Budget Car Rental Ireland Reviews 

Friendly service no fuss and over formality. Excellent car. Happy 😊 customer

Really quick check in and out and very well presented car

Highly recommend Budget car hire at Dublin airport,easy pick up and quick return with friendly staff,excellent car provided.Highly Recommend and look forward to booking again thank you.

The service at both pick up and return was great. Both were very easy with no problems. The car we rented was old and in average condition, but it drove well. We did have a service warning light come on and reported it to Budget. They organised a replacement vehicle and we swapped over.

Great service and a great price for car hire. The whole process was so easy, from picking the car up to returning it. The car was in excellent condition with no issues at all.

Quick and efficient service from the friendly gent at the counter, and there was no queue either! Would highly recommend and would definitely use them again.

Thank you! 🙌

The car had clearly been extensively damaged along the length of the passenger side on all panels, along with damage to the front and rear bumpers.
Budget had the arrogance of asking us to photograph the damage, knowing full well that it had been seriously damaged prior to hiring the car to us.
This car was not fit for hire.
When starting the engine, the car shuddered, the clutch was worn and the windscreen wipers made a screeching noise when in use.
These must have been all identifiable to Budget staff, so why did they place the onus on us to address these matters and request that we photograph the damage?
Clearly, there is no quality control within Budget, Dublin, which is a complete shambles. It took us over one and half hours to get the keys for the car, after waiting in an extensive queue to be served.
Customer service is a disgrace and Budget Car Hire should be avoided for the above reasons.

My friend and I had such a poor experience!!!!! We came thinking we were going to have a great time, but as we arrived to get our car they told us that we needed to have the insurance printed. As we didn’t have it printed, we suggested using our American Express for insurance, which they said they accept, but needed the physical card. I demonstrated photos of the card on my phone and the virtual card, that has all the information they would need, however they declined it and we had to pay the additional £200 I believe for their insurance. Such a scam and poor booking process and service! Would not recommend, the staff were not pleasant or helpful either

Rented an Intermediate Automatic car in Dublin (RA #DA939423). After delays and a vehicle downgrade (partially refunded €100), we were handed a car with an active tyre leak (warning triggered 20 min after departure) and a faulty emergency braking system. Budget refuses to compensate for these dangerous safety defects and degraded service. Escalating to ECRCS.

I have used Budget Car Hire many times over the years and apart from the cars being slightly older - it is a relatively straight forward process. This morning, I arrived to pick up the car at Dublin Airport, where I was met by a grumpy member of desk staff, ‘Shelly’ from the outset, she was unhelpful and pursed lipped, with passive aggressive tendencies. Clearly, Shelly has had enough of her job which was plain for us to experience as a client. Unhelpful, unfriendly and unapproachable- the manager of the section was too weak to deal with the situation, subsequently I cancelled and went to another car hire provider - a serious review of customer service is required to halt the further decline. I have obviously, failed to read the previous Google reviews but understand the many 1 star ratings !

Unfounded damage claim

Extremely disappointed with Budget Ireland. They attempted to charge me for alleged tyre and wheel damage that did not happen. Despite sending video evidence taken immediately at the drop-off showing the car completely intact, they dismissed it and kept my deposit blocked while ignoring follow-up emails. Very dishonest practice targeting customers who do not purchase full zero-excess coverage. Not recommended.
To this day, they have never provided any photographic evidence, check-in reports, or proof of the alleged damage."

Budget Car Rental Ireland cannot be trusted at all.

My rental car broke down on the second last day of my holiday in Ireland.
I paid for Budget's Roadside Assist and rang the emergency number and there was no answer.
I contacted them the next day and they advised me to leave the car where it was and to arrange my own way to the airport for my international flight.
They recovered the vehicle and maintained there was nothing wrong with it and therefore I was liable for towing and additional daily rental charges.
I disagreed and provided them with evidence the vehicle broke down. A date and time stamped photo, taken on my iPhone, of the emergency engine warning lights (definitive evidence of an engine malfunction).
I also highlighted discrepancies in their rental documents proving that they inspected a different vehicle when it was returned to their depot.
They also, failed to reimburse me for or explain what happened with the full tank of fuel.
They refused to answer my emails.
They ignored the fact that I paid for roadside assistance and did not receive it (they didn't answer the phone)
Ignored the fact that I paid them for insurance that covered any loss or damage, as the rental agreement provided for a nil excess liability.
Ignored the fact that I was acting on their instructions when I left the vehicle.

