Budget Car Rental Reviews

Do not rent from this company. I rented an Expedition from them. During our trip we ran into some rain. We did get the floor mats dirty. After returning the vehicle I received a notice that I was being charged $450.00 for excessive cleaning. They said the vehicle had to be sent out to be detailed. According to their agreement the vehicle has to be returned in the same condition as it was rented. It also says they will charge a fair price for cleaning. This is so far out of line from other companies. I rented the car through Southwest Airlines and they were not responsive.

Reserved car from Budget to pick up in downtown Grand Junction Colorado. Train from Reno was going to be 2 hours late, so I alerted Budget main number because it was a Sunday afternoon and the Grand Junction downtown office had no one answering phones. We arrived in Grand Junction next morning and I called the local office to alert them that the train made up for the lost time. I was then told the car was cancelled and no Budget cars were available at either the downtown or airport locations. We were very lucky we got the last car available among all the companies at the airport although it was quite pricey. Our trip would have been ruined otherwise.

A man known as "BOB" works in the Budget location on Research Parkway (La Quinta Hotel) Orlando, FL. This individual is a LIAR. Me and my brother had a reservation and in the middle of the rental process he told us certain Liability Insurance was mandatory. I told him we did not want it and said he would not give us the car if we did not take it. I insisted to decline it and he told us to leave "his office " or he would call the police. I called the corporate office and they said we would have to go to another location to pick up the car. We were given one free day on the rental , but even so this individual has to be fired. I should have called the police on him. Our reservation # was **.

Seems the policy (unwritten, just expected) is that you wash and vacuum the rental before returning under normal use. They DO have a policy regarding smoke, pets, sand, trash, and excessive dirt, but there is nothing stating that the rental must be cleaned prior to returning it after normal use. I rented a vehicle for 2 weeks while my car was in the shop. I do NOT smoke, did not have sand, not a shred of trash, and do not have pets in my home or vehicles. There was some dirt from my shoes in the driver's floorboard area, which is to be expected as I drove this car for 2 weeks. I was charged a $125 cleaning fee for that dirt on the floor. I called to resolve this issue and was told that they do not clean the cars when you return them. If they have to vacuum or clean the vehicles, they will charge you for that cleaning!

Zero stars is not an option—I'd give this company a negative five if I could. I had a prepaid reservation because I needed to drive from Virginia to South Carolina. Four hours before pickup, Budget called to cancel my reservation—after I had already confirmed everything with them yesterday. Absolutely unacceptable. I paid in advance, planned around this, and they still left me stranded at the last minute. Completely unreliable and not worth the risk.

Unscrupulous company. I reserved a convertible car over a month ahead my trip. When I got there, they said they didn’t have it! Wouldn’t even give me a contract printout! I was told the printer didn’t work. Instead of the convertible, I was offered a Toyota Camry, the rear seatbelt didn’t work, the trunk flew open. I was being threatened and pressured into buying their insurance also. Which I didn’t after calling my insurance company. I was told that I would be getting a discount for the inconvenience, but miraculously my bill was the same as what I was quoted for the mustang which came out to more than the rental price of the Camry. They put a hold on my credit card for $200.00, which I was told would be refunded upon return of the car. That hasn’t happened yet. I wrote a letter to budget rent a car expressing my concerns and discontent. I got a letter saying, sorry for the inconvenience. Budget rent a car is a dishonest company, and thieves.

Last week at the Kalispel MT airport, I rented a Rav4 that I booked through United Airlines. The quoted rate was a fair price. At the pick-up counter, the Budget agent asked several questions, including if I wanted the "Loss Damage Waver" due to my home insurance coverage for the car rental. I said yes. She also asked if I wanted the "Gas Service Option" that would refill the tank "at the lowest price in the area being $2.79/ gallon". I agreed. The "Loss Damage Waver" ended up costing me $32.99 /day. That apparently is accepting their insurance coverage not "waving" it due to my own coverage.

DO NOT rent a car with this Budget. I had a horrible experience with Budget. I arrived at the airport with my family around 9:30 PM and went looking for the Budget booth to pick up my reserved car. There was no one there. I called them about 10 times at the number provided in the reservation, but nobody answered. I took a ride to their offices at the address provided, and there was no one there. I went to the Hertz agency, and they told me that Budget closed its offices around 6:00 pm. I was stuck with my family in the airport at Monterrey, Mexico at midnight without transportation. I called another 10 times to Budget, but no one ever responded. I had to rent a last-minute car with Hertz, and it cost me 4 times the amount for what I reserved with Budget.

We arrived at the Kauai cruise port in October 2025 and had made rental car reservations months prior. We called Budget when we arrived to ask about a shuttle to the airport and when we were on the call, I received an email indicating our reservation was cancelled. On the same call, they offered us a similar car for 100.00 more. This is illegal price gouging and they have been reported to the FTC.

Logan Airport, Budget Rental. I waited in line for an hour to pick up a car I had reserved three weeks ago to be told that my card was not accepted because it was a debit card. I have used this visa debit card through the same bank for 25 years to rent cars with around the world. Now I’m 1200 miles from home stuck in Boston for four days without a car. GFY Budget Car Rental!

Budge Rent A Car, Panama City Beach, FL Why are all rental car desk workers so dishonest? This place is right up there with them. Booked a rental online and of course when we got to the desk, Chad, tried everything he could to get us to pay more. He told us the car we had selected was electric and to upgrade to a gas vehicle, which was the next class up would be $50. I showed him the rental agreement, it said nothing about being electric (Kia Soul or similar), but he was persistent. Eventually he brought the upcharge down to $20. I finally agreed to it as I felt like I was being held hostage and wanted to start my vacation. He then mentioned that if I would have contacted him directly I could have saved $120 off the rental price. I told him I'd take that price then but refused because my name was "already in the system". Make sure to call or text Chad at ** for the best deal.

I am going to leave feedback about my experience with Budget at various sources. I just want to alert the managers at the Ft Lauderdale Airport location of Budget (Daniel, Miles, and Adam) that I was thoroughly displeased and disappointed in my experience picking up my rental car on November 15, 2025 at approximately 11:00 am. I specified that I wanted to rent a sedan, not an SUV or bigger automobile, because I was unable to handle such a large vehicle. I was assured that my reservation of a Toyota Camry would be honored, or a similar sedan provided for my purposes. When I was assigned a vehicle by the desk agent (Norma B., a 30-year employee), I expressed to her that I reserved a sedan and could not and would not accept a larger vehicle; that was the point of my reservation with Budget. Things got testy between us, but voices were never raised.

I am relieved by reading these reviews to realize it wasn't just me who was scammed by Budget. I found a crazy good deal on Expedia for a luxury car through Budget. Budget left a voicemail on the day I was to pick up the car a couple hours before I was to pick it up....AFTER the time I could cancel the reservation...to tell me the luxury cars were sold out but they would give me a RAV 4 without a discount. I called back to see why I was not going to get the luxury car and the agent became rude and talked over me. I then said, this was not my problem and they had better have a luxury car for me or else I wanted my rental for free.

The worst experience I have ever had with a company. They charged our credit card weeks after our rental, saying we had lost the key. No alert that we would be charged, I just saw it pending on my statement one day. We called Budget and they said the counter agent at the location we returned the car to said the key was missing. We turned the car in and had a receipt, so we opened a dispute. The dispute process was not transparent, and just opening a dispute was a pain. This company is so sketchy the employees on the phones will not even use their real names when speaking to you. Our second time calling to check on our dispute we were told that the person making our case number the first time hadn't actually sent it in. We were informed after several days of calling back to check on our dispute that we would receive a full refund.

Reserved a van 6 weeks ahead of time. Got an email the evening prior to our cross country trip saying the vehicle was not available. When I called to speak with ‘customer service’ I was yelled at - no exaggeration- by a guy who proceeded to call me back twice to tell me that he was canceling my reservation and repeated his nasty diatribe. It’s taken me 3 weeks to write this… still cannot believe the awful experience. We rented from Enterprise, same day, incredibly positive experience. Never again will I even consider Budget.

