WHY IT RATES: When clients ask about the best car rental brands when traveling for business or leisure, travel agents can talk about Avis’ customer loyalty awards.—Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.For the 19th consecutive year, Avis Car Rental is the No. 1 car rental company in the Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index.The 2018 study examined brands in 84 categories. Avis received the highest marks in the car rental category by ranking first across all four behavioral engagement drivers, including empathetic customer service; comprehensible pricing, discounts and options; digital convenience, expertise and reputation; and offering a wide range of connected, reliable and empowering features and vehicles."Engagement is the engine that drives loyalty, and once again consumers have named Avis the most-engaging brand in its category," said Robert Passikoff, founder and president, Brand Keys. "Consumer expectations in this category rise every year, particularly when it comes to convenient customer service and connected features and vehicles. Avis continuously meets consumer expectations and has been the leading brand for nearly two decades — not an easy task in a very competitive category. We offer our congratulations to an extraordinarily winning and engaging brand."Over the past year, Avis has continued to innovate to enhance the customer experience. The company launched a voice-powered car reservation capability with Amazon Alexa and announced Google Home integration with artificial intelligence capabilities.With new features on its Avis mobile app, the company also put the rental experience in the hands of its customers more than ever. Enhancements included a larger variety of vehicles, fuel and parking options, courtesy bus tracking, rental recipients and a "find my car" feature. The Avis mobile app also allows customers to manage their entire rental from their smartphone, to choose the exact car they want, change or upgrade their vehicle while at or near the lot with a simple swipe, view their rental agreement, get real-time updates and more.The company plans to have more than 100,000 connected cars in its fleet this year and has committed to operating a fully connected global fleet by 2020. A connected fleet will provide customers with increased control and convenience over their rental experience while also delivering operational efficiencies.For more information, reach out to your local travel agent.SOURCE: Avis Car Rental press release.