Our car broke down on on the M6 our way back to Dublin and was replaced within 90 minutes, which was great. Not so great was the payment extracted for a scratch on the car that we did not see (because we were on the side of a highway!) or was there before we received the car. No apologies for time lost/inconvenience and a lovely $700 bill for damage I am sure they will not fix.
Terrible customer service.

Friendly staff. Nice car.

I did not have a physical credit card, it's on my phone. The staff member at Belfast City airport refused to accept this for the deposit. I had a physical debit card which he initially said he would accept and then changed tact saying I needed to buy their full insurance even though I already have hire car insurance - they charged me £350 for a week which is , more than my annual insurance for a week, equivalent to over £18,000 pa. To add insult to injury the staff member was not only unhelpful but appeared to enjoy seeing a customer in a difficult situation .

As you were not there you are not in a position to comment on an individual's attitude.
It was plainly obvious that I was the main driver, I had my driving licence, debit card, passport, insurance etc.
I note you had the decency not to comment on the extortionate obligatory insurance.

friendly staff quick service. overall would recommend to anyone

Truly awful customer service and overall experience.

July 24th 11AM: I go to pick up the rental car at the downtown Budget Car rental office in Dublin, I am told that showing my Amex platinum car rental insurance is not enough, I need to show a letter from the company outlining my coverage with my name at the top. This was not advertised anywhere and was news to me. Since it was 6AM EST in Canada, I was unable to get Amex insurance on the phone. The agent told me that my only option was to pay for their third party coverage for 380 Euros. I was obviously not happy about doing this, but he assured me that once I drove the car to Galway, I could call Budget and go to the desk there to get the reservation updated or in his words: "they might have to end this reservation and start you a new one."
I decided that the risk of paying for the extra, unneeded insurance for one day was not that much of a problem, since I could reverse it once we got to Galway. 
July 24th: Approx 12:30PM: As I am driving to Galwayy, I finally get through to customer service on the phone to set up the plan for updated/cancelling the reservation in Galway, where Sean (a great customer service rep! this is not his fault) informs me that actually, no, the insurance I paid for was non-refundable and that there was no way to change the reservation, despite what I had been told. Of course I am not happy, and he assures me that he will take this up the ladder and send me an email later. 
July 25th-26th: No email comes through. 
July 27th-29th: Several emails back and forth where I am told that there is nothing that can be done. I repeatedly try to call in to the customer service line (5-10x per day), with no luck. Just a robo answering machine saying there are no available customer service agents. 
Aug 1: I return the rental to the Dublin airport and am told again at the counter that there is nothing to be done about this.
Had I known that this would have happened, I simply would have waited an hour or two for my credit card office in Canada to open when I was picking up the car. This ordeal ended up costing me almost triple what the initial reservation was going to cost. Not only did it cost me a great deal of money, but it also cost me the time and energy that I spent on trying to rectify the situation while on vacation with my family. 

Great experience with car rental out of Dublin airport - David Kenny at airport is extremely helpful, professional and friendly. Competitive rates and smooth, hassle free experience, even in July!

I made the mistake of changing rental car providers and choosing Budget. I rent approximately 15 vehicles per year, both for work and for vacations, and this is the first time I have had such a disappointing experience.

The main purpose of a rental car company is to provide a safe, reliable, and well-maintained vehicle. Unfortunately, the vehicle provided to us by Budget should never have been put into service.

Despite paying a premium price for this rental, I was given a vehicle with more than 90,000 km on the odometer. At this price level, I expected to receive a newer, well-maintained vehicle that met high-quality standards. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

From the beginning of our 10-day vacation rental, one of the tires was constantly losing air. We had to stop every day at a gas station to refill it. Even worse, the tire repair kit that should have been in the vehicle was missing.

The four tires were not even the same brand, which significantly affected the vehicle's stability. Driving on the road was a constant struggle to keep the vehicle in its lane, which is completely unacceptable for a rental vehicle.

In addition, there was a significant noise coming from the driver-side wheel bearing throughout the entire rental period, raising serious concerns about the vehicle's safety.

