We prepaid in advance for a minivan and ended up getting a minivan when we picked up the vehicle on pick up day. Hooray! They didn't try to give us a different vehicle. Price was reasonable at $83 per day (after taxes and fees). Car was clean and roomy for our roadtrip during thanksgiving 2025. read more

I booked my reservation over a month in advance, only to wait in line for more than 30 minutes before being told they had run out of cars. I was traveling with a small child and a lot of luggage, standing in an underground car rental facility with no place to sit or wait. The only assistance the staff offered was that they might get more cars in a few hours. There was no real support, no solution, and not even an apology. The experience turned what should have been a fun three-day Disneyland vacation into a chaotic and stressful ordeal from the very beginning. To make matters worse, I wrote to Dollar's corporate office after I returned home. It has now been over a month, and I have received no response. It's shameful how Dollar Car Rental treats its customers. I will never rent from them again and would not recommend them to anyone. read more

Prepaid on Expedia. Landed at John Wayne airport went to the pick up counter for a 2pm pick up. Was told a 4 hour wait. Took an Uber to my hotel. Went back to the airport to get the car 6 hours later. Was told 14 people ahead of me. I am out the money as Expedia told me to work with the rental car company. Lesson learned, don't use Expedia or Dollar rental car company. read more

We booked a car for 7 am but there was no one at the counter and we had to cancel the booking since they said they didn't know when someone will come. We ended up paying triple the price for another car. read more

Horribly long wait time, long line, slow check in/rental. Monday morning should have multiple employees renting cars, not one customer service desk person. When we got in line and the entire time we were in line it was the only rental company with anyone in line. All other company got their customers in and out. It should not take 15+ minutes to confirm a reservation and get a pre-booked car. read more

Great pickup experience! They were so kind to put us in a jeep wrangler and update my reservation to 9am return free of charge. We were worried about traffic getting back up to the Bay Area. wonderful and quick service I love SNA and would happily book here again! 10/10!!! read more

I waited over a half an hour outside in an underground garage with pregnant women, plural, and someone in a wheel chair. Dollar won't let you inside the office! A single family was in there the entire time. Another person finally arrived and the first person when I came in began asking inappropriate questions to everyone--maybe why it ultimately took me an hour waiting in the garage of Santa Ana Airport. They have me an SUV after asking for a sedan or compact and I finally spoke to a manager who magically found the car that they said they didn't have. I'll never go back to Dollar and stick with Enterprise, which has always been great. read more

The staff was really lovely and helpful. Our car was in perfect shape and beautifully clean. Would definitely rent from again.

Agent scammed me and told me the insurance i purchased through AADVANTAGE CARS wouldn't cover me. I reserved and pre paid with points - a luxury car- he said he had a nissan altima but could upgrade me for $25/day- when i refused he offered an upgrade at $7/ day Car provided was standard at best- small, no updates. Told him i just needed tolls infrequently- he put on 14.99 PER DAY- contesting all charges with American Express, Dollar, AADVANTAGE No reach out from customer service or attempt to correct HORRIBLE- stay away read more

It takes more than 30 min to get a car though it's reserved and paid. Perhaps have more attendants or a faster system. Very frustrating.

Christian was awesome. He was clearly trained to follow company policies (i.e. upsell), but he knew when to back off and made the rest of the experience wonderful. It's a car rental company, between the long waits and fees, no one enjoys the interaction. But at least Christian made the human interaction more enjoyable! read more

Omg the worst rental place I've ever been too! I rent cars all the time. Got a price online, went in and they said that they only had a truck and the other cars weren't in. I was going to Arizona (the truck was massive) they told r they would apply a discount, they didn't. They have people over seas anwsering calls and no one ever got back to me when o contacted online. A 400$ rental costed 1100!!! Do not go read more

Do not go with Budget Ever - the line for pick up is excessive. Having been quoted a price declined all the extra - Initial receipt 291$ - dropped off and charged 524$ - full tank and no damage to car & on time - ??? Trying to question this and never get through to the customer service - read more

