Budget Car Rental Ireland is a leading provider of low-cost car hire services throughout Ireland, catering to both local residents and international travelers. With locations at major airports and city centers, including Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Shannon, Galway, Kerry, Killarney, and Knock, the company offers a convenient solution for those seeking reliable transportation during their stay in Ireland.
The company is committed to providing affordable car rental options, ensuring customers have access to a diverse fleet of vehicles suitable for a variety of travel needs. Budget Car Rental Ireland aims to deliver efficient service and a seamless booking experience, making it an ideal choice for individuals planning road trips or city breaks across the country. Whether traveling for leisure or business, customers can expect competitive pricing and a user-friendly rental process.
Budget Car Rental Ireland has a mixed customer experience.
Budget Car Rental Ireland receives mixed feedback from customers, with notable strengths and significant complaints. Many reviewers praise the service and professionalism of the staff, particularly at Shannon Airport, highlighting a smooth rental process without hidden fees.
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However, a substantial number of customers express dissatisfaction with the attitude of staff at various locations, particularly in Dublin, where they report rude service and long wait times. Issues with vehicle quality, such as receiving cars with pre-existing damage and unexpected costs, are also common complaints. Additionally, some customers feel misled by pricing, citing exorbitant charges that far exceeded initial quotes. Overall, while there are positive experiences, the negative feedback regarding service and transparency significantly impacts the overall sentiment.
Each source counts by its number of reviews. Only reviews written by people are scored.
Rating, volume, share of the score, six-month trend and fake-review risk for each source
Source
Rating
Reviews
Weight
6-mo
Fake risk
★
Trustpilot
Imported Trustpilot reviews
3.4
397
100%
● Low
3.4 / 5 overall
=
397 reviews across 1 scored source
How fake risk works ⓘ
Reputation trend
Monthly average rating from reviews written by people · latest review Jul 2025.
Last 3 months
1.4
12-month avg
1.4
All-time
3.4
Category avg
4.0
Monthly averageCategory average
Monthly average rating and review count
Month
Average
Reviews
Aug 24
1.2
5
Sep 24
1.8
6
Oct 24
—
0
Nov 24
1.0
3
Dec 24
1.5
4
Jan 25
1.7
6
Feb 25
2.0
4
Mar 25
1.1
8
Apr 25
1.0
3
May 25
1.0
6
Jun 25
1.7
10
Jul 25
1.0
3
What people praise & complain about
Share of positive (4–5★) and negative (1–2★) reviews mentioning each topic · based on the 397 most recent reviews.
Top praiseof 232 positive reviews
Customer service47%
109 mentions
Fast & efficient34%
78 mentions
Friendly staff29%
68 mentions
Helpful support25%
58 mentions
“Budget car rental Shannon airport
5 star
Excellent 👌 staff
Professional
No crap talk
Definitely recommend
Will be...”
On “Customer service” · Jun 24, 2025
Top complaintsof 153 negative reviews
Charges43%
66 mentions
Returns37%
57 mentions
Customer service37%
56 mentions
Payment issues33%
50 mentions
“We received a rental car that had a crack in the windshield that could not be noticed from the outside and could only...”
On “Charges” · Jul 8, 2025
How it compares
Same method for every company: overall rating, legitimacy checks, the average rating of reviews mentioning each area and the 6-month trend · Car Rentals.
Overall rating and review count for this company and similar companies
A notre arrivée à budget car rental, nous avons été accueillis par un employé hautain et désagréable, qui n’a fait aucun effort dans la communication, on se demande pourquoi il continue à travailler a... See more
We received a rental car that had a crack in the windshield that could not be noticed from the outside and could only be noticed once the windshield wipers started, which they did about 30 minutes int... See more
It’s was an absolute disaster, I was quoted €59. I knew it was going to be more when I got fully insured but not (€444)then had to get a car seat for €45 which was flirty.