I rented a car from Budget in Athens Greece. I had unlimited mileage and a car seat from Sept 30th through October 6th. We extended our stay one extra day and returned the car to the same location on October 7th at 6:35pm. The car attendant said we were all good and since we were staying only 3 blocks away, we left for our apartment. When I received the charges of $1,467.69 I was shocked since my original contract was only for $200. After multiple emails and calls, Budget said I returned the car to a different location, making it a one way. This is absolutely not true and I have pictures showing my travel companions under the Avis/Budget rental car sign in the garage at the same location where we picked up the car. This is either an egregious mistake or is completely crooked and unethical. Don't trust Budget/Avis.

I rented a car in Bradenton through Expedia without purchasing insurance, as I have my own coverage and never opt in. During check-in, the middle-aged woman employee repeatedly pressured me to buy their insurance. I clearly declined, yet I was still charged approximately $944.73!!! Almost a thousand dollars despite her mentioning a “$2-a-day special.” Since then, no one at the company has answered the phone to help resolve this unauthorized charge. When I contacted the corporate customer support office, I was told the employee may receive commission or bonuses for selling insurance. I had requested an investigation and a full refund from her commission— no response from management.

Budget Car Rental Company, has poorly trained and unscrupulous employees that cons unsuspecting customers into contracts that costs an arm and a leg. They provide little to no clarity when renting cars. They add unnecessary items to the deal even adding toll prepayments for days unused. adding upgrades to a bill for the same car. ⭐ 1-Star Review: Extremely Disappointed with Budget Car Rental.

I reserved a car 4weeks in advance and Prepaid. Arrived airport to over an hour wait line. Greeted by an unapologetic, rude man. Was informed that without a credit card, they would do a soft pull on my credit! Not told that I couldn’t add insurance after the fact over the phone. Had to drive to a store, then had to open another reservation to add insurance. Poor in every aspect.

Totally disappointed in Budget. We rented a vehicle expecting to have a good weekend and instead had multiple issues with the car not wanting to start and twice the vehicle power steering cutting out while driving. After almost dying twice in the death trap Budget put us in we were so uncomfortable driving it we had to spend extra money on DoorDash and Ubers just to complete our weekend before swapping the vehicle out to drive back to Richmond. When we called customer service they would only give us a 50% discount for almost killing us. This just shows how little Budget cares about their customers or people's lifes.

Rented a car at Miami International Airport for 10 days, only put 267 miles on the car. Returned the car to Miami International Airport on 10/29/25. I was told I would receive an email receipt in an hour confirming drop off of the car, did not receive anything until 5 days later. Ten days later I receive a letter saying I am being charged $190 for a tire repair. We had no indication that there was problem with the tire, the car ran fine, the car instrument panel never gave any info that there was a tire problem. The person who met us at the rental drop off did not inspect the car.

Budget is a scam rental car agency. We prepaid for a car 3 weeks ahead of time. We got the car in LA Airport. First, we waited an hour in line. The attendant tried to upsell us extra car insurance and gas provisions. We clearly stated more than once we did not need anything added to the reservation and we pre-paid. At the end he had us sign the form for rental. We returned the car and the new system in L.A. you don’t see anyone. So, we assumed everything was fine, until an additional $151 was added to the bill. When we called, they told us the roadside assistance and gas was added. We said, "No we turned it with a full tank of gas and we turned down the extra insurance." We can’t dispute the upcharge because we signed the rental form. What a scam, so my advice read the fine print and don’t rent from Budget.

I am just among many who were appalled by Budget's incompetence and fraud. Despite reserving a vehicle giving advance notice as did the other customers the DTW location had a single agent. The result was a 52.5 hr wait to get our vehicle resulting in our missing an important family dinner. Despite reserving a luxury model that was advertised that we desired to test drive we were given another car without the option of reducing to a standard model. This is an obvious bait and switch. Without forewarning us our vehicle only had 1/3 of a tank of gas which we did not notice because it was night, so we could have run out of gas on the road. We returned the vehicle with more gas than what we were provided. Budget charged a $90.91 fuel service fee charging us for fuel we did not use, likely also charging the previous Renter. This is fraud.

BEWARE!!! We've rented multiple times from different companies, and this was an experience that I don't wish anyone goes through. We've rented the car in January 2025 for 1 day, returned the car with everything in great condition. On September 29, 2025 we received a letter from Budget for a fee due to vehicle repair cost. We've called their customer service department and spoke with their supervisor, given a case number, and employee ID number and reassurance that the charges were cancelled, as they never sent any proof or any other documents.

I rented a car at LGA, and used it for 5 days. I just got a $250 cleaning fee for a medium severity case of excessive dirt in the car when I returned it. I could have vacuumed the interior of the car in less than 10 minutes to remove the dirt. A $250 fee for 10 minutes of work is absurd. I doubt they did anything different than what they would have done in the ordinary scope of their business when a car is returned. I will contest this fee. The one thing that is certain is that I will never use Budget again. Looking for ways to overcharge their customers is a bad business practice and they will never get my business again because of it.

We are senior citizens that rented a car in Fort Myers. We go to the beach. We do not smoke, nor do we have pets. We were charged for “excessive cleaning” despite just having a small amount of beach sand in the car. It would ordinarily require ordinary cleaning, but Budget deemed it excessive. $125! Ridiculous. I am appealing, but beware! I appealed and was told that additional detailing was necessary. It was not. It was a little beach sand.

Was charged $469 for 3 days. We had a Kia SVU! Worst car rental ever! I used Costco to rent the car and was quoted $170. That's one hell of a difference between quoted price and actual price. I will never rent a vehicle from Budget ever again.

I took a trip to Ohio in July and rented a vehicle from Budget Car Rental at Hopkins International Airport. After returning home to Las Vegas, I was shocked to see several unnecessary charges on my credit card — my total jumped from the original $450 to $663. Since then, I’ve spoken with multiple Budget representatives about my security deposit, and each time I was told it would be credited back to my account. It’s now been four months, and I still haven’t received a refund.

First of all the agent in Charleston did not give me a choice. She said $100 more for a gasoline vehicle. I know a ev car is an upgrade. Why is Budget gonna charge me $100 more for gasoline car. The ev car was charged with 80 % and agent knew I was going to return in Jacksonville. I tried charging it in different places in Charleston and Hardeeville. I charge it 40% for about 2-3 hours with enough miles to make my destination. But fell short and stranded me in Darien Ga looking for a charge point. They towed me to a charging station in Brunswick Ga and it wouldn’t take the charge. So I called roadside again to pickup the car. Now they want charge me for r road side assistance $494.71.

Budget Car Rental Las Vegas - Beware!! We rented a car from Budget for a week to visit friends in Pahrump. On day 3 I received two emails in the middle of the night that the car indicated that it was being smoked in. The first email said there would be a $75 charge, then the email that came in 5 mins later said there was a $450 charge. My husband and I do not smoke, so I figured something was wrong with the sensor or something, so I decided to deal with that email when I dropped the car off.

Budget is trying to blame me for a red light violation on a car that I could not possibly have driven since it occurred at 2:26 PM, just 21 minutes after I landed at 2:05 PM on a far runway of O'Hare Airport. After landing and taxiing for at least 15 minutes, I had to stand waiting to exit from row 22, walk to the terminal exit door near baggage, walk up, over, and down to catch the shuttle train, stop at Terminal 5 to load more passengers, arrive at the rental facility, and get up through heavy people traffic to the 2nd floor. More time was required after selecting a car from a "zone" and discovering a problem that required attendant attention. Having done this walk many times over the last few years, I have found that it takes at least a one-hour walking and shuttle journey from the plane landing to the car rental facility.

Without a doubt, the most dishonest company we have ever dealt with - anywhere. Buyer Beware!!!! Had a reservation for a car at London Heathrow airport for $893 for 12 days. When we arrived, they said the car we had booked (Mercedes Sedan) was unavailable and provided an older hatchback in poor condition. When we said it was too small, they did a bait and switch on us and charged us $200 MORE PER DAY for a car that their website listed as only $20 more per day. After numerous weeks of phone calls getting the run-around from customer service, they denied our appeal and we ended up paying $2400 more than the original reservation. WE WOULDN'T DEAL WITH BUDGET CAR RENTAL AGAIN EVEN IF THEY OFFERED US A FREE CAR.

Budget car rental sucks! Charged me too much and won’t refund me. When I picked up the vehicle they never told me about extra charges. Be honest with prices with all customers. Don’t need any hidden cost.

