Budget Car Rental Reviews 

This company ALWAYS finds a way to add extra charges. NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH Hertz !!!!

I rented a car and didn’t pay attention. It was supposed to be 169 for two days but I picked it up on Friday I had to I drove 40 miles and had to drive back. The car was beeping the whole way and said maintenance required so I drove 40 miles back so it put us two hours behind my trip. Then I get home on Sunday and I’m filling the car back up. The gas stations were out of power because of the storm so I had to go down the street to get gas but I filled it back up before I dropped it off then they tell me I don’t owe 169. I was supposed to drop it off on Saturday. I would never pay 169 for one day so I agreed to the $301 today they’re charging me $450 the car still had maintenance required when I drove at home so when he had to reset it which put us two hours behind our original trip in the first place so we couldn’t even use the car on Friday until late so we picked it up at 5:30 and had to drive back 40 miles so now it’s after seven that we had to leave on our trip would put us behind the entire trip so we couldn’t even enjoy the evening when we got to our destination. All we could do is go to sleep then we wake up and it said maintenance required so we didn’t drive it. we ended up parking and getting a shuttle everywhere then we drove it back, but it wasn’t on full on the way there I had to stop and fill it up myself so that was $47 and then on the way home I spent another $50 filling it back up so I dropped it off full cause we didn’t really drive it other than to our destination and back from our destination so I returned it on Sunday. I only had it Friday and Saturday. So I got angry because they charged us more and he said well you agreed to $301 I said yeah today is $450. They had a bunch of people at the counter and it was getting dark and I had to walk to pick up my car. I just parked the car cleaned it out cleaned it so it was clean and full of gas so $301 is now $450 but I dropped it off and gave them the key so on Sunday they charged us another hundred dollars $150 so they totally ripped me off.

We rented a car two weeks ago at Bilbao airport. The car was lovely and customer service at the airport was good . We used the key drop to return the keys as it was very early in the morning. After returning home we got an invoice for a scratch to the wheel , nothing had happened to the wheel. There was various scratches on the car when we got it that hadn’t been fixed however they were charging us for the scratch and for the time off the road to fix it!!! I couldn’t get through on the phone to customer service( wait time was over an hour ) so I raised a ticket on their online portal . I am still waiting for them to get back to me. They said in their email they had included photos of the scratch which they hadn’t . I feel they are trying to get money for nothing and can’t get to discuss it with anyone. If possible I would stay clear of this company

I booked a car paid for 7 days and supplier canceled my order , how is that possible???

I had to make another reservation and pay again budget are scammers , be careful

This a review for car hire at Pisa airport. The car was fine, not the one I had ordered, but ok. On return, I filled up and left the car with more range than when I picked it up. The attendent said that he couldn't check the vehicle because he had no internet (?) Stupidly, I accepted this as a reasonable excuse. Two hours later, I received an email to say that all was fine andnothing to pay. The next week, I checked my card statement to see a 23euro charge. I phoned customer service who said it was afull charge. Obviously I disputed it and got the charge refunded. They must think that people won't notice or won't bother disputing because it is relatively smal. Beware!

I made a reservation in la linea / Gibraltar.
It was difficult to find the counter you have to cross porter.
When I arrived at the counter they told me that the daily rate changed and I had to pay 170 euros more.
What a fool! No more!

Ben from East Midlands Airport car hire.
Super helpful and efficient as it was busy too. Always use Budget now as more personal and customer service above and beyond. thanks

Absolutely HORRIBLE experience renting a vehicle from Budget rent a car in June '26. Not only was the rental process cumbersome, but I was not given the class/ kind of vehicle that I had requested... and paid for! And the one they finally gave to me had a horrible shudder on the left side, so i took it back.
To top it off they tried to tack on in additional fifty five dollar charge two weeks AFTER the rental... with no explanation whatsoever.
Budget never even responded to my voicemails, emails and posts on social media.

Save yourself a migraine - go somewhere else and rent from a reliable company. These people are crooked and need to be investigated.

The car is fine. The line at the airport is not. Give yourself another 2 hiurs before your flight to return a car at the Fresno airport. I wont use Budget again. Would rather pay more and get reasonable service.

Would be a zero, can’t figure out how to do that. Got pulled over and detained by the police for an hour, vehicle was not registered. When I called roadside service, they told me I was responsible for the tow, or I had to figure out how to get it back to the airport. Zero customer service, cost me four hours out of a business trip to fix this problem have gone to enterprise. Will never use budget again. Customer service was horrible, problem with secondary.
I plan on sharing this with everybody I know, even in my training sessions.

