Book Budget hire cars in San Francisco

• What are the best locations to book Budget car hire in San Francisco?

  There are close to 20 locations where you can book Budget car hire in San Francisco and the surrounding area. San Francisco Airport has a car hire centre and is therefore the ideal place for arriving passengers to collect a vehicle. Once you leave Baggage Reclaim you can take the Air Tran from the passenger terminal to the Budget hire car office and collect your vehicle or select one from the existing inventory. If you’re already in the city centre there’s a Budget office at Union Square near Market Street Station and another not far from Caltrain Station in Mission District.

• What documents do I need to obtain a Budget car hire in San Francisco?

  Along with passport and return ticket UK nationals also need to present a valid driver’s licence and recent photo-ID to collect a Hertz hire car in San Francisco. International visitors with non-English licences must carry an International Driving Permit or provide a certified copy of an English translation to qualify. Have your confirmation number and the credit card used to book your reservation to collect the vehicle at the hire car office. All Budget office locations accept major credit cards debit credit cards with MC or Visa logos, but the agency insists that payment cards should bear the same name as the registered driver.

• What should I know about parking San Francisco Budget car hires?

  You can park a Budget hire car for free in any public area from 6 pm-9 am Mon-Sat unless otherwise restricted. Parking on-street and at car parks is plentiful, but downtown congestion is notorious, so consider a Park & Ride location outside the city centre as an option to save time and avoid parking fees.

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

  On average a car hire from Budget in San Francisco costs AED 161 per day.

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

  Small hire cars (Mitsubishi Mirage or similar) are the most frequently booked hire car types from Budget in San Francisco.

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

  Budget has 6 rental locations in San Francisco. 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 Francisco airport (SFO)?

  Yes

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

  Yes

Reviews for Budget in San Francisco

Recent reviews

Traveller rating

Wonderful

43

Very Good

18

Good

0

Okay

17

Fair

0

Mediocre

0

Poor

45

10.0

Piper was great at the drop-off, super helpfulReviewed 24 Jul 2026

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2.0

Budget doesn't have human beings answer the 800 cust. service no. after 7:30PM! that;s right a national car rental comp, so if you have problems with your car NO ONE TO SPEAK TO. want AI instead? a tow though that is not what you are calling about - those are your choices after 7:30. And, no notice when you rent a Tesla that the charging cord is NOT in the car, but can be found only at the Tesla charge station. How would a renter know that? Not in the Tesla driver's manual, not on the rental receipt, no number to call where someone from Budget can tell you that (and when I did the next day talk at 800 no,. that person didn't have a clue herself. ps - the office staff themselves where helpful and fair.Reviewed 16 Jun 2026

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8.0

Good as expectedReviewed 13 Jun 2026

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10.0

Great car and easy return.Reviewed 26 May 2026

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2.0

There were no cars available at my pick up time. I had to rent through another company. That was annoying but the person working at the Budget was very transparent, helpful, and gracious.Reviewed 18 May 2026

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10.0

Efficient enough. Express pick-up was not explained beforehand.Reviewed 8 May 2026

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8.0

When the car wouldn’t start part way into the journey, Budget took responsibility, albeit with a fair amount of pushing and a delay in our trip.Reviewed 26 Apr 2026

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4.0

Picking up the rental car was a terrible experience. I flew in to SFO around 5pm on Thursday and was one of the first people in line at Budget. I had already checked in online, but still had to wait in line. There were 5 people working at Avis and 1 at Budget. The Budget employee walked off for 15 minutes, popped his head in to see the growing line (from 20 to about 50 people) and walked away again. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and assumed he was taking his employee break, but there should have been more coverage, especially because Avis had so many people who refused to help the Budget customers (my understanding is they’re the same company now). After waiting 45 minutes, the checkout was quick (aside from the Budget employee trying to upsale me on everything). I eventually found my car in the parking garage and it looked like it had not been vacuumed or cleaned since the last customer. I usually book with Enterprise, but they were fully booked. You can do online check-ins instead of waiting in line, and their employees are always friendly. I will not book with Budget again.Reviewed 22 Apr 2026

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2.0

Waited 3 hours to pick up car in San Francisco with no apologies from staff.Reviewed 20 Apr 2026

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2.0

I tried to change my reservation before traveling to SFO but couldn’t. Then when I arrived at the counter, the line of customers waiting was shockingly long. One woman was in tears after having waited in line only to be told that since she had a reservation, she was in the wrong line and needed to go downstairs instead. Once there, she found a line just as long as the one upstairs. Poor communication. Poor execution. I rented from Hertz instead. I will never book through kayak again.Reviewed 20 Apr 2026

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2.0

This rating is for the rental car pickup in Denver. The staff was quite unconcerned about the long line of people waiting to pick up cars. They basically ignored us and concerned themselves with their computer screens. The staff numbered about 8 people but only 3-4 decided that they would wait on any customers. There were at least 25 customers in line. After waiting at least 45 minutes we finally got waited on. And then, when I finally got the car issued, it was entirely unclear what I was to do next, but I was dismissed to go outside. I was told that I was issued a “black Traverse”. After looking around and waiting in the freezing cold, I eventually found a light gray Traverse with the matching number. Needless to say I was not pleased.Reviewed 18 Apr 2026

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2.0

1. I was disappointed at Kayak. I've been using for over 10 years. This was the first time when the car rental price quoted ended up not including airport fees etc. It's always been all-inclusive. This 'Qeeq' company quoted prices without fees. 2. I had paid a bit extra for an electric vehicle, but they told me they ran out. 3. Terrible lines to pick up, almost 1.5 hours, even though I had added my driver's license images before. And once I had the reservation, there was no way to add their 'fast track' plan so I could pick it up. 4. After waiting on that line, there was ANOTHER line we had to wait for in order to pick up our car. I've never seen this; they usually give you the key and tell you to either pick up a car, or go to a specific car. And the person who was manning that line was almost intentionally slow-moving, with zero regard to the fact that all of us had waited so long. So I'm disappointed both at Kayak (for the first time) and Budget.Reviewed 15 Apr 2026

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