Rental car fuel options: prepay, refill it yourself or pay the refueling charge
What each rental fuel option actually charges you for, with Enterprise and Avis terms and an invented example showing when prepaying could make sense.
At the counter you’ll usually be offered a choice about fuel. You can pay for a tank now, refill the car yourself before you return it, or let the rental company refill it and charge you. Each option charges you for something different, so the cheapest one depends on how much fuel you’ll actually use.
This guide covers gasoline rentals in the US, using Enterprise’s and Avis’s published fuel terms. It isn’t a national price list, and electric-car charging works differently.
The three options
1. Prepay for fuel. You buy a tank at pickup and can return the car low.
- Enterprise’s US FAQ offers this at airport locations: a full tank at a discounted local pump rate, without a refund for unused fuel.
- Avis’s Fuel Service Option also sells a full tank, using a local-pump comparison, with no refund for fuel left over.
2. Refill it yourself. Return it at the agreed level.
- Enterprise asks for the pickup level, which may be less than full. Record the gauge before leaving.
- Avis’s self-service option requires a full tank and a fuel receipt to avoid its refueling charge.
3. Let the company refuel it. Return it short and pay the agreement’s charge.
- Enterprise describes a local rate generally higher than pump prices.
- Avis’s fuel page does not give a refueling price. Ask the location what rate and any service fee apply.
Avis also lists EZFuel for short trips: if you drive fewer than 75 miles, you can pay a flat $17.99 ($18.99 for rentals in California) and return without refueling. If you fill up and show a receipt, Avis removes the charge. It isn’t available everywhere; Avis says to confirm with the location, and that it’s requested at the counter, not on avis.com.
Worked example (invented figures)
Every number here is invented except Avis’s EZFuel fee. Real pump prices, rental-company rates and tank sizes vary.
You pick up a sedan with a full tank, and the prepaid option bills you for an assumed 14 US gallons. That is the example’s billed quantity, not a claim about a particular car’s tank capacity. Over a three-day trip you use 9 gallons. Gas near the airport costs an assumed $4.20 per US gallon. All three totals use the stated all-in per-gallon prices, with no extra service fee. Actual company charges may use a different method or add a fee.
| Option | Assumed rate | What you pay for | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepay a full tank | $4.00/gal (pump price minus an assumed discount) | 14 gallons, whatever you use | $56.00 |
| Refill it yourself | $4.20/gal at the pump | The 9 gallons you used | $37.80 |
| Company refuels | $9.50/gal (assumed) | The 9 gallons you used | $85.50 |
Prepaying cost $18.20 more than refilling yourself: the unused 5 gallons cost $20 at the prepaid rate, offset by a $1.80 discount on the 9 gallons used (9 × $0.20). The company-refuel option cost the most, because its assumed rate is more than double the pump price.
Break-even. With these assumptions, prepaying matches refilling yourself only when you’d otherwise buy $56.00 ÷ $4.20 ≈ 13.3 gallons. That means returning the car nearly empty. That calculation is not a recommendation to aim for an empty tank. Leave a comfortable fuel margin for delays and detours.
A short trip. Say you drive 60 miles in a car that gets an assumed 30 miles per gallon, so you use 2 gallons. Refilling costs 2 × $4.20 = $8.40. At a participating location outside California, Avis’s published EZFuel fee is $17.99. In California the listed fee is $18.99; this example uses the non-California amount. Refilling saves $9.59 if a station is convenient; EZFuel saves you the stop.
When convenience can matter more
Arithmetic isn’t the only factor. Prepaying or EZFuel can make sense if:
- you have an early flight;
- the nearest station to the return is out of your way;
- you’re unsure of the area, or the alternative would mean rushing.
Decide before you leave the counter. Don’t plan to run the tank low just to make prepaid fuel pay off.
Before you leave the counter
- Which fuel option is on your agreement? Make sure you didn’t accept prepaid fuel by default.
- What fuel level is the car at now? Photograph the gauge and the odometer.
- If you refill yourself, what level must the car be at, and does the company want a receipt? Avis does.
- What’s the refueling rate if you return it low? Ask if it isn’t printed.
- For a short trip with Avis, is EZFuel available at this location?
Keep your fuel receipt with the rental receipt. If you’re billed for fuel, compare the return fuel level and mileage on the receipt with your photos. Our toll guide covers the other common post-rental charge. Our booking guide explains how to compare full quotes. For the counter’s other main offer, see the damage-waiver guide.
Common questions
Will I get money back for unused prepaid fuel? Not from Enterprise or Avis, according to their published terms.
Do I have to return the car full? Enterprise asks for the same level you received. Avis’s self-service option means a full tank with a receipt. Check your agreement for the level that applies to you.
Is prepaid fuel always a bad deal? No. It depends on how much fuel you’d otherwise buy, the price difference and how much the convenience is worth to you.
Sources checked November 8, 2026: Enterprise US fuel FAQ and Avis fuel plans. Check the current terms on your own rental agreement.