Book Budget hire cars in San Diego

• Where are the best pick-up locations for Budget car rentals in San Diego?

  There are a few different convenient pick-up locations for Budget car rentals in San Diego. One that is particularly popular is the branch located on Balboa Avenue, as it is centrally located near the well known neighborhood of Pacific Beach. There is also a branch that can be found on Kettner Boulevard, which is conveniently placed in the city center. If you will be flying into San Diego International Airport (SAN), you can also pick up your Budget rental directly from here. Simply head to the Arrivals terminal where you will find the car rental center, as well as Budget’s official desk.

• Am I able to pick my own Budget car rentals in San Diego, or will I be assigned a vehicle by the company?

  When you first make your reservation, Budget will allow you to select the car model that you would like to rent. The company will do its best to provide you with this specific vehicle, but whether you receive it or not will ultimately depend on what they have available in their fleet during the specific rental period that you selected. In the case that the model you requested is not available, you will instead be given a similar and comparable vehicle that meets the same specifications.

• Is it possible for me to have Budget car rentals in San Diego delivered directly to me?

  Budget does not deliver its rental vehicles directly to customers. In order to have access to your rental vehicle, you will instead need to physically go to the rental branch of your choice in order to fill out any necessary paperwork and then receive the car that you have been assigned. 

• What is the most popular car hire from Budget in San Diego?

  Compact (Toyota Corolla or similar) is the most frequently booked car hire type from Budget in San Diego.

• How many car hire locations does Budget have in San Diego?

  Budget has 11 hire locations in San Diego. Take a look at our Budget hire location map to find the best car hire near you.

• Does Budget have a car hire location at the airport: San Diego airport (SAN)?

  Yes

• Does Budget offer shuttle or airport pick-up services from San Diego airport (SAN)?

  Yes

Reviews for Budget in San Diego

Recent reviews

Traveller rating

Wonderful

34

Very Good

13

Good

1

Okay

11

Fair

2

Mediocre

0

Poor

51

Find reviews that mention:

car availableget the car

car was cleanreturned the car

friendly staff

2.0

Overcharged by $6/day for a 62 day rental. Figured out I was being overcharged. Brought it to their attention. They refused to fix it. Promptly returned the car. Was then charge $580 after returning the car (after already paying). DO NOT USE BUDGET.Reviewed 1 Jul 2025

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6.0

Everything was mostly great, especially the customer service. Only frustrating part was the vehicle was received with the gas gauge on empty. I had to pay a high price for gas in the city before I was able to leave downtown. The return was a bit challenging (since I had to drop it off at another location) because my flight was prior to the office opening. Whoever helped me behind the counter was excellent.Reviewed 25 Jun 2025

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10.0

No complaintsReviewed 4 Jun 2025

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4.0

I booked based on convenience of pickup and drop off locations. The gentlemen working in these locations were very disinterested in spending any more time than necessary in dealing with me, especially in the San Diego location. I will note here that I was the ONLY customer in these offices when I was there. I was not informed that there was a deposit hold of $200 placed on my credit card, which led to me spending a chunk of time on the phone trying to find out why this charge was on my card. Also, the car I was given was dirty inside and out. NOT my best car rental experience.Reviewed 8 Mar 2025

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2.0

There was no rental available! Kayak - and every third party rental system - LIES! The most affordable car was not available until 1pm. It was 9am. Budget's only available rental vehicle was an extra $100. So I cancelled. I returned to computer to find a vehicle available near downtown San Diego and ..... The Budget location I was at came up again on Kayak! Kayak said a vehicle was available to rent at that moment. The Budget staff member running that office verified it was not correct, and there is still no vehicle. And I purchased the third party insurance via the Kayak website. Though I cancelled the car reservation because no car was available.... I did not receive a refund for the insurance.Reviewed 30 Jan 2025

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10.0

super friendly and fast pickup; no lineReviewed 20 Jan 2025

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6.0

The wait time for pickup was very long. The Budget employee that I worked with was pushy with selling their insurance to the point of giving misinformation. The car windows were dirty from inside and I eventually had to spend time cleaning them thoroughly because it was otherwise very difficult to see through them.Reviewed 4 Jan 2025

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4.0

They don’t accept insurance that Kayak sells that I bought it. Besides that I rented a SUV and they didn’t have it. I got a pickupReviewed 23 Dec 2024

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2.0

The did not honor the price. Overcharged!Reviewed 3 Oct 2024

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4.0

Overpriced!!! I was rented an electric vehicle with only 155mi left before it needed to be re-charged. I was told that it had been on their charger for 2 1/2 days and that was as high as it had charged up to. Yet me being the renter was told I have to bring it back with just as much or more of a charge on it, or pay for having less than 155mi on it. Fortunately I was able to charge it at my work as they have a charging station and brought it back with 85mi more than they had given me. When I asked them if they were going to credit me for the extra miles I gave them, they said it didn't work that way. Funny how one sided they are isn't it?Reviewed 10 Sept 2024

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10.0

Nice car, clean, fair price. Still haven’t gotten my receipt 4 days after drop off though.Reviewed 15 Aug 2024

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2.0

My reservation was cancelled and we did not use the services.Reviewed 27 Jul 2024

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