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1.4 / 5
Average user rating
362
Total reviews
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Read real experiences from customers of budget.co.uk.
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Charlotte Ellis
April 13, 2026
They don't want to give you the car but they'll take your money. I had pre-booked a car from Glasgow airport to return to Manchester Airport. I had paid and at the counter was told because I had scored 'amber' on their internal systems ID check I had to produce two utility bills. The utility bills at our home are all in my partner's name and the Budget representative would not accept bank statements, NHS, HMRC or any other correspondence that clearly show it was my address. I was given no indication why their system had marked me as amber and there was no common sense prevailing. The system said no so they kept my money and I didn't get a car. This also happened to the man in front of me who was refused his prebooked and prepaid car because his bank card showed only his first name initial and surname showed on his bank card (a very common thing) rather than his full name. Their policies are designed to catch you out and are quite frankly discriminatory unless you fit their norm of being the main bill payer of the house. I wonder if it was a man who came up with this policy.
Pablo
April 7, 2026
They denied my booking from EXPEDIA In Madrid AIRPORT and offer to buy from them a new booking.I'm fighting to get my money back and my rights. AVOID this company and rentals in EXPEDIA they don't take any responsability!
MS CARLA JAUREGUI
April 7, 2026
I rented a car (for the second time) from Budget/Avis car rental in London Battersea and the sales assistant was wonderful. He was super helpful as I arrived to pick up the car early. He really bent over backwards to make sure I was able to take my car early as I had a long drive ahead. This is my second good experience with this office as I previously used to go to Sixt but they always tried a hard sell, they would do everything possible for me to buy extras and upgrade the car and once I had to pay for a scratch that I did not do. None of this at Budget/Avis. Also super easy for me to drop off my car on my return which was after hours.
Matthieu
March 10, 2026
Stay away from these thieves.I am extremely disappointed and frustrated with the completely unacceptable service I have received from Budget.Over 12 days ago I returned the rental car in perfect condition. The staff member who inspected the vehicle confirmed there was no damage and everything was fine, yet Budget is still holding £300 of my money with absolutely no explanation.Since then, trying to contact someone has been nearly impossible. When you finally manage to reach someone on the phone, they simply tell you to communicate via email instead of actually helping resolve the issue. This is incredibly frustrating and feels like a deliberate way to avoid dealing with customers.To make matters worse, I was asked to provide proof that the £300 was taken from my account, which is ridiculous. Budget should already be able to see that they charged my card. Regardless, I still sent them a clear bank statement showing the payment, yet days later the money is still missing from my account and nobody seems to care.This situation is completely unacceptable. Holding onto a customer’s money like this without any proper explanation or urgency is disgraceful. That £300 is not small change, and the lack of communication and accountability from Budget is shocking.If this issue is not resolved immediately, I will have no choice but to escalate the matter and pursue legal action to recover my money.I strongly advise anyone considering renting from Budget to think twice, because based on my experience, once they have your money it becomes extremely difficult to get it back.
Richard Christmas
March 2, 2026
Absolutely a despicable company Budget car hire Heathrow Airport.I asked for basic insurance and wack me with Super Damage Waiver which was £400 they added this Super Theft Protection £79.07 never asked for that… some additional products what ever the heck that is £187.04. Location surcharge £174.42. See they hide the information until the end and then run through the agreement via a computer screen, they scroll through and tell you where to sign, and that’s it before you can double check anything they have you!! In my case that’s £1072.00 so over £800 in added charges for 11 days of hire. I only seriously knew this after I’d signed the agreement, when my wife informed me of the cost from Budget Car hire, back in Canada through our banking app. Yes it’s on the agreement, but they fold it in half so you see your details and car information. The price of the agreement is at the back page, it’s all very thought through via the salesperson.When I went to book it through Westjet, the price of the car was £205 (this all includes 20%VAT).After find out this price I was literally about to drive back 3 hours to the pick up / drop off point to returned the car and cancel the whole thing, try and deduce this horrendous cost, because when I was collecting the car I mentioned about possibly dropping the car off early by a day or two.The salesman assured me, that you only get charged for the day you use the car!! Well that’s a complete and utter lie!! I found this out by actually going through their terms and conditions, if you return early, for any reason they will still charge you for the day not used in the agreement!So this company is a con! It’s not a hire company, it’s a sales person looking after their own pocket!! This salesman was trying very hard to tell me not to fill up at the petrol station before dropping it off and let them do it!! This also is a huge con, it would have been another extremely expensive add-on £3:03 per litre. At the petrol / gas station it was £1:35 per litre.I honestly hope you go out of business Budget!! I hope everyone avoids you like the plague!! So for anyone that is reading this I’d beg you to listen and take note….. DO NOT USE BUDGET CAR HIRE!! EVER!! Worst company ever!! You have been warned!! As for me, this is my promise to you Budget you will never have my business ever again! None of my family will ever use you so you have lost their business.I will personally tell everyone that ever asks me about traveling to the UK from Alberta, and trust me that a lot of people in my line of work!! never to use Budget car hire!!
David
February 27, 2026
Without doubt the worst firm I have ever dealt with. I am in discussions with them currently about how they dishonestly added multiple products to my rental - which amounted to $1428 which they charged me. I received no communication on this until I check my credit card statement.
Ahmad Mustansir
February 10, 2026
Worst experience with Budget at Belfast Intl. AirportI have a UK driver's license for one year and booked Budget car for 2 days through Expedia. I arrived from Manchester at 11 PM to the revelation that I need at least 2 years of UK license is required to rent the car. This requirement was not mentioned in the T&Cs which generically mentioned that some areas of the UK might require more UK driving license experience. The Budget representative was unhelpful and we were unable to source help from him, or contact Budget customer support. We also could not request refund as they said that Expedia is yet to release funds.Had to rent an exorbitantly expensive car at that time of night from airport. Will not recommend at all.
Jacqueline Goodchild
February 7, 2026
I am extremely disappointed with my recent experience with Budget Rent a Car UK following a rental from London City Airport.At the point of vehicle collection, the Budget staff member clearly stated that the car already had damage and specifically confirmed that all alloy wheels were already scratched. This was said before I left the forecourt and in the presence of a witness. The rental agreement itself also records existing damage at the start of the hire.Despite this, after returning the vehicle I was contacted with an allegation of “new damage” and the implication that I would be charged. No detailed or itemised pre-rental inspection report was provided to me at pickup, so I am shocked that Budget believes it can fairly assess or attribute damage without having properly documented the vehicle’s condition beforehand.I also have contemporaneous video evidence taken at pickup showing the vehicle’s condition, which further supports that the alleged damage was pre-existing.Being accused of causing damage under these circumstances is both upsetting and unacceptable. I am currently disputing the claim and seeking the return of my deposit.Based on this experience, I would strongly advise customers to thoroughly document the vehicle at pickup and to be cautious, as Budget’s damage handling process appears unfair and poorly managed.Rental Agreement: 789087084
A Betts
February 1, 2026
I will never rent with this company again. They have charged me way more than on the invoice. When questioned about this customer service have deliberately avoided addressing that part of my email. When I returned the car they calculated that I’d driven hundreds of miles when I’d actually only driven about 30. They have also taken a further payment from my bank account over month after the rental, with no warning or notification of why. What began as a £250 rental is now way over £450 because they have just taken my money. Do not rent from these cowboys.
David Gorham
January 16, 2026
Fantastic friendly customer service on collection of the vehicle from Prab at the London Heathrow office 👌☺️ he made us feel so welcome after our flight and nothing was too much trouble. We would definitely use Budget again
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