Budget Car Rental Reviews

Needed an extension of 5 hours on my $55 a day rental car. They charged me $160 for the additional 7 hours—more than I initially paid for the 3 day rental. When trying to talk with customer service after being on hold for 45 minutes, and transferred 3 times they hung up on me. I tried to change drop off location instead of time, even changing location was quoted at $100. Seems immoral at best.

I have been a Budget patron for over 15 years, and I love them up until this day on today! I rented a vehicle in April (Easter Weekend), and I pre-paid for gas since gas is very high right now. I was charged $62.71 for "fuel purchase option" on my receipt; cool no problem, I'm good with that until today when my credit card was charged $74.28 (net charges???)! When I contacted Budget, the agent said it was for gas/fuel! After being on the phone with him for over 40min, going back and forth about the charge of what is on my FINAL RECEIPT and the additional charge of fuel/gas ($74.28), he, Budget, still insist that it is a fuel charge or either the tax! Okay which one is it? At this point I see that they are NOT going to fix the issue so I'm out of an additional $74.28 for gas ($136.99 in total)!!! This is unbelievable and a scam on Budget's part. Never again will I rent from them. I will go to their competitor's.

4/ 23/26. I had gotten a prize for the week. Had to call back to confirm if I could drop car off at airport because of Memorial Day closed. Call back five minutes later, and they upped the price of the same car over a $100 and claimed the price constantly fluctuates! No, it doesn't fluctuate in 5 minutes. It's called ripping me off! I refuse to rent from a company that has no integrity.

I rented a compact car through Costco, for 2/4/26 - 3/31/26, to be picked up in St. Petersburg Florida. Upon arriving, the rental establishment only had a minivan available and I was told that I could swap it out at any Budget rental establishment, without a problem. Also I was informed that the billing needed to be split into 2 billings, due to the length of the rental. No one informed me that I would be charged more than the amount that was quoted through Costco. Also Costco gives one additional driver at no charge, well I'm being charged for that one additional driver. I've sent many emails, talked to customer service multiple times and they continue to refuse to honor the Costco reservation price. I've been overcharged $653.33.

Worst customer service of any company I've ever dealt with. They rented me a van that was unsafe to drive on the road. The tail lights did not work and the airbag was out of service. When I contacted customer service to tell them, their solution was for ME to drive 20 min out of my way to another Budget location to swap out the vehicle. When I got to that location, they did not have a vehicle for me. I was forced to drive the unsafe vehicle for the rest of the trip. I contacted customer service again and they promised me I would be credited for one day of my seven day rental. I never got the credit after the trip. I have contacted them multiple time since and have still not received the credit they promised me. I WILL NEVER use them again.

Waited over 2 hours in line at Fort Myers airport for a car. When we were finally allocated car and went to the designated parking spot, there was no car. Eventually, a car was delivered wet from a car wash in a dark garage. When we finally left, it started raining. When the rain stopped in about an hour, and the car was dry, I took pictures of several damaged areas. 1 month after returning the car, I received a notice from Budget claiming over $500 in damages during our rental, plus an administrative fee. I contacted Budget and sent them a photo of obviously old damage they claimed was new. I continue to get their administrative runaround and will challenge it when it appears on my credit card bill. I will never use Budget, or its affiliated companies again.

I was charged over $200 to “refuel” an electric car that we had for 5 days. You do the math, even if it were empty (which it wasn’t) it would not cost this amount. I called the company to keep the car additional hours and was told by the agent that I didn’t need to charge the car before returning, I believed him. At the rental car counter they do not tell you anything about recharging or the extreme cost if you do not. The invoice does not specify what the additional charges are for and I had to contact multiple people to find out. Their business practices are predatory and dishonest. Stay far, far away. Use Enterprise.

