Age Limits for Renting a Car « The Glove Box Blog from Argus Car Hire

Age Limits for Renting a Car

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Fiona Hilliard

Now, to the thorny issue of age. We get a lot of questions from young drivers asking what the minimum age for renting a car is. Often it is difficult to give a general response, as every country goes by its own rules, especially in Europe. We can however, offer you a round-up of minimum (and maximum) age limits in Europe.

Younger Drivers:

If you’re renting a car in Europe, you’ll find that, for insurance reasons, most rental car companies require drivers to be at least 21 years old. Some countries have lower age limits however.

In Croatia, Germany, Iceland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden you can rent a car once you hit 18. In Estonia and Norway, 19 is the magic number, while Bulgaria, Finland and Switzerland stipulate that you must be 20 years old. In many cases, young drivers are required to have held their licence for a minimum of 12 months. Other countries however, require drivers to have held their licence for up to three years. In Germany, 18 to 22 year olds are required to buy collision damage waiver, even if they have credit card collision coverage. The best advice we can offer if you’re heading for Europe and you’re under-25 is be prepared to pay heavy surcharges on the base rental rate.

Older Drivers:

It’s not just the young ones that face extra charges and red tape. The young at heart will also have to pay attention to the small print.

You should be fine if you’re renting in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden as these countries don’t enforce a maximum age limit.

However, you may discover that maximum age limits are enforced by local rental agencies and restrictions may be applied to some classes of car, starting at age 69 in the UK and Northern Ireland, 70 in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Greece, 73 in Slovenia and up to 80 in Denmark.

Three countries have implemented maximum age limits. In Ireland, drivers over 75 are prohibited from renting. Drivers over 70 must pay an extra fee. The maximum age for renting in Israel is 75 and 70 in Romania. Drivers aged 70 or over may be subject to surcharges also.

Discussion: 20 Comments

20 Responses to “Age Limits for Renting a Car”

B. Shearer

- 26th Sep, 09 03:09am

so I cannot rent a car in the Uk if I am over the age of 70 however would I be able to rent a car and driver if I am over 70 or do you not allow
seniors in your cars regardless of age
Editor

- 28th Sep, 09 11:09am

Hi there,

Thanks for your question. I have looked into your query with our supply team and unfortunately it is the case that many of our suppliers will not rent vehicles to persons aged 70 or over. I am however happy to report that our partners in Europcar will oblige you with your booking if you call our customer care team at 0844 330 2581 and explain that you are over 70 and have been advised to book with Europcar.

I hope this answers your question,
Kind regards

Fiona
shreeti

- 5th Oct, 09 12:10pm

Hi, I have a question, what would be the surcharge in Sweden for me? I am 22 years old. Thanks
Fiona

- 5th Oct, 09 02:10pm

All age restrictions relating to renting a car with ArgusCarHire.com are set by the individual rental companies. For insurance purposes, rental car companies set a minimum or maximum age for the driver they rent to.

Unfortunately, I cannot be exact on how much you will be charged, as it depends on your individual supplier.

Please note: Age restrictions can be found in the terms and conditions of your rental.
Barbara Rees

- 16th Jan, 10 04:01pm

What are the age maximums in the US?
Fiona Hilliard (author comment)

- 18th Jan, 10 09:01am

Hi Barbara

In the US there is no maximum age limit for renting a car.
Chloe

- 4th Mar, 10 01:03am

I am going to Switzerland this summer and would like to rent a car, do you know if anyone rents to 18 year olds? I am a Swiss/American citizen if that helps.
Fiona Hilliard (author comment)

- 4th Mar, 10 11:03am

Hi Chloe,
Thanks for your comment.
I’ve responded to your comment in a post: http://tiny.cc/g0RmA, please feel free to comment further if you have any other questions.
Fiona
Keith Williams

- 6th Apr, 10 12:04am

Hi, I just attempted to hire a car with an age of 18 (at Heathrow Airport), and I was surprised to be offered several options.

Before I go ahead and book – is this correct or a website error? I thought it was impossible to rent a car below the age of 21 in the UK?

