Car Rental in the USA – Discovering America at your own pace

In most of the US states, drivers must be at least 21 years old although in some places it is possible for younger drivers to rent a vehicle. To find out more about this important aspect of driving in the USA, please visit our page dedicated to inexperienced drivers booking their first car rental. However, it's also worth being aware that drivers up to and including 26 years old may be subject to a Young Driver Surcharge which is charged locally and can be substantial so it's always best to check the conditions with your local provider to find out whether or not this extra charge applies to you and if so, how much it will be. Furthermore, you might also find that in some situations an international driving licence may be required.

It's easy to find details of any young driver surcharges that might be payable, along with any information on minimum and maximum age limits that could be relevant to your booking. Simply enter our booking engine at the top of this page and select your destination and pick-up/drop-off dates. Once you've accessed the matrix with all the different suppliers and car categories available on the Auto Europe website, just select one of them and click on the blue and white info (i) icon in the car rate details. This will open a section with all the relevant information from your search, including a detailed list of all the terms and conditions related to your booking, including special instructions dedicated to young drivers in the Driver Information section. Auto Europe also includes this information in the T&Cs of your voucher once the booking has been confirmed. Please note that it is essential to state your correct age when making your booking, which will allow us to properly inform you of any car rental age requirements that might apply and indicate whether or not you are an experienced traveller or booking your first rental car with Auto Europe.

Yes. This popular service is known as a one-way car rental and, although the general rule is that you must return the vehicle to the same place you picked it up, booking with Auto Europe allows you to break the rules! For example, some companies will let you pick up your car in Los Angeles and return it to San Francisco (or vice versa) at no extra cost and in Florida, likewise, it is also permitted to pick up and return a vehicle in different locations without being charged an additional fee. However, please note that this is not the case with all the local suppliers because in general a fee will apply, whether you are planning a one-way car hire in the USA or any other country in the world. Please visit our page dedicated to one-way car rentals to find out how to check the booking conditions in advance. To avoid any confusion, customers should always inform Auto Europe of any one-way travel plans they might have at the time of making their booking so that we can confirm whether or not this service is possible. This will give you the chance to cancel your booking completely free of charge if you don't agree with any of the conditions, as long as you do so up to 48 hours prior to the pick-up date and time. The amount may be included in the rental price or charged at the time of pick-up in the local currency, in this case the US dollar. Please note that certain restrictions may apply to specific vehicle categories, a minimum hire period and/or journeys between specific cities and locations.

Full details of one-way rates (excluding local VAT) can be found next to the car hire rate after you have made a quick search for an affordable car rental in the USA through the Auto Europe booking engine. One-way fees are always charged by the suppliers with whom the customer chooses to book, which means that Auto Europe never receives or profits in any way from these extra fees. Although car hire suppliers determine their own one-way rates independently, we consider it important to inform our customers about all the add-ons related to their rental to help them make a more informed decision for their next trip. The one-way fee can vary from supplier to supplier for the same pick-up and drop-off locations, and one company may charge much less than another while some may not even allow one-way journeys at all because each supplier operates differently and may also operate with a completely different set of rules and options.

For drivers who want to travel across borders after renting a car in the United States of America, the first thing to remember is that Mexico is completely out of the question! Nevertheless, it is possible to visit Canada as long as the vehicle is returned to the US (the option of renting in the US and then entering Canada, even if the car is dropped off in the US, is not permitted for Canadian residents). Motorists should always bear in mind that when travelling outside the country where the vehicle was collected, whether in the United States or any other country, it is the customer's responsibility to make sure that the vehicle complies with the local laws of the country, or countries, in which they are travelling, including (but not limited to) locally required safety equipment, cross-border legal documents, toll and/or emissions stickers, etc.

Yes. In order to rent a car in the United States, drivers will almost always need to have a valid credit card (in their name) with enough of a credit limit to cover the amount of the deposit which rental companies generally retain, with the amount promptly released once the vehicle has been returned undamaged. There are the odd exceptions when a supplier has been known to accept a debit card instead of a credit card but it is very rare. Check out our page on deposits and credit cards in order to find out why they are so important when renting a car in the USA.

