Avis Car Rental

Preferred status actually speeds things up at HBA T1

Avis Car Rental runs from the arrivals hall in T1 at Hobart Airport, with the desk open daily in line with flight banks, so morning and late-afternoon corporate runs are covered. Regulars with Avis Preferred say they pick it specifically at HBA to grab keys quickly instead of joining the shared rental queues after the SYD or MEL flights land.

The Avis counter sits in the small terminal arrivals area, about a 1–2 minute walk from baggage claim, and the cars are parked directly outside in the on-airport lot. That on-site setup means you can be on the Tasman Highway (A3) heading toward Hobart’s CBD in roughly 5–10 minutes once you’ve cleared bags and signed the contract.

Avis’s fleet at Hobart usually includes compact hatchbacks, standard sedans, and a noticeable stock of automatic SUVs, which reviewers say are easier to find here than with some competitors. Expect a clear price jump: compact cars often price much lower than the Rav4/X-Trail-style SUVs that business travellers use for Launceston or east-coast runs.

One quirk: the on-airport car park is fairly tight, with narrow lanes and cars parked close together, especially around the main morning bank from about 08:00–10:00. Frequent renters report that this layout makes it harder to walk around and photograph all four sides of the car before leaving, so build in a 5-minute inspection before you drive out.

Common complaints at HBA mirror the rest of Tasmania: a few renters argue later over stone chips, windscreen marks, or fuel levels after long rural drives of 200–400 km. Some Avis Preferred customers also mention that during peak periods there’s no separate elite queue, so the “skip the line” benefit disappears and you wait behind the same 5–10 people from your flight.

Regulars flying in for Hobart day-trips often use Avis Preferred or fast-track options to head straight to the car park, where their name, bay number, and keys are ready so they can be on the road in under 15 minutes from wheels down. Many experienced renters also pay for a compact SUV or higher category for better ground clearance on Tasmanian B-roads and gravel access tracks.

Practical tip: before leaving the Avis lot at Hobart, set your phone timer and take 8–10 photos and a quick 20-second video of the car in that tight car park; it gives you backup if any damage or fuel questions appear on the invoice later.