Budget Car Rental Reviews 

Hire car was due to be returned at 1pm as our flight was 5.15pm, I returned car back at 12.45pm and received a letter 2 weeks ago with a late charge fee, emailed usa and uk budget and still no reply, car was returned to budget embassy suites international drive orlando, definitely won't use them again

Absolutely unacceptable experience with Budget Malaga Airport.

We rented a car on 24 June 2026 through Booking.com. That same night, while driving back from Marbella, we got a flat tyre on the motorway. The biggest shock was discovering that the car had neither a spare wheel nor a tyre repair kit, leaving us stranded in an extremely dangerous situation for hours while cars were passing at high speed.

We repeatedly called Budget roadside assistance, but they either didn’t answer or were completely unhelpful. We were only rescued because the Guardia Civil happened to pass by and help us move the vehicle to safety. The tow truck arrived around 2:30 a.m., but the taxi Budget promised never arrived, forcing us to pay for our own transport.

The next morning we had to pay for another taxi to collect a replacement vehicle, losing part of our holiday. To make matters worse, Budget charged €155.32 to my credit card, even though the rental had already been paid through Booking.com and I had only agreed to pay around €60 for additional insurance. The vehicle was returned with a full tank of fuel, yet additional charges were still applied.

Despite contacting both Budget and Booking.com, neither company has taken responsibility or offered a satisfactory solution.

As a result, I have now escalated this case to the European Consumer Centre (ECC-Net), the Junta de Andalucía consumer authorities, and my credit card provider to dispute the unauthorized charges. I will continue pursuing this matter until it is fully resolved.

This was not just poor customer service—it was a serious safety issue that put our lives at risk. I strongly advise anyone considering renting from Budget Malaga Airport to think twice.

Untrustworthy company. I never got my deposit back. They claim a ridiculous reason about the car being empty, but the owner told me TWICE that I DIDN'T need to refill it. Deeply disappointed with Budget. Avoid them, even if they look cheap!

Disgusting Service AVOID Budget Car Rental. You are even expected to inspect the car sills in a poorly lit area with the cars parked close together. If you don't beware you may end up with a £1,600 bill. Totally unreasonable.

We had a great experience with Lety, att the Miami International airport. She was inmensly friendly and her instructions were clearand easy to follow. She focused on finding solutions. Weare veeeery GREATFUL, Thanks a lot

Upon pick up I was told I was on the do not rent list with no explanation except given the customer service number which was no help. Customer service stated they will provide an email address so I can asked to be removed from their do not rent list. Absolutely horrible, keep me on your do not rent list as you are now on mine.

I do not recommend Visa and Budget.
They charged me for an insurance policy I hadn't requested, and they didn't even ask if I wanted to purchase it—even though I had stated that I did not want any additional insurance.

Budget at Hamilton Ontario 237 Main Street east--- Going through major mechanical issues with our SUV , parts are being shipped from Korea,,,we are not sure when we will get out SUV back. My Wife started a new Job at that exact same time , We rented for small SUV for Budget, and have had to extend the lease twice , On Both occassion " Malik" was professional/ Kind and understanding 5 Star Treatment for my wife and I very happy we choose to work with him!----Satisfied Customer John Gaudet

I reserved a car to be picked up at the Richmond international airport at 11pm on July 3rd 2026. Online, the posted hours stated the location was open until midnight. When I arrived at 11, the counter was dark and deserted. We were told the employees had simply decided to leave at 9pm with no warning despite incoming flights and upcoming reservations. The next day,
I called the number listed for the location to ask if they would honor my reservation and if there would be people there when I got there. The number connected me to a corporate hotline where they told me the hours listed online and said the location “should be open”. I didn’t bother after that. We got a car from Alamo and had a fantastic experience.

This was a terrible car rental experience in the Bay Area. The company provided us with a vehicle that was missing the engine oil cap, causing oil to spill throughout the engine bay. We believe this created a serious safety hazard and potentially put our health and safety at risk.
Because of this issue, we experienced significant inconvenience and concern during our trip. I would strongly recommend being cautious when renting from this company and carefully inspecting the vehicle before driving away.
Please take care of yourselves and your families.