I prepaid for a rental car for a specific period of time. When I did not need the vehicle for as long as I originally thought I would need it, I called the rental location and was told I would get a refund for the unused portion even though I had prepaid. When I returned the car I was told I would get a refund, but I would have to call Budget customer service. When I called I was told I would get no refund. When I called the rental location, they would not honor what their employee had said about the refund. I posted a Google review and was given what seemed to be a sincere response about helping me. When I followed the instructions on the Google review response, they gave the the same no refund response even knowing their counter person said I would get one. DO NOT RENT A CAR FROM BUDGET EVER!

We rented a car for 4 days.. When we received our final bill there was a up charge for the car and an additional day rental. We should not have been charged for an upgrade of the car because they didn’t have what we asked for. Then we showed timestamp photos that we had returned the car within the allotted half hour window. They still refused to credit the additional day. Even with timestamp photos showing that we did not possess the car at the time they are showing in their computer. And a timestamp photo showing the car in the lot when we dropped off. They still refused to remove the additional day charged. If I could rate them a zero I would. We will absolutely never use this company again.

This company has ripped me off twice. I can't believe I gave them a second chance. The first time, I attempted to rent a car rental from them and was charged $794 for a week. Claimed the deposit was high cause I used a prepaid debit card. When I got to the location to pick up the car, they wouldn't accept my debit card. Yet they had deducted the $794 from my account already with the very card they refused to accept at the pickup location. In the process of trying to get that money refunded, I spoke to a man named Josh in billing at LAX location. He played like he wanted to help me. Told me to get a prepaid card from Go2Bank for $500 and that would cover the rent fees and deposit.

They do false advertisement online because it says there is Free Cancelation at the bottom right corner, but they end up charging you 50 dollars to cancel. This company is a complete scam. Never using this car rental company again.

I arrived at the Denver airport and took the Budget Bus to the rental car area. Since I was using Fastbreak, I was assigned a Toyota 4Runner SUV in space L13 by text. I had just enough time to get to the vehicle and get to work. However, there was no vehicle in space L13. The parking lot attendant said I would need to speak to the woman in the building nearby. I explained the situation to her, and she said someone must have taken my vehicle, so I could take the Chevrolet Equinox in space M23. I immediately discovered this was a downgraded (basic) vehicle with no power seats or power hatchback, etc. There was also a noticeable offensive smell, like body odor covered with Febreze. I then discovered the "gearshift" would not engage unless I repeatedly tried to move the stick. Also, I found no headlight switch.

Worst company ever! Good luck resolving an error - all their calls are picked up overseas where the CSRs have no clue what you're talking about and worse yet, I can't understand what they're asking. I was charged TWICE a $450 cleaning fee for a vehicle that cost me under $100 to rent. I asked for proof and they sent me photos of pet hair UNDER the seats! I don't have a pet, nor was I in the car with a pet! Best I can figure is that the renter before me had a pet and they failed to clean it properly. How is this possible? I can't prove that I don't own a pet to them and why should I have to? PLEASE .... Take a video when you rent the car - make sure that you capture under the seats and under the car mats - if any. Then photos all around the vehicle as well as on top!!!! Budget will screw you, just because they can.

I had an awful experience Oct 7 at Love Field. I rented a red Jeep and waived their $30 a day ins. under much pressure by the agent. I went to the car which was dripping with water and drove to my family’s home on 135. I was in the car for 1.5 hours when I heard a swishing noise and pulled off the closest exit. I saw I had a blow out. I was shaking and nervous. I called my family to come help me. My brother in law was a mechanic and he looked in the truck and no Spare. Only a flat fixing kit. My tire was too bad to try this. We called roadside assistance and they did get a tow truck.

We went on a trip of a lifetime me my daughter and two grands and a 3 year old. We upgraded to a Lincoln Navigator and 3 times it wouldn’t start. We tried calling and it was extremely hard to get ahold of anyone. They wanted us to pay for tow and lose a day if our trip. I bought a jump box but we still were worried. They refunded us less than 10 percent. Lesson learned. Don’t use BUDGET.

The rental price I agreed to on Sep 6th was 261.91. When I returned the car I was charged a small fee of 3.14. Not sure why? I then received a second invoice shortly after charging me an additional 535.82!! I was told because the mud on the tires from driving through Utah where some roads are dirt and if it rained had puddles and I was going to be charged a damages charge! The car required a car wash wish I assume every single car receives when it's returned. The business emailed me pictures of the mud on the tires. They claimed this is damages and the additional charges are staying! I have since asked a Manager to call me back. I've had to call the company for updates as no one has called or emailed me back since the pictures. They are hoping I go away.

I arrived at the Burlington VT airport and proceeded to the Budget Car Rental to pick up a PRE-PAID car which I had also confirmed via phone twice prior to arrival….only to find the counter dark and closed, with a sign saying they had run out of cars and come back in the morning!! In both phone calls I had confirmed my rental because of the 10:10 PM arrival time and both times they had assured me they didn’t close until midnight and that my car would be available given that I had pre-paid. I had no option at that time of night but to go to the only rental car counter open (National) and they charged me $400 more than the price of my Budget rental.

We reserved a car well in advance for pickup immediately after our flight landed. Upon arrival, we stood in line for over an hour while only three representatives staffed the counter. The line stretched nearly out the door, and the employees appeared disengaged—spending time chatting with each other or disappearing behind the counter for long periods rather than assisting waiting customers. When we finally reached the desk, we were told the mid-size car we reserved was unavailable but that we could take a minivan for the same price. We agreed, and the representative directed us to row C, space #1. Once outside, however, there were no cars in row C at all. After locating an employee on the lot, we were told there was nothing they could do.

Rented a car from Tampa Airport in September. Lady at desk asked me if I wanted insurance and I clearly said no. Went through the process. Returned the car and they said my $250 security deposit would be returned to me in 5 to 7 business days and they gave me back $6. Called them to get the rest back and they told me the lady signed me up for the insurance when I told her no. After this I will not be using Budget ever again. It's been almost a month and still no money back. I called again today.

Been in line half hour - one person at the 10 checkouts departed, line of 20 people plus waiting - with nobody getting anybody through their system! Took me over a half hour to get to the spot where on ninth line, but there is nobody taking customers at all, so no way to predict how long it might take to actually get my car and get out of the Minneapolis airport.

I’ve had nothing but great experiences at Budget rental from the people to the vehicle. However, went in recently and they requested facial recognition…which seems like a way to collect data information for scammers or identity fraud. I say this because they don’t have the resources personnel to protect our personal data. Government agencies have a tough time with this. Why would a routine business interaction request something that compromise themselves and their customers. Budget puts a target on themselves when they house that kind of sensitive data. Stop requesting data you can’t protect.

Less than one star. I rented a car from Budget from Bangor, Maine airport on 9/27/2025 and returned 9/29/2025. Credit card charges are the correct $371.77 (have rental contract) but my CC statement also indicates charges of $200 and $1371.77 from "Car Rental", not Budget. Budget denies that the extra, exorbitant charges. Their "agent" who confirmed a refund, a "Daniel **," gave me three phone #'s to follow up. None are working #s. Budget billing has denied me a refund because CC statement doesn't indicate 'Budget." What's going on?

Reserved through Costco for 4 days. Got a rate of $368. After adding so many hidden fees the actual charge was over $650 The agent was RUDE. When we got to the spot the car was not there. Went to another agent and finally got the car. Total BAIT AND SWITCH company. Beware of sounds like they are now part of 3 other car companies. Will never use any of these three companies. Awful business practices!

On Oct. 17, 2025 I had a car reservation for a Toyota Rav 4 to be picked up at 10:30 a.m. I arrived at 10:30 a.m. there were two people working the booth. The young lady walked off and left the young man alone for 30 to 40 minutes as the lines got longer. I waited in the line from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Once I got to the reservation desk, I was asked what kind of car was my reservation for, I told the service representative and she stated, "Oh, I don't think we have anymore of those, but wait I think I can find you something similar." She wrote up a contract gave me the paperwork to go upstairs and they would give me a car there.

1 star is too good. I rented a car for 5 days in Charleston, SC and prepaid for the rental ($320). I had to wait 45 minutes for a car to be available (another person was waiting 3 hours!). Once I got to the hotel, I realized that having a car was not going to be a good idea. It is tough to park everywhere and the downtown was very walkable.... so I returned to the airport and returned the car. The Budget attendant in the garage, told me I didn't have to go inside, and to just drop the car off and I would be credited. WELL... I was not credited ANYTHING! Their fine print says if you prepay and drop the car off early, there is no credit. I didn't even have the car a few hours! THIS IS THEFT!!! I called customer service and also emailed, and they would not credit me anything. NEVER USE THEM!!!

