Drivers under 25
If you're aged under 25 and have been looking to hire a car, you may have hit several brick walls. Unfortunately, the car rental industry perceives younger drivers to be of a higher risk. You'll face a Younger Driver Surcharge when hiring a car with certain providers to cover the additional risk. This is usually charged on a per day basis and can range in price up to £50 per day.
Additional requirements
Driving licence
You'll also have to meet the provider's driving licence requirements. In some cases you may need to have held your licence for 3 years.
Driving regulations
The minimum age limits imposed by providers are also influenced by regional and national driving regulations so these will vary between country.
Credit card
Don't forget that you'll need a credit card in your name with a credit limit suitable to cover the security deposit to collect the car.
How Zest can help?
Here at Zest, we want to make it as easy as possible for you to find out whether you're able to hire a car or not with one of the suppliers that we work with. To ensure you get the service to require, we do the following:
Transparent charges
When searching for car hire on our website, if your age falls into a bracket where a young driver surcharge is applicable, you’ll see this displayed clearly as a 'Mandatory Local Charge'. We show this and all extra charges upfront so there are no nasty surprises when you collect the vehicle.
Insurance included
All bookings through Zest include Collision Damage and Theft Waiver (CDW) with either no insurance excess or Excess Reimbursement Insurance (ERI). Where ERI has been negotiated, we can only hire to those aged between 21-84 years of age as long as they meet all the other conditions in place from the car rental provider.
Clear requirements
During your search, always read the terms and conditions of hire to ensure you're able to meet the driving licence requirements. Some may require you to have held your licence for 1 year, some, 3 years. Just because you don't meet the requirements of one provider, doesn't mean none of them will offer you car rental.
Minimum ages for car rental
Here are some other examples of countries you could visit along with their minimum hire ages:
| Country | Minimum hire age |
|---|---|
| Australia | 25 |
| Greek Islands | 19 |
| Canada | 25 |
| Ireland | 25 |
| Cyprus | 21 |
| Italy | 19 |
| Northern Cyprus | 25 |
| New Zealand | 25 |
| Canary Islands | 21 |
| Malta | 21 |
| France | 25 |
| USA | 25 |
| Greece | 19 |
subject to change, surcharge may be applicable
If you search for car rental but find no results, get in touch with us to discuss your requirements either by email or telephone. Our friendly Customer Support Team will be more than happy to assist you to make your next dream trip away become a reality.
Make Zest part of your trip away!
So, if you're 21 or older, you can relax on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, take a Game of Thrones tour in Croatia, or explore the Mayan ruins in Mexico, all with the assistance of a vehicle from Zest Car rental.
Check prices today!
