Budget Rent-a-Car was established in 1958 with a fleet of only ten cars in California. Budget is available in all 50 states and offer some great features such as online check-in, e-toll, and roadside assistance. Budget has a wide variety of cars to choose from. They offer a selection of both economy and luxury cars. Budget also has a low payment feature available to those who pay ahead of time.

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The Good

Available in All 50 States
Competitive Prices
Airport Locations
Online Check-In

Available in All 50 States

Budget is easily available is all 50 states. This gives Budget an advantage over its competition, who typically have locations in 23 states or less. It also offers an advantage to the customer, who can find a Budget location much easier, especially when traveling.

Competitive Prices

Rental prices for both economy and luxury cars are low in the car rental industry. This makes it affordable for more customers when traveling or those who just need a car temporarily.

Airport Locations

The company has rental counters at most major airports throughout North America. Anywhere your plane lands, there is a Budget counter available. This is very convenient for travelers looking to rent a car right from the airport. They also have locations outside of the airports so locals can rent cars without having to go through the airport office.

Online Check-In

Budget does not offer online check-in, but they do offer something called FastBreak that makes checking in faster than standing in line. FastBreak does this by keeping your information-including your signature, digitized when you make your online reservation, making it easy for you to cut right through the counter line during the pickup process.

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The Bad

No Instant Return
Roadside Assistance
No On-Site Fuel Discount

No Instant Return

With Budget, all cars have to be returned in person. You cannot return the car without waiting in line and leaving the keys in the car. This is standard for car rental companies but with Budget's size and length of time in business, instant return is an option they could offer if they wanted to.

Roadside Assistance

Budget offers a roadside assistance service that covers the following:

Key Replacement
Lockout Service
Jump-Start
Flat Tire Assistance or Tire Replacement
Fuel Delivery

The problem is that there is no flat daily rate available for this service. Budget says the daily service charge is subject to change. Most rental car companies offer a flat additional price for this, such as $5 per day. With Budget, you won't know the price until the last minute which is unpredictable-and maybe unaffordable.

No On-Site Fuel Discount

Budget does not offer an on-site fuel discount, but their four easy fuel service options include options that minimize the amount you pay if they use the pump on-site. With Budget, you will never pay more than $13.99 for the fuel service charge if you return the car less than fuel if you select their EZ Fuel service. Budget is an environmentally conscious rental agency. About half of its fleet has a fuel efficiency rating of 28 miles per gallon or better on highway. This means that renters are not only doing a little good for the environment, but are also saving themselves a little cash in gas expenses.

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The Bottom Line

Budget is one of the most popular rental companies in the industry with locations in all 50 states and major airports. If convenience is a factor, this is a viable option for you, (if you're an AARP or Fastbreak rewards member, they offer many benefits and savings, too). As far as the cheapest option, Budget is lower priced than other car rental companies in the industry. Their additional features are also slightly higher than you might find with other rentals. If you do choose to rent with Budget, proceed with caution, you may find yourself paying for additional features, even if you didn't want them. Make sure to ask clear questions and state your preferences.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

3.5

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142 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

32%

4 grade

30%

3 grade

13%

2 grade

1 grade

20%

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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Service

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Trustworthiness

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Amanda Fairbanks Payson, UT

Always clean quick and easy process to rent with Budget! Have used several times on vacation and always very happy

1 month ago

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Lisa Schofield Salt Lake City, UT

Friendly helpful staff. A lot of cars to choose from. Clean cars on the inside and out.

2 months ago

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Joannetta Jarman Secaucus, NJ

We use budget a lot for storage and for truck rentals. They always have good deals and clean facilities.

2 months ago

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Van M. Orem, UT

I liked the price when I had to rent a car to go on a work trip. The car worked great and the people were nice.

2 months ago

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Mark Troxel Provo, UT

I have used Budget car rental service while traveling. I always shop around and book through mass car rental sites, I have used them when they have had the best deal. I have found their cars to be of good quality and they usually have a large variety of cars.

2 months ago

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Landon Badoni Montgomery, TX

Overall Budget is a great option! There have been just a couple instances of less than desirable customer service, but the price point kinda balances out. Usually the adage "you get what you pay for" holds true... But in the case of Budget I usually get much more than I bargained for in a good way.

2 months ago

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Carol Knight Salt Lake City, UT

Budget car rentals have consistently proven to be the best value when we are renting a car.

2 months ago

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Ginny Tremayne Logan, UT

When we travel and need a rental car, we try to reserve one with Budget. We were able to rent one that accommodated us, two grandchildren and their parents. All of us were very comfortable.

5 months ago

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leilani's life West Jordan, UT

We always use budget when we travel we find they are the best price and the most reliable.