This Rental car company is terrible. Their customer service is overseas and very difficult to understand. I wanted to move my reservation up by 2 days. It is booked over a month out. But they doubled my price, or if I cancel, they have $50 cancellation fee. Then, when I got hold of support, they couldn't find my reservation. Hell, I had a hard time understanding them. Terrible experience. Mt last rental I had a flat a few miles from the shop on the expressway. They do a lousy job of checking their vehicles. I wouldn't rent from them again, even if I had a gun pointed to my head.

Budget hired ** scammers working for them. They lack customer service, and it is difficult to understand them due to their thick ** accent. They charged my credit card even though I had never confirmed the transaction.

I rented a car from Budget at the Kona airport in Hawaii. On the 3rd day, the car wouldn't start after brunch. I called Budget Roadside Assistance and they told me it would cost me $127 to get someone to come jump, fix or tow the car. They want ME to pay to fix THEIR car??? ** They should have been bending over backwards to get their car operational again ASAP to minimize the impact to my family's vacation. When I rent a car, I assume the car is in good condition and well-maintained, not a piece of junk with a bad battery. And if something does happen, I expect the rental company to do everything in their power to fix the situation with as little impact to my vacation as possible.

This company needs to understand what customer service is about. Not give standard answers to problems. Ask for supervisor. No supervisor available to talk to customer. Will never rent from Budget Car Rental again. Problem was with the Tulsa Oklahoma rental.

I have rented cars from Budget for 30+ years. These guys have gone off the deep end. I was 3 days longer on the rental and they sent a certified letter to my house saying they were out looking for the car so they can tow it. These people have gone nuts. They charged me $450 dollars for recovery even though I returned the car immediately after the certified letter. I just called customer service to discuss this and the first two levels said "Does it really matter?" The supervisor would just put me on hold as I was talking in hopes that I would hang up. I asked her if I maybe called the wrong number and this was some kind of prank. She assured my this is just the way they are now. Odd.

We rented a 2024 Toyota Highlander at the Manchester, NH airport and were completely dissatisfied with both the customer counter wait time and the vehicle's condition. Upon arrival, we waited in line for about an hour. After finally completing the paperwork, we discovered that the Highlander was in poor shape. It had only been partially cleaned, as if minimal effort had been made, and it should have been properly cleaned before being handed over to a customer. The front floor carpeting was badly damaged, with large holes and tears.

I booked a premium car THREE MONTHS in advance and paid extra for quality — but they gave me a dirty, beat-up junker instead. The car was disgusting inside and out, with bugs smashed on the windshield, visible trash inside, and dents on the outside. Totally unacceptable! The customer service was even worse. The manager was rude, arrogant, and completely dismissive, acting like my concerns didn’t matter at all. I was undermined, disrespected, and ignored from start to finish. This company is a scam and a joke. They take your money, downgrade your car, and treat you horribly when you speak up. I will NEVER rent from them again and strongly suggest everyone go elsewhere. Save yourself the headache — this place is trash.

I booked a car for 7 days. Just was notified the Airline bumped my flight from Tues to Wed. One Day! I called Budget to add a day and they said $52 extra! So I canceled the reservation and only paid $50 fee. NEVER AGAIN WILL I RENT FOMR BUDGET CAR RENTAL!!

Flew from Phoenix to Denver. Took as long to get rental as it did to fly there. 30-40 stations in building only 4 people working. Someone added gas service charges without my authorization. Called customer service about it before returning car told me it was removed. I returned car full but was still billed for it. Disputing charges as we speak.

I am writing today to warn everyone to stop using BUDGET CAR RENTAL!!!! I rented a car from MIA Airport 7/31/2025 and returned the rental 8-4-2025!!! When I picked up the car the window was broken, garbage left in car from Burger King and it was disgusting. I went back into airport and made a complaint but, because I paid online they could not help me or give me another car that day! They gave me a number to call and get a credit.

Budget charges me $250 for the cleaning up the sand on the driver side and passenger side floor pads. This is a ridiculous charge I never had before with a rent car. Do they expect me to do a full cleaning up before I return the car? Also, a charge $250 for cleaning the sand is way too high, the only thing was sand on the driver's side and passenger side floor pads, vacuuming should clean up the sand. When I returned the car, I asked the clerk/agent to fully check the car, but he didn't tell me anything then. They are robbing customers.

Reserved car a month in advance. Flew to Orlando. Followed signs to parking garage and waited 45 mins for someone to show up just to be told I have to go inside. Get inside and wait 2 and a half hours to get to the counter (longer then flight). I get to counter just to be told I can't use a debit card it has to be on a credit card. No other car rental place in the airport had cars available. Luckily I found one off site that ended up costing me double. Two days later I get a email from Budget charging me a $50 no show fee. They can charge my card for that but not the car. Absolutely horrible customer service. Never had a problem with Enterprise but thought I would give Budget a chance. Never again!!

If I could give Budget no stars I would! Don’t rent from them. When I picked up my car they said they didn’t have the type I reserved. I seen one and asked why I couldn’t rent that one and was told it was reserved for someone else. I told them I had to return it at a different airport that was 30 minutes from the airport no flew into and was told there was no fee for returning there. When I received my bill they charged me me $300 for returning but to a different airport. $300 is crazy! This company brakes advantage is horrible. When I called and questioned the charge they basically said that’s too bad!

I have now rented twice with Budget. In both cases there was an issue with them providing the "CLASS" of vehicle I needed and reserved for the travel. In the first case, in Arizona, they claimed they had no SUV class, which I needed and tried to give me an open pickup instead which would not work at all. Eventually they relented and said that it was late to be preparing the class of car I had rented, but they did do it. The vehicle also had a dent which I was not informed of but it had already been marked on a previous inspection so not a problem but concerning.

Poor Customer Service, refused Credit Card that they took before, a Visa Credit Card! Manager rude. Destroyed my Vacation. Lost over $300 dollars in fees and Budget Corporate did nothing! Lying and stealing is Budget's Motto!

Budget was my worst nightmare. I booked gas car and when I got there, they offered me electric car. I could not take it as I had to travel interstate and did not have time for charging due to tight schedules. I called their customer support to get a gas car close to me and even at the airports of Washington DC. Answer was they do not have gas car at all. All my plans were messed up. I will never rent from budget again and I am also filing complaint.

Deceptive Practices at Budget Car Rental – Beware! I booked a car rental with Budget through Costco, picking up the vehicle at the SMF rental location. Despite verbally declining insurance coverage multiple times with the rental agent, I later discovered that $175 worth of insurance had been added to my invoice without my consent.

Our rental broke down because the battery died. We got it going but had to pull over a block later. Privacy code or something. Waited for a tow truck that Cust service sent but when we got back out to the Denver airport location customer service agent Brandon went above and beyond to make sure that our every last need was met with assuredness reliability and integrity. He turned a completely negative situation into a positive one and that’s why we do business with Budget. No hidden fees. No scams like NU and the others. Just straight forward rentals. I won’t use anyone but budget.

Last time they gave me a lower grade car. Today October 10, 2025, I went to the fast break window because they claim the envelope will be there, just grab it and go but no envelope and no one working. I went back to the terminal with 30 people waiting online, many fastbreak customers in the same situation. I called customer service and they said fill out a survey. Avis had people ask working. I used Budget many times in the past. No more, I'll take my business elsewhere. Company is a joke. Check other reviews on other sites. Average rating 1.3 stars.

We didn't realize until we were at our first destination that we were given the wrong vehicle. We thought we were given a hybrid by mistake, we rented gas, but discovered it was full electric. Customer service was horrible! No help at all. We were outright lied to. I've been home over a week trying to work this out. Complete run around. We were also charged for insurance that was never agreed to.

I would give a negative star if I could. After being scammed for $450 for what they claim with smoke damage, I have disputed this fraudulent charge for months with my credit card and with budget. I even had an agent verify that the recon vehicle report did not state anything wrong with the car when I returned it. After going online and reading pages of the same cleaning scam by Budget Car Rental, run! Pay the higher fees at another car rental because if you rent from budget, you’re gonna be paying fees at the end of the day for fraudulent accusations.

