Avis Budget Group, Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Mar 31, 2026

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying Notes included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and with our 2025 Form 10-K. Our actual results of operations may differ materially from those discussed in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those discussed in “Forward-Looking Statements.” See “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” for additional information. Unless otherwise noted, all dollar amounts in tables are in millions.

OVERVIEW

Our Company

We operate three of the most globally recognized brands in mobility solutions, Avis, Budget and Zipcar together with several other brands well recognized in their respective markets. We are a leading vehicle rental operator in North America, Europe, Australasia and certain other regions we serve, with an average rental fleet of approximately 620,000 vehicles in first quarter 2026. We also license the use of our trademarks to licensees in the areas in which we do not operate directly. We and our licensees operate our brands in approximately 180 countries throughout the world.

Our Segments

We categorize our operations into two reportable business segments: Americas, consisting primarily of (i) vehicle rental operations in North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, (ii) car sharing operations in certain of these markets, and (iii) licensees in the areas in which we do not operate directly; and International, consisting primarily of (i) vehicle rental operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australasia, (ii) car sharing operations in certain of these markets, and (iii) licensees in the areas in which we do not operate directly.

Business and Trends

Our strategy remains centered on driving sustainable growth through operational efficiency, analytics, customer experience and innovation. Additionally, during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, in conjunction with the Interpace Ventures transaction, we reviewed our fleet strategy, specific to certain United States EV rental car vehicles, and as a result shortened the useful life associated with such vehicles. We believe our strategies will continue to reinforce our competitive position, support long-term profitability, and deliver value to our stakeholders. During the three months ended March 31, 2026, we generated revenues of $2.5 billion, net loss of $234 million and Adjusted EBITDA loss of $113 million. These results were primarily driven by increased revenue per day, partially offset by decreased volume and higher per-unit fleet costs, excluding other fleet charges related to the disposal of certain fleet in our Americas reportable segment recorded in 2025.

We continue to be susceptible to a number of industry-specific and global macroeconomic factors that may cause our actual results of operations to differ from our historical results of operations or current expectations. The factors and trends that we currently believe are or will be most impactful to our results of operations and financial condition include the following: interest rates, inflationary impact on items such as commodity prices and wages, cost of new vehicles, used car values, increases in the number of personal injury claims and cost per incident, government shutdowns, manufacturer recalls, and an economic downturn that may impact travel demand, all of which may be exacerbated by ongoing military conflicts, including in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Additionally, uncertainty remains with respect to tariffs and tax regulations, and this uncertainty has had and may continue to have impacts on our operations. We continue to monitor the potential favorable or unfavorable impacts of these and other factors on our business, operations, financial condition, and future results of operations and cash flows.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

We measure performance principally using the following key metrics: (i) rental days, which represent the total number of days (or portion thereof) a vehicle was rented, (ii) revenue per day, which represents revenues divided by rental days, (iii) vehicle utilization, which represents rental days divided by available rental days, with available rental days being defined as average rental fleet times the number of days in the period, and (iv) per-unit fleet costs, which represent vehicle depreciation, lease charges and gain or loss on vehicle sales, divided by average rental fleet. Our rental days, revenue per day and vehicle utilization metrics are all calculated based on the actual rental of the vehicle during a 24-hour period. We believe that this methodology provides management with the most relevant metrics in order to effectively manage the performance of the business. Our calculation may not be comparable to the calculation of similarly-titled metrics by other companies. We present currency exchange rate effects to provide a method of assessing how our business performed excluding the effects of foreign currency rate fluctuations. Currency exchange rate effects are calculated by translating the current period results at the prior period average exchange rate plus any related gains and losses on currency hedges.

We assess performance and allocate resources based upon the separate financial information of our operating segments. We aggregate certain of our operating segments into our reportable segments. In identifying our reportable segments, we also consider the management structure of the organization, the nature of services provided by our operating segments, the geographical areas and economic characteristics in which the segments operate, and other relevant factors. Management evaluates the operating results of each of our reportable segments based upon revenues and Adjusted EBITDA, which we define as income (loss) from continuing operations before non-vehicle related depreciation and amortization; long-lived asset impairment and other related charges; other fleet charges; restructuring and other related charges; early extinguishment of debt costs; non-vehicle related interest; transaction-related costs, net; legal matters, net, which primarily includes amounts recorded in excess of $5 million, related to unprecedented self-insurance reserves for allocated loss adjustment expense, class action lawsuits and personal injury matters; non-operational charges related to shareholder activist activity, which includes third-party advisory, legal and other professional fees; COVID-19 charges, net; cloud computing costs; other (income) expense, net; severe weather-related damages in excess of $5 million, net of insurance proceeds; and income taxes.

