What is the minimum age to drive a rental car in the US?
I recognized that renting a car in the US is allowed at the age of 21 or 25. But are 18 to 21 year olds allowed to drive it if their parents or another 25 year old person signed the contract?
Best Answer
The age of majority in the United States is 18, and that is the theoretical legal age required to enter into a rental contract— but it takes two to agree to a contract. In practice, it may not be possible to find someone willing to offer a rental contract to someone under 21 depending on the
- rental agency
- rental location/market
- size and type of vehicle
- payment method
In the states of New York and Michigan, state law requires agencies to rent to licensed drivers 18 and over, though such drivers will be subject to heavy surcharges (sometimes prohibitive, over $100/day) and restrictions. Otherwise, none of the major agencies will rent to anyone under 21 except for U.S. military personnel or others renting on official government business.
Of the smaller agencies, Rent-A-Wreck allows 18-year-olds at some locations, Fox rents to 19-year-olds, and Ace offers that it may be possible depending on the location, and local agencies may also be willing to offer you a car.
"Additional drivers" are not exempt from minimum age requirements, and these will also vary by all the listed factors. For example, Hertz allows 20-year-olds, but National and Avis require 21, except in certain markets.
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Can you rent a car in the US at 18?
Can You Rent a Car Under 25 in the US and Canada? Yes. The minimum age to rent a vehicle with Enterprise is 21 throughout the U.S., except in Michigan and New York where the minimum age to rent is 18. Any U.S. government employee can rent at 18 years of age but must show the rental location his or her official orders.Can a 19 year old drive a rental car in Texas?
To rent a car in Texas, you must be at least 21 years old.Can a 17 year old drive a rental car in Florida?
Teenagers and Rental CarsThe minimum age requirement when renting a car in the United States is 25 years old.Can an 18 year old drive a rental car in California?
How Old Do You Have To Be To Rent a Car in California? You have to be at least 21 years old to rent a car in the state of California. However, this wasn't always the case. In fact, virtually all rental companies required the renter to be at least 25 just a couple of decades back.Cheapest way to Rent a Car at 18 years old! (No underage fees)
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Answer 2
Car rental contracts typically specify that the car may be driven only by the person(s) listed on the contract. So the child wouldn't be allowed to drive a car rented by their parent unless they were added to the contract, in which case the rental company's age restrictions might kick in.
Answer 3
Zipcar is one possible (if very limited) option:
Some of Zipcar’s university partners offer the service to students, faculty, and staff aged 18 years and older. For participating universities, members must have a drivers license for at least two years and can have no violations on their records. (Source)
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Quintin Gellar, Pixabay, Carlos Pernalete Tua, Pixabay