Dear Budget Social Media Escalation Team,
I am formally disputing the recently issued $125 cleaning charge associated with Rental Agreement U238303122.
The documentation provided by Budget appears to reference a vehicle that I exchanged approximately one hour after pickup.
The report identifies:
Vehicle: Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
Vehicle Number: 057131244
Plate: FP299703
This vehicle was returned to the Budget counter on May 18, 2026, shortly after pickup because it was replaced with another vehicle.
Budget’s report incorrectly states that this vehicle remained in my possession until May 19, 2026.
That is not accurate.
Budget’s internal records should clearly show:
● Initial vehicle pickup.
● Vehicle exchange on May 18.
● Return of the Chrysler.
● Issuance of the replacement vehicle.
● My exit from the facility in the replacement vehicle.
The allegation of animal hair is also completely inconsistent with the facts:
● No animals traveled with us.
● No pets were present during our trip.
● No smoking occurred.
● No food consumption occurred inside the vehicle.
● The vehicle was returned clean and free of trash.
Given the significant billing issues already acknowledged and corrected by Budget during this rental, I am requesting:
1. Immediate suspension of the $125 charge.
2. Full photo evidence.
3. Timestamped inspection records.
4. Vehicle exchange documentation.
5. A complete investigation into how this charge was assigned to my rental agreement.
I also request that Budget review appropriate compensation for the substantial inconvenience and repeated billing disputes I have experienced throughout this rental process.
I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Oguzhan Cengiz
Rental Agreement: U238303122
Reservation: 46166015US0

I rented a vehicle for just one day at Budget Car Rental Nassau Bahamas Airport . Upon returning the car, I discovered I was originally charged $1,981.00 for a single day, which is a gross overcharge. When I attempted to question this exorbitant fee, I was met with severe hostility, disrespect, and verbal abuse from your representatives, Anna and Dez.Instead of correcting the billing error, Dez deliberately prolonged the service process in a malicious attempt to cause my daughter and me to miss our flights. Furthermore, rather than rectifying the bill, she increased the unauthorized charge to $1,990.00.

I am requesting an immediate corporate investigation into this location's billing practices and the unprofessional conduct. Especially with Anna, Dez and other employees. There are several other complaints and concerns about the staff members Anna , Dez and other staff members behavior and professionalism. This same location at Budget Nassau Bahamas Airport has received many different complaints. I expect a prompt refund for all charges exceeding the agreed-upon daily rate for my rental.I have attached my receipt and look forward to a swift resolution of this matter.

I paid for my Budget rental on May 1, 2026. The reservation was for May 7 at 10:30 PM through May 10 at 10:30 PM.

On May 9 at approximately 6:00 PM, the vehicle broke down while my family and I were in Asheville, North Carolina. We were staying in a cabin in Hot Springs, North Carolina, about an hour away.

I spent approximately three hours on the phone with Budget trying to find a solution. Initially, I was told I could pick up a replacement vehicle from a Budget location only 15 minutes away. After remaining on hold and speaking with multiple representatives, I was informed that they could not reach that location and that my only option was to go to an airport location approximately 2.5 hours away.

By this point it was around 9:00 PM, and because of the delay I missed a reservation at Jargon, one of the premier fine-dining vegan restaurants on the East Coast. Budget's proposed solution was for me to take an Uber 2.5 hours away, which would have left me 3.5 hours from my cabin in Hot Springs. I then would have had to drive another 3.5 hours back to the cabin, resulting in more than seven hours spent dealing with Budget's failed vehicle.

This was Saturday night during our vacation, and we were scheduled to check out of our cabin the following morning. Budget expected us to begin traveling around 9:00 or 10:00 PM and spend the early morning hours driving back to our cabin simply so we could pack and leave. The breakdown effectively ruined our vacation.

Rather than spending seven hours retrieving another Budget vehicle, I chose to rent a vehicle from Enterprise, which was only 15 minutes away, and deal with Budget after returning home.

Once we got back, I contacted Budget and explained the situation. I received no meaningful assistance, so I requested a manager. The manager initially offered only a one-day refund, despite the fact that the car failed during the second day of the rental and was unusable for the remainder of the trip. After considerable back and forth, I reluctantly accepted the one-day refund.

Two or three days later, I discovered that instead of receiving a refund, I had actually been charged for an additional day. I called Budget again and was repeatedly told that their system showed a refund had already been processed. I explained that I was looking directly at my bank statement and that not only had I not received a refund, I had been overcharged. Budget representatives insisted that their records showed the refund had been issued and promised to escalate the matter to management. No one followed up.

Around May 21, I called again and explained that they still owed me both the original refund and reimbursement for the erroneous extra charge. I was told their system was down and that they could not access account information. I called every day for an entire week and was told each time that the system was still down.

Around May 28, I called again. After another lengthy discussion, I was again told that Budget's records showed I had already been refunded. I was instructed to provide proof from my bank statement, and they gave me an email address to submit the documentation. During this call, the manager became rude after I stated that I did not want to end the call until the issue was resolved. He eventually hung up on me. Before the call ended, I informed him that I intended to report the matter as fraudulent.

