Avis First is a premium, concierge-level vehicle rental experience that was officially launched throughout the United States by Avis Budget Group, Incorporated effective as of Monday, July 21, 2025. It is designed for people who expect more: more comfort, more control, and more time back in their day. This is not just a new tier — it is a whole new class of rental…
Avis First: A New Premium Rental Experience is Now Available
…and the best part is that Avis First is priced for everyone — not just a select few people.
Avis First is a premium service that lets customers skip the rental counter and delivers a luxury vehicle and personal concierge directly to travelers at the airport or in the city. This short video gives a glimpse into how the service works.
Instead of standing in line or boarding a shuttle, travelers receive a welcome message through the Avis mobile software application program on their portable electronic devices. A personal concierge is waiting with their premium vehicles by the time they reach the curb. The climate control of the cabin of each vehicle is at an optimum temperature, the technology is synced, and the journey begins the moment they step outside.
Returning the car is just as effortless: customers pull up to departures, hand off the keys, and head straight to their gates at the airport. Avis First takes care of the fueling of the vehicle and the rest.
Avis First is now live at major airports in:
- Denver
- Honolulu
- West Palm Beach
Editor’s Note: Fort Lauderdale was originally a part of the list shown above; but it is currently not available yet at this time.
Avis First also currently operates in local markets which include:
- Manhattan
- Hoboken
- Jersey City
- Chicago
- San Francisco
- Miami
- Orlando
- District of Columbia
- Seattle
Avis First is not just a new tier of service. It is a new class of rental designed for people who expect more. It is ideal for busy professionals, families on the go, and anyone who values time, comfort and control.
Disadvantages to Avis First
Although Avis First potentially sounds like a great service, keep in mind the following disadvantages as compared to the typical process of renting a vehicle:
- All Avis First reservations must be booked at least 24 hours prior to the beginning of the rental; and they can only be booked via Avis.com or the Avis mobile software application program — which means that a service that can save money on rental vehicles such as AutoSlash cannot be used for booking Avis First reservations.
- All rentals must be prepaid at the time of the Avis First reservation. Any Avis First fees applicable to your rental will be charged in addition to any standard fees and charges applicable to your rental.
- Avis First customers must arrive at the designated vehicle delivery or return location within 15 minutes of the scheduled time shown in the Avis mobile software application program. A late fee of five dollars applies to arrivals that are at least ten minutes after the scheduled time — but at least the late fee thankfully does not apply if your arrival is delayed due to a verified delay of a commercial flight.
- Customers who arrive at least 15 minutes late will forfeit access to Avis First concierge service; and the customer must proceed to the rental counter to complete the transaction. If arriving late for a vehicle pickup, the reservation may be subject to cancellation. If arriving late for a vehicle return, the customer may be required to complete drop-off at the rental location without concierge assistance.
I will have to assume that if you arrive greater than 15 minutes late and you must proceed to the rental counter to complete the transaction, your prepaid rate remains the same and is not discounted to the regular rate to rent the vehicle.
Pricing
I had recently returned from Denver; and as that is one of the four airports where Avis First — which is stylized as AV1S F1RST — is available, I thought I would use Denver International Airport as an example to demonstrate how the service is priced compared to the regular service. I randomly chose to start the rental period on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at noon and return the vehicle on Friday, October 10, 2025 at noon.
Note: the following graphic is long because it includes all pricing options for the dates that were selected; and the article continues after the graphic.
Four options for Avis First appear — clearly with a black background to stand out — which range between $347.97 for a luxury sedan and $899.97 for a luxury sport utility vehicle. To illustrate the difference in price, comparable vehicle classes were compared as follows:
- A luxury sedan without Avis First is $272.97 if you pay in advance and $314.97 if you pay later as compared to a luxury sedan using Avis First, which is $347.97 — or at least $33.00 extra for Avis First over the Pay Later rate; and at least $75.00 extra for Avis First over the Pay Now rate.
- A standard elite sport utility vehicle without Avis First is $341.97 if you pay in advance and $407.97 if you pay later as compared to a premium sport utility vehicle using Avis First, which is $548.97 — or at least $141.00 extra for Avis First over the Pay Later rate; and at least $207.00 extra for Avis First over the Pay Now rate. The standard elite sport utility vehicle is classified as a Jeep Grand Cherokee L or similar; while the premium sport utility vehicle using Avis First is classified as a Jeep Grand Cherokee or similar.
The Mystery Car — whose definition is described in more detail in this article — at a rate of $170.38 costs less for the three days than the aforementioned price difference of $207.00.
All of the aforementioned prices are before taxes and fees.
Final Boarding Call
I currently have President’s Club elite status with Avis. When I first learned about Avis First, I thought that it would be similar to Emerald Club Executive with National Car Rental, which I also currently have — one can simply choose a vehicle, drive to the exit gate, get the paperwork resolved in minutes, and leave…
…but Avis First actually seems better, if only to avoid waiting for a shuttle to be transported to where the rental vehicles are located. I seem to be the unfortunate one who stands at the rental car shuttle pick-up area at the airport waiting as two or three other shuttles from competing rental car companies arrive and pass by before mine finally shows up. I also like the idea of simply dropping off the vehicle to a member of the concierge team of Avis at the Departures area of the airport instead of having to catch a shuttle, which is a current advantage of using a taxi cab or a ride share service.
As for whether the fuel itself is included in the Avis First rates, my contact with Avis “…can confirm that this is already included in the rental rate.” That further increases the value of Avis First.
I also asked about customers who arrive at least 15 minutes late and thus forfeit access to Avis First concierge service; and the customer must proceed to the rental counter to complete the transaction. Because the rental must be prepaid with Avis First, I assume that the rate does not change and no money is refunded even though the concierge service is no longer provided if the customer is late? The answer to this question that I received is the following:
“…we’d have to check in with Avis to confirm details, but we can assure that concierges will always do their best to be there for each Avis First customer. Speed and reliability aren’t just perks of Avis First, they’re the foundation. We know travelers are on tight schedules, and this service was built to deliver consistency even during peak travel times. To ensure a premium, personalized experience, Avis First offers a limited number of reservations per hour, giving each customer dedicated attention and timely service. No waiting, no hoping it works out, just a smooth, dependable experience you can plan around.”
Whether Avis First is worth the premium is debatable, as that depends on the difference in price, the location, the time at when the vehicle is to be picked up and dropped off, and myriad other factors — but despite the disadvantages, Avis First can potentially be a valuable service to customers who want a certain level of comfort while saving precious time in the process.
Unfortunately, my upcoming rental car reservation with Avis is outside of the United States; so I will not be able to immediately try Avis First — but I will consider doing so when the opportunity arises.
If you have already experienced Avis First or plan to do so — or plan not to do so — please post your thoughts and reasons in the Comments section below.
Photograph ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
