English

Search for a country or language

Book Budget car hires at Melbourne Essendon Airport

Driver's age: 25-65

Here is why travellers choose KAYAK

Save up to 49%Compare multiple travel sites with one search.

Free to useThere are no hidden charges or fees.

Filter your dealsFilter by car type, brand and more. Instantly customise your results.

Book with flexibilityUse our "free cancellation" filter for maximum flexibility at no extra cost.

Car Rental Deals

Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Small car

Small

Transmission type Manual transmission

Medium car

Medium

Transmission type Manual transmission

Large car

Large

Transmission type Manual transmission

Luxury car

Luxury

Transmission type Manual transmission

Van car

Van

Transmission type Manual transmission

SUV car

SUV

Transmission type Manual transmission

Commercial car

Commercial

Transmission type Manual transmission

Pickup truck car

Pickup truck

Transmission type Manual transmission

Useful Info

How much does it cost to hire a car from Budget at Melbourne Essendon Airport?
On average a hire car from Budget at Melbourne Essendon Airport costs $115 per day.
Where can I find Budget hire cars at Melbourne Essendon Airport?
Terminal Building is the closest Budget hire car location to Melbourne Essendon Airport. The telephone number for this location is +61 3 9131 8801.
Does Budget offer shuttle or airport pick-up services from Melbourne Essendon Airport (MEB)?
No (according to our data)

Reviews

Overall rating6.6 OkayBased on 10000 reviews

7.2

7.3

6.6

6.7

6.6

Recent reviews

2.0

had a long wait to pick up car and when i got to the counter the rep told me they had no tesla cars that i had to wait an undisclosed length of time. Since i was not able to wait any longer i got stuck with a much lesser vehicle that was NOT electric as i had reserved and paid for. All i was told was I am sorry. Third lousy reserve from Budget in a row.Reviewed 19 Jan 2026

review from kayak

kayak

10.0

Absolutely enjoyed the seamless pickup/ drop off experience that included warm, friendly and informative customer service. Our vehicle was incredibly clean and surprisingly fuel efficient (for a Cadillac suv). Will absolutely be looking to Budget + Kayak for our next adventure!Reviewed 18 Jan 2026

review from kayak

kayak

2.0

I reserved compact SUV but was given a sedan. Took a long time to be able to get a decent car. Got overcharged in the end...Reviewed 18 Jan 2026

review from kayak

kayak

2.0

The man working was horrible and not kind or helpfulReviewed 18 Jan 2026

review from kayak

kayak

2.0

The rental was not through Budget but was from shady subcontractor residing on the KAYAK app, That vendor was called QEEQ.com. This company cancelled the reservation under the guise that there were no cars available in the rental class that they had offered. To make matters worse, they had another QEEQ.com/KAYAK subcontractor called RentalCover.com sell me insurance coverage of my rental that never happened. I was never charged by QEEQ.com since they cancelled the reservation but RentalCover.com kept their $52 charge on my credit card. This was ridiculous since the rental never even happened! I had to file a charge dispute claim with my credit card company because RentalCover.com is some shady foreign entity and had no way to contact them to discuss the original rental car cancellation. I blame KAYAK was this issue and have since removed the KAYAK app from all of my devices and will never use this unethical service again. I will not hesitate to share my bad experience with KAYAK to anyone I know.Reviewed 17 Jan 2026

review from kayak

kayak

2.0

This was awful. We got an intermediate SUV and it was a jeep compass that was so cramped and we could hardly fit our luggage in. The jeep compass is a compact SUV. The worst part was that at the start of our roadtrip, all of the safety features failed, the blinkers wouldn’t turn off and then the oil light came on. We had to find a Budget on the way to our destination and deal with the hassle of switching the car out. And of course they gave us an equally as disappointing replacement. Will not be using budget again. Spend the extra money and get something nice. Lesson learned.Reviewed 17 Jan 2026

review from kayak

kayak

10.0

Like the vehicle, price to highReviewed 16 Jan 2026

review from kayak

kayak

2.0

Extras were charged $3000 american deposit was required and they tried to say I damaged the car but I had a before and after videoReviewed 16 Jan 2026

review from kayak

kayak

4.0

Car was great Waited 3 hours to received my vehicleReviewed 15 Jan 2026

review from kayak

kayak

2.0

I booked a compact SUV and this company gave me a Toyota corolla arguing that a compact SUV is an economy car.Reviewed 14 Jan 2026

review from kayak

kayak

2.0

I was charged an extra day for being 20min late on the dropoff and, even though I gave the car back with the same amount of gas, they still charged me $16 for gas. It was ridiculous. I'm never using this company again. I was with the car for less than 24 hours and they charged me for 48. I have written them and they couldn't care less. I'm pissed.Reviewed 14 Jan 2026

review from kayak

kayak

2.0

It was a terrible experience. I’d called Budget on November 17th ( if they record their phone calls, you can verify that I had this conversation) and asked to upgrade my vehicle to a premium SUV. The person at budget said that it would be no problem. When I got to the counter, the person at the counter said I had booked a 15 seater van. They told me there were no premium SUVs available and the person behind the counter suggested I go ask the other rental car companies if they had a vehicle for me. The lady behind the counter offered me a Chevy Traverse for $500 more than I’d been quoted for the premium SUV. There was nothing I could do but accept it, we had to get on the road and drive to our destination. If Budget is willing to do the right thing and reimburse me for the overage that they charged me, I’d consider using Budget again otherwise, that’s the last time I’ll be using Budget in the future.Reviewed 14 Jan 2026

review from kayak

kayak

10 /10Thrifty Hire Cars at MEB

Address

Terminal Building

Hours

Monday	07:30 - 17:00
Tuesday	07:30 - 17:00
Wednesday	07:30 - 17:00
Thursday	07:30 - 17:00
Friday	07:30 - 17:00
Saturday	07:30 - 17:00
Sunday	07:30 - 17:00

Phone

+61 3 9131 8801

Address

54 Halsey Road

Hours

Monday	07:30 - 17:00
Tuesday	07:30 - 17:00
Wednesday	07:30 - 17:00
Thursday	07:30 - 17:00
Friday	07:30 - 17:00
Saturday	07:30 - 17:00
Sunday	07:30 - 17:00

Phone

+61 3 9131 8800

Address

28 Williamson Road

Hours

Monday	07:30 - 17:00
Tuesday	07:30 - 17:00
Wednesday	07:30 - 17:00
Thursday	07:30 - 17:00
Friday	07:30 - 17:00
Saturday	07:30 - 17:00
Sunday	07:30 - 17:00

Phone

+61 3 9131 8855

Address

1484 Sydney Rd

Hours

Monday	07:30 - 17:00
Tuesday	07:30 - 17:00
Wednesday	07:30 - 17:00
Thursday	07:30 - 17:00
Friday	07:30 - 17:00
Saturday	07:30 - 17:00
Sunday	08:00 - 15:00

Phone

+61 3 9355 1255

Address

Melbourne Tullamarine Airport

Hours

Monday	05:00 - 23:59
Tuesday	05:00 - 23:59
Wednesday	05:00 - 23:59
Thursday	05:00 - 23:59
Friday	05:00 - 23:59
Saturday	05:00 - 23:59
Sunday	05:00 - 23:59

Phone

+61 1300 362 848