age required to rent car
Renting a car is especially tricky, as many car rental agencies set a minimum age requirement of 25. Policies often vary from state to state and even from rental agency branch to branch, making it essential to contact your branch of choice well in advance of your trip. The legal age of majority in every state is 18. Or, if you are under 21 years of age, special car type rules and surcharges will apply. When you pick up your car, the rental counter agent can answer any questions you may have about your rental. Always closely review the Rental Agreement when you pick up your car. As of publication, only New York and Michigan have state laws requiring car rental agencies to rent to drivers age 18 and over. All other states allow rental car companies the discretion to set their own minimum age requirement, which is typically but not always 25. Most rental agencies in New York and Michigan apply graduated surcharges to younger drivers, with the heaviest fees charged to those between 18 and 21. For example, Rent-A-Wreck, a used car rental agency with more than 350 franchise locations, rents to drivers under 21 in certain locations. @West Rent A Car rents to 18- to 21-year-olds at its Los Angeles locations for an extra $45 per day. If you plan to pre-pay your rental and are under 25 years of age, underage charges will be added at the counter and will need to be paid at car return. Your prepayment amount will be used as a credit toward the final costs of the rental. The age penalties in Michigan usually aren’t as high, ranging from about $25 to $50 per day. In other states, you may be able to find smaller or lesser-known agencies that rent to drivers under 21—for an extra charge of course. Car rental agencies in the United States do not typically impose a maximum age limit on rentals. In some countries, however, a maximum age limit is common. Age limits vary between rental agencies and from country to country, but often fall between age 75 and 80. The picture actually isn’t as bleak as it was a few years ago when many of big car rental companies didn’t allow anyone under 25 to rent. Drivers ages 21 to 24 can now rent at most locations operated by Advantage, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Thrifty. Youth can be a paradox: If you’re age 18 or older you’re considered mature enough to be able to vote, pay taxes, and even go to war. But, until recently, if you were under 25, many rental car companies wouldn’t trust you to drive their vehicles. Because drivers under 25 statistically get into more auto accidents than other age groups, car rental agencies have long penalized young drivers—even those with good driving records—by charging high daily underage fees, restricting the types of cars that can be rented, and even banning drivers (particularly those ages 18 to 21) from renting at all.
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