Budget Used Cars

What Budget Used Cars does

Budget Used Cars is the consumer-facing retail brand of Avis Budget Group's used vehicle sales division, marketed to consumers under the trade names "Avis Car Sales" and "Budget Car Sales." The core product is a portfolio of later-model (typically 2–3 year-old) certified used vehicles sourced from the Avis and Budget rental fleets and resold through 13 company-owned retail dealerships across six U.S. states (California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Texas). Each vehicle goes through a proprietary bumper-to-bumper certification process and is delivered with a complimentary 12-month/12,000-mile warranty, transparent pricing set below Kelley Blue Book value, and a no-haggle purchase model intended to differentiate against traditional franchise and independent used car dealers.

The company sells to value-conscious individual consumers seeking reliable, modern-feature vehicles without negotiation friction, and it deliberately segments inventory by price point (under $20K), monthly payment (under $300/month), powertrain (hybrid/EV), and provenance (Carfax one-owner). Supporting services around the sale include a KBB-powered trade-in valuation tool, digital retailing with payment personalization, multi-lender financing through a network of local credit unions and lending partners that serve subprime credit profiles, pickup/delivery logistics, and post-sale service and parts.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time transactions on used vehicle sales, supplemented by partnership-based financing arrangements. The business model is structurally dependent on the parent Avis Budget Group's fleet replacement cycle for vehicle supply, which constitutes both its principal cost advantage and the single largest supply-side concentration in the operation.

Name

Budget Used Cars

Legal name

Avis Car Sales

Website

https://budgetcarsales.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Budget Used Cars (operating as Avis Car Sales and Budget Car Sales) is the consumer retail division of Avis Budget Group, selling certified, later-model former rental vehicles through 13 dealerships across six U.S. states. It targets value-conscious individual buyers with no-haggle pricing below KBB, a complimentary warranty, and credit-union-backed financing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Used Car Retail

NAICS

Used Car Dealers (441120)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Fleet OEM Captive Buyback & Guaranteed Future Value (GFV) Programs (TLABAKAC)

Keywords

• Used car sales
• Certified pre-owned vehicles
• Rental fleet vehicles
• Used vehicle financing
• Auto retail dealerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville (Alcoa)

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Used Vehicle Sales: One-time purchase revenue from selling certified used vehicles. Vehicles are former Avis/Budget rental fleet cars, typically 2-3 years old, sold at prices below Kelley Blue Book value. Revenue is generated through individual vehicle transactions with transparent pricing.
2. Financing Services: Partnership-based financing services through a network of lending partners and credit unions. The company facilitates financing arrangements for customers, generating revenue through interest or fees from financing partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Budget Used Cars (operating as Avis Car Sales) sells certified former Avis/Budget rental fleet vehicles that are typically 2-3 years old through 13 retail dealerships and an online storefront. Vehicles are priced below Kelley Blue Book value with no-haggle transparent pricing and are sold with a complimentary 12-month/12,000-mile warranty. The company also facilitates financing through credit unions and lending partners and offers trade-in valuation, pickup/delivery, and service and parts.

Product overview

Avis Car Sales operates a single-platform used car sales business selling certified former rental vehicles from the Budget and Avis fleets. The core product is the Budget Rental Cars for Sale program, featuring later-model vehicles (2-3 years old) with single-owner history, professional maintenance, and a bumper-to-bumper certification process. Vehicles are sold with complimentary 12-month/12,000-mile warranty and no-haggle pricing below KBB value. Supporting products include specialized vehicle categories (Cars Under $20K, Hybrid & Electric Vehicles, Carfax One Owner Vehicles), value-added services (Value Your Trade, Personalize Your Payment/Digital Retailing, Financing Services), and convenience features (Pickup & Delivery, Returns & Warranty, Service & Parts). The portfolio is unified under Avis Car Sales with Budget positioning the affordable/rental heritage angle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certified Used Vehicles from Avis/Budget Fleet (Budget Rental Cars for Sale)

Quantifiable outcome

• Vehicles priced below Kelley Blue Book (KBB) value
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CarMax: Largest U.S. used car retailer with national footprint and standardized no-haggle pricing model. Highly comparable in customer experience, transparent pricing, and broad financing partnerships, though inventory is sourced from auctions and trade-ins rather than rental fleets.
• Enterprise Car Sales: Rental-fleet sibling operation of Enterprise Holdings that sells former Enterprise rental vehicles to consumers. Most directly comparable peer because it shares the same fleet remarketing model, single-owner value proposition, and certified pre-owned positioning.
• Carvana: Pure-play online used car retailer with home-delivery model and national reach. Competes directly for the same value-conscious used car buyer through a digital-first experience and offers vehicle pick-up/delivery services that overlap with the subject company's pickup and delivery capability.
• Vroom: Online used car retailer operating a national ecommerce platform with home delivery. Directly comparable digital retailing model targeting similar value-conscious buyers, though with a less mature reconditioning and logistics footprint than CarMax or Carvana.
• Hertz (Used Car Sales / Rent2Buy): Direct competitor rental-fleet remarketing channel selling ex-Hertz vehicles through Hertz Car Sales. Identical business model - selling late-model former rental fleet vehicles with documented single-owner history - making it the closest operational analogue.

Emerging players

• Shift: Earlier-stage online used car platform (now part of CarShop / Lithia). Directly comparable digital used car retail model; relevance is partial given the company's reduced scale post-acquisition but historically competed for the same online used car buyer.

Broad incumbents

• Penske Automotive Group: International automotive retailer with new vehicle franchises and commercial truck operations. Includes used vehicle retail at scale with diversified F&I and service revenue streams, comparable in customer financing focus but operating primarily a franchised-dealer model.
• AutoNation: Largest U.S. auto retailer operating new and used vehicle franchises across multiple states with significant used car operations and finance, insurance, and parts/service annuity streams. Overlaps with the subject company in used vehicle retail and F&I offerings but at much larger scale and with broader product lines.
• Sonic Automotive: Diversified auto retailer with franchised dealerships and EchoPark used car standalone stores. EchoPark is the most directly comparable used-car-only format targeting similar value-conscious buyers with a no-haggle model.
• Lithia Motors: Large publicly traded auto dealer group with growing used vehicle and digital retailing operations (Driveway). Comparable used car retail strategy and omnichannel approach but with a franchise dealer business model and significantly larger geographic and revenue scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/budget-used-cars

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Budget Used Cars