Just landed in OC with a reservation made with Dollar. They don't have any cars. No text, no email, no call. I'm just standing there with all my bags and a useless reservation. Will never book with Dollar again. read more

Picked up car may 22 2025 at 9:15pm. I forgot the gentleman name that was working at the front desk I think it was Brandon. He was very nice and made my experience so easy. Very professional and super fast. Hope he can be my customer service agent everytime. Thank your for the best experience read more

Avoid Dollar Rent a Car!!! We pre-paid for a mid-size vehicle which was to be available upon our arrival at John Wayne Airport. Upon arriving at the rental office, there was a long line of about 20 people ahead of us with only two of the counter positions being staffed. After moving through the line for about 45 minutes, a staff member came outside the office and announced to everyone that they had no cars of any type available, and that it would be a 3-4 hour wait. This was unbelievable having pre-paid for a car, but now after reading some of the reviews is consistent with the extremely poor service that Dollar Rent a Car seems to be providing. We cancelled our reservation immediately and went to Budget Car Rental, who did not have a vehicle available, however were able to assist us with locating a vehicle at an offsite rental company. Dollar is a completely incompetent car rental organization. Reccommend checking reviews before settling on a specific agency and going ANYWHERE else besides Dollar!! read more

Had a rental paid and booked three months in advance. Came to pick up my rental and was told it would be a three hour wait, and someone would call me. Sat waiting for over three hours and didn't get a phone call. Walked back to the location and was told they didn't have any cars. Asked for a refund was told to call who I booked it through, Expedia. Call Expedia and they were told that since it went through billing they might not be able to give me a refund. So it sounds like they will charge you, not give you the product and tell you to kick rocks when it comes to a refund. Fraudulent if you ask me. read more

I reserved a vehicle for a week through Priceline and followed their instructions. Dollar checked me in as had Budget and Hertz. They charged the Priceline amount for the week and I even reserved and paid total for an additional day, total charge $277. When I returned the car I forgot to fill the gas tank. It was missing 3 gallons and they charged me $39 for same. THEN, they decided I had violated some rule and charged me $477 dollars instead. There is NO WAY to obtain information about why they did this. NO STARS IF THAT WAS POSSIBLE! read more

At the suggestion of Dave Ramsey, I have been renting from Dollar for a few years now (no credit card required). My most recent rental was in March 2021. During my most recent rental, I opted for pay in advance (it is usually cheaper). When I arrived I was told that I needed a major credit card since I was local and not flying out/ in. Since I did not have a major credit card they would hold $500 on my debit card. After to speaking to several counter agents, I found out that they changed their payment policy effective April 1,2021. Amazing that I get an email from them at least once a week and was never informed of the change. Besides the card inconvenience, the service is horrible. It is pointless to make a reservation. You always end up waiting for cars to arrive because they overbook. Cleaning of the cars is sub par. The person in front of me picked up a car that had the cell phone of the previous passenger. How do you miss that during cleaning? If I must use a major credit card, I will rent from One of their competitors. , I am guaranteed upon check in that a car will be waiting for me to pick up. read more

Dollar Car Rental - Car Rental Near Me - Santa Ana, California

ONE PERSON working the counter with 14 people in line on a busy Saturday morning. Incredibly incompetent management. It's not like we don't all have pre-set reservation times! What's the point of booking a reservation when you have to wait 30 minutes just to get to the counter. Absurd. Unacceptable and rude. Dollar. You should do better. read more

Dollar Car Rental - Polite sign. Insane staffing for peak busy time. Shame on Dollar. - Car Rental Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Reserved a car weeks ago to be told it was a 2 hr wait.. he also said there's cars outside for a larger price I felt that was the whole motive the whole time ! Ten people were in line all being turned away joke if I could it would get 0 stars read more

Never rent a car from them getting a hold of someone is impossible they took my money and when i landed the refused to give me the rental i booked and paid for due to credit which they should've done before booking me and taking the payment if that was their policy then they have a no refund policy which was not my fault that was on them they gladly stole my money and refused to refund me when the refused to give me the rental they are robbers dont rent from them read more

