Budget Car Rental Ireland Reviews 567

TrustScore 3 out of 5

3.2

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Most reviewers were somewhat happy with their experience overall. Many customers found the staff to be polite, friendly, and efficient, both at the counter and during car collection and drop-off. People often praised the service for being quick and hassle-free, with many appreciating the good condition of the cars and the competitive pricing. Some customers also noted the convenience of the office locations. However, some people were dissatisfied with the payment process, citing unexpected charges for insurance, fuel, or pre-existing damage. Several reviewers mentioned issues with deposits, particularly the high amounts or restrictions on card types. There were also instances where customers felt overcharged or experienced difficulties with staff, describing some interactions as rude or hostile.

What people talk about most

Service

Reviewers mention ambiguous feedback about service. Many customers praise the efficient, friendly, and quick... See more

Staff

People report ambiguous experiences with staff. Many customers praise the staff for being helpful, friendly,... See more

Price

Customers consistently note ambiguous experiences with price. While some reviewers praise the great and... See more

Payment

Users describe negative interactions with payment, frequently reporting unauthorized charges and difficulty... See more

Location

Clients share ambiguous opinions on location. Many customers found locations like Cork Airport, Dublin... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

I have always used Budget when holidaying in Ireland. And i always pay the extra for the full insurance. This time though (July '25), I booked thru' Ryanair (as they were cheaper than booking dir... See more

Company replied

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

They charged me double petrol price for not filling up fully. We had a good reason to not fill up, that's on us, but I expected some appripriate fee or a slight markup. To charger literally double the... See more

Company replied

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

The staff were polite, friendly, efficient and professional both in the office and on the ground. I would have given a 5star review if it wasn't for the insurance 'scam' that exists with car hire... See more

Company replied

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

The service I received was great, however... The single member of staff at the booth was under uneccesary pressure given she was the only person on duty. She was incredibly polite, courteous and patie... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Car rental service
  2. Car rental company

Information provided by various external sources

Low Cost Car Hire with Budget Car Rental Ireland from Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Shannon, Galway, Kerry, Killarney and Knock. Airports and city centre locations.


Contact info

3.2

Average

TrustScore 3 out of 5

567 reviews

5-star
4-star
3-star
2-star
1-star

Replied to 100% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 1 week

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Car hire was ideal today friendly pick up when you…

Car hire was ideal to pick up when you land staff friendly MY ONLY BUT IS when you drop car off it parked with lots of other cars no one to check the car in you then take key back to office in the only hope nothing happens to the car after you leave it as you will be back home

31 January 2026
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Hi Martin,
We really appreciate your 5-star review of Budget Car Hire Ireland!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Everything perfect

21 January 2026
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Hi Rudigoz,
Thank you for your wonderful review, but you have left us a 1-star rating. If you enjoyed your experience with us, would you mind increasing your rating?
If you have any queries, or if there is any aspect of your rental you would like to discuss, please email webteam@budget.ie

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I Avoid these Peolple are dishonest Crooks

I Recently used Budget at
Farranfore. I returned the car 3/4
Full as advised by staff when I
picked it up.
Yet I was still charged for a full tank
109 euros. They claim the tank was empty
I was also charged for windscreen
cover 22 euros. I didn't ask for this.
Basically they stole 130 euros from my credit card hoping I wouldn't notice.
This is the second time this has happened to me at Budget .
My advice is avoid this company.
They will rip you off 100%

24 January 2026
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Hi James,
I can see that you have already been in touch with our customer service team, and they have explained that no fuel charge was applied to your rental.

As your car was only 3/4 full on pick up, a hold was placed on your card, which included a fuel deposit of €109. When you returned your rental, this deposit was released back to your account.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Excellent: personnel on desk , condition and maintenance of car - tyres new , windscreen fluid full etc . Drop off personnel both efficient and helpful . I hire cars frequently in Europe - this outfit stood out .

3 January 2026
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Hi F,
Thank you for your wonderful review and 5-Star rating!!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Was charged approximately £250 over the…

Was charged approximately £250 over the agreed price. At the desk I declined any of their ‘extras’ but subsequently they were all added to my final bill. Stupidly I signed the agreement form as I trusted the representative at the booking desk. I didn’t think for one minute that any of my requests would be ignored. Once the signature is signed I don’t have a leg to stand on. A complete rip-off and tantamount to theft. Will never use them again.

20 November 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Hi,

We are sorry to see your review. Please email webteam@budget.ie with some more information on your experience, and we will look into this for you.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very helpful

Very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly staff. The car was clean, ready and easy to find. Returning the car was straightforward and all the documents were emailed to me. Good value and no hard sell to upgrade.

19 January 2026
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Thank you for your great feedback, Josephine!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very helpful friendly staff

Very helpful friendly staff. Excellent car

18 January 2026
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Thanks, Ron. We appreciate your kind review, and hope to see you again soon!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Professional team at Kerry airport

Professional team at Kerry airport, second time renting, as usual flawless.

