Dielectric loss at the interfaces of superconducting films has long been recognized as limiting the performance of state-of-the-art superconducting circuits. Notably, the presence of a native oxide layer on the film is hypothesized to contribute to dielectric loss at the metal-air interface. Here, we explore rhenium as a candidate for the film, motivated by its remarkable property to suppress native oxide formation. We establish rhenium on sapphire as a promising material platform for superconducting circuits through the realization of transmon qubits with a mean internal quality factor $Q_{int}$ of 9.1 × 10${}^6$ across all devices, comparable to the state-of-the-art. Our best-performing transmon achieves a time-averaged $Q_{int}$ of 13.0 × 10${}^6$, which corresponds to a relaxation time $T_1$ of 407 µs at approximately 5 GHz. Our transmons are supplemented with a loss characterization study, in which we separate the dominant loss mechanisms and construct a loss budget that agrees with our T1 measurements. Our loss characterization study reveals rhenium and tantalum surface losses to be comparable, demonstrating that limited native oxide formation does not guarantee reduced surface loss.