Renting a car in the USA

Renting a car in the USA as a visitor from abroad takes four things at the counter. You need a valid home-country licence, a passport in the same name and a credit card in the driver's name. You also need to be at least 21, or 25 to avoid a daily fee. The decisions that change the price come after that. They are the damage waiver, the liability cover, the toll programme and extra drivers.

The rules below come from the rental conditions of Hertz, Enterprise, Alamo, National, Avis, Budget and Sixt, read on 26 October 2026. They also draw on USA.gov and California law. Rental companies set many of these rules per location, so the agreement at the counter is the final word.

What licence do you need to rent a car in the USA?

A home-country licence, with an international driving permit only where the script needs one, is enough at most rental companies. It must be valid, carry a photo and use the Latin alphabet. Hertz, Alamo, National, Avis and Sixt all accept it with a passport as second ID. A licence in another script, such as Arabic, Cyrillic or Japanese, needs an International Driving Permit or an official translation alongside it.

The law follows the same logic. USA.gov says some states may require an International Driving Permit and that you may need both documents to rent. California, for one, lets a visitor over 18 drive on a valid licence from the country where they live. The US does not issue the permit to visitors, so get it at home before the flight.

How old do you have to be to rent a car in the USA?

The minimum age to rent a car in the USA is 21 at most companies and 20 at Hertz. Every driver under 25 pays a daily young driver fee. Enterprise and Alamo put that fee at about $25 a day on average. Budget charges $27 a day at most of its own locations.

New York's law forbids refusing a renter aged 18 or over on age alone. It also limits the surcharge to the real extra cost of insurance. Under-25s also face limits on the car. Sixt rents them economy to full-size cars only, and Hertz keeps its premium collections for older drivers.

Do you need a credit card to rent a car in the USA?

A credit card in the driver's name is the simple way to rent a car in the USA. The company places a hold on it for the rental plus a deposit. Some companies accept debit cards, with conditions that a visitor often cannot meet.

• Hertz: the estimated charges plus $200 on a credit card, more for larger cars; plus $500 on a debit card.
• Sixt: the rental plus $200 for a standard car; at least $500, on a credit card, for large SUVs and luxury cars.
• Debit cards: most companies want a ticketed return flight at airport counters, and Hertz may run a credit check.
• Under 25: Budget requires a credit card, not a debit card.

Prepaid and gift cards are not accepted for the deposit. The company releases the hold only after the car is returned.

What insurance do you need when renting a car in the USA?

A visitor renting a car in the USA has to decide on two covers. The first is a damage waiver for the car itself. The second is liability cover for harm done to other people. Both are optional at the counter, and neither is the same as insurance at home.

The damage waiver is not insurance, as Enterprise, Alamo and Avis all point out. It is still what stands between you and the bill for the car. Basic liability is thinner than it sounds. Most companies provide only the state minimum. In many states it is secondary to any other insurance you hold. Hertz gives international customers renting in California primary state-minimum cover but none to others there.

Credit card cover is the trap for visitors. Hertz notes that most card insurance is supplemental and pays nothing if you accept the company's waiver. Card cover also usually needs the whole rental paid with that card. Check your own card and travel policy in writing before declining anything.

For a visitor with no US cover, the damage waiver plus supplemental liability covers the car and raises what you owe other people. Your own medical bills are a separate question, which our guide to travel insurance for the USA takes up.

Does a second driver cost extra?

A second driver costs extra at most companies unless they are your spouse or partner. Enterprise and National charge $15 a day for other drivers and Avis $13 in most states. At Enterprise every added driver must come to the counter with a licence.

California law goes further: no fee for a spouse, child, sibling, parent, grandparent or coworker of the renter. On a debit card rental, Enterprise allows only the spouse or partner as an extra driver.

How do tolls work in a rental car?

Rental car tolls go through the company's own toll programme. It adds a daily fee on top of the toll on every day you pass an electronic toll point.

You can avoid the fee with your own E-ZPass account or by paying in cash lanes where they exist. Avis, Budget and Hertz bill the tolls themselves at the highest undiscounted rate through these programmes.

Can you drive a rental car into Mexico or Canada?

Mexico is off limits at most companies. Hertz, Avis, Budget and Sixt forbid taking a US rental car into Mexico. The damage waivers from Enterprise and Alamo do not apply there.

Canada is usually allowed if you tell the counter first, and everyone in the car needs a passport. Sixt limits it to round trips. Its cars rented in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah or Washington may enter only British Columbia and Alberta. Sixt forbids one-way rentals from the US into Canada.

What fees are added at the airport?

Airport rentals carry fees that a town branch does not. The concession recovery fee passes on what the company pays the airport. A customer facility charge pays for the rental car centre, and a vehicle licence fee recovers registration costs. None of the companies publishes the percentage in its general terms. The figures appear on the quote.

Some states add their own daily surcharge, such as $2 a day in Florida. A one-way rental can also carry a drop charge, which Enterprise says is disclosed at booking. A loop like our Southwest national parks loop, returned to the same Las Vegas location, avoids it.

What should you do at pickup and after an accident?

At pickup, walk round the car before leaving and have any damage not shown on the agreement noted by an agent. Sixt says this in its own pickup guide. Photographing the four sides, the fuel gauge and the mileage takes a minute and settles most arguments at return.

After an accident, call 911 or the local police and get a police report. Then call the company's roadside line, printed on the agreement. Sixt requires a police report in every case. Take photos of the damage, the scene and the other vehicles, and the other driver's plate and insurance details.

Our guide to driving in the USA as a visitor covers the rules of the road once the car is yours. The Utah guide shows the distances between the parks.