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Avis Budget Group, Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 29 April 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Adjusted EBITDA loss was $113 million: Adjusted EBITDA loss was $113 million, against $93 million in the first quarter of 2025. Segment losses are reported separately for Americas and International. Source
  • Adjusted free cash flow was $80 million: Adjusted free cash flow was $80 million. Management put the change at more than $570 million versus the first quarter of 2025. Working capital and other added $110 million, and vehicle programs $248 million. Source
  • Vehicle depreciation fell sharply: Vehicle depreciation and lease charges were $664 million, against $1,055 million. The prior-year quarter included $390 million of other fleet charges, which the company excludes from Adjusted EBITDA. Source
  • Utilization at a first-quarter record: Vehicle utilization was 70% in both Americas and International. Management described this as a first-quarter record for both segments in over fifteen years. Source
  • Revenue per day up 3% in both: Revenue per day, excluding exchange rate effects, rose 3% in both segments. Americas was $66.52 against $64.78, and International $53.97 against $52.23. Source
  • Liquidity $915 million plus fleet funding: Liquidity at quarter end was $915 million, with an additional $2.9 billion of fleet funding capacity. The prior release reported approximately $818 million and $2.1 billion at December 31, 2025. Source

“We executed on the changes we outlined last quarter, and the first quarter reflects a meaningful inflection in our operating performance,”

Brian Choi, Avis Budget Group CEO

Quarter results and drivers

  • Revenue up 4%, net loss narrower: Revenues were $2,530 million, up 4% from $2,430 million. Net loss attributable to Avis Budget Group was $283 million, against $505 million a year earlier. Loss per diluted share was $8.01, against $14.35. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA loss was $113 million: Adjusted EBITDA loss was $113 million, against $93 million in the first quarter of 2025. Segment losses are reported separately for Americas and International. Source
  • Adjusted free cash flow was $80 million: Adjusted free cash flow was $80 million. Management put the change at more than $570 million versus the first quarter of 2025. Working capital and other added $110 million, and vehicle programs $248 million. Source
  • Vehicle depreciation fell sharply: Vehicle depreciation and lease charges were $664 million, against $1,055 million. The prior-year quarter included $390 million of other fleet charges, which the company excludes from Adjusted EBITDA. Source

Segments and regions

  • Americas revenue up 3%: Americas revenues were $1,962 million, up 3% from $1,907 million. Adjusted EBITDA loss was $80 million, against $67 million. Americas rental days were 29,453 thousand, flat with the prior year. Source
  • International revenue up 9%: International revenues were $568 million, up 9% from $523 million. Adjusted EBITDA loss was $13 million, against $3 million a year earlier. Source
  • International rental days down 4%: International rental days were 9,625 thousand, down 4%. Reported International revenue per day was $59.01, up 13% from $52.23. Average rental fleet was 152,249 vehicles, down 6%. Source

“With tighter fleet discipline, improving pricing, and stronger utilization, we are building a more resilient business with clear momentum heading into the rest of the year.”

Brian Choi, Avis Budget Group CEO

Pricing, utilization and fleet costs

  • Utilization at a first-quarter record: Vehicle utilization was 70% in both Americas and International. Management described this as a first-quarter record for both segments in over fifteen years. Source
  • Revenue per day up 3% in both: Revenue per day, excluding exchange rate effects, rose 3% in both segments. Americas was $66.52 against $64.78, and International $53.97 against $52.23. Source
  • Americas per-unit fleet cost flat: Americas per-unit fleet costs were $379 per month excluding exchange rate effects, against $378 a year earlier. Source
  • International per-unit fleet cost lower: International per-unit fleet costs were $262 per month excluding exchange rate effects, against $273, a 4% decrease. Source

Costs and charges

  • Operating and overhead costs rose: Operating expenses were $1,422 million, against $1,353 million. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $341 million, against $308 million, and vehicle interest was $229 million, against $210 million. Source
  • Restructuring and transaction costs recorded: Restructuring and other related charges were $35 million, against $22 million. Transaction-related costs were $6 million, with none in the prior-year quarter. Source
  • Corporate interest and tax benefit: Interest expense on corporate debt was $109 million, against $97 million. Loss before income taxes was $340 million, against $677 million, with a tax benefit of $106 million. Source
  • Non-controlling interests higher: Net income attributable to non-controlling interests was $49 million, against $1 million a year earlier. Source

Cash and liquidity

  • Liquidity $915 million plus fleet funding: Liquidity at quarter end was $915 million, with an additional $2.9 billion of fleet funding capacity. The prior release reported approximately $818 million and $2.1 billion at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Operating cash flow and capital spending: Net cash provided by operating activities was $434 million. Capital expenditures were $42 million, including $1 million of cloud computing implementation costs. Tax payments were $14 million. Source
  • Cash balance higher than year-end: Cash and cash equivalents were $528 million, against $519 million at December 31, 2025. Program and restricted cash was $123 million, against $99 million. Source

Balance sheet and shareholder returns

  • Vehicle program debt declined: Debt under vehicle programs was $18,391 million, against $19,188 million at December 31, 2025. Vehicles, net, were $18,093 million, against $18,720 million. Source
  • Corporate debt slightly lower: Corporate debt was $6,044 million, against $6,073 million at December 31, 2025. Stockholders' equity attributable to Avis Budget Group was a deficit of $3,415 million, against $3,129 million. Source
  • Buybacks and acquisition payments: Repurchases of common stock were $7 million. Acquisition and related payments, net of acquired cash, were $12 million. Borrowings, net of debt repayments, were a $10 million outflow. Source

Coming up, as management said on 29 April 2026

  • Supplemental financials on website: Supplemental financials for the first quarter are available on the investor relations website. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Total rental days (000s) Source39,078
Average rental fleet Source619,669
Revenue per day, excluding exchange rate effects Source$63.43
Per-unit fleet costs per month, excluding exchange rate effects Source$351

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management says it executed the changes it outlined in the prior quarter's release. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.