Myra at Myrtle Beach SC Airport was very professional, quick & explained all details of my rental. She was also very caring. Although it was pricey, I really enjoyed the rental. It was larger than I originally reserved but it was nice. The office was clean & so was the car. I had the car for about 5 days. Booking was easy. I would rent from them again.

Before singed the contract I clearly said I did not want insurance. This guy from budget included extra charges of €550 for insurance and some other stupid things. They will let you sign on a iPad so you can’t see where you signing for and explain the contract completely differently.

Absolute scam! Unauthorized charges of $723 – Avoid at all costs!We are currently on a trip around the world and have rented cars in many countries. We never had any issues, not even in South America. We never expected to get scammed like this in the USA. Budget Rent a Car added unauthorized insurance options to our bill totaling $723 without our knowledge or consent!As world travelers on a budget, losing this amount of money is financially devastating for us. To make matters worse, despite requesting it three times, customer service has still not provided any proof or signed document showing that we agreed to these charges. Because we never did.On top of that, they made a massive mistake in the rental period: their system claimed we had to return the car a full week earlier than what we actually booked and paid for.This is highly unprofessional and unacceptable. We demand an immediate refund of the $723!Rental Agreement Number: U902394323

Decades of nonsense with these car rental places, especially Budget. If they have tattoos in their face and weed skunk smellings in the lobby, just turn around walk out, forget about your reservation. They won't have your truck. What strikes me is the amount money these rental company are loosing because of these raggedy ass people working the kiosk for them.

Don't go there under any circumstances; they are scammers.Don't go there under any circumstances; they are scammers.

horrible experience every time i come to minneapolis. every time i come there is one person at the counter and a huge line. how can this be possible ?

A few days ago, I went online and prepaid to rent a 15-passenger van for our nonprofit youth organization. We have a trip to Salt Lake City coming up. My pickup was scheduled for Monday, July 27, and dropoff Monday, Aug. 3. I paid $869.06.

Last night, looking through my paperwork, I realized that I was limited to 1,050 miles and it was an additional $.17 per mile over that. I had never seen that before as all rentals I have ever seen had unlimited mileage.

I called Budget customer service five times today. I had to fight to get through the terrible AI each time to get to a human, which took lots of time. Each time, I got told they couldn't help me, and I needed to contact the Budget office at the Tucson Airport. The customer service reps kept giving me different phone numbers, including, eventually, one to Avis, their sister company.

When the Avis rep agreed to help me, I explained that Salt Lake was a 750 mile trip each way and that I needed at least 2,000 miles. The man promptly put me on another long hold. When he returned, he said he couldn't help me. This despite me being a repeated Budget customer, and me explaining the situation regarding the trip and the mileage. I told him my group will also be renting another van in SLC. I finally asked for a supervisor. The supervisor, who also put me on a long hold, said he couldn't help me. He claimed the system wouldn't let him overriide the mileage. With that said, I told him I wanted to cancel my reservation. He said I would get a full refund.

I just checked my email, and it says that I get a full refund, minus $50! This is unconsionable! We are a small, youth nonprofit and every penny matters! When he said "full refund" he didn't say minus $50. I will be disputing this matter with my credit card company.

In the meantime, I went to find a rental with another company. Not only did I find a nicer van with unlimited mileage, but it was much closer to me and cost me significantly less (roughly $250) than Budget was going to cost me. Budget is blowing off customers and knows nothing about customer service or contributing to the community. I will no longer be supporting this terrible company!

I highly recommend taking your business elsewhere for a better deal with people who care about people, rather than AI and making a quick buck off the backs of children.

