Can I hire a car whilst under the age of 26 years old?

All about hiring a car whilst under the age of 26

There are loads of activities and opportunities worldwide designed to attract the interest of young travellers, so don’t miss out on what could end up being the trip of your life! Auto Europe has been in the car hire industry for over 65 years, through its trusted partners its able to offer the very best global service and advice to young travellers aged under 26. We are truly transparent and share with you how to save money on your global car hire. Fees, taxes and insurances for young drivers are explained in detail, along with professional tips on how to make savings during your trip.

Our trained agents are available to provide you with the latest important information regarding the age limits for hiring a car, including any applicable fees and insurances for young drivers. This is all provided so that you as our customer, can make an informed decision as to what rental offers are best suited for your budget.

What exactly is a Young Driver Fee?

If you’re looking to hire a car whilst being under the age of 26, you will generally be considered a young driver. Due to this, many suppliers will regard you as higher risk in terms of accidents. TO counter the risk, many suppliers have adopted a Young Driver Fee to be charged locally on top of the rental base rate. The amount is calculated by the duration of the rental and is individually set by each supplier. Payment is made directly to the supplier during the pick-up process. Some suppliers have set a maximum limit, which is therefore beneficial to young drivers that are looking to hire a car for longer durations. You can consult the exact fee amount both on our website – during the booking, and in the voucher’s terms and conditions.

Along with a Young Drive Fee, many suppliers also charge an Additional Driver Fee, should you be thinking about naming more than one driver during your rental. The Additional Driver Fee is also charged locally during the time of pick-up and is calculated by the duration of your rental. It is important to note that each young driver will have to pay the Young Driver Fee. This means that if there are two drivers named on the rental that are under the age of 26 – then both will be charged a Young Driver Fee each. This is in addition to the Additional Driver Fee for the second named driver. The good news is that many suppliers offer a Free Additional Driver promotion. So, it pays to look around our website at all the individual suppliers. If travelling to the USA, some suppliers offer a free-of-charge additional driver to the rental for spouses.

Minimum age to hire a car

The host country sets the minimum legal age of those who can drive a vehicle. In addition, individual car hire suppliers have also set a minimum age policy to be able to rent their cars. In essence, this means that if the host country’s minimum legal age to drive is 18, the supplier can have a policy that only allows 19-year-olds to hire a car.

Available car category dependent on age of driver

If you decide to rent a car whilst under the age of 26, it is often the case that the car categories available are restricted due to your age. Each company sets its own policy as to what car categories it makes available to young drivers. Some car categories are limited whilst others are total restricted – such is the with the luxury car category. This category is normally off limits, even if the young driver has additional insurance. Auto Europe has no say in individual supplier policies on renting to young drivers, the applicable fees nor the available categories.

Car hire whilst under the age of 26 – Insurance Conditions

When you come to make your booking, make sure you inform us of your exact age. This will allow us to provide a list of only the suppliers that are willing to hire their cars to your age group. Omitting or providing the wrong age may cause your booking to become invalid during pick-up and you will lose your booking. This is non-refundable! Providing your age will also allow us to inform you of the exact applicable Young Driver Fee, and any additional conditions the supplier may request. Some suppliers have adopted a condition that requires young drivers to pay for additional insurances during pick-up. This is on top of the legal base car coverage provided.

Importance of the issue date on driving licences

Another condition often adopted by car hire suppliers is the need to have held a full driving licence for a minimum time period. In general, the minimum amount a driver must have held a full driving licence is a year, although some suppliers request drivers to have held a full driving licence for over a year. Some national driving licences in some countries will also require the driver to have anInternational Driving Licence accompanying it. An International Driving Licence is only valid if presented together with the national driving licence.

How to reduce any extra expenses when hiring a car whilst under the age 26

The easiest form of reducing your overall rental charges is to have someone who is over the age of 26 to agree to be the sole driver during the trip. The second way is to designate only one driver and thus avoiding multiple Young Driver Fees and Additional Driver Fees.

As you are now more familiar with the processes, conditions and available car hire options whilst under the age of 26 – give one of our trained agents a call to discuss your car rental and trip ideas. Our team is ready and available now. Alternatively, you may utilise our secure online booking engine to search, view and place your booking.