We believe Adjusted EBITDA is useful as a supplemental measure in evaluating the performance of our operating businesses and in comparing our results from period to period. We also believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors because it allows them to assess our results of operations and financial condition on the same basis that management uses internally. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net income or other income statement data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures used by other companies.

During the three months ended March 31, 2026:

• Our revenues totaled $2.5 billion, an increase of $100 million year-over-year, primarily due to increased revenue per day.
• Our net loss attributable to Avis Budget Group, Inc. was $283 million, representing a decreased loss of $222 million year-over-year, primarily due to increased revenue per day and decreased fleet charges.
• Our Adjusted EBITDA loss was $113 million, representing an increased loss of $20 million year-over-year.

Three Months Ended March 31, 2026 vs. Three Months Ended March 31, 2025

Our condensed consolidated results of operations comprised of the following:

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Revenues increased $100 million during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to the similar period in 2025, primarily due to a 3% increase in revenue per day, excluding exchange rate effects and a $51 million positive impact from currency exchange rate movements, partially offset by a 1% decrease in volume. Total expenses decreased 8% during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to the similar period in 2025, primarily due to other fleet charges related to the disposal of certain fleet in our Americas reportable segment recorded in 2025. Our effective tax rates were a benefit of 31.2% and 25.6% for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, respectively. As a result of these items, our net loss attributable to Avis Budget Group, Inc. resulted in a decrease of $222 million compared to the similar period in 2025. For the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, we reported diluted loss per share of $8.01 and $14.35, respectively.

Operating expenses increased to 56.2% of revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to 55.7% during the similar period in 2025, primarily due to increased facilities costs. Vehicle depreciation and lease charges decreased to 26.3% of revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to 43.4% during the similar period in 2025, primarily due to other fleet charges related to the accelerated disposal of certain fleet in our Americas reportable segment recorded in 2025. Selling, general and administrative costs increased to 13.5% of revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to 12.7% during the similar period in 2025, primarily due to increased commissions, marketing and other general and administrative costs. Vehicle interest costs increased to 9.0% of revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to 8.6% during the similar period in 2025, primarily due increased interest rates, partially offset by decreased fleet levels.

Following is a more detailed discussion of the results of each of our reportable segments and corporate and other, together with a reconciliation of net loss to Adjusted EBITDA:

(a) Includes unallocated corporate expenses which are not attributable to a particular segment.

(b) Costs reported within vehicle depreciation and lease charges, net related to the disposal of certain fleet in our Americas reportable segment.

(c) Primarily consists of gains or losses related to our equity method investment in a former subsidiary, offset by fleet related and certain administrative services provided to the same former subsidiary.

(d) Consists of $1 million reported within selling, general and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, in each period.

(e) Reported within operating expenses.

Americas

Revenues increased during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to the similar period in 2025, primarily due to a 3% increase in revenue per day, excluding exchange rate effects and a $3 million positive impact from currency exchange rate movements.

Operating expenses were 55.6% of revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to 55.8% during the similar period in 2025. Vehicle depreciation and lease charges decreased to 27.1% of revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to 48.4% during the similar period in 2025, primarily due to other fleet charges related to the accelerated disposal of certain fleet recorded in 2025. Selling, general and administrative costs increased to 11.4% of revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to 10.5% during the similar period in 2025, primarily due to increased commissions, marketing and other general and administrative costs. Vehicle interest costs increased to 10.0% of revenue during the three months ended March

31, 2026 compared to 9.3% during the similar period in 2025, primarily due to increased interest rates, partially offset by decreased fleet levels.

Adjusted EBITDA loss increased during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to the similar period in 2025, primarily due to increased operating expenses, selling, general and administrative costs and vehicle interest costs, partially offset by increased revenue per day, excluding exchange rate effects.

International

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Revenues increased during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to the similar period in 2025, primarily due to a $48 million positive impact from currency exchange rate movements and a 3% increase in revenue per day, excluding exchange rate effects, partially offset by a 4% decrease in volume.

Operating expenses increased to 55.5% of revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to 52.5% during the similar period in 2025, primarily due to increased fleet operating and facilities costs. Vehicle depreciation and lease charges decreased to 23.2% of revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to 25.3% during the similar period in 2025, primarily due to decreased per-unit fleet costs, excluding exchange rate effects, driven by decreased fleet levels, partially offset by increased revenue. Selling, general and administrative costs increased to 17.9% of revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to 16.7% during the similar period in 2025, primarily due to increased commissions, marketing and other general and administrative costs. Vehicle interest costs decreased to 5.7% of revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to 6.3% during the similar period in 2025, primarily due to decreased fleet levels and sustained interest rates.