Budget car rental Shannon airport
5 star
Excellent 👌 staff
Professional
No crap talk
Definitely recommend
Will be using again
Thank you girls at Shannon Airport
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A notre arrivée à budget car rental, nous avons été accueillis par un employé hautain et désagréable, qui n’a fait aucun effort dans la communication, on se demande pourquoi il continue à travailler auprès de touristes s’il n’apprécie pas cette démarche. Nous avons du prendre une assurance supplémentaire car nous n’avions pas de carte de crédit différé alors que cela n’était pas indiqué clairement lors de la reservation.
Au retour, la jeune femme qui nous a accueilli et a ouvert le bureau était dans un état d’énervement palpable, elle s’est montrée extrêmement désagréable.
À fuir absolument, sinon l’Irlande c’est merveilleux, les Irlandais sont sympa sauf chez Budget.
We received a rental car that had a crack in the windshield that could not be noticed from the outside and could only be noticed once the windshield wipers started, which they did about 30 minutes into our trip. At the counter they had told us to simply take pictures of any damage and it would be easy to rectify this. We called budget and they instructed us to return the car to Cork Airport where they could get us another. At cork, they commented that dublin had dumped their problems on them and were not joking and treated us as such. They kept insisting on showing us the initial damage report despite us telling them that we already knew that budget had missed the initial damage on the car. They charged us 660 euros to pay for a new windshield that we had not damaged. I appealed this twice and got no favorable response. Budget took the line that because they didn't notice it and we didn't notice it in the lot that we were responsible for it when it was clearly much more likely that good customers like us would not have noticed it until 30 minutes into our drive and that we did not cause it. I would not rent from budget.
It’s was an absolute disaster, I was quoted €59. I knew it was going to be more when I got fully insured but not (€444)then had to get a car seat for €45 which was flirty.
Budget car rental Shannon airport
5 star
Excellent 👌 staff
Professional
No crap talk
Definitely recommend
Will be using again
Thank you girls at Shannon Airport
I recently collected a car from Budget Car rental at Dublin airport. I have to say that the service (or lack of!) I received from 'John' on the service counter in the terminal was appalling. No customer care at all. He threatened to cancel my booking on two occasions just because I questioned the insurance and his reply to my questions. I was calm and spoke politely, but this guy was rude and should not be working in a customer facing role.
TAKE PICTURES OF THE CAR BEFORE YOU DRIVE IT AWAY!!
The photo of the car damage is not accurate and the Dublin Centre shop on Drymcondra Road tries to blame you when you return it. Disgusting!!
Luckily we had photos, with dates and times.
Be aware they also provisionally charged you an additional £2,500.00 for excess and collision damage.
El aspecto principal fue la mala educación y falta de amabilidad y empatía de la persona que nos recepcionó en las oficinas de Budget Dublín norte. Obviamente el idioma es un hándicap cuando ni el hablaba español ni yo perfecto inglés pero si tienes una actitud amable y con interés por ayudar y aclarar dudas no es un problema.
Terrible service at Budget counter in Dublin Airport
We waited for over 1.5 hours to get our booked vehicle in Dublin airport. When anyone books at the airport - they come after a long travel. Its not fair expecting them to wait for 1.5 hours. Very bad service. Long lines and insufficient service personnel. Will avoid budget from now on. Its a big mistake.
edited 02 July: Rented car from Sixt this time and got the best service and a better car! With Budget, its always a struggle as they book one and give another.
I have rented my car from Budget travel at Birmingham airport many times with never any issues, that was until today. I picked up a VW Polo on a wet dull Saturday morning around 8am, guy behind counter said car was new with no damage but as usual I did a quick check off the outside of car although with it raining, being quite dark and with beads of water in the car it was hard to tell but it looked damage free. It was just myself using the car and I returned it this morning back this morning around 4.30am happy I'd have my £300 deposit back in my account within a few days. At 6.26am Budget emailed me saying they were charging me for damage to what seems to be an edging around the drivers milage screen. The few times I drove the car over the weekend I can honestly say I never saw this and I can 100% say it did not happen while I had the car, so it looks like because I didn't inspect this car with a fine tooth comb I'm being charged for the smallest of damage someone else caused that whoever had been inspecting the car last time failed to see. They're charging me £300 for something I knew absolutely nothing about and definitely did not do.. This is without doubt the last £300 they'll ever be getting off me.
