Avis Car Rental Reviews 46

I had booked a prepaid rental via Booking.com. At the Split Airport counter, the agent explicitly told me there were "no additional charges" and that my signature was required for the 5000 EUR security deposit. Despite this verbal confirmation, I was charged 206.02 EUR for roadside assistance and an additional driver—both of which I explicitly declined.

I have filed a formal complaint under Article 10 of the Croatian Consumer Protection Act and have requested a preservation of the counter CCTV footage. I have also reported this predatory conduct to the Croatian State Inspectorate (Market Inspection). Avoid this location until they resolve these unauthorized charges.

**BEWARE – PLEASE READ BEFORE RENTING A CAR FROM AVIS DUBROVNIK AIRPORT**

This is a scam business rather than a car rental business. When collecting my car at Dubrovnik Airport I was asked the if I wanted the usual extras – insurance etc. Despite explicitly and clearly declining these additional services, they were still added on. When I queried the additional charges, I got fobbed off with the “it’s the deposit which will be refunded a few days after you return the car” needless to say these were never refunded.
The additional charges came to €450 which I would never have knowingly agreed to. From reading other reviews, I am certainly not the only person this has happened so this deceitful behaviour is widespread.
They also ask you to sign on an iPad which is zoomed in so that it’s difficult to see the charges listed. I contacted customer service head office after I returned home (the phone number provided for the Dubrovnik Airport doesn’t work – surprise, surprise!) but they just hid behind the fact that there was a signed rental agreement.
The income they earn from this obviously subsidises their car rental business but I think it’s a disgrace that it’s allowed to happen & very damaging for the Avis & Budget brands as I will never use them again.
Also, I think Booking.com are also complicit as they show inflated reviews ie 4 out of 5 stars vs google reviews of 1.7 out of 5 – clearly done to increase bookings through their website to earn commission whilst knowing they are promoting a scam business.

THEY ARE SCAMMERS at Zagreb airport! After returning the car at 05:30 in the morning in good condition and with a full tank and leaving for my early flight, I found an additional charge of 269 EUR in my bank account. Budget did not send me any notification or invoice or anything like that. After chasing them for more than 7 days via emails and phone calls, they finally sent me a calculation showing that they charged me for a damaged alloy wheel. But the car does not have alloy wheels - only steel wheels with plastic hubcaps!! There are 2 small scratches on the plastic hubcap in the picture, and the picture was taken 2 hours after the additional charges were calculated. I did not even make those scratches - they just swapped the hubcap from the right wheel to the left and said I damaged it! Even if that was true, which it is not, 269 EUR for a scratched plastic hubcap?

***SCAM & FRAUD*** Rented a car from Avis at Split Airport. Cost was supposed to be Euro 350. Declined all additional insurances, but here's the SCAM - they ask you to sign electronically and amend the agreement after you have left. Credit card bill came and was over Euro 900. They then claim you called later to add the extras and show a signed agreement (amended fraudulently). WATCH OUT and AVOID AVIS SPLIT

AVOID SCAMMERS - avoid Avis Split Airport! I booked a car online and didn't want full insurance but when I got to the airport they tried sold me insurance at 35Euros a day! Also additional 60Euro if I want to take the car across the boarder. I said no, they took 1350euros as deposit and told me they charge for 600euros for every little scratch. My car rental was adding up to over 400 euros for 5 days!!

I still said no extra insurance and when I got to the car, it was covered with small scratches in unusual places which looked like it was done intentionally to charge others who didn't have full insurance. They said take pictures, videos etc. which I did but I didn't want to come home from holiday and deal with a claim so I told them I didn't feel comfortable as there's scratches everywhere and cancelled my booking, got my deposit back.

The customer service is terrible, the girl didn't smile, looked like she was doing me a favour!!

I went next door to Last Minute Car Hire and got a nicer car fully insured with no scratches for 160Euros!!!

I will always use Last Minute cars now, they're local and brilliant, returned the car and no issues all smooth.

