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Avis vs Sixt: Which Is Better For You? [2024]

Avis vs Sixt: Which Is Better For You? [2024]

Avis vs Sixt – If you want to rent a car but not sure which one to choose between Avis and Sixt, don’t worry. In this article, we have given a detailed comparison of the two popular car rental services – Avis and SIXT.

Avis is a leading global car rental provider that is present in over 180 countries and in over 5,500 locations. On the other hand, Sixt is available in 105 countries and is characterized by offering a wide variety of premium vehicles.  

Now, keep on reading the article to have a deep understanding of the comparison of both car rental services.

Avis vs Sixt: What Are They?

Avis:

Avis vs Sixt

Avis is an American leading car rental company that operates in North America, South America, India, New Zealand, and Australia. It provides services to major airports across the world as well as travelers at off-airport locations. 

Moreover, by being Avis Preferred members, you can have access to all features and exchanging or upgrading your car on arriving at the rental location, locking, and unlocking your car, easily returning your car, and more. 

Sixt:

Sixt vs Avis

Sixt is another popular mobility service provider with over 2,000 locations in over 100 countries. You can easily find SIXT car rental services across the world in almost every major city and tourist destination worldwide.

So, find information about the nearest stations and how to get to them, select and reserve your favorite car and handle all your reservations directly from the app. 

Avis vs Sixt: How do They Work?

Avis: To be able to rent an Avis vehicle, you must qualify the below requirements:

  • It rents vehicles to individuals who are 25 or older
  • Require a valid form of identification, generally a driver’s license
  • A form of payment, which accepts major credit cards, charge cards, Mastercard and Visa debit cards
  • Have a driving record free from violations and accidents 
  • Hard copy of driver’s license at the time of rental 

Visit this page to get more information on what you’ll need to rent a car. 

Once you qualify the above requirements, just enter your pickup location, date, and pick up time and tap on select my car. You’ll need to pay an extra charge if you are below 25. 

After you find the car that you desire, you can book a test drive. And if you want to buy a car, you can opt for a trade-in option. Note that the forms of identification accepted might differ by location. 

Sixt: To get started with Sixt, you’ll need to have the below mentioned documents:

  • You or any person driving the vehicle must be 25 years of age or over 
  • A valid driver’s license, which is printed with non-Roman alphabets
  • If you prepay, the same card used must be presented while picking up the rented vehicle 
  • If you rent with a debit card, you’ll have to show another ID that confirms your address

Choose the type of car that you desire and consider whether you require to add an extra driver, GPS, or a prepaid tank ok gas and then choose a drop-off time that is a bit later than you are expecting to return the vehicle. 

Next, choose the payment method of your choice and you should also need to present it when picking up. 

While returning the vehicle, note that you’ll need to return it with a full tank of gas to prevent any extra charges. Furthermore, it is also advised to arrive 30 minutes early while returning the vehicle. 

Avis vs Sixt: Price

Avis: In order to get the price of your desired rental car, you can check it by mentioning pickup and drop-off info into the reservation from here

Once you tap Select My Car, you can see the available vehicles and prices. As mentioned above, the rental cost differs based on location, availability, car type, length of the rental period, and other add-ons. 

Typically, its pricing ranges from $10,000 to $60,000. It offers the ability to apply through credit unions or banking partnered with the financial terms. 

Sixt: Sixt prices for rentals vary based on the vehicle model, choice of pick-up branch, choice of return branch, length of the rental, protection options and extras, vehicle category, payment, and vehicle demand at the time of pick-up. 

And if you are below 25 years of age, there will be an extra fee, which is based on the vehicle category that you want to book.

Avis Oder Sixt: Subscriptions

Avis: With AvisFlex, you can rent a car for longer than 30 days. Not only it is more cost-effective than the short-term rental, but it is also the process of ordering a car and settling payments in a much simpler manner. 

Sixt: With SIXT+, you get longer contact period with monthly terms and your car vehicle will be replaced every 12 months at the latest. 

And if you are wondering how many SIXT+ subscriptions you can have at a time, you can have an unlimited number of subscriptions one after the other if you prefer more variety. 

How much do they hold onto your card?

Avis: While renting a car with Avis, you’ll need to pay a deposit upfront. The amount of the security deposit is based on various factors, such as the pick-up location and how you are paying. 

If you are paying with a debit card, it will hold $200 along with the estimated rental charges. You cannot access these funds during the rental period. 