The overall condition of the interior was also unacceptable: the driver’s side armrest had been ripped off and was completely missing, and one of the rear seats was completely collapsed.

I am extremely disappointed that a vehicle in such poor condition was rented to customers. Better mechanical inspections and a complete vehicle check before each rental should be a priority to ensure customer safety and comfort.

I would like to point out that my comment is not directed at the agency staff, who were courteous and professional. The issue is strictly related to the condition of the vehicle that was provided to me.

After this experience, I do not recommend renting from Budget. When renting a vehicle for a vacation, customers expect to travel safely and comfortably, not to deal with mechanical issues every day. Paying a high price for a vehicle with more than 90,000 km in such poor condition is simply unacceptable.

J'ai eu la mauvaise idée de changer de fournisseur pour la location de voiture et de choisir Budget. Je loue environ 15 véhicules par année, autant pour le travail que pour mes vacances, et c'est la première fois que je vis une expérience aussi décevante.

Le principal objectif d'une entreprise de location est de fournir un véhicule sécuritaire, fiable et en bon état. Malheureusement, le véhicule qui nous a été remis par Budget n'aurait jamais dû être mis en circulation.

En plus d'avoir payé le gros prix pour cette location, j'ai reçu un véhicule affichant plus de 90 000 km au compteur. À ce niveau de tarif, je m'attendais à obtenir un véhicule récent, bien entretenu et répondant à des standards de qualité élevés. Ce ne fut malheureusement pas le cas.

Dès le début de notre location de 10 jours pour les vacances, un pneu perdait constamment de l'air. Nous avons dû nous arrêter chaque jour à une station-service pour le regonfler. Pire encore, le kit de réparation de crevaison, qui devait se trouver dans le véhicule, était absent.

Les quatre pneus n'étaient même pas de la même marque, ce qui nuisait grandement à la stabilité du véhicule. La conduite sur la route était un véritable combat pour maintenir le véhicule dans sa voie, ce qui est totalement inacceptable pour un véhicule de location.

À cela s'ajoutait un bruit important provenant du roulement de roue du côté conducteur pendant toute la durée de la location, ce qui soulevait de sérieuses inquiétudes quant à la sécurité du véhicule.

L'état général de l'habitacle était tout aussi inacceptable : l'accoudoir du siège conducteur avait été arraché et était complètement absent, tandis qu'un des sièges arrière était complètement affaissé.

Je suis extrêmement déçu qu'un véhicule dans un tel état ait été loué à des clients. Un meilleur contrôle mécanique ainsi qu'une inspection complète avant chaque location devraient être une priorité afin d'assurer la sécurité et le confort des clients.

Je tiens toutefois à préciser que mon commentaire ne vise pas le personnel de l'agence, qui a été courtois et professionnel. Le problème concerne uniquement l'état du véhicule qui m'a été confié.

Après cette expérience, je ne vous recommande pas de louer avec Budget. Lorsque l'on loue un véhicule pour partir en vacances, on s'attend à pouvoir voyager en toute sécurité, et non à devoir composer chaque jour avec des problèmes mécaniques. Payer un prix élevé pour recevoir un véhicule de plus de 90 000 km dans un état aussi médiocre est tout simplement inacceptable.

My husband and I, along with another couple, traveled to Ireland in July. We had reserved a rental car from Budget and was quoted a price of around $470 euros. It was supposed to be an automatic. I get there and they do not have the auromatic and want to charge me over 1200 euros for the one they have. I decline and agree to a manual. They started a new reservation and didn’t go by the original so without me realizing it, I’m suddenly paying double what I originally expected. The car- brakes were rubbing and it would barely come to a stop, I was charged a daily fee for use of the infotainment center and it didn’t work. I was also charged for every insurance option and roadside assistance- which I didn’t want because I had my own coverage. They charged me $8 a day to add my husband as a second driver.. which is fine but still a BS charge. This is bait and switch though, the way they voided my original reservation and then double charged me for a lesser vehicle. I tried to get assistance with the vehicle due to the issues it had and was continually referred to other budget centers- and no one helped. No one. They all pushed me off and the only thing they kept asking was “does it run”.. as if that’s all that matters. I will never use budget again. I suggest everyone be wary of using them. You will have hidden charges. You will not get a decent car. You will have a horrible customer service experience.

decent car for a fair price. great service. would choose again