5 months ago

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Maverick Denhalter Salt Lake City, UT

I didn’t like budget at first when compared to enterprise, but it is so much more affordable and I feel like I can trust them. And though I’ve had one iffy experience, I’ve never been tricked into or forced to pay their extra fees.

5 months ago

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keiontai henry Tallahassee, FL

My father always uses budget when he needs a rental car to travel long distances such as picking me up from college. The prices are always affordable and the car is always spacious enough to fit my items from school.

5 months ago

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Alyssa Hansel Tallahassee, FL

The budget is a super great and connivent service. I used this service when my car broke down, and they delivered the car to me and were super friendly!

5 months ago

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Summer Veillon Baton Rouge, LA

We rented with Budget once out of town while traveling. Fast easy and polite customer service.

5 months ago

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Lisa Meese New Philadelphia, OH

We were charged $414.53 for a 1 day rental because we had to pick our dogs up from boarding on our way home from the airport. We didn't have time to sweep it out before returning the car because we had to work the next day. I was quoted $77.68 to rent the car for 1 day. I could understand a $50 charge for cleaning but $336.91 to sweep a car out is beyond outrageous. I will never rent from Bodget again!

6 months ago

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Leeta Orem, UT

We were very pleased with our latest rental through Budget. Their service was quick and easy. The car was excellent. Over all we were very pleased with our experience and would use them again.

6 months ago

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Morgan whiting Salt Lake City, UT

We use budget all the time. We love to rent vehicles on vacay and they always have great prices and service.

6 months ago

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MiKE McWilliams Little Rock, AR

Have not found their rates to be competitive in recent y ears; however, found them dependable cars in years gone by.

6 months ago

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Irinna Danielson Riverton, UT

I first looked to Budget as the rental company for us after having a family friend who worked there while I was growing up. He always helped us when we needed to rent a 15 passenger van or a bigger truck to hauling things or to help take care of large parties traveling. The trust that developed as I watched my parents use Budget has stayed with me and when we need good service at a great value, I continue to turn to Budget. And, besides the vans and bigger vehicles, they also give good prices on regular sized vehicles. The brand is a good one and it's one my family has trusted for years.

6 months ago

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Esmeralda C Sylmar, CA

I use Budget whenever i need a rental for my roadtrips and love it. I always get amazing deals.

6 months ago

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AF ,

We've had pretty good experiences with Budget. I like that you can usually find a promo or deal on their website when you're looking to book.

6 months ago

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Dayna Salt Lake City, UT

We have had several good experiences with Budget Car rental. Our car is always decent and clean but nothing extra special. It’s usually a pretty good deal for the cars we get.

6 months ago

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Tagg Ogden, UT

I have used Budget a few times. Most of the time they are really good, but sometimes they don't have the inventory I requested and they "upgraded" me to a car that gets horrible gas mileage.

7 months ago

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Brittany Wilkinson Herriman, UT

Recently we went on vacation and needed to rent a car. Budget car rental had a big enough car for our large family and it was a great price. We will always check with Budget for our rental car needs.

7 months ago

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KnarasN Draper, UT

We use the budget ten minutes from our house and have never been disappointed. Their customer service has always been great and friendly.

7 months ago

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Dre35 West Valley City, UT

Exactly what the company is called. It's a great deal! And I feel like there's always a promo code that can get you an additional 10-20% off. Love it!

7 months ago

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Steve Jones Riverton, UT

My experience with my local Budget was awesome. We used them while our car was in the shop. They were kind, courteous, and helpful - a great representation of the company's values. Will use them again the next time we're in need of a rental!

1 year ago

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Swagmom Lake Worth, FL

I rented a compact car; four doors and seats five, and I was given an economy car; two doors and seats 4. My son pointed out that since his brother decided not to travel with us, we should just leave it, so I did. But getting in and out of that back seat was too challenging for the seniors I was staying with. Also, at the end of my five days, I called to price adding two more days and was quoted $79.34, even though their website showed a new rental at $53 and change. The kid on the phone told me if I wanted that price I needed to go back to the airport and return the car and get a new rental. So I went back to the airport and returned the car and walked next door to Enterprise to pick up my new two day rental.

1 year ago

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Myken , UT

We used Budget Rental Car on a recent family vacation and the customer service was excellent, very helpful and the price was so affordable.

1 year ago

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Jeremy Webb Dallas, TX

I have used Budget couple times with my business along with some other truck competitors and I really enjoyed my experience with Budget. The trucks I have received to rent were in great condition and had no issues. My only complaint is that we don’t have many locations around my location that offer the truck rentals which is what I mainly use. Employees are nice and helpful in finding whatever you need.