Never Again, never again. Budget robbed me w/o a weapon. Rent a car for 1 day, (Thursday, turned back in on Friday) and charged my account $343. and change. Then to top it all off, had the audacity to run my credit as if I was purchasing/leasing the vehicle. By the way, the car I rented was a small economy car. Do the Math folks, I was robbed. Beware of them and watch what out for the fast talking they do to ensure you're not me when dealing with them. This is for the Budget @ Love Field Airport. I should have went next door to Hertz instead.

I just want to say Pelani was really the best customer service rep at the counter. There was three other girls, one was on her phone literally phone to her ear, pregnant, being so insanely rude to her customer. I was so glad I did not have to go to her. If I had to give anybody 5 stars it would be Pelani. I hope I spelled her name right. I told her that her name was beautiful and she made me laugh saying like me I hope! She got me into a nicer car. I booked a compact but she upgraded me for only $10 extra a day which is a steal with everything being so high! Anyways the first had low tire sign so she got me into one without it her and I believe his name was H? He was nice as well. I’m giving this four stars because the other counter people were rude and the first car had low tire pressure. But hope she gets a raise!

Beware of gas return scam!!! The car was nice. We filled the car up with gas 5 minutes from the airport, even re-engaging the pump after it turned itself off to make sure it was full. The gas needle was showing full. We turned it in with no trouble. Later we received a bill for $18 because it was 1 gallon short!!! After calling Budget they said the gallon used was from driving from the gas station (3.1 miles away) to the airport!! This is a scam if you don’t pay for them to fill your car up at an up charge price!!

We rented the car in Bangor, Maine airport. Went to Acadia National Park-low tire warning. Had to leave Bar Harbor automotive. Found out tires were over inflated. Continued our trip in Woodstock, NH. Tire warning. Informed all 4 tires worn. Back tires had to have patches put on. Budget Bangor airport should have checked those tires. It could have been a disaster.

My wife and I had the most horrible experience with Budget Car Rental in Denver. When we arrived at the airport, we found a very long line at the Budget counter. After waiting for nearly an hour, we finally reached the front, only to be told that cars were “in high demand,” and therefore our rate would be tripled. Feeling pressured and unsure if the man behind the counter was being truthful, we went ahead and paid $1,466.59 for seven days, a shocking amount. Later, we discovered that the same rental online was only about $500 for the same time period. They gave us an ugly Bronco at that. Never again will Budget get another dime from us.

Below 0 rating! Terrible customer service in the Burleson/Fort Worth, Tx area. I will never rent from Budget ever again! Overbooked, location closed early with no explanation which we all were waiting outside not knowing what was going on. My advice is rent from another business.

Prepaid for rental car was a breeze but at the rental car desk took on Gas service option which was told would be refunded if returned with a full tank of gas. I filled the tank and two weeks later never received a refund. They do not answer the phone when trying to question when I would get my refund. Such a scam.

I booked intermediate SUV from Costco travel for $359. We reached around 9pm to the car rental to pick up our car. After waiting in line for an hour, we have been told that the car we booked is not available. We either need to get an electric car or pay extra to get an upgrade. I never drove electric before and we were going for road trip. I asked them to give me us smaller car but they refused. So we were forced to pay extra for an upgrade and we end up paying $1030 (minus $250 for insurance) for the same reservation. There are lot of hidden fees as well. Never going chose Budget for car rental again.

I was turned away at the counter in Portland, OR on 8/13/25 after waiting in line for 30 minutes at 10PM. I had a valid reservation that was refused. Upon complaint to customer service, I was given a voucher for a 3 day rental, which I had one of their customer reps make for me in Phila., Pa. When returned the car I was astonishingly billed full price. I was told the reservation was changed and the voucher voided. I can assure you it wasn't me that changed the reservation. Clearly this is a completely untrustworthy company. I will never, ever rent from them again and advise you to keep as much distance between you and Budget as possible.

Absolutely the WORST customer service in the world!!! I picked up a car at Phoenix airport last night - which that itself took 1.5 hours and was a disaster. When I went to the spot they told me it was a different car rented to someone else. They switched the car out and I left - as I get on the freeway an alarm is going off- the tire pressure is low in one tire. It’s after midnight and my girls are exhausted because it took forever to get the car. We get to the hotel and this morning try to put air in the fire which is now down to 10psi. There’s a piece of metal in the tire.

I called Budget directly to book a reservation. They quoted me a price, (given me being a Costco member I qualified for a discount). They charged my card for the purchase. (I wasn't aware I got charged right away because I was told I would pay at the counter upon checkout). I get to the checkout counter--After waiting nearly ONE HOUR, behind 25-30 other customers in the line at the airport, mind you- which was a longer wait than my flight halfway across the country. I returned my rental, no issues. Came to look at my credit card statement and saw I was charge twice. Once on the day I booked ($348 with Costco discount) and then again upon pickup ($385 no discount). I called Budget. They asked I sent an email with proof. I did. I sent credit card statement. A week goes by and I got no response. Emailed again- generic email response.

I am completely dissatisfied with this company. I went for a weekend to see my daughter for her first baby shower and ended up with an $800 bill. They did NOT go over the mileage limitations at all. If I had known about that I would have gone somewhere else. I had to drive over 50 miles from the airport to see my family. So just driving to and from the airport would have completely used up the "free" miles. This company is a scam and deceptive. I would never recommend this place. You should be ashamed of yourself. Deceive hardworking people like that. Your company caused quite a strain on me financial. I am on a strict budget and what you did hurt me. Shame on you!!!

I will never rent from Budget Rental again. I wanted to ask a second driver. I asked the representative three times if I had to be there or if the second driver could just take an Uber to the airport and add her driver's license information. The representative insisted I did not have to be there. When my sister got there. I had to be there. Budget does not hire English speaking representatives in an English speaking country of the USA. He could not understand what I was asking, and I could barely understand him. I will never rent from this company. Horrible, horrible, horrible

Do not ever rent here. I have rented cars 100+ times and this place rims a scam. On September 28th at 4:10am I returned my rental full on gas and caught my flight heading back to Tampa. The following afternoon on the 29th my card is billed for $100 towards gas even though it was full and they claimed I didn’t return the car until the 29th. Taking my rental fee of $77 to $280. Now I’m stuck on the phone with the airlines for hours to prove I was on the flight. Dropping the car off the worker told me I was good to go. Absolute scam. Don’t let it happen to you.

Customer service is a joke. It takes so long to get to a human that their answering script begins by apologizing for the long hold. A customer is not allowed to speak to anyone even in the same country as the rental. Impossible to speak to someone at the location of the rental. The AI routing tree cannot comprehend anything outside a very limited number of key words. I would like to say this is the worst customer service experience I’ve had, but unfortunately this is the way mega businesses now run their services. The customer service is very bad but no worse than any other uncaring profit center. These corporations expect loyalty from vicinity provide none in return.

I used this company to get me home from a long trip returning late at night. The price was right, so it was way cheaper than to pay for parking or to get an Uber or Taxi. When I returned the car the next day and received my receipt over email, the cost increased by 34%. When I called customer service, they said I did not return it with full gas, which I did. I had to tell them where I got gas, how much I put in, what the total cost was, how many miles it was from the airport, etc., etc. After the representative who was from some other country came back on, she told me she could not remove the charge because I filled up more than five miles from the airport. That is a charge of $35 per gallon charged, if I used a half gallon to get there ($2.74 per gallon, so for $1.38 worth of gas). What a rotten company. I am disputing the charge with my credit card company, and will never use this deceptive trash organization ever again.

Once she drew up the new paperwork I noticed that the total was now $242.12. I asked her why it was so much more when I had prepaid for it, and she said it was due to the deposit that I had to put down and I would be reimbursed that amount after returning the car. I also noticed the the new paperwork that she drew up had Lorton Virginia listed as the return location and not Albany NY where we had specified in the original reservation. When I asked her about that she said it didn't matter because we are allowed to return the vehicle to any budget location. I should have known better but we were on a time crunch so I dismissed my intuition, signed all of the paperwork, and left with the vehicle. The vehicle itself was clean and undamaged. While driving back to Albany I noticed that my credit card was charged for $442.12. This was in addition to the $127 that was already charged.

