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Newark, NJ

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Budget Rent A Car

1.7 (156 reviews)
Open • Open 24 hours

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Horrible service. Over 80 people in line and only 2 workers to get a rental car. 2 hr wait to get my rental. Extremely understaffed.

Picking up my Jeep Wrangler at Budget. (When they sent me over to AVIS to get it.)
David D.

Had 2 problems with this rental but still giving 4 stars because Budget cured them. Here is what to look out for: We arrived at Newark Airport United and took the free AirTram Train right to the Budget. Takes about 10 to 15 minutes. AVIS is next door to Budget. No rental cars at the terminals in Newark. I had a reservation for a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and I saw it parked in space number 1 with my name on it. This Jeep was a Rubicon--even better! Only had 5000+ miles on it --still smelled new I looked inside. I got on the long 10 person line inside. By the time I got to the counter for my Jeep--they gave it away to another customer before me on line who reserved an SUV because they ran out of SUV's! A very unhappy David let the clerk know that he was very unhappy about this. She told me they have no more Jeeps that was the last one! They got a supervisor on the line and in 15 minutes I was told to walk next door to AVIS and they will have a Jeep washed and ready over there for me under the Budget contract same price. It was not a Rubicon, but it was also new with 6K miles and had leather seats which I preferred. It was a beautiful jeep plug in. (Was never able to find anywhere to charge it so just used the gas.) I drove it about 600 miles over 5 days and it was a ton of fun. But after I realized that while I was thinking about buying one--it was not a great vehicle to have as a daily driver--way too bumpy a ride. It was a lot of fun through and made the trip exciting. A week later I get a toll bill from using the EZ Pass Transponder on the Jeep. They charged my credit card $133 for tolls! Impossible! I did use it on 2 days for tolls to drive into Manhattan and to Long Island. The tolls on those days were correct. But they added almost $70 in tolls for a day I was at my sister's house all day with the Jeep which did not involve driving through tolls! What happened? They charged me for going back and forth over the Verrazano Bridge 3x on the the same day and times I was at my sister and charged me for another Bridge I never heard of or went over. I appealed these toll charges to Budget and 2 weeks later Budget wrote back that there was a "system error" and they refunded the entire $133 which included the tolls I did incur. Make sure to check your toll bill carefully! In sum, if you don't mind fighting a little and dealing with some S, Budget at Newark is not a bad place to rent a car.

Slow line.
Lovez 2.

The rate of processing customers was slow. However the people were friendly and it was clean. There was only a couple people in kind but the people behind the countered moved so slow.

The first car I was given needed an oil change.
David S.

I don't think I had ever rented a car from Budget before, but it's my new employer's preferred rental car company, so I gave them a shot. I don't think I will give them another. At the very least, I won't rent from Budget at EWR again. I made a reservation weeks ahead of time and chose to pay at the counter. The amount the Budget employee wanted to charge me was higher than what I was quoted, so we spent a while going back and forth trying to convince each other we were right. On top of that, I work for a non-profit organization, so I showed our 501c3 certificate from the IRS so that taxes would be removed from the estimate. The person helping me had not encountered this before and didn't know what to do with it. Her supervisor was not any help, either; he told me to call the Budget reservations line. Trying to not spend all evening there, I told him I would do that later. Then the fun really began. I was given the keys and I went out to the lot where I was supposed to pick up the car. The one I had been assigned did not look super clean -- I'm not sure how long it had been sitting there -- but I didn't see any major concerns when I walked around the outside. The inside was even less clean, but I was tired and hungry by this point, so I documented all of it and decided it was good enough. When I turned on the ignition, however, a light popped up indicating that the car needed an oil change -- see photo. I had to drive hours away to rural Pennsylvania, so I wasn't in the mood to take any chances. I went back to the counter and asked for a different car. I also asked for the pickup time to be adjusted on my printout so that my return time would be a bit later without a penalty. Perhaps not wanting to put in any more effort, she replied that there was a 29-minute grace period without a penalty. I didn't have any more energy to argue, so I went on my way. The new car was even dirtier on the outside -- several birds had used it for target practice -- but at least there were no obvious maintenance/safety issues. I wound up not liking the car, as it was very low to the ground and scraped against the pavement at speed bumps and other changes in the road. I called Budget later that week and spent quite a bit of time on hold before explaining the tax and other discrepancies in the charges. It was not the way I wanted to spend time on my work trip. My final receipt, incredibly, still had taxes included. I wrote back via email and got those removed. As unprofessional as the whole situation felt, Budget at least held my reservation. (Seinfeld, anyone?) I feel like the fact that I drove away with a rental car that fit my needs earned them two stars rather than just one.

