Avis Car Hire
in Columbus

Hola Car Rentals is the only premium partner of the top car hire brands operating in Columbus, giving you exclusive access to our All Inclusive+ rate. This rate includes benefits that no other company can match:

• Free liability coverage starting at US$ 300,000 in case of an accident (applies only to certain rates and itineraries)
• Toll cashback: recover up to 5% of the reservation's total value for toll charges incurred during your hire period
• Premium travel medical assistance providing up to US$ 150,000 in coverage for a maximum of 5 passengers in case of a medical emergency, excluding pre-existing conditions
• No Extra Charges© guarantee: if the counter charges you for something not listed on your confirmation and not an optional add-on you accepted, Hola Car Rentals will work to remove or reimburse the charge after verification

All of this comes at no extra cost, ensuring a fully protected car hire experience and peace of mind throughout your trip in Columbus.

No. With Hola Car Rentals, all costs and charges for your booking in Columbus are clearly shown at the time of reservation and in your confirmation email, so you know exactly what you are paying before you arrive at the counter.

On top of that, every Hola Car Rentals booking includes the No Extra Charges© guarantee. This is a pricing guarantee (not insurance) that protects you if the counter in Columbus charges you for something that was not listed on your confirmation and was not an optional add-on you accepted. If that happens, Hola Car Rentals will work with the hire partner to remove or reimburse the charge after verification.

The only costs outside this guarantee are:

• Optional add-ons you choose at the counter (GPS, child seats, prepaid fuel)
• Usage-based charges (tolls, fuel shortfall, traffic fines)

The Avis counter at John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) is located at 4106 International Gateway, Columbus, OH 43219. After collecting your baggage, proceed to the ground floor of the car park adjacent to the terminal, where the consolidated hire car counters are situated. Avis is a few steps from the terminal and no shuttle is required in most cases.

Counter hours at the Columbus airport Avis location run Monday through Sunday, 08:00 to 01:00. A 24-hour drop-off option is available, so you can return the vehicle outside staffed hours. If you are collecting from a Columbus city location instead, such as the Downtown branch at 104 E Long St, Avis offers a free pickup shuttle; call upon arrival and an agent will arrange transport to the counter.

To collect your Avis hire in Columbus, you must present the following physical documents at the counter:

• A valid, original driving licence in the main driver’s name
• A major credit card with the driver’s name printed on the card, for the authorisation hold
• A passport or valid government-issued photo ID
• Your booking confirmation or printed voucher
• Round-trip flight or cruise tickets if you are visiting from abroad

If your driving licence is not in English and does not use a Latin (Roman) alphabet, for example Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, or Cyrillic script, an International Driving Permit (IDP) is mandatory. For licences in English or a Latin alphabet, an IDP is recommended but not strictly required. The IDP is a translation only and must be carried alongside your original licence.

All documents must be physical. Digital copies shown on a phone or tablet are not accepted at the Avis Columbus counter.

When driving an Avis hire car in Columbus, the main toll road you may encounter is the Ohio Turnpike (I-76, I-80, I-90), a 241-mile east-west route that passes near Cleveland and Akron. The Ohio Turnpike accepts E-ZPass electronically as well as cash or credit card at staffed plazas.

Typical 2026 passenger vehicle tolls for a full crossing are approximately US$19 with E-ZPass or US$27.75 paying cash or credit, so the electronic option saves roughly 33%. Avis vehicles in Columbus do not come with a personal E-ZPass account, but Avis offers an e-Toll programme at the counter. This is a pay-per-use service with a daily administrative fee of approximately US$4.95 per day, capped at around US$34.65 per rental, charged only on days when tolls are incurred.

If you choose not to enrol in the Avis e-Toll programme, you can pay tolls manually at cash or credit plazas on the Ohio Turnpike. Driving through a cashless toll lane without a transponder or enrolment will result in the toll being billed to the Avis account, and Avis will then charge the toll amount plus an administrative fee to your credit card, sometimes weeks after the hire ends.

Yes, you can receive a cashback refund on tolls paid during your Avis hire in Columbus. All Hola Car Rentals bookings include Tolls Cashback, which reimburses up to 5% of your total booking value for tolls paid during the period.

For example, if your booking total is US$500, the maximum cashback is US$25. If you paid US$18 in Ohio Turnpike tolls, you receive US$18 back. If you paid US$40, you receive the capped US$25.

