AVOID AT ALL COST !!
AVOID AT ALL COST !!! I've booked a vehicle with Avis to collect from Belgrade Airport, Serbia for 17 days in March/April 2026. On check in, I did not receive a usual document with the drawing of the car and existing damages, instead that was a very vague list of the existing damages unclear of which damage exactly is being referred to. On collection, car itself was very dirty and it was difficult to tell dirt marks from actual scratches. I've returned a car 17 days later only to be charged and extortionate amount for a single scratch (nearly 700 euros!!!). They've asked me to sign to acknowledge returning the car and the new found damages, but little did I know, that at the same time I was signing to agree to cover this whole amount in damages even I told the agent in charge of the check out that I don't agree with most of these charges. They've then told me to take any disputes with their head office which I did and HO have dismissed my dispute almost instantly.
The charges were:
- Damage recovery (400 euros), I've asked for two independent quotes from car mechanics in Serbia and they both came under 180 euros to remedy the damage so I was more then double-charged for the actual damage recovery.
- Vehicle idling charge - which was supposed to cover the time needed to repair the damage and during which the car cannot be re-used/rented out. This is a joke of its own as I've hired that very car with a massive scratch on the passenger door which will then point to the fact that as per Avis' principle it cannot be driven let alone rented out. I drove the car in myself and it was in driving condition and could (and probably was) rented out the very same day. This costed me around 90 euros ! First among the variety of hidden charges
- Airport surcharge (whatever that is) 90 euros
- Admin expenses (taking pictures of the scratch) 80 euros
- I've called asking to add border crossing to my contract few days after I've rented the car and asked customer service agent over the phone what the charge was (expecting it to be around 50 euros per country as with most other rent-a-car companies), they've never confirmed the price and have charged a random amount of another 80 euros (9000+RSD)
I've booked the car via broker and paid extra for full insurance cover because purchasing insurance directly with Avis pretty much doubles the price of the hire. Broker offered full protection for £5 per day. Of course they've refused to cover all of these additional 'admin' fees and have covered for the damage recovery only leaving me short for the amount of all hidden charges (350 euros). My advice to any potential users of their services is to either have good legal representation or previous experience in forensics, that's probably the best way to keep yourselves safe from the extortion you are bound to be subject to if renting with Avis.








