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From Times Online

July 6, 2007

Car hire for under 25s

The Sunday Times opens its travel clinic on a daily basis to answer your holiday queries. Today: car hire in the US

Richard Green

I'm planning a trip to Florida with some friends, and we are looking for a car hire company that doesn't penalise us for being under 25. I have been driving for almost seven years and will be just five months shy of my 25th birthday at the time of the trip. Any thoughts? Robert Cunningham, Huddersfield

Sunday Times travel expert, Richard Green, responds: The dreaded "Young Driver's Surcharge" is an irritating bugbear for under-25s wanting to hit the open road on holiday. It's charged by all of the big car hire companies, usually at $25 per day, if the person hiring and driving the car is aged between 21 and 25 that's £87 a week extra.

However US Rent A Car (0845 226 8523) is a UK based brokering firm that can help. It offers a week's inclusive hire in Florida, picking up from any of the international airports, without any young driver surcharge. Weekly rates start at £129, good for a driver aged between 21 and 24. Equally unusual is that there isn't an additional driver fee either, so you can share the driving with your friends, providing you let the company know when you book, at no extra charge, even if they are also under 25.

If there are a group of you, an eight, 12, or 15-seater minivan might work out cheaper. US rent a car does charge an additional $19.95 per day if you are under 25, and if someone in the group is either 19 or 20 years old, they can hire a car with a surcharge of about $20 per day.

Incidentally, the company offers rentals on the same basis throughout the USA, though at higher rates, with Budget Rent A Car, but for anyone heading to Canada, you'll have to budget for the young person's surcharge.

Transhire (0870 789 8000) also doesn't charge a young persons surcharge for one driver, plus a free named driver (if they are over 25), or $25 a day for another under 25 driver.

It would appear there is some confusion regarding US Rent a Car. When you book the car the young driver has to book the gold insurance cover and then a one off £100 for additional insurance. A small car with gold cover for two weeks would be £192 + the one off £100 for the young drivers insurance.

Jim, Pontefract, West Yorkshire

In addition to my last, a grand total of £292. Yes there are surcharges for extra young drivers, but you wont find cheeper anywhere. If you were to pay the rental + surcharges it would be £192 +203; so its deffinately a saving.

Jim, Pontefract, West Yorkshire

I just called US Rent a Car and although they were pretty helpful they do actually charge the extra $25 a day for anyone other than the main named driver. Even for the main driver you have to pay a £260 surcharge to avoid the $25 a day rule. Is there any way round this?! It's driving me mad!

Ben, Cambridge,

I was really interested in the replies to Roberts question, being in the same position myself. However I was very annoyed when I rang these companies, both of whom told me that although there was no daily surcharge there was, in fact, an up front rate for 24 year old drivers. US rent a car were extremely expensive and Transhire were unhelpful and quite rude, despite me mentioning this article. I dont know if they were saying this information for marketing purposes but I would not recommend either. If in the US, the cheapest I have found is enterprise car rental, helpful and cheap but best deals by phone, young driver surcharge just $10 per day.

Joanna, cardiff,