Avis/Budget @ Split Airport Croatia. Just DON'T !!!
Avis/Budget @Split Airport.I wish I had read the reviews before going there. maybe it is a franchise and they need to scam you. We went to the grotty office/counter across the car park from the terminal. The young lad in there was reasonably friendly for two minutes. Then he gets a sour face and attitude and says " you need to buy the insurance at 29 euros a day otherwise we charge 700 euros for every scratch or dent over 1cm when you return car" So I said, "no thanks, I have my own excess insurance policy and don't need more insurance" he said that is void. he said " we will charge you up to 30000 euros for serious damage if you have no insurance" I said "I have paid for the car upfront, i just want the keys" he said " you need breakdown cover because if you breakdown we will not come and rescue you or repair a puncture, you must get car towed back here at your cost" I said thats fine, I will take the chance with a one year old low mileage Renault Clio" He said " we will hold 1200 euros on your card for one month to see if we find damage or road fines " I said " whatever, can we go now?" He looked real sour and hateful, he made me sign a load of things that he mumbled explanations for, gave me the keys and showed me the door. We used the car for 900km with no issues, returned it tank brimming full and the female in reception had the car checked over and said " yes, all is ok, you can go" When we got home to London, a few days later i found 79 euros deducted off my credit card ! trying to contact avis/budget is mission impossible. I got through in the end and was told they will email the office in Split and open a case. I keep trying to get an answer but completely fobbed off, I never even received the promised invoice/receipt. I guess I will have to swallow the loss. Reading other reviews we probably got away lightly. I did go over the car inch by inch and got the receptionist to note down damage I found that was not on the condition report form, so CHECK THE CAR OVER SLOWLY!!! report EVERY mark you see, and make sure they put it on their hand held tablet thing !! What started off as a cheap weeks rental for £50 on Easyjet booking at time we booked flights turned out not so cheap at £130 in total after all ! Beware the scammers !

Avoid at all costs!!!!!! Never rent from here.

My advice would be to never rent a car from Avis Dubrovnik. Same story as some of the other posters. I booked a car through booking dot com and paid about 80 Euro for the week. Took over 1 hr on arrival to get the car standing in the wind and rain. On return the employee reviewed very quickly and said all was ok so we went off to catch our flight. A few days later Avis took nearly 400 Euro from my credit car. I called the first number on their website for Croatia and it is disabled. the second numbers said they don't have access and said I have to email. I mailed and still have not gotten a response. When I try to download my invoice from their website it just says it is not available. A quick Google search will show you that there are numerous others that have the same issues.

Edit - Despite numerous mails to Avis we are not much further forward yet. Avis do not want to do anything as they state the rental is not with them but with a licensee. It seems the licensee is a Croatian company called RENTAL VIRIBUS. They messed up my one by using the wrong address, passport number and drivers license number. I suggest you submit Data Subject Access requests to both companies to see what they have written about you. If there are discrepancies then you can use this to raise a dispute with your credit card company

We rented a car through Norwegian, with insurance provided by AXA, to be picked up from AVIS at Split Airport. When we arrived, the AVIS staff told us they do not cooperate with AXA and therefore could not guarantee any coverage if something happened.

We were pressured into buying a new insurance from AVIS for €200 for just 7 days — even though we could show documentation proving that our AXA insurance fully covered us and that no additional insurance was needed.

Once we got home, we contacted AXA, who confirmed that our original insurance was indeed fully valid and covered everything as stated.

It was clear we were not the only ones tricked at the counter — the customer next to us was told the exact same story.

Very disappointing and unprofessional experience. It feels like AVIS is taking advantage of customers’ lack of information and pressuring them into paying for unnecessary extras. Definitely not what you expect from a supposedly reputable company.

Please avoid this Avis at Zadar Airport.
I had prebooked through Booking, but when I arrived the price in the contract was higher than agreed and they tried to add an extra insurance I had already declined. When I asked them to correct it, they said it was “just a standard contract” and that I should sign anyway — but I didn’t trust that.