Horrendous, I was charged 125.00 dollars for having left a water bottle and a cardboard box which the agent at the airport when I left the car. I had asked if he wanted me to throw away and he said no, that he would easily take care of. Had he said he would charge me 125 dollars to remove it, I would of just done it myself. They lost a customer forever.

Terrible customer service. The car was great, the local agent was great. But I signed up for Prepay and the online system defaulted to a 2 day rental, when I wanted and only used the car for 1 day. I spoke to agent at pick up to change the return date and he said with Prepays is call Customer Service. I returned the car within 12 hours, tank full, excellent t condition. I received a receipt showing 1 day charges/usage. The Customer Service people were rude, dismissive and told me they would make no adjustments. They said it was in the contract terms that there could be no change to a Prepay. That is absolutely contrary to what the local Budget rental owner told me.

I want to keep it short. We are getting charged for something that we did not do. Please do a thorough check of the vehicle before you leave the lot. We tried to tell our side of the story but we got run around in circles. Our Vacation was wasted! I am not scared to put this review out since our experience with this company was horrible.

Would Not use. The vehicle (box truck) I used leaked on the interior and all over my belongings. I contacted them and it took them weeks to respond after our first conversation several messages spoke to supervisor and was never called back. After three months of unanswered text emails and calls they said I did not respond fast enough to get compensation lol

I rented a car from the Akron, Ohio location on west market street. I was given a Telluride and the horn did not work. The way I found out was because a car was pulling out the driveway as I was passing and I tried to blow my horn and it didn’t work. I was traveling out of town and had to turn around to return the car. The guy at the front desk wanted me to drive the car to another location (Although it illegal to drive a car without a working horn) because of that I asked to speak to a manager. He never let me speak to the manager and called someone on his personal cell phone and stated I needed to fill up the vehicle. I asked again to speak to a manger, which he then states that he the person on his cell said to add the gas to my rental agreement and put me into a van. When I told him a car almost hit me he laughed like it was funny!!

I waited over an hour in line at DTW with no updates or accountability from your staff. This caused a major delay to my travel plans. The service was unacceptable, and I want this escalated and documented. I expect a refund or credit applied to my account…. Which you credited me, but then because they were having a hell of a time with reservations, I had to rebook right there and once I did, it had me return time at 8:30…. Two hours away which wth. I asked for it to be fixed and I was looked at like I had three heads.

I've been at Avis preferred member and I had to use Budget rent a car and the customer service with Avis and budget or hand by hand that sets the stage you have an employee by the name of John that navigates you and makes you feel welcome and appreciate it and helps you understand the logistics of budget and Avis. As a preferred member I have to say you have a shining star.

Renter beware! I rented a worn out car with burn holes in the driver’s seat yesterday from Budget’s location at the Orlando/Sanford airport in Sanford Florida. The original rental agreement was to pick it up in Sanford and then drive it to Ohio by Sunday the 21st of September 2025 and drop it off at the John Glenn airport in Columbus, OH. The reason I was doing this was due to picking someone up in Florida because the person did not have a “Real ID” or a passport. Today (9/18/2025) I was informed that this person would be unable to travel now and would not be able to until October. So, I made a return plane reservation leaving tomorrow (9/19/2025). I then called Budget and informed them of my need to amend my rental agreement and was told that I would be charged for the additional two days and charge me an additional $12.00 to drop the car off at the very same location I picked it up at. Never again. Budget, bad business on your part.

I wanted to cancel my reservation more than 10 days out and they charged me $50 to cancel. I called customer service to discuss and was on the phone 20 minutes and they hung up on me. I could understand a fee to cancel within 24 hours, but not 10+ days out. No other rental agency I've dealt with does that. Bottom line - don't rent a car from Budget!

After renting a vehicle from Budget, I found out days later that I had an additional charge on my credit card. They charged me for an additional day because I picked up the car at 9:18 A.M. instead of 10:00 A.M. An additional charge of 80.17 was charged. Hours of operation for that Scranton/Wilkes-Barre started at 10:00 A.M. I will no longer be using Budget in the future. Stay away from this company!!

I will never use Budget car rental or Thrifty because they booked you for one fee, you get to the pickup counter, there’s another fee, in my case $96 and to top it off, I received a charge of $111 for toll fee when I only cross Whitestone Bridge going to JFK only once. This is crazy.

We rented and paid for a car in Panama City Beach so that we could drive our rv down. When we got here we was told that we didn't qualify. We should have been told that online so we could have brought our car. It's not right for you to get somewhere thinking you have a car and don't. You should be told on the website where you pay for it that you don't qualify not when you get there. That is totally not right. We are trying to have a great vacation but this is not starting it off great. Now we have to wait 3 to 5 days to get our money back. This company should do better on letting people know 100% sure they have their car completely rented when they get here to get it.

Misleading business practices. Overcharging. Hidden Fees. My $396 rental quote turned into a $621 charge once my credit card bill arrived. The amount quoted at the counter was not honored. I will NEVER rent from Budget again.

When I arrived in Portland, Maine, I wondered why I was the only person in the Budget line. I generally use Enterprise, but budget had a better rate this particular time. It wasn’t until I was paying my credit card bill that I saw that I was charged nearly twice the original estimate. Taxes and fees were included in the original they were added to the final. I was charged a one-way fee that was never discussed and when I made the reservation, it was a one-way reservation. I will be talking to Budget, the Better Business Bureau and the FTC. This just reeks of unfair business practice others have complained about it and it continues. Even if I can get this cleared up, it is not worth my time and frustration.

Terrible experience. We rented a car in Las Vegas and declined all add-ons, clearly stating we would use our own insurance. Upon returning the vehicle, Budget charged us over $150 in unexpected fees. Most frustratingly, although we had filled up the gas tank before returning the car—and our receipt confirmed it was full—they still charged us for 6 gallons of fuel. We called twice. The first time, they assured us the charge would be refunded. But after a few days, the charge remained. When we called again, a representative told us they would not issue a refund. Absolutely ridiculous. Very disappointing experience with Budget.

We reserved a car in Columbus, OH. The car reeked of smoke, we did not have time to go back to rental desk to request a new car. We started the car and a warning light “service soon” came on. It took us 20 minutes jumping thru hoops to get the app to work for exiting the parking lot! We now realize why they are called ‘Budget”. Never use them again!

Total disaster at the LAX location, not enough reps for the amount of customers standing in line. We’ve been waiting for more than 30 minutes and the line is going to be at least 30 more! Budget should not exceed their capacity, this is an abuse!

We can confirm that the customer was charged for the missing vehicle documents identified during the standard vehicle inspection after the rental period. Please find attached all relevant documents. No can tell me what these documents are. Just charged me.

Rented a car and had to wait in a long line because they only had one person working the counter. Was asked about insurance and declined and pushed to sign and hurry up so she could get to the next person in line. Did not give me any printout so I could check and just rushed me to leave. When I got to my destination I called to ask if I was charged and was assured I was not but when I got back my credit card was overcharged. Called to ask why. They said it was the insurance. Told the guy I refused it and he stated, "Yes you did. We will refund you as you did not sign for it," and then waited and never got my refund. Called back and they said the request was refused because I did sign but have refused to provide me a copy of my signature. Do not ever rent from them. I still do not have a receipt nor any signature proof. Will be seeking legal.

I set up a car rental for a trip I am taking. Loved the pricing and selection of vehicles. Went to pick up my vehicle, and was greeted by a young woman from **. She did not speak very good english. She asked for my driver's license and that there was a $250 deposit needed. I gave her my debit card, as I do not believe in credit cards. She informed me that they don't accept debit cards, only credit. I called the main Budget #, and spoke with Natasha. After explaining that never was I informed of needing a credit card to reserve or use their vehicle, she put me on a brief hold. After a few minutes, she came back on and said there was nothing she could do but cancel the reservation. So, 15 hours before my trip is to start, I am without a car! I had to walk in the rain to the Enterprise, which is about a block away, where I got a car immediately, and even better, for only $50 more! I will NEVER use Budget again.

Never again! I’ll pay more to rent a car from another company before ever renting from Budget! First, I was supposed to get an upgrade, never got it. Second, there wasn’t an after hrs drop off, so I was charged an extra day to return the next morning. I booked and paid online, after returning the car, I was charged even more on my credit card. The car was spotless and I returned it with a full tank of gas. I’ll never rent another car from Budget! And I rent several times a year, so your loss Budget!

