How Old to Rent a Car: Age & Young Renter Fees
How old you must be to rent a car, by company and state, and the young renter fee each one charges: from their own pages.
Florida · any company · 21 years old · 3 days
Yes: all 9 companies rent to you at 21 in Florida, the lowest stated fee Hertz’s $19 a dayUnder 25 a young renter fee is added unless a membership or official travel waives it.
Read 2026-10-03: each company’s own age page, AAA’s and USAA’s own pages, and the New York and Michigan laws. Fees change: the price when you book is the one that counts.
Every company for a driver of 21 in Florida, 3 days
| Company | Youngest age here | For you | Fee a day | Fee for 3 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hertz | 20 | Yes, $19/day | $19 | $57 |
| Enterprise | 21 | Yes, ~$25/day | ~$25 | ~$75 |
| National | 21 | Yes, ~$25/day | ~$25 | ~$75 |
| Alamo | 21 | Yes, ~$25/day | ~$25 | ~$75 |
| Avis | 21 | Yes, plus a fee | Not printed | — |
| Budget | 21 | Yes, $27/day | $27 | $81 |
| Sixt | 21 | Yes, plus a fee | Not printed | — |
| Dollar | 20 | Yes, plus a fee | Not printed | — |
| Thrifty | 20 | Yes, plus a fee | Not printed | — |
Quick answer: 21 at most rental companies, 20 at Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty, and 18 in New York and Michigan, where state law makes them rent to adults. Under 25 a young renter fee is added: Hertz prints $19 a day, Budget $27, and Enterprise, National and Alamo about $25 on average. At 25 it stops.
How to use it
Pick the driver’s age on the day you pick up the car, the state you rent in and, if you have one in mind, the company. Choose AAA or USAA if you are a member, or government travel if you rent on official orders, and the number of days. The answer says whether you can rent, the young renter fee a day and for the whole trip, and the company’s own words. Under it is every company side by side for the same driver.
The youngest age at each company
Each company’s own age page, read on October 3, 2026. The states where a company’s age differs are the ones its page names.
| Company | Most states | New York | Michigan | Alabama, Nebraska | Young renter fee its page prints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hertz | 20 | 18 | 18 | 19 | $19 a day |
| Enterprise | 21 | 18 | 18 | 21 | about $25 a day on average; it varies by location |
| National | 21 | 18 | 18 | 21 | about $25 a day on average; it varies by location |
| Alamo | 21 | 18 | 18 | 21 | about $25 a day on average; it varies by location |
| Avis | 21 | 18 | 18 | 21 | not stated on its page; it is added when you book |
| Budget | 21 | 18 | 18 | 21 | $27 a day at most locations; New York and Michigan differ |
| Sixt | 21 | 18 | 21 | 21 | not stated; shown when you book |
| Dollar | 20 | 18 | 18 | 20 | not stated; it depends on your age, the car class and the location |
| Thrifty | 20 | 18 | 18 | 20 | not stated; it varies with the location and the car class |
In New York and Michigan the fees are higher for drivers under 21. Enterprise, National and Alamo print the same figures: $68.75 a day at 18 to 20 and $33.25 at 21 to 24 in New York, $34.00 and $15.50 in Michigan. Avis prints $84 and $35 in New York, $41 and $28 in Michigan. Hertz prints one fee for the whole U.S.
Why 18 in New York and Michigan
New York’s General Business Law § 391-g makes it unlawful for a rental company to refuse to rent such vehicle to any person eighteen years of age or older solely on the basis of age provided that insurance coverage for persons of such age is available
, and lets it pass on Any actual extra cost for insurance related to the age of the person renting
. That extra cost is the higher fee.
Michigan’s comes from its civil rights law, which bars denying anyone a business’s services because of
age (MCL 37.2302). In 1979 the state’s Attorney General ruled that under it automobile leasing companies are prohibited from refusing to lease an automobile to persons between the ages of 18 and 21 solely because of their age
(Opinion No. 5423). Sixt’s page names only New York.