I recently landed in East Midlands airport and had booked a car via Ryanair website which I paid in full on arrival I decided to upgrade to electric car which I paid the extra for by card again as I thought it was convenient not having to refuel the guy was really nice and also took the 300 deposit I then got a bill for 45 charging me for charging the car and upgrade just to warn people this company made me sign an agreement and once you sign you are agreeing to them taking extra money so be very aware of what exactly you are paying for as none of this was explained to me :-)
There was no one there when I returned the car to let me know if extra charges just an email whilst I awaited my flight seems once you sign you are giving them permission to take what they want out!There is another car rental place there Avis maybe they would be a better option but make sure everything is explained as I feel I signed a bit of paper not knowing what exactly I was signing and let’s face it if they have to charge you to recharge a car for all it costs I only did 100 miles so they charged 19 to charge it again 🙄please see below quoted via email by budget cars:
Consequently, items that are included on the rental agreement are considered to be contractually accepted by the driver and will not be refunded.
So be very aware you are signing away your rights to absolutely anything they want to charge you!!EDIT: budget cars you have that answer to everyone so your just here sign here and then your covered to take whatever you want out ripping off people except I signed the agreement not the card it came out of :-)
The worst experience with a car rental company
We were supposed to pick up a rental car with Budget in Dublin on Friday @ 5.30pm and the man behind the counter was the worst customer service representative I've ever had to deal with.
We have booked with many different car companies previously including budget and have always done the same thing my partners books and pays for the car and I pay for the insurance when we get there. We've never had an issue before including with BUDGET themselves in Dec 2023 in Kerry. The name is always just changed and we HAVE had brilliant experiences and never had any issues before. The man behind the counter was definitely having some sort of bad day and was ignorant and awkward from the minute I walked up to the counter. Including whispering with the other representative next to him about myself. Both staring and trying to be intimidating. Now I would absolutely would have given him the benefit of the doubt if it wasn't for the poor man behind me that also had issues. The man basically was a 'not my issue' kind of vibe and had nothing in him to try and just help. It was very easy to change the name over and when I rang Saturday morning to complain the man on the phone agreed it could have been just changed and they get it all the time. But he refused blank to help and we were told we couldn't have the car. so we had to hire another car from SIXT who were incredibly helpful. This situation was explained to both them and ENTERPRISE who both agreed he was just being difficult and to be frank an arse to every customer. Both said they all get it and names are just changed over as they have to separately input names for insurance anyway so it makes no difference. Would never use BUDGET again because off it.
Terrible Experience – Unsatisfactory Car, Rude Service, No Support, and SCAM
We had a very disappointing and stressful experience with Budget Car Rental at Dublin Airport.
From the moment we mentioned using our credit card insurance instead of theirs, the staff at the rental counter became rude and uncooperative. They insisted that no U.S. credit card would cover rentals in Ireland, even though I had already researched this thoroughly. My credit card (Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard) did cover the rental, and I even emailed Budget proof of this after picking up the car.
However, in the meantime, they charged an astonishing $6,200 deposit on my credit card — an amount that seemed completely disproportionatet. While I understand rental car deposits, this was far beyond reasonable and set the tone for the disappointing experience that followed.
The car we were given was in poor condition, with scratches all over and visibly worn tires. Unfortunately, one of those tires blew out while we were driving on a busy highway, heading to the airport. We immediately tried to contact Budget for assistance but couldn’t get through to anyone on any of the numbers provided. At one point, we received an automated message telling us to call AA. We did reach someone there, but they informed us they wouldn’t be able to help for several hours — which, of course, meant we would miss our flight.
We didn’t feel safe on the side of a busy highway with cars speeding by, so we tried calling an Avis number, and someone finally answered. They referred us to a local tire shop, but once again, we were told they could assist... in several hours. When we called Avis back, we were told to abandon the car and take a taxi — which they assured us they would reimburse. Of course, that reimbursement never came, and they later denied ever saying such a thing, despite specifically instructing us to get a receipt and drop it off with the keys.
