Age to Rent a Car in California + What Else to Know Before Renting

Required Age to Rent a Car in California

California has not set a minimum or maximum age for renting a car in the California Civil Code. In California — as well as most states in the U.S. —  the required age is up to the car rental companies. Most companies will rent to individuals age 21 and over, but they will likely charge a young driver fee for renters under 25. Some companies will rent to drivers as young as 18, and no rental car companies in the U.S. impose a maximum age restriction.

If you also need lodging for your trip, consider Airbnb — the minimum renter age for most reservations is 18. You can get $35 toward your first Airbnb trip by using our referral link (credit amount subject to change).

Required Age for Additional Drivers

As with primary drivers, there is no required car rental age for additional drivers. In California, car rental agencies aren’t allowed to charge you a fee for adding an additional driver to your rental agreement, and your spouse is legally allowed to drive your rental car without being added to the contract. This is written into California’s Civil Code.

Car Rental Companies in California

ACE Rent a Car

• Minimum age to rent: Varies by location
• Limitations: ACE is a franchise company, so some franchise owners will rent to drivers 18 to 20 years old, while others set the minimum rental age at 21. For details on the minimum rental age, contact your nearest ACE location.
• Underage driver fees: Varies by location
• Find an ACE location
• Rent a car with ACE

Advantage Rent A Car

• Minimum age to rent: 21
• Limitations: Drivers age 21 to 24 are charged an additional fee.
• Underage driver fees: $25 per day
• Find an Advantage location
• Rent a car with Advantage (click on “Find a car worldwide”)

Alamo Rent A Car

• Minimum age to rent: 21
• Limitations: A young driver fee may be applied to renters 21 to 24 years old. Certain specialty and larger vehicles may not be rented to drivers under 25.
• Underage driver fees: Varies by location. Contact your nearest Alamo to learn the exact fees for young drivers.
• Find an Alamo location
• Rent a car with Alamo

Budget Car Rental

• Minimum age to rent: 21 in most locations
• Limitations: Renters age 21 to 24 must show a valid credit card and driver’s license. In most locations, renters age 21-24 can only rent from a limited selection of vehicles.
• Underage driver fees: Most locations charge a per-day surcharge of anywhere from $10 to $27 (the $27 surcharge is the most common).
• Find a Budget location
• Rent a car with Budget Car Rental

Dollar Rent A Car

• Minimum age to rent: 21
• Limitations: Renters 21 to 24 years old will be charged additional fees.
• Underage driver fees: Varies by location. For exact details on exact fees, contact your nearest Dollar.
• Find a Dollar location
• Rent a car with Dollar

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

• Minimum age to rent: 21 in most locations
• Limitations: Renters age 21 to 24 are only permitted to rent from a limited selection of vehicles.
• Underage driver fees: Around $20 per day for renters age 21 to 24, but exact fees vary by location.
• Find an Enterprise location
• Rent a car with Enterprise
• See our article for details on the Enterprise student discount.

Note: If you are a Stanford student, there is an Enterprise location on campus that will rent to you if you are at least 18 years old and you have your valid Stanford ID, proof of full coverage insurance, and a major credit or debit card.

E-Z Rent a Car

• Minimum age to rent: 21 in most locations; some will rent starting at age 18
• Limitations: Drivers under 25 may be restricted to certain vehicle classes
• Underage driver fees: Renters 21 to 24 can expect around $20 per day; renters under 21 can expect around $35 per day
• Find an E-Z location
• Reserve a rental car with E-Z Rent a Car

Firefly Car Rental

• Minimum age to rent: 20
• Limitations: Drivers under 25 may not rent from Prestige, Adrenaline, or select specialty vehicle classes
• Underage driver fees: Around $20 to $30 per day, depending on what kind of car you are renting
• Find a Firefly location
• Rent a car with Firefly Car Rental

Fox Rent A Car

• Minimum age to rent: 19
• Limitations: Drivers under 25 may be restricted to certain vehicle classes
• Underage driver fees: Renters under 25 can expect surcharges of around $20 to $30 per day
• Find a Fox location
• Rent a car with Fox Rent A Car

Getaround

• Minimum age to rent: 19
• Limitations: You must be at least 25 to rent a “Specialty” vehicle. Drivers under 21 must have a clean driving record for the last three years.
• Underage driver fees: None
• View areas of operation for Getaround
• Rent a car with Getaround

Hertz

• Minimum age to rent: 18
• Limitations: Drivers under 25 cannot rent from the Prestige or Adrenaline Collections
• Underage driver fees: Around $35 per day for drivers under 25, though this can vary by location. Hertz will waive the underage driver fee for AAA members age 20-24.
• Find a Hertz location
• Rent a car with Hertz
• See our article for details on the Hertz credit check policy.

