Companies have different minimum ages, some I’ve seen were 25 and some 23. Being under their minimum age can mean they won’t rent to you, or that they’ll rent to you but add a surcharge to your rental.
You should be able to rent some kind of car if you’re over 21, but there are restrictions and extra charges which will double the cost of a 10 day or longer rental and make a shorter rental cost prohibitive.
A check at Expedia to rent a car at CDG in Paris shows:
Budget: minimum age: 21, but you can only rent economy and compact cars if you’re under 25 and there’s a 25 euro per day (minimum 10 days so 250 euros or nearly $400) charge if you’re under 25.
Hertz: lets you rent a wider range of cars at 21, but has a 29,26 euro extra charge (again min. 10 days so 292,6 euros — or $460, but Hertz specifically states that this fee isn’t subject to tax) if you’re under 25.
Dollar: lets you rent all but the largest cars at 21 with a 17,69 euro per day (no minimum # of days, but they charge VAT on it) charge if you’re under 25
EuropaCar: lets you rent all except luxury sports cars (and you have to be 30 to rent those) at 21 with 25,20 per day (including taxes for minimum 10 days) if you’re under 25. The good news here is they apply the underage fee only once — even if more than 1 driver is under 25
Thank you Oldlady and Augustin. BUDGET mentions that minimum renting age is 21 with a Budget corporate account (No Young Driver Surcharge Will Apply).
Do you have any idea what that means?
BUDGET mentions that minimum renting age is 21 with a Budget corporate account (No Young Driver Surcharge Will Apply).
Do you have any idea what that means?
This probably applies to employees of a company that has a corporate account with Budget. Don’t know if it only applies when the employee is renting in the course of work or if it would apply for personal rentals, too — may depend on your company’s travel and expense policies.
Keep in mind that, even if you’re unable to rent a car, all is not lost! The rail system in Europe is so extensive that there are few places you can’t reach with rail+bus, even villages!
If you need car more than ~ 3 weeks, consider short-term lease from Eurodrive or Auto Europe. I believe Peugeot and Renault have programs, too. New car, minimum age 18, only cost-effective if renting more than about 3 weeks. It’s been a while since I looked into it, so some details might be off now.
Remember petrol $8+ per gallon, tolls, parking, additional insurance, etc. in your overall budget. These can add quite a lot.
Remember petrol $8+ per gallon, tolls, parking, additional insurance, etc. in your overall budget. These can add quite a lot.
Plus airport surcharges, extra fees and/or restrictions on which countries you can take the car into, drop off fees, extra drop off fees to rent in one country and return in another, theft insurance (required by some rental companies in some countries)... Don’t forget that the car rental company may tie up a fair amount of your available credit on your credit card until they get the car back…..
You think renting a car will be way too expensive comparing to trains?
Generally, yes. For one or two people train will be cheaper. For three it may be a toss-up. Four people can probably save money renting a car — assuming you’re able and willing to cram yourselves and your gear into a subcompact. Even then, certain issues can raise the cost of the rental so it’s not economical. Issues like a) you rent in one country and return in another (depending on the specific countries) b) you want to visit countries that are not part of the standard rental package c) you’re under 25 d) you’re traveling in Eastern Europe where trains are cheap and car rental is expensive e) you’re full sized people and need to upgrade to a bigger car…
I often rent a car for a few days to explore, but I consider it a luxury, not a way to save money.
Companies have different minimum ages, some I’ve seen were 25 and some 23. Being under their minimum age can mean they won’t rent to you, or that they’ll rent to you but add a surcharge to your rental.
You should be able to rent some kind of car if you’re over 21, but there are restrictions and extra charges which will double the cost of a 10 day or longer rental and make a shorter rental cost prohibitive.
A check at Expedia to rent a car at CDG in Paris shows:
Budget: minimum age: 21, but you can only rent economy and compact cars if you’re under 25 and there’s a 25 euro per day (minimum 10 days so 250 euros or nearly $400) charge if you’re under 25.
Hertz: lets you rent a wider range of cars at 21, but has a 29,26 euro extra charge (again min. 10 days so 292,6 euros — or $460, but Hertz specifically states that this fee isn’t subject to tax) if you’re under 25.
Dollar: lets you rent all but the largest cars at 21 with a 17,69 euro per day (no minimum # of days, but they charge VAT on it) charge if you’re under 25
EuropaCar: lets you rent all except luxury sports cars (and you have to be 30 to rent those) at 21 with 25,20 per day (including taxes for minimum 10 days) if you’re under 25. The good news here is they apply the underage fee only once — even if more than 1 driver is under 25Thank you Oldlady and Augustin.
BUDGET mentions that minimum renting age is 21 with a Budget corporate account (No Young Driver Surcharge Will Apply).
Do you have any idea what that means?
Do you have any idea what that means?
Keep in mind that, even if you’re unable to rent a car, all is not lost! The rail system in Europe is so extensive that there are few places you can’t reach with rail+bus, even villages!
If you need car more than ~ 3 weeks, consider short-term lease from Eurodrive or Auto Europe. I believe Peugeot and Renault have programs, too. New car, minimum age 18, only cost-effective if renting more than about 3 weeks. It’s been a while since I looked into it, so some details might be off now.
Remember petrol $8+ per gallon, tolls, parking, additional insurance, etc. in your overall budget. These can add quite a lot.
You think renting a car will be way too expensive comparing to trains?
I often rent a car for a few days to explore, but I consider it a luxury, not a way to save money.