While I was on the phone with Chase Bank explaining the situation, Budget finally processed the refund for the extra charge. However, they still had not issued the original refund they had promised. Chase assured me that if Budget failed to issue it, they would assist me through the dispute process to ensure I paid only what I legitimately owed. This conversation took place around June 6.

After waiting a few more days, I contacted Budget again on June 12 regarding the original refund. Once again, I was told that they would refund one day, despite the fact that I effectively had use of the vehicle for only one full day before it failed. As I write this, I am still waiting for the refund to appear.

At this point, I believe a full refund would be justified. However, after countless hours spent speaking with representatives, repeatedly explaining the same situation, and receiving little to no meaningful assistance, I have grown exhausted with the process.

This has been one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever encountered. The vehicle breakdown was frustrating enough, but the weeks of confusion, contradictory information, overcharges, lack of follow-up, and repeated promises that were never fulfilled made the situation far worse.

I will close with this, Even if you are on a Budget, DO NOT CHOOSE BUDGET!

The car I ordered was not available and I was offered an upgrade to a fully electric car. Not an upgrade at all. Female behind the counter was chatty with a customer about her own problems while other customers waiting and as I was being helped, the customer came back on and said her car was dirty. While trying to troubleshoot my n own problem, the staff would not be quiet and was badmouthing her bosses and company. She was extremely rude and unprofessional. I could not go on my trip bc of this incident and lost 1000s of dollars on a non refundable event ticket. Do NOT use Budget unless you want an awful experience. Based on reviews this was not a one off.

I'm stuck in the budget rental line i Pittsburgh. One person working, 23 people ahead of me. Does anyone work here.

Booked a car at Dublin airport. Long wait times at pick up and they didn't have the car type id reserved.
On route to dropping off we got stuck on the M50 due to 2 accidents so we're short of time. The girl who checked the car took ages despite us pointing out we were under time pressure. She thoroughly checked inside and out. Had to wait half an hour for the shuttle bus to the airport. Unfortunately on the bus we realised we had left our jackets on the back seat. I spoke to the driver and he assured me that he would retrieve them and leave them in the office for us. We did make our flight but only due to it being delayed by half an hour. After numerous calls over the next few days trying to arrange for the jackets to be collected by a family member I was eventually informed the jackets could not be found. All I got from their customer service was "not our problem, it's in our T&C's we don't accept liability". So basically 1 of their staff stole the jackets and they don't care. Here's the thing, theft by finding is a criminal offence. I have made a report to the Gardi and while I don't expect them to do anything I was told by Gardi if they get enough reports it will trigger a visit at the very least. Will never use Budget/Avis again. Expensive service, terrible customer service and staff are thieves.

I needed to cancel a car rental reservation and encountered a completely ineffective process.

The online cancellation option did not work and displayed an error message stating that the reservation could not be modified and that I should contact the travel partner through which the booking had originally been made.

I tried to resolve the issue using the contact channels provided by Budget, but without success. On one occasion, I spent more than 35 minutes on hold without being able to speak to a customer service representative. Despite multiple calls and repeated attempts over several days, I was unable to obtain any assistance.

As a last resort, I submitted a formal cancellation request by email, attaching evidence of the error and explaining the situation in detail. To date, I have received no response to that email.

It is extremely frustrating when online tools do not work, phone support is unreachable, and written requests go unanswered. A very disappointing experience and far below what I would expect from an international company.

We rented a car by budget cars and took insurance with it. When we came to the desk they frightened us by saying this and that can happen and we had to upgrade our insurance. They also said they would fill up our gasoline and charged us a redigulous amount of 93 pounds for it. The car was an MG and the whole trip we had problems with the automatic acceleration. Eventually we got a motor management light on the dashboard and when we called about it we learned that that was common with this vehicle so we were stresses out for no reason. So, we got a terrible car for a whole lot of money. 725 pounds for 6 days. Never again with budget cars!!!!!

Budget has let me down a few times lately but most recently we have been the target of a complete scam being operated out of the Bari Airport in Italy where damage is fabricated to charge ridiculous repair fees. This happened to both my father and I on a recent trip, with the "evidence" photos provided for the damage of my father's vehicle being a completely different vehicle with door handles that didn't match. I have a video from drop off that does not have the damage they are claiming for my vehicle. Check in counter tried to scam with a charge for fuel that was declined, and you're rushed through the check in process and shown a contract that is only in Italian.

So I rent cars nearly every month or 2 months , so it's not something iv done once or twice, to the point that i have yearly world wide hire insurance (that works, iv had to use it , twice)as it's a lot cheaper, A LOT CHEAPER.
so when i hire with my wife , I have to keep it reasonably clean .our last trip to New York we returned the car having had 2 full days of rain , it was notvthat dirty. They charged 125 us dollars to clean it.
Iv asked for photos so far nothing , no proof from there side . So people beware of budget rental . be very afraid.