Horrific customer service. I book a car for two week online. Never got a confirmation. Called them.... Got bounced half a dozen times. They were all... "We do not know.... We can't tell you if you have a res or not... I can only help you make a new one." Then the guy went on mute and left me sitting for 20 minutes. I made a new res online!!! I wanted to contact cust service to be sure I would not be charged twice... They did not give a crap and kept on asking for my rental agreement number... Not res # but rental agreement. I do not have such a thing. I am cancelling. They are **. They will never see me again.

I was very disappointed with Budget. I was given wrong information by an agent regarding returning my rental in a different location and then charged over $100 more than my initial costs. I tried repeatedly explaining that I was misinformed but to no avail. Budget needs to accept responsibility when the staff has misinformed the customer and the staff should be retrained on providing complete, transparent and accurate information regarding rentals and fees for any changes! Very disappointing experience!

Horrible customer service I was given a car that was in a bad shape and was making noises from the engine as if it will break down any moment and when I requested to exchange a car customer service gave me a run around and told me the only car that is available was 60 miles away and it will cost me $300 extra for a week rental.

DO NOT RENT A CAR THROUGH BUDGET!!! I reserved a car a week in advance, my flight got in at 11pm and I waited in line for an hour before being told they had no other cars available except an electric vehicle. I was with my two small children at midnight and ended up taking it. On the day I returned the car, there were HUNDREDS of cars in the return lot as well as many people dropping their cars off. I proceeded to get luggage out of the car and found one budget employee walking around. I asked him what I was supposed to do with my keys and where to go. He said leave them on the dashboard. The car behind me was a black Suburban with a family who did the same thing; left keys on the dashboard.

On March 10, 2026, I rented a car and paid for it 1 week before I was to pick it up. Got a call from Budget Westfield Citrus Park Mall in Tampa, FL 1 hour before I was scheduled to pick it up that they didn't have any cars left! No cars with Budget anywhere. I asked them to find another car through another company because they were responsible and they said they didn't do that. I wrote a review of how horrible my experience was; got a response that they would look into it and that was the last I heard from Budget. That rental was paid for 1 month ago and I have still not heard anything BUT they have charged on my credit card! They didn't have any problem stealing that money from me!

The one star isn't even enough to give these people and their customer service. They are rude and disgusting meanwhile very dismissive. I rented a car that had no oil and inspection was expired. Every single rep I spoke to was worse and worse every time. They wanted to give me 2 days off a 8 day rental with all these problems not knowing what could've transpired on my trip with this vehicle. DO NOT RENT WITH THESE PEOPLE!!!! They will take your money and not care about your life potentially being on the line!

I booked minivan one week ago and I was going today in a Budget to pick up the minivan. They say we don't have a car for you.. They say we are out of cars. I don't recommend, very bad service.

Great experience from start to finish. Steph was great and very helpful.

We reserved a car with Budget to be picked up at the Cincinnati Airport. Upon arrival I was told they were sold out and they would pay my Uber fees. Later that evening I called customer service in order to make arrangements to pick up another car the following day. I was then told there were no cars in the Cincinnati area. I ended up going with another company and everything worked out. I now feel Budget has terrible business practices and I have very little confidence in them. If you're looking for a car rental service that practices character and integrity Budget is not your company!

We have rented the car at Jacksonville airport in Florida going for our family vacation with 2 elderly parents. The line at the airport was very long, it took over an hour to get the car, finally they gave us Chevy minivan which was not the car we prebooked (sedan) but we took it because it was late and our parents were tired. We were going to St Augustine and half way there, the car indicator turn on that it will shut down in few minutes. We could not even get to the exit when the car died! We called the emergency response, had to answer millions of questions about the car before they could even send a police or towing track. We learned that this minivan was towed by previous renter, yet they gave us this car.

Absolutely awful experience from Budget. Take pictures of your vehicle to protect yourself. Rented a vehicle that had windshield damage, I left the building and noticed it as I was driving down the highway. Customer Service provided no help with inspection reports prior to me renting it and no access to their photos. They most likely did this on purpose based on how all four of the people that I spoke with. I will never rent from them again, absolutely awful customer service over a $479 claim (which is crazy to begin with).

