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. 

• How much does it cost to hire a car from Budget in San Diego?

  On average a car hire from Budget in San Diego costs AED 238 per day.

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

  Large hire cars (Ford Explorer or similar) are the most frequently booked hire car types from Budget in San Diego.

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

  Budget has 11 rental locations in San Diego. Take a look at our Budget rental location map to find the best rental cars 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

33

Very Good

12

Good

0

Okay

16

Fair

0

Mediocre

0

Poor

45

10.0

AwesomeReviewed 11 Sep 2026

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6.0

Rental counter excessive wait. 45 min line to get through rental check in.Reviewed 26 Aug 2026

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2.0

I returned the car with a full tank of gas, but they said it was 0.7 gallons short and charged me an additional $19Reviewed 9 Jul 2026

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8.0

Great!Reviewed 4 Jun 2026

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6.0

Counter service took too long and understaffed.Reviewed 3 Jun 2026

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6.0

Everything was good besides the poor directions I got for the drop off. There was just a note to return it in the San Jose, CA airport rental return building's address, 3rd level. That's it. When I arrived there was no budget sign anywhere and there was noone to ask because of out of working hours return. I didn't know where to leave the car. I called them but they didn't help. Finally I found the security guy who directed me to what to do but that's not his job that's Budget's job.Reviewed 28 Apr 2026

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10.0

All good except they wanted to give me a different class — a minivan. But, they finally found a small SUV.Reviewed 22 Apr 2026

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10.0

Clean car. Fast and friendly service.Reviewed 25 Mar 2026

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2.0

You misled the price. I won’t be using kayak again.Reviewed 17 Mar 2026

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2.0

Budget upcharged us $691 for a change in drop-off site , after telling us that there would be no additional charge. Speaking with them yielded no refund. we are now going to our state's attorney general and the Better Business Bureau for help. BEWARE.Reviewed 17 Mar 2026

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4.0

The value was great. The safety features on the vehicle are going to kill someone (lane assist,automatically braking), clerk in San Diego was rudeReviewed 10 Mar 2026

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2.0

My problem is not with budget, it is with Kayak and will not use the service again.Reviewed 21 Feb 2026

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