Worst experience I have ever had. Told car was in spot X, there was no car in that spot. Back to counter to get another, supposed to get Nissan Altima, nope, it was a Kia. Return car, leave keys in cup holder, now they claim they can’t find keys. Will NEVER rent from them again.

Phone calls go to outsourced call centers and those poor people have no insight. I can’t think of a worse experience than a long term rental from low Budget. They gave the car away, then the next was electronically devoid of controls. Then their malicious contract system played games with the contract after 30 days to add numerous additional costs. So far 5 phone calls, several transfers and declaration of fraud on my credit card. Shun Budget Rental Car. 1000% not worth the grief.

We had a reservation. Budget wouldn't accept the rental when we landed. All the other car rentals were unable to provide cars due to Labor Day weekend. We are now stranded in Colorado Springs. We had to cancel our 650$ hotel rental.. And now we have to cancel our 580$ airplane tickets. I will not be using Budget ever again. I will suggest everyone I know to do the same.

When picking up the car, it was obvious that the car had never been cleaned after the previous renter. We complained and the attendant ran it through the car wash. But the inside still had dog hairs, food crumbs, and smelled like **. Every time we would get back in the car we had to open all doors to let the air out. We called twice to complain and get a new car. They said there was none available but we could disrupt our trip and go to different local rental locations and try and find one. WHAT!!!! They should have delivered one to us. When dropping back off, ALL MANAGERS WERE IN A MEETING. No one could help us. We left our number to get a call. But it never happened. Worst rental experience we've ever had.

If I could give zero stars, I would. Rebecca at the Barstow branch absolutely made my whole rental experience horrible. She was rude. Just outright mean, they did not have the car that I had rented so she was rude to me because they didn’t have the car charged me more to put me in the only car that they had. I couldn’t get the car started. I was unaware that it was a hybrid. I went in and told her and she said, "Are you serious and went out there? It’s a hybrid" and walked away not "Have a nice day. Thank you for spending $300 here at Budget. We appreciate Your Business." It was absolutely the opposite. It was something I will never forget. I will never be coming back to Budget because of this person. I will say that the customer service over the phone with customer care was phenomenal.

Made a booking for 1pm. Came to airport at 12:45pm. Online still at 1:53pm with 17 people in front of me. 2 people working desk on a holiday weekend. I will never rent from here again. To pre register system doesn’t allow me and fellow customers on line.

Returned the vehicle four hours late and was charged an extra day on top of an additional late fee. Seems like double Jeopardy and ridiculous to me and then things on my receipt for additional services, such as tolls weren’t adding up and when I questioned it, they told me it was just taxes included. We are talking 40 to 50% increases that they call just added tax. These people are all criminals, multiple times I have dealt with them and I think I finally learned my lesson. They hide fees, add fees, and then tell you their system can’t change them and it just is what it is. Get your credit card companies involved and Dispute charges.

Budget Rental is a scam and will find any way to overcharge you for things that make no sense. My rental time was 2 days and budget charged me for allegations of have the vehicle over the return time which didn’t make sense because the time they said I had the vehicle was when I was boarding my flight. I provided time stamps of the vehicle return date and time and was told by multiple people that I would not get a refund despite the documentation showing I returned the vehicle with a full tank, no scratches, and on time. The communication is poor from customer service to the in person reps. I was told to leave the key in the car which started all of this. The reps spoken to were Aphiwe, Hailey, Shameeka and were very unhelpful. I spoke with a supervisor finally and got refunded half my money because the documentation were sufficient.

We recently rented a vehicle at Everett Washington Budget Rental. When picking up the vehicle I specifically asked the guy doing the paperwork what I needed to do to return the rental. He said make sure it’s full of gas if not they will charge you 9.89$ a gallon. I then said that’s all I have to do and he again said yes. We turned this vehicle in on August 8th a full day before we were supposed to. In the parking lot there were two ladies cleaning all the returned vehicles and she said I could leave the keys with her so I did. I asked her what I needed to do to get refunded for turning it in a day early. She asked if I did prepay and I said yes. She then said because I did prepay I couldn’t get refunded.

I prepaid for a rental car at Budget at the MCO airport. The car had several issues liftgate would not open. Brakes were not in good shape and it had been previously hit so it had damage. I was very surprised when I returned the car eight hours early and got a receipt that added another $237 on me even though I had prepaid in full for the rental. I had used budget several times before and will never ever use them again. Renters of budget vehicles beware.

Entire experience was terrible. I booked directly through Budget for my car rental and showed up at the scheduled time. There were no cars available. I was told to call later and check on when one was available, instead of them calling me. I had to Uber back later that day once I called and one was available. Then the phone customer service was even worse. I returned the car a day early and did not get refunded for that amount, so I called about that. I was told they would refund $1.00. When asking them if there was anything else they could do with the issues just to pick up the rental and not being refunded for the early return, they agreed to refund for a days charge. Then they could not process the refund because it wasn’t in the 48 hour window yet. He told me to call back and said he had a note on file for the refund to be noted and guaranteed I would not have to repeat the whole process again.

First and last time I can say. I have a problem with the receipt because it's so confusing and unclear, and I need to use the receipt to do reimbursement for my business trip. I called them 3 times for 3 different phone numbers. The last number I dialed out, I finally had a chance to talk to someone, then I asked her to clarify, she said please wait for her, after I waited a few mins the line got cut.

I've ever had with the rent a car company! I reserved and paid online that morning. Also, I left a $250 deposit. When I get there first I'm told they don't have any cards for me then he came back and said they ran a soft credit check on me and I need to use my credit card. I explained there isn't a $250 on my credit card then he told me to call Budget and get a refund only to find out that it can take 3 to 10 business days before I receive my refund. Oh, I caught a Lyft to pick up this car. I had to catch a Lyft to get back home, all for nothing!!!

Updated on 08/27/2025: UPDATE AS OF 8/27 I was forced to challenge the no show fee on my Credit Card. They also took down their response to my initial review which I find telling. For your own sake, do not use Budget Bloomington. Read through the rest of my review to understand why this is your worst option available in the area. They will lie to you and not rent you a car that you reserved and be exceptionally rude about. It is also worth noting that their office, if you can even call it that, is absolutely filthy. You will feel like you need a shower after going inside.

If I could put zero stars, I would. Had to cancel my reservation weeks before it was to take place. Budget charged me 50.00 cancellation fee. I will NEVER use them again EVER. I will also make sure that everyone knows about this policy. With so many other options and practices such as this it is only a matter of time before Budget no longer exists.

Budget Car Rental overcharged me despite returning my rental on time. My contract return date was August 6, 2 PM. I returned the car as agreed, left the keys inside, and the attendant confirmed. A week later, I was wrongly charged $1,407.47 for “not returning” the car. After I provided proof (flight info, parking receipt, license plate mismatch), Budget admitted their mistake and refunded $829.26. But their math is still wrong:

I absolutely had a horrible experience with Budget this time. That extra money I paid to get a reliable company definitely didn't pay off this time. I found a bloody bandage that was on the floor. Candy all over. They didn't even take the time to clean after the The previous renter. The car from the outside it was really dirty as well. I will definitely won't be booking with them again and especially not recommending anybody to book with them. Especially the bloody bandage that could possibly even carry diseases is disgusting.

I rented the car for 3 days prepaid so I know what I'm paying for. Return the car. The guy that received at the parking lot said everything was fine. They email me a receipt. Charge my card 164 dollars more apparently for insurance. When I got off the plane I call them right away. They I would get a refund within 2 weeks. Never did, call again. They I agreed to that insurance, check your receipt before you leave because you won't see no refund. Never renting from this company again.

I reserved a SUV for pickup in Atlanta on 8/15/25 form the Courtland St location. Upon arrival they were completely sold out. Cayce, was the agent that assisted me. He apologized but offered me a smaller SUV. Because I was moving my college graduate home from college the smaller SUV didn't work for me. Cayce and Jarva both agents in downtown, apologized again and arranged for me to pickup a larger SUV at the airport. This was a major inconvenience for me, but what was I to do?

Rented a car for my vacation, arrived at the airport to pick it up and was told that they overbooked and I'd be reimbursed for my Uber to my hotel and back the next morning. My hotel was 45 minutes away, they assured me that this would be covered. I waited for surge to subside thinking that's a lot for them to have to reimburse. Next morning desk tells me to call customer service to get the refund, after several calls they say policy is $50 Uber reimbursement. This company is a joke, 5 different people told me that I would be fully reimbursed. I should have checked reviews first. Never again.