I will never rent a car from there again. They charge you more than your contract. Poor customer service. Poor communication! Will never return your call when there is a billing question.

We rented through Costco, who went to bat and got us back the fueling fee. They had charged me for1.3 gallons, I had filled up 3 miles away. We couldn't get a different SUV at the rental counter, they stuck us with a jeep that drove like a truck and was so high off the ground that it was hard to get into (I'm 5 foot 9 so not short). Now they've charged a cleaning fee with the response that if it wasn't clean when we picked it up we should have reported then (1:30 AM). The chips, etc were already in car when we picked it up. The only thing we did was leave dirt on the floor--sand, not mud. I didn't realize you now need to detail car before returning.

Absolute worst experience - would give 0 stars if I could! I will NEVER rent from Budget again. I had a pre-paid reservation, yet after returning the car, I was hit with a wave of random extra fees. When I called to clear it up, three different representatives, including a supervisor, could not even explain what the charges were for. And they charged me all the standard vehicle fees twice. It took four separate phone calls to finally (hopefully) get this straightened out. This company is operating like a total scam. Save yourself the stress and the money, go literally anywhere else. Buyers beware!

I would give Budget Rental 0 stars if I could. I CALLED the reservation line to get help with my rental because I didn't have a credit card and needed a bigger car. I specifically told them my circumstances and even reiterated them not one but two more times before paying for my reservation WITH MY DEBIT CARD. Today I get a call from the local Budget office to tell me that the vehicle I booked in my reservation wasn't going to be available and would need an elite model suv, I let them know I do not have a credit card to rent their elite or luxury vehicles.

The counter person asked if we wanted coverage and we said no. He added it had us sign without letting us know the total costs. Didn’t give us any documents at the counter. Totally deceptive.

One of the worst experience renting from Budget. Waited in line for an hour and a half because they said the help didn't show up. After we got the car, it wasn't cleaned. The seats were filthy and we had to clean the inside windshield because it had a film on it. I suggest you check your rental out thoroughly and report it BEFORE leaving. Then, 3 weeks later, we received a letter billing us for $500 for a dent that we unfortunately didn't report because of our experience of waiting so long. RENTERS BEWARE and WARNED!!!!!

Rented a van in Hawaii. Discovered upon using it at night it was crawling with cockroaches that hid during the daytime under the seats and compartments under the floor. Make sure to check before driving off, we did not! Obviously, they only vacuum the top of carpets during the daytime and don't check for cockroaches under the seats and compartments where they can hide.

We picked up a Budget rental at Orlando Airport. What a nightmare! Took hours to find. No one is there at pick up or drop off. One of the back tires was so bad, we could have been killed! Wires hanging out of the tire, which explains the vibration. NEVER EVER again!!!

I had a very disappointing experience with Budget Car Rental. The vehicle I received was filthy inside and out, with scratches, a dirty floor, and the gas tank nearly on empty. When I asked for a replacement vehicle, I was told none were available, I can try at 3 perfect I get off at 3. I requested a simple wash, and the employee gave me attitude, saying it would take over 20 minutes—even though there were no other customers. I had to return to work and couldn’t wait. I was also told, “it’s not your personal car, it’s a rental,” which was very unprofessional.

The vehicle we received smelled HORRIBLY of cigarette smoke. So much so that we felt physically ill when driving the car. The staff at the airport were very unfriendly and the customer service line left much to be desired. I would not use them again.

Budget Car Rental at Orlando Airport charged us for tolls after we had already turned the car in. We were sitting on the plane when someone drove the car on the turnpike. When we received the notice two weeks later, we called customer service. They were ZERO help and told us to call the Florida Sun Pass. Customer Service hung up on us. We will NEVER rent from them again.

Filled up car one block away from car return. Charged me $9.99 for 1 gal of gas. Will Not use again. Always a problem when returning car.