Dollar at SNA is HORRIBLE SERVICE. we've been waiting for over an hour, and only 4 people were in front of us. (Hertz has processed 4 cars to Dollars 1 process.) We will never ever rent from Dollar again after this horrible experience. GO ANYWHERE BUT DOLLAR AT SNA! read more

Dollar Car Rental - Waiting forever... for the guy behind the counter. - Car Rental Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Extremely slow, extremely under staffed. Dispatching a car can take more than 10 minutes read more

If You Like Wasting Money, Losing Time, and Breathing in Carcinogens, Thrifty at John Wayne Airport is Your Place! Let me paint you a picture. You book a car online at a decent rate, check in early like the organized person you pretend to be, upload your license, and think, "I've got this handled." I was ready for a smooth experience--ha! That's where I went wrong. I arrive to find the Thrifty counter closed. Yep, closed, because apparently, showing up and doing their job just wasn't in the stars that day. So I drag my luggage to the Dollar counter, where they tell me, "Oh, your reservation? Canceled. But good news! We'll set you up with a new rental at an entirely unjustified higher rate!" They offered me the "deal" of $371.58 instead of my original price of $273.30--so naturally, I paid more for the privilege of breathing the secondhand smoke in the first car they gave me. That's right, first car, because after being handed a car that smelled like it doubled as the Marlboro Man's condo, I had to swap it for a smaller, sadder Malibu, at the same inflated rate. Then, cherry on top: they botched the return date. Apparently, math isn't in their skill set, because they set it two days early, meaning more wasted time wrangling with customer service, Priceline, and whatever else was necessary to make sure I didn't get stranded in Southern California. So if you're looking for an overpriced, hassle-filled car rental experience with a bonus pack of delays, errors, and cigarette air freshener, head straight to Thrifty/Dollar Car Rental at John Wayne Airport. For everyone else? Try walking, biking, or even rollerblading--it'll save you cash, time, and a whole lot of headache. read more

I thought all went well until I saw a bogus $62 fee! Check your receipt immediately when returning the car! I guarantee any person who left a positive review didn't look at the final receipt with fraudulent fees. read more

This is amazing...I have never given a five star rating to a car rental company before. Wow, what a great job they did! Not only was the rate reasonable but the pick up experience here at John Wayne Airport in Orange County is very organized and the people are friendly and while they offer you the extras they're not pushy about them. Also, I was able to return the car earlier and got a really good discount from that early return. I was ready to pay for the whole week but they did not charge me for the whole week and I was extremely impressed with their check in process and their great customer service. I will definitely be renting with Dollar again. read more

Junk fees and no way to communicate with anyone. They charged $210 for an "outside car wash". What is that and aren't all rental cars washed? I filled out the form and no one has responded in any way. Robbery. read more

Can't imagine a worse car rental agency. You would have to try really hard to match the incredibly poor customer service at Dollar Car Rental. Yes, you will actually wait on the phone for one hour or more, only to be given wrong information which requires you to call back and spend another hour on the phone! Poorly trained employees, horrible wait times, incorrect critical information given to customers. Wow - how do they stay in business? read more

All the prior reviews are accurate. I'm actually still in line, 90 minutes and counting. All the other rental counters get lines and clear them. For whatever reason nothing gets done here. Who knows, maybe I can update the review later when I have a car. read more

Dollar Car Rental - Car Rental Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Fraud alert, multiple instances. I don't use that term lightly. I rented a car for two days, and on the second day, requested on the phone to extend by one day. I was told that the only charge would be one additional rental day. This was a lie: they added a "return change fee." When I returned my car, I told the attendant that I would be paying three tolls online, and he told me that I could have Dollar pay the toll for $5.00 per day of tolls administrative fee. This was also a lie - he was misquoting the Hertz platepass fee of $5.95 per day, since Dollar and Hertz are currently combined at this site. I received a bill including $45 of administrative fees, $15 per toll, which I am disputing. I will update this review if successful, otherwise assume that I'm not. read more

We had a rental car from this place. They never informed about car insurance we need to pay or how much will be. And we got charged $430 from this company when we returned the car without any informed by company. We reached out to customer service, but nothing change and they only said you signed we can't refund. I never go back to this place again. Very poor communication & bad service. read more

To expensive since when did it cost 750 for 2 weeks in a Honda civic that absurd!!! Not even my car payment and insurance together is that per month and I drive a STI . Never going thru them ever Fuck that place . read more

Caca doo DOO service. Wanna wait in line for two hours to rent a car? Maybe even more? Come to dollar!