To claim your refund after returning your Avis vehicle in Columbus, email [email protected] within 30 days of drop-off with the following:

• Your Hola Car Rentals reservation confirmation
• A copy of the hire agreement signed at the Avis Columbus counter
• A receipt or statement showing the toll charges paid

Use the subject line: Tolls Cashback - HOLA followed by your confirmation number. Refunds are processed to your original payment method within 7 to 10 working days after approval. Submissions received after 30 days are not accepted.

Yes, a young driver surcharge applies when renting an Avis hire in Columbus if the main driver is between 21 and 24 years old. Avis rents to drivers aged 21 and over in Columbus with a valid credit card and driving licence, but an underage surcharge is automatically added to the hire.

In addition to the surcharge, certain vehicle classes are not available to drivers under 25 at the Columbus Avis locations. Restricted categories typically include luxury cars, minivans, 12-passenger vans, specialised cars, full-size SUVs, and premium SUVs. Economy, compact, and intermediate saloon or SUV classes are generally available.

If you are from Latin America or the Caribbean and your Hola Car Rentals confirmation explicitly states that the underage fee is waived, you may qualify for the Avis underage fee exception. This waiver applies only to the main driver, only for eligible vehicle categories, and only when the waiver is printed on your confirmation. Additional drivers aged 21 to 24 are not covered by this exception and may be subject to the surcharge or may not be accepted at the Columbus counter.

Yes, after-hours returns are available at the Avis location at John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) in Columbus. The airport branch at 4106 International Gateway offers 24-hour drop-off, so you can return the vehicle at any time even when the counter is not staffed.

For the Columbus city centre Avis locations, such as the Downtown branch at 104 E Long St or the 3rd Ave location at 1030 W 3rd Ave, after-hours returns may be possible using a key drop box. However, if you use a key drop box at a city location, you remain liable for the vehicle and any damage until an agent inspects it the next working day.

To protect yourself on any after-hours return in Columbus:

• Take dated photos of the vehicle exterior and fuel gauge before leaving
• Keep the fuel receipt showing the station address and time
• Place the key and any paperwork in the drop envelope as instructed
• Note the odometer reading

If you are unsure about after-hours procedures at a specific Columbus Avis branch, confirm the instructions with the counter agent at pickup.

When collecting your Avis hire in Columbus, a temporary authorisation hold will be placed on your credit card at the counter. For standard vehicles rented in the United States, the typical hold is approximately US$300 to US$400, though the exact amount varies by vehicle class, hire duration, and the specific Columbus Avis location.

The hold is not a charge. It temporarily reduces your available credit and is released after you return the vehicle. Your bank or card issuer controls how quickly the hold disappears from your statement, and it can take up to 15 working days after drop-off.

Important requirements for the deposit at the Columbus Avis counter:

• A physical, major credit card with the driver’s name printed on the card is required
• The card must be in the main driver’s name
• Debit cards, prepaid cards, and virtual cards are not accepted for the authorisation hold
• Sufficient available credit must cover the hold plus any estimated hire charges

Even if you prepaid your booking, you must still present a qualifying credit card at the Columbus Avis counter for the hold.

Yes, Avis offers one-way hires from Columbus locations, allowing you to pick up in Columbus and return the vehicle at a participating Avis location in another city. Vehicle availability and permitted routes vary, and a drop-off fee may apply depending on the destination.

The drop-off fee is route-specific and is set by Avis based on the distance, vehicle class, and season. When booking through Hola Car Rentals, any applicable drop-off fee will be shown on the rate details page under the section labelled to pay at destination. This fee cannot be prepaid and is settled at the Columbus Avis counter or the return location.

A few things to bear in mind for one-way hires from Columbus:

• Not all vehicle classes may be available for one-way trips
• Changing the return location after booking may reprice the hire and recalculate the drop-off fee
• Cross-border one-way hires, such as Columbus to Canada, may be restricted or require prior authorisation from Avis

If no drop-off fee appears during your search, the route either does not carry a fee or the combination is not available for one-way travel.

Columbus has a few road characteristics that can catch first-time drivers off guard, especially when navigating in an Avis hire car.

Downtown Columbus historically had an extensive one-way street network, including roads such as Front Street and Marconi Boulevard. The city has been converting several of these to two-way traffic in phases. If you are using GPS navigation, make sure your maps are up to date, as some streets may have changed direction since your map data was last refreshed. Expect occasional lane shifts and temporary disruptions in the downtown core during ongoing conversion work.