And while returning the vehicle, Avis will return any unused portion of the hold which can take up to two weeks to get into your account by your bank. 

At airport locations, the debit card hold will be estimated rental charges plus $350. However, note that debit card is not accepted in some locations.

Sixt: Like Avis, Sixt also temporarily hold some amount on your debit card or credit card along with the cost of your reservation. 

The amount that it holds is based on the type of car you wish to rent. Yet typically this amount starts at $200 for credit cards. And when it comes to debit cards, you’ll need to pay a deposit of $200 along with the cost of the rental. 

Avis vs Sixt: Fleet

Avis: It has a wide variety of exclusive and unique car models on a rental basis. Whether you want a vehicle for family trips, duo trips or solo trips, or whatever the reason may be, Avis has everything from huge sizes to small sizes. 

Sixt: Sixt offers you the right vehicle category for every occasion and for every need. Choose between the groups Intermediate/Standard, Luxury/Special, Economy/Compact, Transporter/LWKS, Full-Size/Premium, and Vans/MPV.

So, whatever you are looking for an economical city car, convertible, a comfortable station wagon, SUV, or van. 

When do they Return the Deposit?

Rented through Credit Card: 

When you return the vehicle, Avis will refund your funds in full if there are no extra charges for late return, fuel replacement, or other incidents. 

If you have rented with your credit card, it puts a hold on your account for the complete cost of the rental along with the security deposit. 

When you return the vehicle, it’ll release the hold and only charges the amount of the rental. And the security deposit funds of the hold will disappear instantly. 

On the other hand, with Sixt, the authorization amount of $200 or more will show up as authorization till you finish the rental. Then the charge will drop off your card and you’ll be left with the reservation amount.

It’ll release the security hold within 24 business hours and based on your banking institution, it can take 3 to 10 business days for the hold to be released from your account. 

Rented through Cash: 

Even though you can pay for the rental with cash while returning the car, you’ll still need a credit or debit card upfront. It’ll place a hold on for a security deposit on that card. 

Rented through Debit Card: 

At the time of pickup, it’ll put a hold on your bank account linked to your debit card for the complete cost of the rental plus $200 as the security deposit. 

While returning the vehicle on time, your debit card is charged for the rental and the hold on the security deposit will be lifted. Nonetheless, based on your bank, it can take up to 10-14 days for those funds to become available in your bank account. 

Whereas with Sixt, the charge reversal can take up to 10 business days to clear your account once you finish the rental reservation. 

Avis vs Sixt: Difference 

AvisSIXT
LocationsWorks in over 5,500 locations across Australia, Canada, Latin America, Asia, the United States, Europe, Caribbean, the Middle East, and AfricaWorks in over 4,000 locations across Australia, Canada, Latin America, Asia, the United States, Europe, Caribbean, the Middle East, and Africa
DepositNo Doesn’t require a deposit 
Extra DriversAnyone who fills the driver requirements can drive for $5 per day, which is capped at $25Up to 9 additional drivers per booking for $11 but if you have Platinum, Gold, or Diamond status, you can add one additional driver for free of charge 
Payment Options CashCredit cardMastercardVisa debit cardTraveler’s chequesCashCredit cardMastercardVisa debit cardTraveler’s cheques
Is insurance included?Yes Yes 
Does it charge per mile/kilometer?No No 

Final words

Both Avis and Sixt have their own pros and cons. Avis is available in more locations across the world and offers a wide range of vehicles. On the other hand, Sixt doesn’t charge cancellation or re-booking fees.

Unlike Avis which doesn’t detail its excess costs online, Sixt is transparent about excess costs, and it doesn’t charge credit card fees. 

And when it comes to having extra drivers, Avis doesn’t charge for additional drivers if they’re the main driver’s employers or spouse. 

As it is quite hard to choose one, do your own research or just checkout both Avis and SIXT to find the cheapest car rental rate for the vehicle that you want to rent. 

We hope this guide on Avis vs Sixt comparison has helped you understand everything about each service clearly, including fleet, how they work, prices, locations, and more. 

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FAQs

Does Avis require a deposit with a credit card?

It’ll require a credit card hold of total estimated charges or $200. 

Does Avis run a credit check?

When paying with a debit card, Avis requires a car rental credit check.

Does Avis refund for the early return?

If you return the vehicle before the original return date, you’ll not be refunded any portion of the payment.