Adjusted EBITDA loss increased during the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to the similar period in 2025, primarily due to increased operating expenses and selling, general and administrative costs and approximately a $5 million negative impact from currency exchange rate movements, partially offset by increased revenue per day, excluding exchange rate effects.

FINANCIAL CONDITION, LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

We present separately the financial data of our vehicle programs. These programs are distinct from our other activities as the assets under vehicle programs are generally funded through the issuance of debt that is collateralized by such assets. The income generated by these assets is used, in part, to repay the principal and interest associated with the debt. Cash inflows and outflows relating to the generation or acquisition of such assets and the principal debt repayment or financing of such assets are classified as activities of our vehicle programs. We believe it is appropriate to segregate the financial data of our vehicle programs because, ultimately, the source of repayment of such debt is the realization of such assets.

FINANCIAL CONDITION

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The decreases in both assets under vehicle programs and liabilities under vehicle programs are primarily due to the decrease in the size of our rental fleet and related debt.

The increase in redeemable non-controlling interests is due to net income allocated to the interest holders of the Interpace Ventures transaction. See Note 14 – Stockholders' Equity for the components of redeemable non-controlling interests. The decrease in total stockholders’ equity is primarily due to our net loss.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Overview

Our principal sources of liquidity are cash on hand and our ability to generate cash through operations and financing activities, as well as available funding arrangements and committed credit facilities, each of which is discussed below.

During 2026, our Avis Budget Rental Car Funding (AESOP) LLC subsidiary issued approximately $922 million of asset-backed notes with expected final payment dates ranging from August 2027 to August 2031 and a weighted average interest rate of 5.36%. Avis Budget Rental Car Funding (AESOP) LLC has also amended and extended its asset-backed variable funding financing facilities, most recently in December 2025. The proceeds from these borrowings were used to fund the repayment of maturing vehicle-backed debt and the acquisition of rental cars in the United States.

In February 2026, we amended our European rental fleet securitization program to increase its capacity to approximately €2.1 billion and £250 million and extended the maturity of the program to February 2029.

In March 2026, we entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement with certain sales agents, in which we may sell, from time to time through or to the sales agents, as our agents or as principals, up to 5 million shares of our common stock (the “ATM Program”). The sales, if any, of the shares of our common stock made under the Equity Distribution Agreement may be made in sales deemed to be “at-the-market offerings.” As of March 31, 2026, we have not sold any shares of our common stock under the ATM Program.

Our Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to approximately $8.1 billion of our common stock under a plan originally approved in 2013 and subsequently expanded, most recently in February 2023 (the “Stock Repurchase Program”). Our stock repurchases may occur through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or trading plans pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The amount and timing of specific repurchases are subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements, restricted payment capacity under our debt instruments and other factors. The Stock Repurchase Program may be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time without prior notice. The Stock Repurchase Program has no set expiration or termination date. During the three months ended March 31, 2026, we did not repurchase shares of common stock under the Stock Repurchase Program. As of March 31, 2026, approximately $757 million of authorization remained available to repurchase common stock under the Stock Repurchase Program.

CASH FLOWS

The following table summarizes our cash flows:

Cash provided by operating activities during the three months ended March 31, 2026 decreased when compared with the similar period in 2025, primarily due to changes in the components of working capital.

Cash provided by investing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2026 increased when compared with the similar period in 2025, primarily due to the increase in our proceeds received on vehicle sales and the decrease in our investment in vehicles.

Cash used in financing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2026 increased when compared with the similar period in 2025, primarily due to the decrease in both our corporate borrowings and borrowings under vehicle programs.

DEBT AND FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS

As of March 31, 2026, we had approximately $24.4 billion of indebtedness, including corporate indebtedness of approximately $6.0 billion and debt under vehicle programs of approximately $18.4 billion. For information regarding our debt and borrowing arrangements, see Note 1 – Basis of Presentation, Note 11 – Long-term Corporate Debt and Borrowing Arrangements and Note 12 – Debt Under Vehicle Programs and Borrowing Arrangements to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

LIQUIDITY RISK

Our primary liquidity needs include the procurement of rental vehicles to be used in our operations, servicing of corporate and vehicle-related debt and the payment of operating expenses. The present intention of management is to reinvest the undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiaries indefinitely into our foreign operations. Our primary sources of funding are operating revenue, cash received upon the sale of vehicles, borrowings under our vehicle-backed borrowing arrangements and our senior revolving credit facility, and other financing activities.

