Luxury car rental for 21 year olds

Looking for a way to make prom special? How about picking up your date or friends in a luxury car? Here’s what you need to know about age minimums and price.

Minimum Age to Rent a Luxury Car

There are two options—renting the car yourself (high school students are not old enough, but there are exceptions) or getting a friend or family member to rent the car and play chauffeur.

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Even if you have a valid driver’s license, you will probably not be able to rent a car yourself—but that depends on where you live. High school students need to check out the minimum age requirements for car rentals before looking for that perfect luxury prom car.

In many cases, rental car companies have minimum age requirements that preclude high school students from signing a contract themselves. The country’s biggest car rental companies generally require renters to be 21 years old, although a few have lower minimum age requirements. Fox Rent a Car, for example, requires drivers to be 19.

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There is one big exception to these age requirements. Laws in two states—Michigan and New York—specifically allow drivers as young as 18 to rent from both the bigger and smaller chains, regardless of the companies’ policies.

Beware of the young driver fee

There is a big downside, however: you can expect to pay an extra, daily young driver fee if you plan to go the route of renting a luxury car yourself. That’s because many major rental car companies consider drivers to be a “young driver” until the age of 25 due to the extra risk they present.

Young renter and driver fees vary, with AutoSlash research finding that the cost can vary widely, and generally ranges from $15 to $57 per day. If you’ve got a friend or relative over age 20 that will be your driver, one way of avoiding the young renter fee is to rent from Hertz with an AAA membership. Hertz created a Young Driver Fee Waiver for AAA members aged 20 to 24. he reservation must be booked under the AAA rate code to be eligible for the fee waiver.

How Much Does it Cost to Rent a Luxury Car?

Let’s say you are able to rent a luxury car for prom or, more likely, have an older friend or relative rent one and agree to be your driver.

Unfortunately, renting a luxury car as a young driver is not particularly easy or cheap. In addition to the young driver fee added to the daily rental price, many rental companies restrict young people from renting the most expensive or unique luxury cars.

Even if you’re willing to pay the price for a top-of-the-line luxury car, rental companies do tend to restrict drivers under the age of 25 from renting the cream of the crop. That’s the case when renting a luxury SUV or sports car like a Corvette convertible from Enterprise’s Exotic Car Collection.

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A quick survey of options for young renters shows that car rentals are pretty pricey when including the added fees. An informal web search shows that an 18-year-old in Detroit renting a standard full-size vehicle from Enterprise can expect to pay nearly $100 for a one-day rental—$42 of which is just the young renter fee. Renting a Chevy Corvette Coup from Enterprise Exotic Car Collection in New York City would be more than $300 a day after fees—but those cars are only available to drivers 25 and over.

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It’s crucial that young drivers to learn about how car insurance works with rentals, and whether it makes sense to add any additional options such as the loss damage waiver (LDW). This would waive your responsibility to damages to the vehicle in the case of an accident, but could add $20-$30 per day to the price.

Taking into account the extra fees and limited luxury options young renters have for prom rentals, the best bet may be to ask a friend or family member to reserve a car and drive it on the special day. And of course, renting a classic stretch limo with a driver is always an option. No matter which option you choose, be sure to drive responsibly.

If you're between 18 and 21 years of age, you're in a group that is brimming with desirable travel opportunities! From study abroad programs and volunteer vacations, to WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) and teaching English as a second language. Your youth and zest for life open doors everywhere and with these exciting possibilities you'll find further travel inspiration around every corner! A car rental is most ideal way to travel independently while you're abroad and Auto Europe is here to help ensure a little thing like car rental age requirements doesn't stand in your way!

What are the local fees renters under 21 should be aware of?

The young driver surcharge can vary greatly from country to country and also between car rental companies, so it is a good idea to cross-reference this information. Luckily, Auto Europe is diligent in our practices of providing this important detail as you are perusing your car rental search results! Simply click the product information linked text next to each photo of the car rental category vehicle and voile - you'll know in seconds exactly what each car rental company young driver policies are!

Are there ways to avoid a young drivers fee when renting a car under 21?

A traditional car rental is one option for you to explore when planning a trip to Europe, a short term car lease is another! Factory-new Peugeot's or Citroen's are available for driver's 18 and up! You can travel to 40 European countries covered under the zero deductible insurance provided, with unlimited car rental mileage and no young driver surcharges. If you are under 21 and planning an extended stay in Europe, a car lease may be a great option!

AAA members who rent a car with Hertz may be able to have the "young driver fee" waived if they meet standard rental qualifications. If you are a AAA member learn about all the benefits the come with your membership.

Are there other fees for drivers under 21?

You probably noticed that in the driver information boxes of the three examples above a daily fee for additional drivers is also assessed. Again, the fees vary drastically with the Rome driver fee maximum cap being the most exorbitant, while the highest rate you'd pay in Paris in this instance would be $60 USD.

If you are weighing whether to add another driver for your trip, this fee is another financial factor to consider when you compare car rental rates.

What are the restrictions on fleet availability for renters under 21 years old?

As long as your car rental needs are for basic category car, we can almost always find an equitable solution with a little patience and compromise. If however, you are envisioning speeding along Germany's Autobahn in a sleek super-car, or turning heads by driving a luxury car through the streets of London, hold that thought. Fleet availability for a car rental under 21 years of age typically have more restrictions, particularly for specialty car rentals. If this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip that you don't see yourself making again, call Auto Europe's prestige department toll-free at 1-888-223-5555, where car rental dreams are made manifest!

Is there mandatory car rental insurance for renters under 21 years old?

In most instances when you're renting a car in Europe, you'll find the car rental insurance requirements for you are no more and no less than they would be for any other age group. There are some car rental companies, however, that will only allow you to rent a car if you take additional car rental insurance coverage. In Germany for instance there is a car rental company with whom a car rental under 21 years of age requires that you take an inclusive insurance rate, while another car company might allow you to use available credit card insurance.

Do I need to disclose my age when I rent a car if I am under 21 years old?

Whether you create your car rental booking on Auto Europe's website, or use our toll-free number to make a reservation with one of our agents. When making your booking, be sure you provide the age of the primary driver at the time the car rental. It could make a difference in the additional fees if they happen to exceed the car rental minimum age requirements at that time, which will give you more travel funds to work with, or it might not make a financial impact at all, but it's important that the details are correct regardless.

Does it matter how long I've had my driver's license?

To legally rent a car internationally, the minimum travel industry standard for a driver's license to be held is one year from the issue date. If you're renting a car in Ireland, you'd need to have held the driver's license for two years prior instead of one.

Do you need an International Driving Permit (IDP) if you are under 21 years old?

An international driving permit translates your driver's license information into several different languages. Depending on the country and supplier, an IDP may be required, or strongly advised.

Why you should book a rental car with Auto Europe?

Are you ready to book your car rental? Auto Europe offers financial security to the DIY traveler who chooses to utilize our three-step car rental booking engine. If you have any questions about car rental services, Auto Europe car rental specialists are available 24-hours a day to assist you via our toll-free number, 1-888-223-5555.

How to Rent a Car Under 21

Some car rental companies will not rent to drivers under the age of 21, and those that do will often charge an additional fee or surcharge to reflect the added risk of renting to a less-experienced driver. If it's possible to rent a car as a driver under 21 in your travel destination, Auto Europe can help. It doesn't take much extra time to rent a car as a driver under 21 years of age, and you can typically book online or over the phone with Auto Europe in as little as 5-15 Minutes. The cost to rent a car under 21 years old will vary depending upon the particular details of your rental agreement. A young driver surcharge in most locations will be in the range of $5 - $23 additional US dollars per day.

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