Have you ever wondered if it is possible to rent a car under the age of 25? Well, you might be surprised to find out that it is possible to rent vehicles at the age of 21 and even at the age of 18 in some states.
What exactly is the catch?
Well, for starters you will have to pay additional fees for being a “young renter” and you also will have certain restrictions for different vehicles that you’re not able to rent. In this article, I will walk you through everything you need to know as a young renter, which is usually considered to anybody under 25.
The policies are a little bit different for each rental car company but I’ll highlight the policies for Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Silvercar. I will also provide some examples of the fees you can expect to pay for each rental car company.
Table of Contents
How old do you need to be to rent a car?
Generally speaking you will need to be 20 or 21 years old to rent a car in the US. If you are between the ages of 20 to 24, you will likely be subject to the additional young renter’s fee.
There are some exceptions for those in New York and Michigan and in those states some rental car companies will rent to 18 year olds but you will have to pay even higher young renter’s fees. There are also exceptions for government employees who can rent at 18 years of age and avoid fees.
Below, I will discuss the age requirements for different rental companies here in the US and show you how much you might expect to pay in fees if you are considered a young driver.
How much are the young renter fees?
The young renter fees vary based on the rental car company that you go through. They also might depend on your specific age range and location. Generally, you can expect to pay anywhere from $20-$50 per day.
If you are driving with someone 25 years or older, you might be able to get around these if you have them become the primary driver with the vehicle, so always keep that in mind. Also, you might be able to avoid these fees if you are an AAA member.
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Why do younger renters have to pay more?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers who are younger than 25 are significantly more likely to get into accidents than older drivers. After age 25, the per-driver crash rate declines dramatically.
By forcing young renters to pay more, there will be fewer young renters on the road and they will be able to contribute to covering these losses more by paying the extra fees.
Related: What Are the Age Requirements for Checking in at a Hotel?
Documents needed
Young renters will be subject to the same requirements for documents that other renters have to comply with.
Renters must present a valid, acceptable credit card (debit cards are usually not permitted) and a valid driver’s license both in the renter’s name. Some rental car companies might also require your license to have been in good standing for at least one year.
Note: If you want to secure a rental with cash or a debit card there may be extra stringent age requirements. Read more about those here.
Alamo
Alamo will rent to young renters between the ages of 21-24 and fees will vary but should be comparable to the rates below for other rental car companies. In one sample booking, I found the young renter fees to be $20 per day.
Michigan
- The minimum age is 18 years of age.
- A $40.00 per day additional charge applies to 18-20 aged renters.
- A $25.00 per day additional charge applies to 21-24 aged renters.
New York
- The minimum age is 18 years of age.
- A $57.00 per day additional charge applies to 18-20 aged renters.
- A $20.00 per day additional charge applies to 21-24 aged renters.
Government personnel
- U.S. military personnel and government employers ages 18 or older will not incur a young driver surcharge when renting for authorized government travel.
Restrictions
- Certain specialty and larger sized vehicles may not be rented to drivers under the age of 25.
Avis
Avis will rent to young renters between the ages of 21-24. For Avis, the young renter fee for ages 21 to 24 is an additional $27-per-day in the U.S. and $35 per day in Canada for drivers 21-24. You can find the fee by looking for the underage surcharge on the breakdown of your price.
Michigan
- Michigan, will continue its minimum rental age of 18 with a $41-per-day surcharge for customers between the ages of 18-20 and a $28-per-day surcharge for customers between the ages of 21-24.
New York
- In New York State, the minimum age to rent is 18 with a $52-per-day surcharge for renters age 18-20 and a $35-per-day underage surcharge for renters age 21-24.
Canada
- In Quebec, the minimum age to rent car groups A, B, C, D & E is 21 with an under age fee of $20 per day for renters age 21-24. For all other car groups, the minimum age is 25.
- In Saskatchewan, the minimum age is 18. No underage fee applies.
Government personnel
Government Personnel (civilian or military) minimum age policy is as follows:
For Personnel (FEMA, U.S. Postal Dept., Navy and Army) not using the Government Leisure Pass, minimum age is
* 18 years (No underage surcharge will apply) with Government Travel or Purchase order
* 21 years (No underage surcharge will apply) without Travel or Purchase order
When using the Government Leisure Pass the renter is subject to underage fees as specified by the renting location.
Restrictions
Renters between the ages of 21-24 may not rent vehicles in the following car classes:
- Full-Size SUVs
- Luxury
- Minivans
- Passenger Vans
- Premium SUVs
- Signature Series
Budget
Budget will rent to young renters between the ages of 21-24. For Budget, the young renter fee for ages 21 to 24 is an additional $27 per day in the U.S. and $35 per day in Canada for drivers 21-24. Once again, you can find the fee in the price breakdown under fees and taxes.
Restrictions
Drivers between the ages of 21-24 will not be permitted to rent luxury cars, mini vans, 12-passenger vans, specialty vehicles, full-size SUVs or premium SUVs.
- If a renter wishes to add an additional driver to the rental policy, the second driver must be 25 or older and present their valid driver’s license and credit card or, at some locations, a debit card is acceptable.
- 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.
Michigan
In Michigan at corporate-operated locations, the minimum rental age is 18 with a valid, acceptable credit card and driver’s license, and an additional $41-per-day underage surcharge for drivers 18-20; $28-per-day for drivers 21-24 years old will be applied.
New York
In New York State at corporate-operated locations, the minimum rental age is 18 with a valid, acceptable credit card and driver’s license, and an additional $52-per-day underage surcharge for drivers 18-20; $35-per-day for drivers 21-24 years old will be applied. Drivers under the age 25 will not be permitted to rent luxury cars, mini vans, 12-passenger vans, specialty vehicles, full-size SUVs or premium SUVs.