Got in for Christmas to visit my family. It is disgustingly dirty was not cleaned. I guess I was supposed to be grateful to have a car?
Alyssa S.

Made my reservation through Costco got in late Christmas night not only did they run out of vehicles, but what was available was not what I requested and was disgustingly dirty. Waited almost an hour to get my car and not only had it not been cleaned in anyway, I was basically told I was fortunate to get a car. Got black soot all over my clothes, attempting to open this trunk. Finally gave up, hoisted the suitcase onto the passenger seats and just headed to my hotel. Have rented from this location in the past and always had a positive experience but this was no Bueno.

Alice Q.

Long lines. Lying company. We booked a Tesla vehicle and we got a Chevy trax after a 2 hour line wait! Definitely asked for a similar car class and received a Genesis over a simple intermediate sized SUV. The front counter was so slammed that the agent said Budget doesn't have Teslas!!

Budget Fastbreak. Anything but...  False advertising. Waited in line for over an hour to pick up a reservation.

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2 months ago

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10 months ago

Honesty. Liars . I have truck reserved for important move, truck was not there upon arrival and customer care refused reimbursement for Uber

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2 years ago

Horrible place! Horrible people! Do NOT go here. Bad service, bad car, extreme wait times

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2 years ago

Poorly run, poorly staffed. It also took us about an hour to get there from baggage claim. This is a disaster.

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Review Highlights - Budget Rent A Car

“Renting was easy online, and the counter outside the airport proper was easy to get to (via AirTrain).”

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Avis Car Rental - So dirty! They didn't even bother wiping anything down!

Avis Car Rental

2.0(183 reviews)
0.2 mi

Rented a standard SUV through Costco. I did not expect a nice flashy new car, but a 2019 Nissan…read moreMurano with 62000 miles definitely was not good. There was a huge dent on the windshield, and the windshield wiper is not clearing clean. The gas gasket was not connected to the gas opening. The inside was not cleaned 100%. The staff at least was nice. However I will try to rent from Alamo in the future. Last time when I rented a standard SUV through Costco/Alamo, I got a brand new Acadia with only 11 miles on it. The price I paid Avis is definitely much cheaper than I expected. Not sure if it's because the system knows I booked through Costco that I ended up with the Nissan. Will try to stay away from Avis unless the price difference is huge.

I am extremely dissatisfied with my recent experience with Avis Car Rental Newark Liberty…read moreInternational Airport After returning my rental car, I realized I had accidentally left behind my Apple iPad. I reported it immediately through the Lost & Found process and submitted a ticket with every piece of information that could possibly help identify the device. I provided the serial number, a detailed description, photos of the protective case, and all requested information. I even placed the iPad in Lost Mode, which displays my contact information and a reference number on the screen, making it easy for anyone who found the device to identify and return it. Fortunately, my iPad was fully charged when it was left behind. Through Apple's Find My feature, I was able to track its location, and for nearly 10 days after I reported it missing, it continued to show as being at the same Avis rental location where I had returned the vehicle. Based on this information, I know the iPad was at the Avis facility, yet despite providing this information to your team, no one was able to locate or return it. It has now been more than two and a half weeks, and despite numerous calls to both Avis Customer Service and the Lost & Found department, I have received absolutely no meaningful assistance. Each time I contact Customer Service, I am instructed to call Lost & Found. I have been given multiple phone numbers, but they all lead to the same frustrating outcome. After entering or providing my reference number, I am simply told that the reference number does not exist, and the call is disconnected. When I call Customer Service back, I am sent through the exact same process again. I have been caught in an endless loop with no resolution, no accountability, and no one willing or able to help. This has been one of the most frustrating customer service experiences I have ever had. I understand that lost items cannot always be recovered, but what is completely unacceptable is the lack of communication, the broken support process, and the inability to reach anyone who can actually assist. Given that I could verify the iPad's location for days after it was reported missing, the lack of action from Avis is especially disappointing. As a result of this experience, I have lost confidence in Avis and will never use your services again. I will also share my experience with friends, family, and colleagues so they can make informed decisions before renting from Avis. In addition, I intend to recommend that my company's corporate travel program reconsider its relationship with Avis and explore alternative rental providers for future business travel. I sincerely hope Avis reviews and improves its Lost & Found and customer service processes so that other customers do not have to endure the same experience.