Customers booking a premium or luxury category car should bear in mind that the supplier may request a second major credit card (ie Visa, Mastercard, Diners or American Express), both of which must be in the name of the main driver. It's very easy to check which cards (and card types) are accepted locally. All you need to do is a quick search for a low-cost car rental in the USA through Auto Europe's state-of-the-art booking engine and click on the blue and white info (i) button to access the information section on the supplier's payment policy, which is where all the credit card-related details can be found.

There are several important things to remember when driving in the USA. For example, when hiring a car in Miami (in the state of Florida) or any other part of the United States of America, it's important to make sure that you are fully aware of all the rules and regulations in that part of the country in order to ensure a safe journey and avoid being fined. First of all, in the USA people drive on the right-hand side of the road and overtake on the left. It's always advisable to wear seat-belts both front and back whether or not it is compulsory, while some states enforce their use for anyone under the age of 18 year. Like most places in the world, it is prohibited to use a mobile phone whilst driving. If police pull you over, never get out of your vehicle unless instructed to do so and keep your hands visible on the steering wheel at all times.

It is forbidden to drink and drive and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a federal offence in the USA, although specific laws and penalties vary from state to state. Also remember that most states prohibit the presence of any alcoholic beverages in the seating area of the car so if you're driving and carrying any bottles or cans, then these items will need to be stored in the boot. Another thing you need to be aware of is the strictness of the local laws regarding rubbish. For instance, you should never throw rubbish of any kind out of your car window because if you do so then the fine will be quite steep (they can exceed a thousand dollars) and foreigners are often forced to pay them on the spot, which could possibly leave you out of pocket for the rest of your trip!

When driving a car in the United States, you'll find an abundance of petrol stations on all the roads and motorways and around the big cities. As a rule, they are generally open 24/7 in large US cities and from 6am to 10pm in rural areas. As well as selling fuel, they usually have large shops inside and are therefore very useful for buying food, water and anything else you might need for the rest of your trip. On the subject of fuel, you should remember that petrol in the USA is sold by the gallon (3.79 litres) and is offered in three octane levels: regular (normal), plus and premium, with most suppliers only requiring the use of regular petrol. Please note that international debit or even credit cards sometimes don't work in petrol station payment machines because they require a US CP (postal code) for security verification. In these cases, you'll have to pay at the cashier inside the station itself.

When renting a car in the United States, please remember that the vast majority of vehicles a automatic transmission, which can take a little time for drivers who are used to manual transmission cars to get used to. Also bear in mind that traffic rules in the US vary from state to state, so what may be the norm in Illinois may not necessarily be allowed in Ohio, for instance. Regarding speed limits, the general rule is 25-30 mph within cities (approximately 40-50kph), with the maximum on interstate routes and motorways varying between 65 and 80 mph (100 and 130kph). When planning your USA travel itinerary, it's definitely worth checking the driving rules and regulations for each state you'll be visiting. For example, in Florida you must drive with your lights on under any circumstances and at any time of the day or night, and in California you can only park in the same direction as traffic, which means that if you see a parking space on the other side of the road in Los Angeles, you'll have to make a U-turn before parking your vehicle in that space. In the event of an emergency, call 911 (the local emergency number) and wait for assistance to arrive.

The United States has an extensive road network that covers the entire country. When you're looking for the best price for a car rental in the USA, it's important to be aware that many of the roads, tunnels and bridges that serve the main highways are free of charge, but some have tolls (sometimes called turnpikes), which can become quite expensive if you are driving from one state to another for many hours. There are currently more than 8,000 kilometres of toll roads and bridges in the United States and the method of payment varies from state to state, although many tolls can still be paid by cash, credit card or more recently with an electronic pass called a transponder which is placed on the windscreen and automatically charges your credit card when you pass the electronic reader. Many rental companies provide these electronic readers and will charge you the full amount when you return the vehicle, so make sure you discuss this at the car hire check-in counter before starting your journey.

Please note that some open highway routes do not have booths and payment is entirely electronic with the total payment to be made at a later stage of your journey. In this case, you will need to have registered your vehicle before using the highway. Because not all toll motorways are the same in every state, it's best to familiarise yourself with these charges and the types of payment accepted along the specific route you plan to take before beginning your journey. Visitors to Hawaii can relax in the knowledge that there are no toll roads or bridges on any of the islands.