13 January 2026
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Thanks, Brian,
We appreciate your 5-Star review and look forward to your next rental!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Car rental made easy

The budget/avis team make it so easy and quick to rent a car at cork airport, highly recommend

17 December 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Hi MM,

Thank you for your wonderful 5-Star review!!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Not nice at all as a First experience…

Not nice at all as a First experience with budjet.. I got in contact with the company through telephone and the guy that answered me, made me a deal that I thought was good . It was 500 euros for picking up the car at 11 am on the 24th of december and leaving It back on the 30th at 4.30 pm.or 5.00 pm(i wasn't sure at the time but on the 9th of december I confirmed 4.30 pm by email), with two child seets. Obviously I have emails sent that prove this ... When I arrived ,the girls that were working there asked me what time would I have being returning the car on the 30th and of course I said at 4.30 pm....So I paid and then I signed the contract trusting who I had on front. When I returned the car on the 30th at 4.25 pm with a full tank and the Bill was posted tò me I saw that there was and extra 80 euros on It. So I looked back on the contract I signed and I couldn't believe the fact that the return time they have written ,(when I was telling them that I would return the car at 4.30 pm as I told them even before the deal was made) was 11 am... So at that time, I realized that I have been cheated ... It Is not only for those 80 euros ... It Is the fact that you cannot trust them that made me really angry... I Know that I should have read what I was signing , and that Is my fault...but from now on I'd go by bus or some other way rather than booking a car with them

30 December 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Hi Daniel, Thank you for your feedback. We’re very sorry to hear about your experience and regret that it did not meet our standards. We would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this further and work toward a resolution. You can contact us on webteam@budget.ie

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Cost for additional day

I would first like to acknowledge the excellent staff at Dublin Airport, both at vehicle collection and drop-off. They were friendly, efficient, and genuinely helpful. Had it not been for the issue below, this would have been a 5-star experience.

Unfortunately, my rating is significantly impacted by the cost charged for an additional day’s hire. On the day the car was due to be returned, I called the office to ask if I could extend the rental by one day. I was told this would be no problem. The following day I returned the car without issue, dropped it off smoothly, and headed straight to catch my flight.

When I later received the invoice, I was extremely surprised to see that the additional day was charged at more than double my original daily rate. I had hired the car for six days and fully expected a modest increase for the seventh day, but given it was still within a single week, the scale of the increase was completely unexpected and poorly explained.

I replied to the invoice email to query whether anything could be done about the rate, but unfortunately received no response at all. The lack of follow-up or engagement only added to the frustration.

In summary: excellent frontline staff, but very disappointing pricing transparency and customer service when it comes to post-rental billing. Future customers should be very cautious about extending a hire without first confirming the exact cost in writing.

28 December 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Hi Will,
Thank you for your feedback. We’re very sorry to hear about your experience and regret that it did not meet our standards. We would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this further and work toward a resolution.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

car rental - Dublin airport

I have booked through Budget before and have found the process to be reasonably smooth and the vehicles of a good standard. The vehicle on this occasion was in a disappointing condition. I found that there was no screen wash when I hit the motorway, which can be dangerous in winter driving conditions. The boot cover was broken, the front seats were badly stained and the interior was poorly cleaned. I mentioned these points when returning the vehicle but have received no response as yet.

3 January 2026
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Hi Stephen,
What you're describing is quite unusual for us.

Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that your experience did not fully meet expectations, and we appreciate you highlighting where improvements are needed.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I have used Budget car rentals for the…

I have used Budget car rentals for the last couple of years. They have always been very helpful and friendly and value for money.

26 December 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Hi Elizabeth,
Thank you for your continued business and wonderful 5-Star review! We hope to see you again soon!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very friendly and very helpful lady at…

Very friendly and very helpful lady at the pickup location in Shannon!
Couldn’t ask for a nicer person!

She even walked out to show us the car and sprayed de-icer spray on the windows…!

Very good service!

3 January 2026
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Hi there,
Thank you for your outstanding 5‑star review. We’re delighted to know you had a great experience.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A very smooth car hire experience.

Friendly helpful staff. Spotless car and easy pick up and drop off. Excellent value for car hire over the New Year period. Will definitely use again.

3 January 2026
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Hi Catherine,
We appreciate your 5‑star rating and thank you for sharing your positive feedback.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent staff and service

Excellent staff and service, well done !!!!!

1 January 2026
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Hi Laurence,
We’re pleased to receive your 5‑star review and appreciate you choosing our service.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Very good thanks.

Very good thanks.

1 January 2026
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

thank you for sharing your 4‑star experience. We’re delighted you were satisfied with our service.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The reception staff at Cork Airport…

The reception staff at Cork Airport were great: professional, helpful and knowledgeable.

23 December 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Car Rental Ireland logo

Reply from Budget Car Rental Ireland

Hi Fiona,
We sincerely thank you for your 5‑star rating and for taking the time to leave a review

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