Just don't. The potential savings in cost are not worth the hassle. I rented a small SUV to travel from VA to NY. We were barely on the road before the tire pressure light came on. The rear tire was supposed to be at 33 psi and it was at 11. Since we were already on our way, we just continued to refill it as we went along. We continued this for 5 days before the other rear tire also started losing air so fast that we couldn't keep up with refilling it. When I called customer service, I was told to go to a different Budget location and swap the car there. Once we found another location, the gentleman at the counter was very brusque, to be kind. No greeting, just, "Is the gas tank full?" It wasn't so we had to leave, find a gas station, fill up and go back to the store. Once I got back, again, not even a greeting and never an "I'm sorry for your inconvenience."

We arrived at the Portland airport Budget Rental. It took an hour to get through the line to pick up our rental car. We were told to go to some benches and they would bring our car to us since it was being cleaned. We waited for half an hour. My husband seen it in the distance from us with another man driving away with it. They double booked our car. Fast forward to the car that was the replacement. The car was roomy (2023 Hyundai Santa Fe). We could barely see out the windows because of the lack of cleaning. We were on the highway and it wobbled so bad and had a clunking noise when we turned the car. We returned it to another location to trade it out. Another hour out of our vacation time. Very frustrating experience.

The experience was not an experience but a time to forget. It was supposed to be a celebration day with a trip with my extended family for my daughter’s birthday… Rental was paid in advance but car was not available with excuse of all cars have been recalled, but I was never informed. I was told I had to cancel my reservation to receive my money back, but have I cancel the reservation or was it cancelled on me? Hotel and park tickets in hand and not able to travel with family… My only option was to travel into my 2 separated cards and reduce time with family on the road trip planned. Basically my trip was ruined by Budget that did not care about any of it, not even for a call a day before to let me know that I wouldn’t be able to rent and returned my money, which I had to get in a call to get back.

If you rent a vehicle, and nothing goes wrong, you're golden. If you have ANY issues, no matter how little or huge, just know you will have the luxury of dealing with a person with a thick Middle Eastern accent, who has been trained to be less than tolerant to your problem. EMBARRASSING FOR AN AMERICAN COMPANY. Rent from any other company. I paid $544.00 to rent a vehicle for less than 20 hours. They were less than sympathetic that my vehicle was telling me that it needed serious service immediately. NEVER USE BUDGET OR AVIS. Complete scam artists!!! If you don't believe me and have to deal with anything outside picking it up and dropping it off, just be prepared to deal with Middle Eastern people that are incentivized to screw you over. The CEO of Budget/Avis should hang their head in shame.

The line to pick up the rental car took longer than our flight. The ceiling was leaking water only all of the customers. Elderly people needed assistance from other customers because they were unable to stand for hours on end.

I recently flew into Detroit to visit with family upstate Michigan. I had reserved and paid for a rental at MBS due to convenience of return. I was dropped off at MBS, sending my sister on her way, reassuring her I had a confirmation and had prepaid for my rental. Arriving at the rental counter, the customer in front of me was having an argument with a rather unpleasant agent. He expected a smoke free vehicle, but it reeked of cigarettes. Ugh! When I approached the counter and presented my confirmation, I was told that there were no vehicles available. She stated that overbooking was common practice, corporate had decreased their stock by 30%, etc. etc.

DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET CAR RENTAL! Worst experience I have ever had and I have rented a lot!! I booked online, paid in full, went to pick up from airport... car wasn’t ready, stood in line for 2 hours, car was dirty, had to clean the inside of windshield because I couldn’t see out… Smelled like **… trash still in floor. I will never ever rent from Budget again!! Save yourself some money and headaches and rent from any other car rental!! Honestly!!!

This company deserves 0 stars. From the time of picking up the vehicle to today when I have been on hold for over 2 hours. We rented an premier elite vehicle. Was told that it would be similar to a Grand Cherokee or tahoe. Got to the airport which the line was AWFUL and it took almost an hour and a half to get through. We were offered a Kia Soul or Toyota Rav 4. We needed a three row vehicle as we were traveling with 7 people to Disney. They ended up giving us a truck because that was the biggest vehicle that they had. It had scratches and dents everywhere enough that we took a video of the whole vehicle in fear of being charged for something we didn't do.

I rented a car from them to drive 1-way, for 1 day 7/29-7/30. Baton Rouge, LA to Decatur, AL. I had to pick up a new truck for my company. After dropping off the car I was told I would receive a receipt via email. I got the receipt for $178.90 and figured all was good. 2 days later I got a text saying the vehicle was not returned. I called and was told it was a mix-up because the clerk in Louisiana accidentally selected Decatur, IL for the drop-off. I was assured the issue was resolved. I used my company issued credit card to book-pay for this rental, and on 8/01 Budget charged my card for $1,638, then again on 8/3 for $1,781. I hadn't seen those transactions because JP. Morgan declined them.

Reserved a car months in advance for an LA trip. Got to Budget site to find 1.5 hour wait to get the car! Even tho I reserved a car they had few reps there. Most places have you go right to your car. This line and wait was ridiculous. When I asked the rep Is it always this backed up she said “ well, yea” and laughed! I will never rent a car from Budget again! This process is under engineered and no one seems to care people are spending a good chunk of their day standing in line.

Online rental booking process not smooth and had to be repeated several times before confirmation was received, even though this was a very straight forward booking in a mid-sized US city. Pick up and drop off was smooth. I received inaccurate information from an initial phone advisor prior to booking as well as from the gate agent on pick up regarding appropriate steps to take to ensure that the appropriate documentation that I needed would be obtained upon drop off. Upon drop off, once payment was confirmed, it was only then that I was told that I would not be able to receive payment documentation as initially requested, only after payment was already posted to my credit card.

I’ve rented cars many times, but this was my worst experience. Reserved a Standard Elite Electric SUV at Tampa Airport and was given a small Hyundai Ioniq sedan instead, then forced to pay for an “upgrade” and extra insurance I didn’t need. Misleading, non-transparent, and not recommended.

The customer service from the Jackson location, was excellent, the car made it to my drop off location in Chicago without any problems. Also, the customer service was amazing in Chicago. This company can most definitely count on my business. THE RATES are amazing, my deposit went directly back on my card after returning the vehicle.

Had to pick a time for pickup and waited 2 hours in like when it reached our turn in line they did not have our car ready, workers are rude. Requested manager after waiting another 45 minutes and told us we had to walk to get one with attitude. DO NOT GET A CAR HERE.

Terrible service at airport. Waited 60 minutes for a dirty car with 40000 miles on it and then the complaints process was even worse. Stay away from Budget. Far away. Will never rent again from them. I have rented cars my whole life. This experience was terrible.

We reserved a car a month prior to our trip to Seattle, Wa. After traveling all day from Panama City beach, Fl, we went to the Budget counter and got in line with 20 others. NO ONE working behind the counter. After about 20 minutes, someone showed up and I asked why there was no one working. She said, "We are out of cars"!!! This should be illegal!!

Currently waiting in an extremely long line with a reservation at Denver Airport location. Reps are rude, no clean cars, manager came out, saw the long line and went back to somewhere in the back never to be seen again. DO NOT book with Budget!!! From what we are hearing from the counter, the cars that we have rented are not available. Save time and forget Budget!!!! I even went through Costco thinking it would be reputable place but BUDGET sucks!!!! Been waiting in line an hour!!!

Beware, do not rent from 27900 Chagrin location a Franchise. The owner gave misleading information pertaining to renting a vehicle, discriminated and against ** Females upon entering the establishment and proceeded to belittle our intelligence. He is an ** always. Gave preferential treatment every ** male that walked in.

Budget called two days before trip and cancelled saying they had no vehicles available. There was no attempt to rectify the situation and the representative's attitude was most unsatisfactory when I objected.

Booked a month in advance. After 28 hours of flights etc... nothing was ready, different car, Child seat NOT ready. It took over an hour, to have the seat installed. The car we reserved, was not available, we got a car that I didn't fit in. I rode sideways, in the backseat. None of my corporate discounts were honored. Almost $500 for 1 day, in Europe. Never.... EVER AGAIN. Car was badly hail damaged, which I was also questioned about.