If you choose to rent a car in the USA with Auto Europe, there are several important points to remember about coverage for the duration of your rental period. All the rates published on our site comprise the minimum amount of legally-required coverage, including liability, fire, collision damage waiver (CDW) and theft protection (TP). Nevertheless, many Auto Europe customers choose to further protect themselves with extra coverage whilst driving in the United States of America by taking advantage of our very popular Full Damage Protection product which can be added to your booking with a single click of the mouse during the check-out process. All the information you need regarding coverage is clearly indicated in the search results of the Auto Europe booking engine and accessible simply by clicking on the blue and white info (i) icon after selecting your preferred car category and supplier.

Please note that it is common practice for the staff of the local supplier to try selling their own products to Auto Europe customers when they arrive to collect their vehicle, despite the fact that most of them have already purchased their coverage on our website beforehand. Please note that these additional coverage policies are completely optional and anything offered by the local provider's team members will most likely be surplus to your needs. For more information about Auto Europe's coverage products in the USA, please read our post about car rental coverage in the USA.

Yes, very easily! Auto Europe's customers can add an additional driver to their US car rental quickly and simply. With some of our providers, you'll find that the fees for additional drivers are already included in the price, while others will charge you a daily fee at the time of picking up the vehicle, the price of which is always set by the local provider. Please click the following link to go to our page dedicated to our free additional driver offers running in the USA throughout the entire year. It is important to remember that all additional drivers must be added to the car rental contract, with each respective driver being asked for the same documents as the main driver at the time of collecting the vehicle (ie passport, driving licence and, where necessary, an international driving permit). Please note that when you book our popular Gold Rate package, three additional drivers (ages 26 and over) will already be included in the price!

All necessary information about additional driver fees can easily be found in the search results on the Auto Europe website. After selecting your preferred car category and supplier, all you need to do (once again) is click on the blue and white info (i) icon in the car details, after which you will find it clearly stated in the Driver Information section. Please be advised that if a friend or family member whose name is not included in the car rental contract decides to drive the vehicle at any time during the rental period, they will automatically be excluded from all insurance coverage, thus making the main driver responsible for the full amount should the vehicle be stolen or involved in any type of an accident. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that all additional drivers are properly authorised before the car leaves the pick-up point.

The good news for travellers on a budget is that they can enjoy substantial savings on your car rental in the US all through the year. For instance, by booking with Auto Europe's special Gold Rate package you can take advantage of our exclusive offer for all those looking for affordable car rentals in the USA. All you need to do is add the Gold Rate option to your reservation at the time of making your reservation through our powerful booking engine so that you can instantly upgrade your rental with up to three additional drivers complete free of charge, as well as receiving your first tank free! With this package you can explore the United States of America with complete peace of mind whilst saving a lot of time and money in the process. Simply select the car that best meets your needs through our booking engine and check the search results until you get quotes that include all the benefits of our excellent Gold Rate package at amazing prices.

Yes, it is possible, but cars equipped with a manual transmission are quite rare in America because most vehicles in this country are automatic. Automatic cars generally more economical on fuel and are a better option for city sightseeing in stop-and-go traffic because they require less effort. When driving an automatic you'll find that you can change gears much faster than a manual car and enjoy a smoother driving experience with seamless gear shifts and responsive power delivery. Some vehicles offer an automatic transmission with manual control which offers drivers the best of both worlds. It is a fact that vehicles with automatic transmission are easier to drive and, in the vast majority of cases, are considered an upgrade compared to those equipped with manual transmission, which means that you will be driving an above-average vehicle with a greater degree of comfort.

In the vast majority of places, when you take advantage of our car rental offers in this country you are guaranteed to receive a vehicle with a state-of-the-art automatic transmission. As already mentioned, there are many advantages to renting a car in the United States with an automatic transmission, the main one being the possibility of enjoying the drive without ever having to worry about changing gears. Another important consideration is fuel economy, with newer cars these days designed with the latest technology.