I refused to sign and rented from another company outside instead — there are several honest and friendly ones just next door. Avis still kept my deposit, but my bank (VISA) helped me get it back.

After reading other reviews, I realized this happens to many people here: higher prices, unwanted insurance, and deposits not refunded. I’m writing this only to help others avoid the same experience.

Really scammy. Penalize you for not having a credit card. Forced us to pay €207 to take out their insurance on our debit card even though we had our own private insurance.

I booked a seven-day car rental through a website called Holiday Autos, which included full insurance coverage. I collected the car from Dubrovnik Airport in Croatia on August 21, 2025. The vehicle was provided by a company named Avis Payless Cars. I arrived at the airport around 8 o'clock in the evening, and the representative asked me for a €400 deposit and an additional €95 for crossing into another country. I paid a total of €495 with my credit card.

Upon my return on August 28, 2025, the car company conducted a full inspection of the vehicle. The handwritten notes on my invoice indicated that everything was in order, but I was refunded only €256.18. I sent multiple emails to Holiday Autos and Avis regarding this issue. Eventually, I received a response stating that €238.88 was charged for insurance by Avis .I was not informed about this insurance charge, nor did I request it, as I had already purchased insurance from Holiday Autos.

I realized I was not informed about these charges, and the representative who handed me the car was rushed, indicating that it was a busy day. He asked me to sign a document for the collection of the vehicle. Now they claim that I signed a contract for the insurance. I feel this is a scam; I was not properly explained the charges and was rushed into signing the paperwork, which led to my financial loss.

I encourage everyone to avoid this company. If you decide to rent a car, be sure to read all the documents carefully, as they may try to mislead you and take your money.
Completely cheating company
Not book rent a car everyone this company

We needed to wait 1.5 hour for a car we orderd a head

🚨 AVIS SCAM – BE WARNED 🚨

I’ve been a loyal Avis customer for almost 10 years worldwide, but this recent rental in Croatia was an absolute disaster that cost me €395 extra on top of my prepaid €450 reservation — plus lost vacation time.

1️⃣ Got a car with a broken windshield not noted in the contract. No replacement available until the next morning.
2️⃣ Wasted half a day of my vacation driving back and forth to swap it. As agreed I had to return their damaged car, naively did this without refueling (as not my fault) — fuel missing was max €10, they charged me €81.99 for fuel services.
3️⃣ Avis staff tick all the extra insurances and “convenience services” for you without asking, then verbally assure you (I asked 5x) everything is prepaid and no extra charges will apply. They also force-scroll to the signature page so you don’t read the full contract.
4️⃣ At final drop-off, staff again gave verbal confirmation that everything was fine and the deposit would be fully released. (I asked again 5x)
5️⃣ Final invoice with additional 395€ and a big 🖕response from all customer services

👉 Avis now hides behind fine print, claiming I “accepted” optional products I was verbally told were included in my prepaid reservation.

Result: €395 stolen, vacation time lost, and a disgusting customer experience.

⚠️ Future customers: avoid Croatian Avis if you value your money, time, and peace of mind

After landing at Zadar Airport, I booked a rental car with AVIA Car rental — and it turned out to be the worst experience of our entire trip.
Upon arrival, the staff asked me to fill out a form and attempted to take a security deposit of €2100, which was expected. However, they refused to accept my Advanzia credit card, despite it being a valid and commonly used credit card.
The staff member then told me the only way they would accept the card was if I purchased their insurance package worth €700. It became very clear they were trying to force us into buying their overpriced insurance.
Meanwhile, my family had to wait outside the airport for over 2 hours in the heat, due to their rude and unhelpful behavior. I checked with other rental companies at the airport, and they all confirmed they would have accepted the same credit card without issue, proving this was just a pressure tactic by AVIA.
This experience completely ruined the start of our trip. The AVIA staff were impolite, inflexible, and clearly focused only on making money through hidden charges and upselling insurance.
My sincere advice: Do not pay AVIA Cars in advance. Book with a company where you can pay on the spot, and where your card is actually accepted without being forced into extra costs.
Thank you, AVIA Cars, for wasting our time, harassing my family, and setting a terrible tone for our holiday.

