Book Budget hire cars in Knoxville

• Where are some of the best pickup locations for Budget rentals in Knoxville?

  A very common place to pick up a rental car in Knoxville is at the Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS). While this is a great location for travelers arriving by air, people who are already in the center of Knoxville have better choices. For example, the location at 5535 Clinton Highway is much closer to the center of Knoxville and thus, much easier to get to for you rather than traveling back to the airport. For those that are to the west of the center of Knoxville, another option is the location at 8014 Kingston Pike.

• What are some reasons to choose Budget rental cars in Knoxville?

  Budget is known for its commitment to customer satisfaction and typically provides good customer service. Their staff is often friendly and accommodating. Budget allows one-way rentals, giving you the flexibility to drop your car somewhere other than where you picked it up, which can be useful for road trips. Budget provides extra services like GPS rental, child safety seats, and roadside assistance, making it convenient for your specific needs. Budget has a commitment to sustainability and offers eco-friendly rental options, such as hybrid and electric vehicles.

• Where should I look for a parking spot for my rental in Knoxville?

  Downtown Knoxville has numerous parking garages, lots, and on-street parking spaces. This area offers convenient access to restaurants, shops, businesses, and cultural attractions. Costs here are about $1 to $7 to park for 1 hour. Market Square is a vibrant part of downtown Knoxville known for its restaurants, boutiques, and live entertainment. There are parking options in the vicinity, including garages and surface lots. When visiting local parks or attractions like World's Fair Park, Zoo Knoxville, or the Knoxville Botanical Garden, look for designated parking areas.

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

  Medium hire cars (Class Intermediate SUV or similar) are the most frequently booked hire car types from Budget in Knoxville.

• How many car hire locations does Budget have in Knoxville?

  Budget has 3 hire locations in Knoxville. 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: McGhee Tyson airport (TYS)?

  No (according to our data)

• Does Budget offer shuttle or airport pick-up services from McGhee Tyson airport (TYS)?

  Yes

Reviews for Budget in Knoxville

Recent reviews

Traveller rating

Wonderful

13

Very Good

4

Good

0

Okay

4

Fair

0

Mediocre

0

Poor

18

6.0

The first car they were about to put us in - the front tires didn’t have any treads left on them. Luckily they put us in another vehicle of equal value with no issue. However, the worker couldn’t give me a receipt because her printer was broken. She said she would email me one, but I never received one until we returned the car in Atlanta.Reviewed 17 Jun 2026

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2.0

Budget Rent a Car on Clinton Highway does the bait and switch. They advertised a Tesla 3 for $61 a day and then when I got there they said there's your car a fully electric Genesis. They never had a Tesla in the first place. Liars and deceitful, shady business people. I'm sure they hope that people are desperate enough that they will just take that car, but that is not what I ordered and I called twice on different days to make sure they had the Tesla for me and I was assured they did. LiarsReviewed 5 Jun 2026

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2.0

We had a vehicle reserved. When we got to the location we were told to have a seat even though the clerk didn’t seem to be working and there were no one else she was waiting on. After about 10 minutes, we were told she had 2 mini vans for us even though we had reserved an SUV. The vans were in pretty bad conditions for rental vehicles. Then we tried to make a debit card payment and it wouldn’t go through. It clearly says on Kayak that Debit cards are accepted. So we called the corporate office to prepay. They took a payment from us and said they were putting the deposit on that as well but that wasn’t true. We tried to call back and were told the corporate office could not take a deposit payment. Now it’s after 5:00 and the worker who asked us to sit tells us she has to get her kids. So we had the reservation switched to the airport location. The person at the corporate office said we would be good to go. When we got there, they asked us for our flight number and told us, we couldn’t rent a car without one. In the end, we used my car. All of this was happening while we were trying to get to Louisiana the following morning for my mom’s funeral. To say the least, this was a very stressful situation. The only thing it taught us was we would not be trying Budget in the future.Reviewed 2 Nov 2025

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2.0

So I went to pick up a vehicle. They did not have what I asked for so he wants to give me a different vehicle. I ask him if I have any other option beside what he wants to give me simply he was just so rude. He said that’s all what I have whether you want it or not And then it’s OK. I will take that one then he said you know what I don’t want to give you vehicle Anymore and he said he’s also a owner over there so you don’t have to worry about complaining anybody that was super rude. I never ever go to that place anymore.Reviewed 21 Feb 2025

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10.0

Specific car I had (Malibu) is such an uncomfortable car. Drove fine, just super cramped, shoulda asked for a Kia or a midsize. Oh wellReviewed 16 Jul 2024

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2.0

The office people very rude. Car was disgusting tar all over it car smelled of smoke. The people lie at the office.Reviewed 5 Jul 2024

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2.0

I received a van that had not been serviced and was left stranded waiting for a tow truck that never arrived resulting in a call back to Budget. 9 hours later I had a replacement vehicle but Budget tried to "hold my personal property hostage" at the hanger where the tow truck was taking the broken down vehicle and it took over an hour to get my belongings transferred from the broken down vehicle to the new vehicle. When I arrived to pick up initially, I was told that it showed a 10:00 am pick up in their computer, but my paperwork showed 12:00 p.m. While on my trip, I had to trade vehicles 4 more times due to issues with the replacements given. As a corporate, the business practices were challenging to navigate and I got the run around numerous times and often was unable to understand the Budget phone workers due to broken English. To say the least, I will never rent from Budget again, but likely the last vacation my mother will be able to take was impeded by the repetitive issues with rentals through Budget.Reviewed 24 Jun 2024

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6.0

When a tire has a big chunk out of it, don't have your associates say it's ok to drive.Reviewed 20 Apr 2024

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10.0

The process was quick and easy.Reviewed 10 Feb 2024

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2.0

There was several cars in the lot and was told no availability. Kayak services didn't no change my pick up. Regardless if you have cars in the lot but he offered me to pick up one the next day. Want use that budget in the future..Reviewed 25 Jan 2024

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8.0

vehicle had a very poor, unusable driver side windshield wiper.Reviewed 1 Dec 2023

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10.0

I appreciated the helpfulness of the phone representative .Reviewed 23 Oct 2023

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