Our flight was delayed and they gave our car away. I've reserved a large SUV (explorer type) and they tried to give me a standard SUV. Said they had an Armada for a customer that was checking in 30 minutes later so they would give me that car but it would be an up charge since it was a large vehicle. Hmmm I booked a large vehicle though??? It didn't make sense, we were tired and hungry so we paid an extra 293 for an Armada. So we paid $800 for an armada for 5 days. I should've just rented a way better car from Turo. Never again Dollar, y'all suck. Also, the armada sucks too, it kept beeping the whole time like the sensor is off. read more

Trash! Still charged me after I cancelled my booking within the allotted timeframe. Had to file a chargeback.

Had to go through a third party CarTrawler. Horrible! This was the biggest mistake. Long story short I didn't get my rental and the 3rd party refused to refund me. Had I know they were overseas I would have never used them read more

@DollarCars is this how you guys treat customer- I am in Cali working for LA county at one of the vaccination sites to help with the pandemic- i rented a car for the weekend due to not feeling well and needing to get around- my original rate was 42.50 for a total of 160 - i ended up at an ER and wasnt released till after 3pm- i called local office and employee advised to keep car extra day I would be at a higher rate of 140+ for the extra day- i said fine- i had no choice at that point but to bite the bullet- i returned the car and was charged 140+ for all 4 days! How is this legal? How do you guys feel like this is fair to charge me 780 compared to 160 from my original rental agreement- below your terms States late return maybe subject to extra charges for extra hour/or day- NOT FOR THE WHOLE RENTAL AGREEMENT! People leave there homes and family to give back to the community meanwhile companies like you are sucking them dry. I have never in my entire life of renting vehicles have ever experienced this type of treatment. I have called the billing dept, spoken with the manager at this location- and all thy can say is- it is what it it- we were sold out so therefore thats what you will be billed! DO NOT RENT FROM THEM- if people have documentation of what caused the issue or return of late rental especially if it is a circumstance out of their hands their should be some type of consideration. read more

We came over to extend a car rental that was previously performed in excellency by Jeannette and Michael. Both incredible pillars of kindness and professionalism in this company. From 08/26 to 09/01. When my wife and I came across Mr Henny on 09/01/23 to extend our rental; he was rude and miseducated. He didn't know Puerto Rico was part of the USA. He refused to rent to us claiming we had an international license. When he was told by a co worker that he could rent to us. He then refused to honor our reservation and made us make a new one. He didn't want to take our bank card, because it was a Puerto Rico bank card. When we called our bank and he wasn't unable to refuse; he then didn't want to accept the insurance our bank card provided and forced us to take an insurance of the car rental company. He was rude and forced us to wait hours before giving us our car. So much time had passed there was no longer a car available for us to rent. When a coworker intervened and said to just give us an SUV he then refused made us wait even longer until a Camey came available. Then he washed me if I knew what a Camry was and if I've ever seen a car like that. When I refused to take his scuff. And told him that my son would be driving the car and I didn't care what kind of car it was I just wanted to leave. Then asked my wife if her son was also my son. This is sexual harassment. Hanny has no right to ask any questions about my family tree. He is rude, racist and a threat to this company. Rental Record #548034001 read more

Showed up with a reservation and after waiting in-line for 30+ minutes they tell us they have no cars available....total BS! They said likely an 1.5 wait for a vehicle....went to Avis 5 minute Uber ride for a vehicle at a cheaper rate. read more