of 25, please see the “Important Information” section for details specific to your rental vehicle — or contact our customer care team for assistance.
Any valid full driver’s licence that has been valid for at least twelve months and is printed in English meets Avis’ driver licence policy requirements. As a part of these licence requirements, Avis does not accept a learner, provisional, probationary or restricted licence. If your licence is not in English, you will need to present an International Driving Permit (IDP) along with your valid domestic driving licence.
Yes. Avis allows additional drivers to be added to the Rental Agreement provided each additional driver meets the same criteria as the primary driver. Avis does charge a fee for each additional driver, although in some cases such as the primary driver’s spouse, this cost is waived. Avis’ additional driver fee is levied per day per driver but may be capped at a maximum charge. If you need more than a second driver, the number of additional drivers is only limited by the number of people the vehicle is legally licensed to carry. For further information, please see the “Important Information” section for details specific to your rental vehicle, or contact our customer care team.
Yes. Basic cover in the form of a Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) is included in the rental quote, but should the vehicle be stolen or damaged in an accident, or a third-party loss occurs, you’ll be liable to pay up to the Rental Vehicle Excess amount for damage charges as per your Avis rental agreement. The excess refers to the amount renters are liable for before the basic cover applies and the excess amount can vary depending on the type of vehicle, the age of the renter, and a number of other variables. Avis offers excess reduction policies, including Excess Reduction and Zero Excess, and these can reduce — or remove — the car rental excess you are liable for. The per-day cost of these excess waivers can vary depending on the vehicle and length of rental. Prosura is another form of excess insurance for renters wanting to reduce their excess liability.
Yes. Avis includes roadside assistance for all mechanical defects not resulting from human error or misuse of the rental vehicle. In the instance of non-mechanical issues, such as lost keys, keys locked in the vehicle, or a flat battery due to lights being left on, Avis may charge you a call-out fee. Avis offers further roadside assistance cover for an additional fee.
Avis partners with Linkt for toll processing. When you travel on a toll road, a Linkt Rental Account will automatically be set-up in your name and Linkt will directly charge you for any toll fees plus a daily surcharge for any day you use a toll road. For more information regarding these charges, please see the “Important Information” section for details specific to your rental vehicle, or contact our customer care team.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Avis rental vehicles come with unlimited kilometres. If you do book a hire car with limited kilometres you will be advised of the kilometre allowance and what the cost per kilometre is if you exceed this limit.
Avis provides three options regarding refuelling your rental car. You can prepay for a full tank of fuel meaning you can return the hire car with a less than full tank (there is no refund for unused fuel), or you can refill your tank yourself at your own expense, or you can return your hire car without a full tank in which case you will be charged at a premium rate to refill the fuel tank. To save money, use the VroomVroomVroom fuel price comparison app to find the best-priced petrol near the depot you need to return your rental car to.
If your hire car rental period is yet to commence, you can modify your booking within the VroomVroomVroom app or by contacting our customer care team to make the required changes. If you have already collected your Avis rental car, you’ll need to contact the Avis depot you collected the vehicle from to request an extra day — or whatever extension period is desired. Bear in mind that any change to the rental period — regardless of if it is before you have collected the car or after — may alter the overall cost of your hire car.
The Terms and Conditions of renting a vehicle supplied by Avis can vary depending on the exact vehicle hired, the age of the driver, the length of the hire period, and a number of other conditions. As such, the exact Terms and Conditions of the rental policy related to an individual vehicle hire can vary from one customer to another and one type of vehicle to another. Once you select a vehicle you are interested in on VroomVroomVroom, you can click on the prominent “Important Information” button to read our guideline to rental terms related to the vehicle which you should be aware of. Later in the booking flow are the detailed Terms and Conditions which you will need to read and accept before finalising your booking.
Note: The information above was correct at the time of publication.
Please check the Terms and Conditions of your chosen vehicle for specific details.
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