Who pays no young renter fee
- AAA members at Hertz, 20 to 24:
Young renter fee waived for AAA members ages 20-24 who meet standard rental qualifications.
The booking must carry AAA’s discount code (CDP), says AAA’s Hertz page. - USAA members:
Underage driver fees waived (18-24 Hertz, Avis, and Budget; 21-24 Enterprise, Alamo and National).
Only members eligible for USAA’s insurance, says USAA’s car rental page. - Government travel on official orders: National, Alamo, Avis and Budget rent from 18 with no surcharge. Enterprise, Dollar and Thrifty rent from 18 with official paperwork; Sixt does too, and says its underage fee still applies.
Worked examples
A 20-year-old renting in Orlando for 4 days. Only Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty rent at 20 in Florida. Hertz’s fee is $19 a day, $76 for the trip; with a AAA membership and the CDP code, $0.
An 18-year-old renting in New York for 3 days. All nine rent. At Enterprise, National or Alamo the fee is $68.75 a day, $206.25 for the trip; at Avis $84 a day, $252.
A 19-year-old renting in Birmingham, Alabama. Hertz is the only one: its page sets 19 in Alabama and Nebraska.
A 22-year-old USAA member. No fee at Hertz, Enterprise, National, Alamo, Avis or Budget. Sixt, Dollar and Thrifty still add theirs.
Common mistakes
- Believing you must be 25. Every company we read rents at 21, and Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty at 20; 25 is only where the fee stops.
- Bringing a debit card to Budget under 25. Its page asks drivers of 21 to 24 for
an accepted credit card (not a debit card)
. - Booking a minivan or a full-size SUV at Avis under 25. Its page rules out full-size SUVs, luxury cars, minivans, passenger vans, premium SUVs and specialty cars.
- Expecting Budget’s online price to include the fee. Budget says the surcharge
is not included in any online rates
. - Using official orders for a vacation. Budget says personnel
traveling for leisure or personal reasons will still need to pay the underage surcharge
.
More for the road trip
Paying tolls in a rental car is its own trap: read how tourists pay tolls in Florida, then how to prepare for a road trip to Florida. Picking up the car out west? Plan the California coastal drive or a first national parks road trip, and pack from the road trip essentials. Price the drive with the Road Trip Cost Calculator, check your toll pass with Which Toll Pass Works Where? and, for the night, the Minimum Age to Check In at a Hotel.
FAQ
How old do you have to be to Rent a car?
21 at most companies, 20 at Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty, and 18 in New York and Michigan at every company we read but Sixt, which names only New York. Hertz also rents at 19 in Alabama and Nebraska.
Can you rent a car at 18?
Yes, in New York and Michigan, where the law makes rental companies rent to adults, and anywhere on official government travel with your orders. Elsewhere no company we read rents at 18.
Which car rentals are for 18 year olds?
In New York: Hertz, Enterprise, National, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Sixt, Dollar and Thrifty. In Michigan the same, except Sixt. The fee is highest at 18 to 20: Avis prints $84 a day in New York.
Can you rent a car under 21?
Yes: at 20 from Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty in most states, at 19 from Hertz in Alabama and Nebraska, and at 18 in New York and Michigan.
Can you rent a car at 20?
Yes, from Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty in most states, and from every company in New York and Michigan. Hertz’s fee is $19 a day, and AAA members of 20 to 24 pay none there.
What is the Hertz young renter fee?
Hertz’s own answer: “For renters under the age of 25, Hertz charges a young renter fee of $19 per day – below the industry average.” AAA members of 20 to 24 pay none; USAA members eligible for its insurance pay none from 18.
What is the Enterprise under 25 fee?
About $25 a day on average, says Enterprise, higher or lower by location. In New York it is $68.75 a day at 18 to 20 and $33.25 at 21 to 24; in Michigan $34.00 and $15.50.
When does the young driver fee stop?
At 25, at every company we read. Budget puts it plainly: “The minimum age to rent from Budget without a surcharge is 25.”