Avis Tops Car Rental Customer Loyalty Engagement Index for 16th Consecutive Year

PARSIPPANY, N.J., March 26, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avis Car Rental has maintained its #1 car rental status in the Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index^® for the 16^th consecutive year. The 2015 study examined 540 brands in 64 categories. Avis earned the highest marks in the car rental category by ranking first across all four behavioral engagement drivers, including convenience and expertise; comprehensible pricing discounts and options; empathetic customer service and reputation; and for offering a wide range of connected and reliable features.

"We recognize that in today's wired world, customers have come to expect more from brands, so it's important that we engage consumers in the channels that matter," said Jeannine Haas, chief marketing officer, North America, Avis Budget Group. "We continue to 'put the customer first' and invest in customer-facing areas such as Avis.com, our mobile applications and our social media channels so as to enhance customer loyalty and continue to drive sustained profitable growth. We're thrilled to once again be recognized for our hard work."

Avis strives to continually measure and enhance all aspects of the customer experience that contribute to loyalty, including reservations, face-to-face customer interactions, written communications, billing, claims and customer service calls. The Company utilizes numerous feedback systems, including online customer surveys, to enhance the customer rental experience. Customer surveys are aggregated and delivered to field location managers in real-time to enable immediate response to customer suggestions. This customer feedback led the Company to become the first in the industry to offer a 100 percent smoke-free fleet in North America.

For more information on the 2015 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, visit www.brandkeys.com.

About Avis

Avis Car Rental operates one of the world's best-known car rental brands with approximately 5,450 locations in more than 165 countries. Avis has a long history of innovation in the car rental industry and is one of the world's top brands for customer loyalty. Avis is owned by Avis Budget Group, Inc. CAR, which operates and licenses the brand throughout the world. For more information, visit www.avis.com.