Columbus also features Partial Cloverleaf (ParClo) interchanges on routes such as I-71, which use loop ramps in diagonal quadrants. These are less intuitive than standard diamond interchanges and require attention to near-side and far-side ramp positioning. If you are unfamiliar with this interchange style, slow down and follow signage carefully before committing to a ramp.

Ohio has no congestion charges, emissions zones, or city-centre driving fees, so there are no additional road access costs beyond standard tolls if you travel on the Ohio Turnpike. Avis vehicles in Columbus are standard left-hand drive, and traffic drives on the right, consistent with the rest of the United States.

Avis hires in Columbus follow a Full-to-Full fuel policy by default. You receive the vehicle with a full tank and must return it full to avoid fuel charges.

At pickup, check the fuel gauge with the Avis agent and confirm the starting level is recorded on the hire agreement. Take a photo of the dashboard showing the gauge and odometer before leaving the Columbus counter.

When returning your Avis vehicle in Columbus, refuel within approximately 10 miles of the return location so the tank does not drop below full before you arrive. Keep the fuel receipt showing the station address, date, and time.

If you return the vehicle with less than a full tank, Avis may charge:

• A fuel shortfall at the partner's refuelling rate, which is typically higher than the pump price
• A refuelling service or administrative fee

Fuel prices in Columbus track close to the national average, so refuelling locally before returning to the Columbus Avis location is straightforward and more cost-effective than paying the partner's rate. If the vehicle was not full at pickup, the starting level must be noted on the agreement and you only need to return it at that same level.

Yes, you can add an additional driver to your Avis hire in Columbus, but the additional driver must be present at the counter at pickup with their own valid driving licence.

Some Hola Car Rentals rates include one additional driver at no extra cost. Check your booking confirmation for the line that reads additional driver free of charge. If it is not included, Avis charges approximately US$13 per hire day plus taxes, with a maximum cap of US$65 plus taxes for the additional driver fee in Columbus.

Requirements for adding a driver at the Columbus Avis counter:

• The additional driver must appear in person at pickup
• They must present a valid driving licence and photo ID
• If their licence uses a non-Latin alphabet, an IDP is required
• For Avis in Columbus, additional drivers must generally be at least 25 years old
• Both the main driver and the additional driver must sign the hire agreement

Only drivers listed on the Avis hire agreement in Columbus are covered by the vehicle’s protections such as CDW and liability cover. Anyone who drives without being named on the contract may void those protections.

The insurance and protection options included in your Avis hire in Columbus depend on the rate plan selected when booking through Hola Car Rentals. Your booking confirmation will list exactly what is covered.

Common protections available for Avis hires in Columbus include:

• Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) or Loss Damage Waiver (LDW), which reduces your financial liability for damage to the Avis vehicle from a collision, theft, or vandalism. A deductible may apply unless your confirmation states zero deductible.
• Third-Party Liability (LIS/SLI/ALI), which covers bodily injury and property damage you may cause to others while driving. In Ohio, state-minimum liability is not universally mandated for hire companies, so confirming this coverage is on your agreement is important.

CDW and LDW do not cover third parties; that requires separate liability cover. Neither covers your personal belongings or your own injuries.

If you are not a US or Canadian resident, your Hola Car Rentals booking may also include Travel Assistance through Terrawind Global Protection, covering medical emergencies, legal assistance in case of an accident, and flight cancellation for up to 5 passengers during your Columbus trip. US and Canadian residents do not qualify for this benefit.

Yes, most Hola Car Rentals bookings that include an Avis hire in Columbus come with Travel Assistance provided by Terrawind Global Protection, at no additional cost. This benefit is designed for situations such as a medical emergency on the Ohio Turnpike, a breakdown on I-71, or an accident in the Columbus area.

Coverage typically includes:

• Medical assistance for up to 5 passengers for non-pre-existing illnesses and accidents
• Legal assistance in the event of a road accident
• Compensation for baggage lost by the airline
• Flight cancellation insurance

To reach assistance 24 hours a day, call +1 888 980 9992 (toll-free) or contact via WhatsApp at +1 208 910 1001. Have your full name, your Hola Car Rentals confirmation number (for example, HOLA1000000), your location in Columbus, and a brief description of the situation ready.

Important: this Travel Assistance benefit does not apply to US or Canadian residents. It also does not cover damage to the Avis hire vehicle itself (that is handled by CDW) or liability to third parties (covered by LIS/SLI). Always check your booking confirmation to verify that Travel Assistance is included in your specific rate.