Enterprise
Enterprise will rent to young renters between the ages of 21-24. For Enterprise, the young renter fee for ages 21 to 24 the average cost for the fee is approximately $20.00 per day but can be higher or lower based on the rental location.
Government personnel
- A United States Government Employee can rent at 18 years of age, but must show the rental location his or her official orders.
Michigan
- In Michigan, the minimum age to rent is 18 years of age as mandated by the state
- Any driver 18-20 years of age will be charged an additional ‘Young Renter Fee’ of $40.00 per day
- Any driver 21-24 years of age will be charged an additional ‘Young Renter Fee’ of $25.00 per day
New York
- In New York State, the minimum age to rent is 18 years of age as mandated by the state
- Any driver 18-20 years of age will be charged an additional ‘Young Renter Fee’ of $57.00 per day
- Any driver 21-24 years of age will be charged an additional ‘Young Renter Fee’ of $20.00 per day
Hertz
Hertz will rent to young renters between the ages of 20-24. For Hertz, the young renter fee for ages 20 to 24 is approximately $29. Hertz is one of the only major rental car companies that rents to those who are only 20. (Thrifty is another rental car company that will rent to 20-year-olds.) The fee will show up in your price breakdown as the “age differential.”
They do require for you to have a valid driver’s license in good standing for over a year so if you just received your license, there could be some issues there.
Government personnel
- Some United States Government Employees or military personnel can rent at 18 years of age, but must show the rental location official orders.
Michigan and New York
- In both the states of Michigan and New York, the minimum age to rent is 18 years of age as mandated by the state government.
How can you avoid an Under 25 Car Rental Fee?
A popular way to avoid an Under 25 Car Rental Fee is to join certain membership programs. For example, at Hertz, they have a partnership with AAA. As an AAA member between the age of 20 and 24, the young driver fee is not applied if you meet standard rental qualifications. The AAA membership application can be found here.
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Restrictions
Hertz renters under the age of 25 may rent any car except those from the Dream Cars, Prestige, and Adrenaline collections, and certain specialty vehicles.
Thrifty
As mentioned above, Thrifty is another rental car company that will rent to 20-year-olds. The young renter fee for ages 20 to 24 is approximately $25 to $35 depending on the location.
In order to rent, you will need a valid drivers license that has been in good standing for over a year. You also need to have a valid debit card or credit card and the name on the card will need to match your license.
Michigan and New York
- In both the states of Michigan and New York, the minimum age to rent is 18 years of age as mandated by the state government.
National Car Rental
National car rental will rent to customers between the ages of 20-24. For National, the young renter fee for ages 21 to 24 is approximately $20. You can click on the price breakdown to see the exact fee.
If you wish to know the cost of the ‘Young Renter Fee’ you may begin the reservation process to determine the exact amount of the fee for the location (please remember you will have the option to confirm or cancel the reservation).
Michigan
- In Michigan, the minimum age to rent is 18 years of age as mandated by the state
- Any driver 18-20 years of age will be charged an additional ‘Young Renter Fee’ of $40.00 per day.
- Any driver 21-24 years of age will be charged an additional ‘Young Driver Fee’ of $25.00 per day.
New York
- In New York State, the minimum age to rent is 18 years of age as mandated by the state
- Any driver 18-20 years of age will be charged an additional ‘Young Renter Fee’ of $57.00 per day.
- Any driver 21-24 years of age will be charged an additional ‘Young Driver Fee’ of $20.00 per day.
Government personnel
– A US Government Employee can rent at 18 years of age, but must show the renting office his or her official orders. For more information on government travel, click here
Restrictions
- Renters 21 through 24 years of age may be restricted to specific car classes.
Silvercar
Silvercar states that “drivers must be 22 years old (18 years old in New York with a $75 a day surcharge) by the time of their rental. Silvercar will validate the driver’s license of all customers on their first rental. This is a one time step you will not have to complete on subsequent rentals unless your driver’s license has expired or changed (i.e. name change, issuing state, etc.).”
Silvercar offers more luxurious vehicles for their rentals so it is no surprise that they have one of the higher age limits of 22.
Can 17 year olds rent vehicles?
I am not aware of any rental car company that allows for 17 year olds to rent cars.
Are there maximum age limits for rental cars?
Since there are minimum age requirements for rental cars you might be wondering if there are ever maximum age limits. In the US, it seems very uncommon or rare to find rental car companies that will prohibit you from renting a vehicle when you have reached a maximum age.
However, in countries around the world there might be age restrictions for rental vehicles — usually beginning around 70 to 75 years of age.
What about Europe?
In Europe, things are pretty similar. You will find quite a few countries that allow you to rent vehicles at the age of 21 and some even allow you to rent at the age of 18.
Just like in the USA, in some of those countries you will also have to pay a young renter’s fee if you are under the age of 25. You can read more about the age restrictions for rental cars here.
If you are planning on renting a car for an international trip, then you should consider applying for an international driving permit. To learn more a bout how to get an international driving permit, click here.
Final word
If you are under the age of 25, and you can expect to pay an additional young renter’s fee whenever you rent a vehicle. This fee will typically range from $20-$50 depending on your age and the location of the rental.
If you are an AAA member or if you are renting with someone 25 years or older, you might be able to get around the fees. And if you live in a special state like New York or Michigan you can get away with renting a vehicle at the age of 18.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.
Thanks for pointing out that there is an additional young renters fee for those under the age of 25. My son is taking a vacation next year and he wants to rent a luxury car at his destination. I’ll be sure to pass this information on to him so he can best prepare for his fun outing!