At 18 , you may be called forjury obligation , sign up for themilitary draft(if you ’re a guy ) and get married without parental consent . But one thing you may not be capable to do is lease a car . This is because many troupe won’trent a carto anyone under the age of 21 , and those that do will often charge a hefty extra fee for the " privilege . " A few companies take it even further and decline to rent to anyone under age 25 !
Is this unfair ? Maybe , but it ’s not without reason . " The minimum age is based on decades of safety and accident studies from the insurance industry that come to the undeniable ratiocination that drivers under the age of 25 have more frequent and more serious accidents , " says Greg Scott with theAmerican Car Rental Association , in an email interview .
Indeed , the younger universe is deplorably dominant when it add up to motorcar accidents . According to the National Safety Council , teens age 16 to 19 are gadget driver in 6 percentage of fatal accidents and 8.9 percentage of all collapse , despite the fact that the same eld group clear up a paltry 3.5 pct of total drivers . The accident charge per unit quell about the same until drivers hit the old age of 24 when it begin to decrease .
Sean Pour , conscientious objector - founder ofSellMax , a nationwide car buying service , further exemplify this reality . For the month of March 2022 , he found that 63 percent of the 2,348 damage cars his troupe had purchase were bought from drivers under eld 25 . " It seems harsh to bunch all spring chicken into one class , but they [ the rental car company ] like specifically about the numbers , " he says .
This does n’t mean that you ca n’t hire a elevator car as a immature number one wood ; it just means that you ’ll pay more to do so . The damage hike is obviously attached to the increased endangerment of take a auto to someone under 25 . company appoint so - called youth premiums ( or " under 25 fee " ) to only the dissemble renters , so that other drivers do n’t have to foot the bill with high prices across the board . The " young driver surcharge " ranges from $ 14.99 to $ 35 per day , says Jessica Claros , a licensed insurance producer with Dominguez Insurance Agency . This is on top of the daily rental car charge . However , " 18 - twelvemonth - old should wait to pay an even high daily surcharge , on average , " she emails .
Best Car Rental Options for Those Aged 18-25
The first thing to know is thatstate lawin New York and Michigan necessitate companies to rent a cable car to anyone 18 or old ( with a valid license ) , although they can tack on a young machine driver surcharge . These surcharge runaround $ 40 per day in Michigan and $ 57 per day for New York .
If you ’re in one of the other 48 country , all hope is not lost . " Some gondola rental company do rent to individuals 18 or old , and some in reality specialize in serving this market , " say Scott .
A few exercise areDollar Car Rental , which rents to those 20 and up , andFox Rent a Car , which accept 18 - year - olds if they ’re active tariff military on travel order , and any licensed driver over the old age of 19 . In fact , members of the military should inquire with any rental car company about that small loophole . ( For illustration , Budget will also rent to 18 - year - old , both military and civilian , and waive the under 25 fees , provided they have government travelling or leverage orders . ) Many companies will hire to 18 - year - olds if the rental is an " insurance replacement " while the renter ’s cable car is in the store .
sure rental motorcar company ( like Hertz ) will waive young renter fees for AAA members , says Melanie Musson , a cable car insurance expert withCarInsuranceComparison.com . " So , if you ’re think about renting a automobile for more than a couple of days , it would be worth conjoin AAA to eliminate the unseasoned renter fees , " she suggests . Hertz will also relinquish the additional driver fees for AAA members . And you ’ll get roadside assistance and other benefit admit with your rank .
Policy - holder withUSAA Insurancecan also obviate untested driver and additional equipment driver fee at Avis , Budget , Hertz and Enterprise . USAA policyholders can get rebate on auto lease rate as well . " Active , retired and honorably separated officers and enlisted force of the U.S. military are eligible for USAA rank , " says Claros .
Peer to peer apps likeTuroare another good choice for unseasoned drivers , suggests Patrick McCann , editor - in - chief of the siteWe Try Tires . " This is because the age demarcation line is set by the machine ’s owner . This will likely permit for a large choice of cars if you are struggling to find a car rental troupe that will accept under 25 - twelvemonth - olds . " Often , such apps ask trial impression of personal insurance policy as well as a hefty deposit , so take that into story .
Another selection might be Zipcar , which has aspecial rank programme for college educatee , who might call for a cable car for just a few hours or a few twenty-four hours . For renter 18 - 20 , theyoung machine driver feeis $ 1.25 per time of day or $ 15 per day ( except in New York City where the fee is $ 3.75 per minute or $ 62.50 per daylight ) . For tenant 21 - 24 , the young driver fee is $ 0.88 per minute or $ 12.50 per day ( $ 2.50 per hour or $ 31.25 per day for members renting in New York City ) .
At any rental car location or app , untried drivers are sassy to keep their expectations in deterrent . That Tesla is going to be more difficult and expensive to snag than say , a more reasonably price compendious car . In fact , most railway car rental companies limit what types of vehicles they charter to customers under 25 .