Thanks,
keith
samuel robert with

- 13th Sep, 10 06:09pm

My brother whom is aged 74 is coming to visit me in spain would he be able to hire a car
Fiona Hilliard (author comment)

- 15th Sep, 10 11:09am

Hi Samuel,
Thanks for your question. Your brother should be fine to rent in Spain, the upper age limit in Spain is 79 for most car rental agents. See my full response here: http://blog.arguscarhire.com/age-limits-for-renting-a-car-in-spain/

Many thanks

Fiona
Arran

- 25th Oct, 10 05:10pm

I went to spain last year but didn’t hire a car because I knew I wouldn’t be able to get one however I am going next year. When I go next I will be 20 years old, with more than 3 years driving experience plus *touch wood* no accidents. Do you happen to know anywhere I could rent a car???

Thanx
Fiona Hilliard (author comment)

- 26th Oct, 10 03:10pm

Hi Arran,
thanks for your question. I’ve posted a reply on the blog here…
http://blog.arguscarhire.com/question-of-the-week-car-hire-for-under-25s/

Hope this helps and you find something:)

Fiona
Jim Wyatt

- 18th Jan, 11 11:01am

I (aged 67) and my family (wife aged 61 and daughter aged 19) intend to holiday in Denmark and Sweden this year. I intend to hire a car to visit friends and relatives in both countries. The minimum age of hire car drivers seems to be a problem as it is 23 in Denmark and 18 in Sweden. If we reckon on splitting our time 50:50 between the countries where would you recommend that we hire the car? The areas concerned are Helsingborg in Sweden and Helsingør in Denmark.
Many thanks for any information you can give me!
Fiona Hilliard (author comment)

- 18th Jan, 11 03:01pm

Hi Jim

I’ve done a bit of research into this for you. Although the legal age to rent a car in Sweden is 18, drivers must have had their license issued a full two years before they are legally allowed to rent a car, so you will need to check this is the case with your daughter if you still intend to share the driving.

In Denmark the minimum age to rent a car is 21, so it won’t be possible for you to rent from Denmark. In both cases though, rental agencies will charge an extra surcharge for drivers aged under 25.

If you go ahead with driving from Sweden to Denmark, you’ll find a ferry runs between Helsingborg with Helsingor every 20 minutes and takes just 40 minutes to cross. A restaurant and kiosk serving light snacks can be found on board too.

I’m not certain of your travel plans yet, but when booking be sure opt for “different drop off location”, if you intend to fly out of a different country than you arrived in. Please be aware, an extra charge may apply for this type of one way rental.

I hope you find this information useful.

Any other questions, please let me know,

Fiona
Jim Wyatt

- 18th Jan, 11 09:01pm

Hi Fiona
Thank you so much for researching this for me, my head was spinning from all the oddities between companies and countries.
To start with my confusion is caused by the relationship between myself as “renter” and my family as “additional drivers” – it looks as if each “additional driver” is party to the rental agreement and therefore each is considered as a “renter”. If this is the case, then I can understand the lower age limits more clearly as I had assumed that each “additional driver” was simply that and that alone.
Our daughter will be 19 years old when we hope to travel but will not have held a full license for full two years. Therefore it appears that she will not be allowed to drive a rental car either in Sweden or Denmark. To a degree this simplifies things considerably but will not be happy news for her as she was hoping to visit friends without Mum and Dad tagging along!
We intend to arrive and leave through Copenhagen Airport (Kastrup). therefore it looks as if I can now think in terms of picking up and dropping off the hire car at Copenhagen Airport (Kastrup) which would simplify things considerably.
On a very minor point, I understand the Helsingør/Helsingborg ferry journey is actually only 20 minutes although a margin is probably needed before departure and the total time taken might then be 40 minutes.
Again, thank you so much for clarifying things for us, I am very grateful.
Best wishes
Jim
Fiona Hilliard (author comment)

- 19th Jan, 11 03:01pm

Happy to help Jim. Have a great trip!
arthur ippolito

- 7th Feb, 12 01:02pm

Regardless of age, would you advise folks who plan to visit Europe and rent/lease a car while on vacaton to have an Inernational Driving Permit?? Plus, can you briefly explain the difference in renting or leasing a car while on vacation??? Many of the sights I visited on he computer say for short stays in Euope, “leasing” is the way to go rather than rent. Many tks for your troubles and reseach……/at
Fiona Hilliard (author comment)

- 7th Feb, 12 01:02pm

Hi Arthur,

Thanks for your question. An international driver’s permit is usually only necessary if your usual permit is printed in a script such as Chinese, Russian or Greek. Generally speaking, Canadian, US and EU citizens do not require an international driver’s permit to drive in Europe.

How long do you plan to travel in Europe? Leasing is usually recommended for longer term travel – say, a few months, rather than a few weeks.