National Car Rental

• Minimum age to rent: 21
• Limitations: Additional fees may apply for renters age 21 to 24
• Underage driver fees: Varies by location. For details on exact young driver fees, contact your nearest National Car Rental.
• Find a National location
• Rent a car with National

Payless Car Rental

• Minimum age to rent: 21
• Limitations: Renters age 21 to 24 may only choose from Economy, Compact, Intermediate, Standard, Full-sized cars, and Minivans. Additional rental fees apply to young drivers.
• Underage driver fees: $25 per day
• Find a Payless location
• Rent a car with Payless

Rent-A-Relic

• Minimum age to rent: 21
• Limitations: You cannot take the car out of California without permission
• Underage driver fees: Drivers age 21 to 24 are subject to a daily surcharge
• Rent a car with Rent-A-Relic in Oakland, CA

Sixt

• Minimum age to rent: 21
• Limitations: Renters age 21 to 24 must have held a driver’s license for at least one year. Rental car choices for young drivers are restricted to certain vehicle categories.
• Underage driver fees: $14.99 to $35 per day; maximum $279.98 per rental
• Find a Sixt location
• Rent a car with Sixt

Thrifty Car Rental

• Minimum age to rent: 21, 20 in some areas
• Limitations: Renters under 25 will be charged an additional daily surcharge. Thrifty will rent to government renters age 18 and up who are on official business.
• Underage driver fees: Varies by location. For exact fee details, contact your nearest Thrifty.
• Find a Thrifty location
• Rent a car with Thrifty

Turo

• Minimum age to rent: 21
• Limitations: Drivers under 25 can’t rent certain high-end or specialty vehicles
• Underage driver fees: Either 30% of the trip price or up to $15 per day, whichever is greater, for renters under 25
• Rent a car with Turo
• Our article proves a comparison of Turo vs Getaround

Zipcar

• Minimum age to rent: 18 for college students; 21 for non-students
• Limitations: To rent, you’ll need to first apply for membership and wait for your Zipcard in the mail
• Underage driver fees: Membership plans cost around $7 per month; there is a discount for students and teachers.
• Find a Zipcar location
• Rent a car with Zipcar
• Our article explains the details of Zipcar’s eligibility restrictions.

To compare more features/policies and the rental prices at these companies, see our car rental selection tool.

California Car Rental Fees

The following are applicable car rental fees (besides underage surcharges) that you can expect to pay in California:

Airport Concession Fee + Facility Charge

If you are renting your vehicle at or near an airport, you may be subject to an airport concession fee. This is almost always $10, as required by California civil code. Facility charges can be added onto the airport concession fee, and are a standalone charge for non-airport facilities.

California Sales Tax

The statewide California sales tax rate is 7.25%. Depending on where you are renting your car, you may be subject to additional local sales tax as well. In certain areas, the rate can reach as high as 10.25%.

California Tourism Tax

California adds a tourism tax to the cost of car rentals (in addition to sales tax) for rentals at or near airports and hotels. The amount depends on the city in which you are renting. The rate in Los Angeles is 2.6%, according to Firefly’s website.

Vehicle License Recovery Fee

This fee is usually only a few dollars. The vehicle license recovery fee is essentially passing on the usual fees associated with owning a car — registration, title fees, etc. — to the customer, temporarily.

Extras

There are always optional add-ons for your car rental that can be useful but will cost extra. Availability varies by company and location, but typical offerings include:

• Car seats
• GPS navigation system
• Sirius satellite radio
• Ski rack

In Summary

The required age to rent a car in California is determined by individual rental companies rather than by state law; U.S. rental companies set minimum ages of 18 to 21, but no maximum age limit. In California, rental companies can’t charge you for adding an additional driver, and your spouse is automatically considered an additional driver with no extra paperwork. Also, rentals in California will be subject to both tourism and sales tax, which will increase your total rental costs.

If you’re young and planning to travel beyond California, our article covers the best car rental places for drivers 21 and younger. We also explain how to best avoid paying an under-25 rental fee.