Thinking about taking a road trip with your friends? Wondering if you spend your spring break driving home in a sick rental car? There’s a popular idea out there that you have to be 25 to rent a car, and you may be wondering if there’s any way around that. The good news is that there is! While there used to be a hard rule out there that you had to be 25 to rent a car, most agencies have softened up on that these days and there may be a workaround depending on where you live.
Steps
Question 4 of 7:
Can I rent a car when I’m 18?
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Sometimes, but it’s typically pretty difficult unless you pay a lot in fees. Certain car rental agencies will rent vehicles to drivers who are 18 or 19 years old. Unfortunately, they often charge a lot in daily fees (often $40-100 a day). This is designed to discourage teens from renting any of their vehicles. You’ll need to call around where you want to rent the car as well—some rental agencies only rent to 18- to 19-year-olds at certain locations. [5] X Research source
- Some agencies will waive the fees if you’re a AAA or USAA member.
- Avis is one of the rental agencies that seems more open to renting to teenagers.
- Unfortunately, there is no scenario where you’ll be able to rent a car when you’re 16-17, since you aren’t old enough to sign an official contract.
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If you’re renting a car for work, you can usually get away with it. Most car rental agencies will have no problem renting you a vehicle if you’re 18-24 so long as you’re booking it through your employer and you’re driving for work. In these cases, work with your employer to get a car booked for you—they will likely need to reserve it on your behalf.
- This also applies to the military and government employees. If you’re active duty, you can typically find an agency that rents to you at the normal rate so long as you’re on government business. [6] X Research source
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If you’re in Michigan or New York, agencies have to rent to you at 18. These two states have laws on the book that require the agencies to offer their services to drivers who are 18 or older. If you’re in Michigan or New York, you’re at least 18 years old, and you have a valid license, you can walk into any car rental agency in you’re the state and they’re required to render services. [7] X Research source
- Unfortunately, they just have to offer you a service—they don’t have to offer it as a fair price. The daily fees that most agencies charge in these states tend to be high for younger customers.
- Outside of those two states, it is entirely up to the businesses whether they offer rental cars to drivers aged 18-24. There are no bans or laws on this, but certain areas are more likely to offer younger driver cars than others. [8] X Research source
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Question 6 of 7:
Can I drive a rental if someone else signs the contract?
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Not without being added as an additional driver. When you rent a car, you can often add “additional drivers” to the contract. The fees for this vary from location to location, but expect to spend an extra $3-15 a day for each driver being added to the rental agreement. [10] X Research source
- There is usually no need to add an additional driver if your spouse is renting the car; they’re typically allowed to drive it without being added to the contract or paying extra fees.
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The same age restrictions apply to additional drivers. It depends on the rental company and the agency you’re using, but whatever their age restriction is for the main driver, that’s the restriction for additional drivers. In other words, if you have to be 21 to rent a car at a given agency, you have to be 21 to qualify as an additional driver.
- The “main driver” must also stay with the vehicle. Just to put a finer point on it, your mom or dad can’t rent a vehicle for you and hand you the keys.
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References
- ↑ https://www.smartertravel.com/renting-a-car-under-age-25-is-possible-but-pricey/
- ↑ https://www.marketplace.org/2021/05/27/planning-to-rent-a-car-its-going-to-cost-you/
- ↑ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-09-30-me-2340-story.html
- ↑ https://www.smartertravel.com/renting-a-car-under-age-25-is-possible-but-pricey/
- ↑ https://www.smartertravel.com/renting-a-car-under-age-25-is-possible-but-pricey/
- ↑ https://firstquarterfinance.com/rent-a-car-at-age-18/
- ↑ https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/avoided-paying-rental-car-underage-driver-fee
- ↑ https://firstquarterfinance.com/rent-a-car-at-age-18/
- ↑ https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/car-sharing-guide-car-rental-turo-zipcar/
- ↑ https://yourmileagemayvary.net/2020/03/07/rental-car-charge-extra-drivers/
- ↑ https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/renting-car
- ↑ https://driving-tests.org/beginner-drivers/mirrors-how-to-adjust/
- ↑ https://driving-tests.org/beginner-drivers/mirrors-how-to-adjust/
- ↑ https://driving-tests.org/beginner-drivers/mirrors-how-to-adjust/
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