Our liquidity has in the past been, and could in the future be, negatively affected by any financial market disruptions, a worsening of the United States and worldwide economies or by increases in interest rates, which may result in unfavorable conditions in the mobility industry, in the asset-backed financing market and in the credit markets generally. We believe these factors have affected and could further affect the debt ratings assigned to us by credit rating agencies and the cost of our borrowings. Additionally, a worsening or prolonged downturn in the worldwide economy or a disruption in the credit markets could further impact our liquidity due to (i) decreased demand and pricing for vehicles in the used vehicle market, (ii) increased costs associated with, and/or reduced capacity or increased collateral needs, including due to a decrease in the fair value of our fleet, under, our financings, (iii) the adverse impact of vehicle manufacturers being unable or unwilling to honor their obligations to repurchase or guarantee the depreciation on the related program vehicles and (iv) disruption in our ability to obtain financing due to negative credit events specific to us or affecting the overall debt market.

As of March 31, 2026, we had $528 million of available cash and cash equivalents and access to $387 million of available borrowing capacity under our revolving credit facility, providing us with access to approximately $915 million of total liquidity.

Our liquidity position could also be negatively impacted if we are unable to remain in compliance with the consolidated first lien leverage ratio requirement and other covenants associated with our senior credit facilities and other borrowings. As of March 31, 2026, we were in compliance with the financial covenants governing our indebtedness. For additional information regarding our liquidity risks, see Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of our 2025 Form 10-K.

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

Our future contractual obligations have not changed significantly from the amounts reported within our 2025 Form 10-K with the exception of our commitment to purchase vehicles, which decreased by approximately $1.7 billion from December 31, 2025, to approximately $5.1 billion as of March 31, 2026 due to existing fleet levels. Changes to our obligations related to corporate indebtedness and debt under vehicle programs are presented above within the section titled “Liquidity and Capital Resources—Debt and Financing Arrangements” and also within Note 11 – Long-term Corporate Debt and Borrowing Arrangements and Note 12 – Debt Under Vehicle Programs and Borrowing Arrangements to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

Accounting Policies

The results of the majority of our recurring operations are recorded in our financial statements using accounting policies that are not particularly subjective, nor complex. However, in presenting our financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), we are required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported therein. Several of the estimates and assumptions we are required to make relate to matters that are inherently uncertain as they relate to future events and/or events that are outside of our control. If there is a significant unfavorable change to current conditions, it could result in a material adverse impact to our consolidated results of operations, financial position and liquidity. We believe that the estimates and assumptions we used when preparing our financial statements were the most appropriate at that time. Presented within the section titled “Critical Accounting Estimates” of our 2025 Form 10-K are the accounting policies (related to goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets, vehicles, income taxes and public liability, property damage and other insurance liabilities) that we believe require subjective and complex judgments that could potentially affect reported results. There have been no significant changes to those accounting policies or our assessment of which accounting policies we would consider to be critical accounting policies.

New Accounting Standards

For detailed information regarding new accounting standards and their impact on our business, see Note 1 – Basis of Presentation to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

We are exposed to a variety of market risks, including changes in currency exchange rates, interest rates and fuel prices. We assess our market risks based on changes in interest and currency exchange rates utilizing a sensitivity analysis that measures the potential impact on earnings, fair values and cash flows based on a hypothetical 10% change (increase and decrease) in interest and foreign currency exchange rates. We used March 31, 2026 market rates to perform a sensitivity analysis separately for each of these market risk exposures. We have determined, through such analyses, that the impact of a 10% change in interest or currency exchange rates on our results of operations, balance sheet and cash flows would not be material. Additionally, we have commodity price exposure related to fluctuations in the price of unleaded fuel. We anticipate that such commodity risk will remain a market risk exposure for the foreseeable future. We determined that a 10% change in the price of unleaded fuel would not have a material impact on our earnings for the period ended March 31, 2026. For additional information regarding our long-term borrowings and financial instruments, see Note 11 – Long-term Corporate Debt and Borrowing Arrangements, Note 12 – Debt Under Vehicle Programs and Borrowing Arrangements and Note 17 – Financial Instruments to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

(a) Disclosure Controls and Procedures. Under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, our management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)). Based on such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of March 31, 2026.

(b) Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. During the first quarter of 2026, there was no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

During the quarter ended March 31, 2026, we had no material developments to report with respect to our risk factors. For additional information regarding our risk factors, please refer to our 2025 Form 10-K.