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Avis Car Rental - Dirt

Dirt

Avis Car Rental - Employees didn't even bother to remove trash

Employees didn't even bother to remove trash

Avis Car Rental

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Budget

Budget

1.5(60 reviews)
0.2 mi

Although the staff was friendly, there were only 2 working the check-ins. Since this was a Saturday…read moreafternoon, there was a long line of customers waiting to get cars. During my conversation with the employee, I was able to get an extended few hours at no additional charge. Getting to my rental was no issue. It just took a few minutes to get to the holding location. After inspecting it, I hopped in my rental and made my way to the gate where they checked my drivers license, and I was on my way. Returning the rental was just was easy. The employee checking in the cars was extremely polite and wished me a safe trip back home, as well as thanked me for the business. Super easy. Super fast.

BUYER BEWARE: I rented a car here for work over a month ago. I did only light driving for work, did…read morenot get into car accidents, and there was no damage whatsoever to the vehicle. I returned the car to the attendant at Newark and they checked me with the sight inspection that also confirmed everything was fine. A month passed by and now I was sent a mysterious bill claiming there was "damage" to the vehicle. I was flabbergasted and I reached out to customer support. They say they know there is "damage to the vehicle" but they are not providing me with anything specific or evidence of damage. They have my credit card and are just planning to charge it for alleged damages, when there was nothing ever reported as damaged. This branch is patently dishonest, and I would encourage others to steer away to other car rental places. I am horrified by their actions and their lies right now.

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Budget - Horrible customer service at Newark Airport! One agent on a holiday weekend!

Horrible customer service at Newark Airport! One agent on a holiday weekend!

Budget - Seriously Budget , you only have two people working ??!! 1 line for returns and another line for pickup. Please LOOK at the pics First!!

Seriously Budget , you only have two people working ??!! 1 line for returns and another line for pickup. Please LOOK at the pics First!!

Budget - At least 50 people in line for one agent!

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At least 50 people in line for one agent!

Thrifty Car Rental

Thrifty Car Rental

1.5(90 reviews)
0.0 mi

After reserving a Polestar 2 EV online and checking in on my phone, the website said my car wasn't…read moreavailable and I could upgrade to another vehicle, for an upcharge, of course. I went right to the desk, and the customer service representative was pleasant and asked his manager if they had one available. The gentleman I dealt with was perfectly nice and tried to be helpful. He'd get four stars in this case, while the company would get two stars for making check-in less convenient than possible. I waited maybe 10-15 minutes before being told that they found one and it would be out shortly. The vehicle was in nice condition, clean and almost at a full charge. (It pays to be familiar with the EV's options, including one-pedal driving and driver-assist features.) I was psyched when we found that Spotify worked, though later it looks like a previous renter had entered their account information. Navigating the roads at Newark Liberty Airport (EWR) to return the vehicle would get one star, but Thrifty's return process was straightforward and simple. An employee scanned the car within two minutes of arriving and sent a receipt via email.

Rented a car from this location. I did not sign the waiver for insurance and brought back the car…read morefull of gas. This location charged me for both. Didn't notice until I saw the charge and looked up the receipt. The customer service rep on the phone gave me a refund but make sure you check your receipts! They shady out there!

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Thrifty Car Rental
Thrifty Car Rental - Oil Life 0

Oil Life 0

Thrifty Car Rental - 4 gallons missing

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4 gallons missing

Budget Rent A Car - carrental - Updated October 2026

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