Just because you’re old enough to have a valid driver’s license and even a credit card, you may still not be old enough for some car rental companies to rent their vehicles to you. Complain about age discrimination as hard as you want, but these age requirements are there for very good reasons.
Exactly what are the age requirements?
This depends on the car and truck rental company, of course. The rules for Enterprise may be quite different from the rules for Lowe’s.
Still, the general consensus is that you shouldn’t have any trouble with the age requirements if you’re at least 25 years old. Folks at the rental companies also read the driving accident stats, and they know how younger drivers are like.
Does that mean younger drivers don’t have any car rental options?
Some companies do offer options for younger drivers, but these come with a “young renter fee” added to the cost. The price here will depend on several factors, such as your exact age, the car rental company, and the state you’re in.
What’s the general price for the young renter fee?
Usually, it ranges from an extra $20 to an extra $40. It all depends how near you are to the magic age of 25. You pay less if you’re already 24 or 23 years old, and much more if you’re still 18. The same price applies if you’re the “additional driver” and not the main renter.
Any other limitations?
The car rental company may not rent you their more expensive cars. Do you really think that a car rental company will rent you their Porsche (or even their Infiniti) if you’re still in your teens? You’ll have better luck when you’re much older.
All in all, your young age can be a problem. There’s really nothing else you can do, so you may as well act as a grownup!