1 year ago

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Nicole Jones Sandy, UT

Budget Rental in Las Vegas has the best service! I travel to Las Vegas quite often for work and find the location to be conveniently located, the staff helpful, and the process simple. Great level of service for a minimal price tag!

1 year ago

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Dwhoush New Orleans, LA

Their customer service is good at time and bad at times. Their vehicles aren’t always the best quality nor are they always clean.

1 year ago

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Erin Glendening New Orleans, LA

The trucks Budget provides can hold a lot of objects and a good amount of weight. They have pretty fair prices.

1 year ago

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Kimi Bayles West Valley City, UT

I loved using Budget on my business trip. I got a great car without breaking the bank. There was an employee who walked me out to my car, showed me everything I needed to know and got me going. Thanks for the great service at a great price!

1 year ago

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James Conder Eagle Mountain, UT

I have used Budget for rentals car a lot for my work travels. Always had a clean car, full tank of gas, and no damage waiting for me when I arrived. Customer service was always amazing when using Budget, no matter which city or state I was in.

1 year ago

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take7 Sandy, UT

Check in and out sometimes is a hassle and they take a while but the price and size of the car couldn't be beat that time around and so it was fine.

1 year ago

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Mike e Lakeland, FL

Deceptive practices associated with recent truck rental in St Augustine. Added additional insurance coverage to my bill after I declined it at counter

1 year ago

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mccandless24 Kaysville, UT

We were on our way to pick up our rental and received a call stating they did not have a vehicle for us and that it would be an hour more. After an hour and a half passed we called and were told they still had nothin this time saying they didn’t know when they would get one.... after 5 HOURS of waiting we finally were told something similar to what we booked was there. I was grateful we planned ahead and booked a day before we had to go so that the late time did not mess up our vacation BUT budget did Nothing to compensate the ordeal we had to go through. Would not recommend.

1 year ago

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Kayle Wilds Eagle Mountain, UT

Cheap prices and they have a military discount that we were able to use to make it cheaper.

1 year ago

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Stephanie Love Herriman, UT

I have used budget several times and I haven’t had any complaints yet. The cars are always clean and I’ve got the car I requested or in some cases they have upgraded me to a nicer vehicle. The customer service has always been great and haven’t had any headaches or long lines to have to wait in. They were quick and professional.

1 year ago

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Robert Wilson Rockville, MD

I use budget when I travel in the US. They are almost always the cheapest rental car available. Their cars are a good variety of current cars. They get you in and out very quickly especially at Denver International Airport - their service is awesome. I would recommend using them in the US - I have not had the chance to use them internationally. Great value for the money.

1 year ago

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Ben Pipes ,

I have used budget several times and have always had a positive experience. Customer service had been excellent.

1 year ago

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David T Ogden, UT

I rented from Budget and they tried to change the car on me because they didn't have any available that I had reserved. The car got bad gas mileage but they didn't seem to care.

1 year ago

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Dette Phoenix, AZ

The car I rented was only able to be taken to 4 specific states, not including where I was going. This was not disclosed online when reserving. The personnel at the counter did find a work around. But that took almost 3 hours and driving across town and trading cars. They also tried to increase the price to almost double what was quoted online. I insisted on being given the online quote. They said they couldn't change it and I just kept showing them my print out and insisting. It did work out ok in the end but I will not use Budget again.

1 year ago

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Kaitlyn Rios Ogden, UT

Budget has the best cars for cheap. They have convenient reservations and easy check out. The contracts are easy to read and I feel that we get great cars to drive. Overall, I value Budget over all others simply on price!

1 year ago

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Nicholas Genes Los Angeles, CA

I use budget when renting local moving trucks. They have good rates for day and weekend use.

1 year ago

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Audrey Mitchell Managua, MN

I used Budget that my insurance paid for while my actual car was getting fixed. The car ran great and was nice!

1 year ago

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Annie Robbins Pleasant Grove, UT

We recently rented from Budget on our vacation to Florida. There was not a mini van as we had requested when we got there late at night. The agent went out of their way to have another car cleaned quickly for us to have and helped make sure we stayed within our budget for the bigger car. Great service!

1 year ago

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Justin Riggs Salt Lake City, UT

Used many times for travel. Never had a bad experience. Priced well and good cars to choose from for any size needed.

1 year ago

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amy rex ,

Value is great, but I always have to wait in long lines. The small price for their preferred members is worth it.

1 year ago

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Bryndie Managua, MN

Horrible company. The customer rep was extremely rude. The rules you read on their website are completely different than the ones at the desk when you’re trying to get the car you already paid for. Very schemy company and very rude. Do not use this rental car company.

1 year ago

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