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Avis Car Rental has introduced a new premium product called Avis First — stylized as AV1S F1RST. According to Avis, it has even “rewritten the rules of rentals.” But what exactly is Avis First, and is it worth paying a premium for fewer headaches when renting a car? Here’s what to know.
Avis Debuts ‘Avis First' — A New Premium Car Rental Offering
In an attempt to win over travelers who don't mind spending a little more for a smoother rental experience, the agency now offers “Avis First.” It's a new premium option you can choose when booking through Avis.
Here's what you get with an Avis First reservation:
- Curbside vehicle delivery by a personal concierge or drop off at your door
- 2025 model year vehicles with low mileage
- In-trip support from your personal concierge
- Curbside drop-off with your personal concierge
The idea behind Avis First is simple. No lines, no shuttle, no stress. Whether it rewrites the rules of car rentals is something we'll let you decide for yourself, but what really matters is how much more it costs compared to a standard reservation.
So, let's take a look at how the pricing compares to regular rentals and whether the added convenience is worth the premium.
What Premium Do You Pay on an Avis First Reservation?
At the time of writing, Avis First is still extremely new, so it’s not yet available at every airport or in every city. According to the rental car agency's website, airport curbside pickup and drop-off is currently offered at Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Honolulu, and Denver. So, we’ll take a look at pricing at FLL.
To keep things simple, we’ll compare a premium rental and a standard Avis rental for the same dates — August 26 through 30. To make it as close to an apples-to-apples comparison as possible, we’ll look at two similar vehicle types. The Avis First booking includes a “Premium SUV” like a Jeep Grand Cherokee or similar. The standard reservation is for a “Standard Elite SUV,” also listed as a Jeep Grand Cherokee or similar.
I didn’t add any extras to the reservation, but the all-in prepaid rate for the Avis First rental came to $507.67.
The standard rental totaled $395.93. That’s a difference of $111.74 over the five-day period, or roughly $22 per day. It’s not a massive difference, but whether it’s worth spending extra to skip the shuttle and potentially avoid a line at the counter is a personal decision.
That said, you might be able to replicate some of the premium perks — like access to higher-end vehicles or shorter wait times — simply by holding elite status. And it’s fairly easy to get status with Avis through a status match from another rental program or even by having the right credit card in your wallet.
Related: How to Get Rental Car Elite Status for Free
Bottom Line
Depending on who you are and how you travel, Avis First might be worth the extra cost — or it might not.
If you have easy access to Avis elite status, you can replicate most of the same perks, though you'll still need to take the shuttle to the rental car lot. So, unless you're really pressed for time after landing, you could save a good chunk of change by spending a few minutes riding the shuttle and making use of your elite benefits.
That said, Avis First is still pretty new, and we haven’t had the chance to test it out ourselves just yet. If you make an Avis First reservation, let us know how it goes in the comments — and whether it’s something you’d recommend.
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