By the time we reached the rental office to return the keys, we were racing against the clock to catch our flight, and once again, we were met with rude and dismissive behavior from the staff. At that point, we were just focused on getting to our gate.
The weeks following our rental were a complete nightmare as we tried to resolve the situation. Budget held a $6,200 charge on my credit card for three weeks, which was absolutely unnecessary. To make matters worse, they accused us of driving on a flat tire — something we clearly did not do. We were on a busy highway, and as soon as it was safe, we pulled over to address the issue. It was both insulting and completely unreasonable for them to suggest otherwise.
In the end, they added an additional $600 to our final bill to cover a tow and tire replacement Normally, I’d just dispute this with my credit card company and move on, but after reading multiple reviews from others who have had the same experience at this location, it's clear this is part of an ongoing pattern where Budget shifts the blame onto customers to avoid paying for damages. To top it all off, we're also out $170 USD for a taxi and tip, which they failed to reimburse as promised.
I would strongly advise avoiding this location. The customer service was shockingly bad, the car was unsafe, and they take no responsibility for their vehicles or broken promises.
Very disappointing experience. I picked the car the car up 35 minutes early, unfortunately this incurred a full 24 hour additional rental charge! From a customer service point of view I was not advised of this impact by the rental agent. I appealed the charge via their complaints and twice received the same response you signed for it, it's in our terms and conditions etc etc. Well Budget is goodwill, empathy and reasonableness in your terms and conditions. This corporate approach is cold hearted and a complete customer turn off!
This has been the worst car rental experience in a long tine and I travel a lot. From being asked to step out of the line and having to go through the line again because they need a printed letter from the credit card covering insurance to paying 60eu for the rental and 200eu for insurance to then not getting the statement printed or by email. Staff are rude abd not helpful. Never again.
In questo aeroporto sono specializzati nella sistematica applicazione di costi aggiuntivi al ritiro, specialmente agli ignari cittadini stranieri. Il personale molto sbrigativamente vi fa firmare digitalmente clausole che aumentano il costo del vostro noleggio in modo significativo. L'ho vissuto io ma anche decine di altri clienti, e si capisce dalle recensioni e dalla reputazione di Budget Dublino. Esperienza da "mai più", in quanto applicano in modo sistematico ogni sotterfugio per sottrarvi più soldi possibile. Inoltre non si capisce che fine fa il deposito cauzionale del carburante, ben 123 euro scomparsi nel nulla pur avendo consegnato l'auto con il pieno sino all'orlo. L'auto piena di graffi, attenzione, consegnata di notte in un parcheggio senza che potessi valutarla.
I hired a Budget car and insurance via Ryan Air website
. Upon arrival at the Dublin desk I was told that had to pay for the insurance again and was relieved if over 100 Euros by a quick talking young stocky fellow with short hair who had an air of anger about him when I challenged him over the paying twice for insurance .
Zero out of ten for customer service very unhelpful hidden charges on arrival unable to pick car up and still charged the full amount. Have spread the word avoid at all costs
Fraud. Moved rental to some company new way.
Asked if i had photos of car before taking. Then proceeded to try to blame me for damage that was on the car when i picked it up. Told me no worries you have damage insurance. All the cars are crap and damaged. When you try to speak with supervisor they are experienced in supporting the fraud and offer no customer service. Thieves.
Budget Car Rental Ireland is a leading provider of low-cost car hire services throughout Ireland, catering to both local residents and international travelers. With locations at major airports and city centers, including Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Shannon, Galway, Kerry, Killarney, and Knock, the company offers a convenient solution for those seeking reliable transportation during their stay in Ireland.
The company is committed to providing affordable car rental options, ensuring customers have access to a diverse fleet of vehicles suitable for a variety of travel needs. Budget Car Rental Ireland aims to deliver efficient service and a seamless booking experience, making it an ideal choice for individuals planning road trips or city breaks across the country. Whether traveling for leisure or business, customers can expect competitive pricing and a user-friendly rental process.
