Policies and requirements

All Rental Companies have a minimum age requirement, usually 25.
Some will rent to those 21 years old with a surcharge, which tend to range from $5.00 to $25.00 a day. Ask about this policy if you are under 25.
Some Rental Car Companies will rent to those 18 and above in certain situations. Government or Military personnel on official business are often allowed to rent. Some companies will rent a car as an insurance replacement vehicle.
The minimum age requirement applies to the renter as well as any additional drivers.
Some Rental Companies offer rentals to those less than 25 and over 21. They will usually charge a daily surcharge ranging from $5.00 to $25.00 a day.
The minimum age policy and surcharge policy varies from company to company and can even vary between a company’s different locations.
You’ll not only want to find out who will rent to you, but also shop their surcharge fee to see if you can save some money.
Some Rental Companies that have a general policy of renting only to those over 25, have special agreements with certain corporate accounts allowing rentals to corporate employees who are under 25. In some cases, they will also wave any surcharge for those employees. However, the corporate employees are often limited to renting the car for only business purposes. You can check with the Rental Companies or your corporate travel departments to see if you are eligible for these programs.
U.S. Government employees or military personnel as young as 18 years old can often arrange to rent if they are on official business and traveling with orders.

Do I have to return the car to the same location?

Not always, some Rental Companies allow you to drop off their car at their other locations in town, in other cities or even other states.
You’ll need to ask about each particular case to see if it is allowed.
You’ll also need to know the cost since there is usually a charge for this convenience.
Some companies have special low shuttle rates available between two popular locations.
Some companies have special low rates available if they need the car moved to another location. Often, parts of rental fleets are moved south to north for the summer and north to south for the winter to adjust for seasonal needs. So, if you do happen to be going that way you can really find some good deals.

How are rentals outside the United States different from those here?

You may need an international driver’s license or permit in addition to your U.S. driver’s license.
Some countries charge a fee for a permit that allows you to drive on their roads.
The rental contract may not be in English. See if they have rental contracts or at least an explanation of contract terms available in English. Also, see if they will have any English speaking counter personnel available to assist you when you arrive.
Your personal insurance or credit card coverage may not be valid or acceptable to the rental company, so you may need to purchase extra coverage.
Most rental car fleets outside the U.S. are made up of much smaller cars.
Many foreign rental fleets will have a large percentage of manual transmission automobiles.
A car with air-conditioning may be considered an upgrade in some foreign fleets.
Road signage may be in unfamiliar languages and the colors and shapes of those signs may be different than those in the U.S.
The direction of the lanes may be opposite of those in the U.S.
Road conditions may be considerably worse than those found in the U.S.
Gauges may only read in the metric system, 100 kilometers=60 miles.
Gasoline is usually considerably more expensive and is often sold by the liter, 3.78 liters=1 gallon.
Many countries have even higher taxes on rental cars than those in the U.S.
Fuel prices are often considerably higher than those found in the U.S.
Some countries have both a minimum and a maximum rental age.

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