If you have to rent a car, DO NOT rent from Budget Car Rental. While the cost might be considerably lower than Enterprise, you will most likely regret renting from Budget. Poorly staffed, waiting for a car (@ O'Hare Airport) with nobody else in line to get a car (after standing in a long line to pay for it) and it took 30 minutes for someone from Budget to come help me. My car was filthy. Nobody from Budget to receive the keys upon returning the car at 9a.m. Had to wait for someone to appear.
Additionally, my sister rented a car from them this past Sunday from Budget from O'Hare. The first car she was given had under a half tank left in it. She saw it before she left and they gave her a brand new Honda Accord with 286 miles on it. As she went to leave my mom's nursing home facility, the car wouldn't start. She called Budget's Roadside Assistance. WHAT A JOKE. They told her initially it would take 4-6 hours. They also told her someone would call her "in a few minutes". Needless to say, nobody came and no phone call. She had to do a Lyft to her hotel. This morning, she called Budget's 800# to speak with a supervisor. The supervisor was hard to understand and my sister asked for her to repeat herself a couple of times. The supervisor got a major attitude. When my sister called her on having an attitude the supervisor told my sister to call Roadside Assistance. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! NEVER RENT FROM BUDGET CAR RENTAL unless you're into torture and aggravation to the nth degree.

ABSOLUTE SCAM OF A COMPANY!! DO NOT USE!!
We recently hired a car for 2 days and when collecting the vehicle the rain was awful and we couldn't take photos of any damage already made to the vehicle (this is standard process when we pick up a rental).
We dropped off the car at the correct time 5am and it was pitch black dark when returning the vehicle. The rudest woman turned up and walked straight up to the front left hand side of the car and shined her light on the left tyre, alloy, wing and side bumper and accused us of causing the damage. WE ARE 100% CERTAIN WE DID NOT CAUSE THE DAMAGE, IT IS CLEAR THAT THE CAR HAS BEEN SCRAPED UP AGAIST SOMETHING AND WE WOULD KNOW ABOUT IT! Also note that she did not check any other part of the vehicle and walked straight up to the damage (Which makes it clear she knew where the damage was!)
She asked us to sign a damage form and we refused. She blackmailed us into signing to form and said 0% of the deposit will be refunded if we dont.
We returned home and got in touch with the customer service team. After 3 days they came to us with a quote for the damage and the chare was €1120! For a scratch on the bumper, alloy, tyre and side wing that we 100% didn't cause!
We have since been in touch with our solicitor and we requested documentation from budget including the damage report, copy of the quote from the garage, proof that the vehicle has been repaired, cctv of the vehicle being checked when returned by the previous customer and cctv of us picking up the vehicle.
BUDGET GOT BACK IN TOUCH WITH US TO INFORM THAT THERE WAS €100 CHARGE FOR THE DOCUMENTS AND CCTV!
PLEASE TAKE MY ADVISE AND DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!

Never again.
Avis Budget rental car Rotterdam Airport.

Car undrivable due to a transmission different from the one requested.
Charged the cost of a rim for a scratch—at four times the market price.
I regret not reading the reviews on Trustpilot before renting from Budget.
Details
I would like to report a terrible experience regarding a rental in Rotterdam 16-21 June 2026,

I requested a Toyota Aygo (or similar) with a manual transmission via the booking site, but I was given a Clio with an automatic transmission.
A car with a manual transmission is by no means equivalent to one with an automatic transmission.
When I asked for a manual car, I was told that they only had automatic ones available.
It was a case of "take it or leave it"—and the attitude was not particularly polite, either.

Throughout the rental period, whenever I tried to press the clutch, I ended up hitting the brake instead, turning the rental into a nightmare.
Because of this, I scraped a wheel rim against the curb while parking.
The damage was minor—just a few centimeters—, The employee showed up at the return with a ruler.

The damage was assessed at 1,000 euros.

Setting aside the fact that I certainly wouldn't have caused any damage had I received the car I specifically requested, I would like to know how the damage figure reached €1,000.
A set of 4 ORIGINAL wheels (OEM 403003526R) costs €844, VAT included—meaning €211 per wheel.
( levoshop OEM 403003526)

Did they mark up the price excessively?

I also asked if it was possible to have something like a photo of the replaced rim. I was told that the contract doesn't provide for it, and that if I didn't read it, it was my problem.
Impeccable, but perhaps not very kind.
Never Again