Avis Rent a Car: History, Awards and Policies
Avis is owned by Avis Budget Group, which also operates Budget Rental Company. Avis is part of an international chain, operating in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and parts of the Caribbean and Latin American regions. There are over 2,200 locations throughout the world. Today it is the second largest rental car company. Their slogan is “We Try Harder.” They not only let consumers rent cars, but also offer a purchase program for those who do not wish to rent long-term. Avis has many locations in all small and large cities, including all major and most regional airports, for customers to rent a car.
General History
Avis began in 1946, created by Warren Avis. During its first year, the company operated with a fleet of only three cars to rent out at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, Michigan. By the year 1953, Avis had grown throughout the United States, becoming the second largest rental car company in the country. Rent locations were opened in Europe, Mexico and Canada by 1956. In 1962, the previously-mentioned Avis slogan was adopted in response to becoming the runner-up to the largest rental car company, which was Hertz. This company was also the first to install Advanced Vehicle Identification Systems in each car of their fleet; when abbreviated, the tracking system perfectly matched the company name. The AVIS system was implemented in 1981, long before many other car rental companies began using it.
Awards & Recognitions
As one of the nation’s and world’s leaders in excellence, it is no surprise that the list of awards and recognition for Avis spans several pages. Some of the most recent accolades include:
- Number One Rental Company 2010 from the Customer Loyalty Engagement Index
- One of AARP’s Best Employers 2009 for Workers Over 50 from AARP
- One of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises 2010 from WBENC
- North America’s Leading Car Hire 2009 from World Travel Awards
- World’s Leading Business Car Rental Company 2009 from World Travel Awards
- Caribbean’s Leading Car Hire 2009 from World Travel Awards
- Number One Company to Rent a Car 2009 from the Customer Loyalty Engagement Index of Brand Keys
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Rental Policies
In order to rent a car from Avis, the driver or applicant must meet several different criteria. To rent a vehicle, the driver must be at least 25 years of age. Those who plan to rent in the United States or any other country where Avis has a location must hold a valid driver’s license. Avis requires all drivers who rent a car to present a driver’s license with a photo. Temporary papers for a CDL with no state-issued identification to accompany it will be rejected. When renting in a foreign country, an international driver’s license must be held. Some countries have their own policy about how long the license must have been active for. This will vary from one country to another, so it is important to verify if the license must have 2, 6 or more months of maturity in order to rent.
All drivers must present a valid credit card to reserve a car with Avis. In the United States, citizens who have a state-issued driver’s license may be able to rent with a debit card. However, depending on the Avis location, they may have to show proof of round-trip airfare tickets or be charged a refundable deposit to rent the car. Every state in the USA requires anyone who wants to rent a car to have insurance. Those who do not have their own car insurance can purchase rent insurance from Avis. Options to rent a car for a day, week, weekend or month exist. There are special rates for each time block. Since Avis strives to be one of the leading vehicle rental companies, there are plenty of discounts, deals and coupons available on the web to use for rentals.