"Absolutely do not recommend! This is an extremely dishonest company. They add strange and unjustified charges to the rental cost, and their customer support is impossible to reach. I've been sending emails for two months with no response. Stay away from this company."

Haben in Split über carjet ein Auto im Aug. 25 gemietet. Das Auto lief sowohl über Payless (siehe Bewertungen!!) aber die Abwicklung: Autoausgabe, Kaution, Mietgebühr etc über Avis Budget. Die Auto Miete wurde sowohl online abgebucht als auch am Schalter von Avis abgebucht ebenso die Kaution. Bei der Abgabe dann sehr schlechte Erfahrungen gemacht, es wurde ein Schaden reklamiert, den man bei der Abholung nur hätte sehen können, wenn man sich hinkniet und die Stelle berührt (Schwelle unterhalb der Beifahrertür) . Es wurde eine Summe kommentarlos von Avis von der Visa abgebucht , obwohl wir dem widersprochen haben. Verwiesen werden wir jedoch an Payless, obwohl alles über Avis Budget läuft. Unsere E-Mails an Avis Budget und Payless blieben bisher unbeantwortet, sodass nur ein rechtlicher Weg möglich ist. Für uns stellt sich die Verknüpfung von Payless (siehe gesonderte Bewertungen) und Avis Budget als unseriös dar.

Terrible experience, car was filthy, not a full tank as promised, lots of scratches not on form and got upset when asked for them to be added. If you don’t know your pin for credit card they will charge you to pay up front on debit card, over 100 euros. I’d honestly avoid, one of the local firms that cares about reputation likely to be much better.

We rent a car for 2 days, when returning we couldn’t find petrol station. We were supposed to return at 12:30pm, we returned at 12:27pm. We went to talk to them. We had to wait for a while before they can check the car, then mentioned about the petrol. We said we couldn’t find petrol station, the guy told us where the station is and we can fill it up if we want. We filled it up and returned the car. They said everything is fine, please sign this. We signed And then after a few minutes we got an email about the charge. They charge us for 3 days!!! We went back to talk to them again. The person who suggested stayed behind the closed door and other guy was telling us that we came in at 12:40pm ( it’s a lie as we had a picture with the car at 12:27pm) and it’s our fault that we were late. We explained the whole thing, he didn’t want to listen to anything!! What sort of inhuman behaviour is this!!! How can someone charge you for a 24hours for that delay. This is scam!!!! This sort of experience just ruins your holiday!!

We booked a car through the Ryanair app and had to buy additional insurance of €200. When we left Croatia they took €600 off our account. It seems like they charged us twice. They are defending themselves of course. A total disappointment. Never again Avis!

Ich hatte eine sehr negative Erfahrung mit dieser Mietwagenfirma. Trotz eines pünktlich gemieteten Fahrzeugs kam es zu einer Panne, und die Pannenhilfe liess über Stunden auf sich warten – viel zu spät, um meinen gebuchten Flug zu erreichen. Während meine Familie noch rechtzeitig zum Flughafen kam, musste ich sieben Stunden später einen Ersatzflug antreten, der mich 300 € zusätzlich kostete.

Doch damit nicht genug: Etwa 1400 € Kaution wurden plötzlich und ohne jegliche Erklärung von meiner Kreditkarte abgebucht. Auf meine wiederholten E-Mails erhielt ich erst nach zehn Tagen die Antwort, dass der Fall „noch bearbeitet“ werde. Die Rückerstattung kam dann zwar, aber erst über einen Monat nach Rückgabe des Fahrzeugs.

Der Kundenservice war schleppend und wenig transparent. Die zusätzlichen Flugkosten wurden komplett ignoriert, und auf meine Forderung nach Entschädigung wurde nicht eingegangen.

Ich kann diese Firma absolut nicht empfehlen – weder wegen des Umgangs mit Problemen noch wegen des Kundenservices. Solch eine Behandlung sollte kein zahlender Kunde erfahren müssen.