Age limit for renting a car in Europe
 

Hello all, Asking for a freind, but, in truth, we are not far from this question. Is there an upper age limit for renting a car in Europe? I know that cost increases as one ages (usually as a surcharge), but can one rent a car if one is over 80? If someone is, would it make sense to make sure to have an International driver's Permit? Thanks.

Depends entirely on rental company. Some, usually big international ones, don't have upper limit. Others restrict the type of car you can rent, or impose a surcharge (often in the form of 'senior insurance' package). Some local companies impose upper limit, usually between 75 and 85.
International Driving Permit has nothing to do with upper age limit. If a country or rental company requires one, you need to have one regardless of age.

Thanks, Alec. Does the country matter since we tend to go to England, France, Italy, and Spain (my husband speaks the 3 languages) and our friends have a son and family in London).

You will need an IDP for your travels. Ireland can be a problem if you are over 75, as can Malta and a couple of others, but otherwise it depends entirely on the rental company whether or not they have a maximum age for rentals. Some may require a doctors letter to say you are healthy apparently.

You're going to have to have an IDP no matter what age you are. Speaking multiple languages is a wonderful thing but completely irrelevant in this context. Age limits are governed by the rental car companies. My dad drove in France many times over the age of 80 with rentals from AutoEurope, but I have no idea what their current requirements are. Call and ask.

I have not yet been surcharged anywhere at the age of 77. The IDP is useful. I was pickpocketed last year and had only my passport and the IDP for ID and Europcar found that sufficient enough to let me have a car according to the rental agreement. They said that it would be no problem before they found out that I was in their system because I have rented from them previously.

It would have been a huge problem if you had been stopped by the police though Michael - you must carry your valid driving licence with you in addition to the IDP.

I am aware of that, but it was in the wallet that was lifted.

Certainly in the Netherlands it is illegal to drive without a current driving licence, even if it has been stolen, and I am sure that is the case elsewhere. So consider yourself very lucky in an unlucky situation.

I did not have a choice. Do you know how long it takes the California DMV to even issue a temporary "copy" (it isn't) of your license? What would you have done in my place? Cancel the whole trip?

Or modify the trip to use public transport wherever possible?

I do not see that as an option unless going from city to city, and probably canceling some pre-paid reservations. And trying to arrange the transportation would have been a nightmare. I also did not want to spoil the trip of our friend, as we were three traveling together, and she had worked on her own agenda for the trip. Rational alternatives do not always fit reality.

Was either of the other two travel companions able to drive carrying their driving licence? If you had been stopped by police for any reason, you would have been prevented from driving any further, perhaps in the middle of nowhere.

The trip is over. No need to discuss the complexities of our arrangements. I only wanted to point out that I was able to pick up a reserved car with just the IDP.

Hi @justretired I just found you on this site and am very interested in your travels throughout France. Is this the only place you post? I am spending a few months next year in Paris and want to travel and explore more of France and would love to hear the pro/cons, tips, suggestions, etc Thanks

It's kind of funny, this question, because we had an issue with my mom hiring a car in France at 80. Which was fine with me, as I became the designated driver, but I'm always the designated driver, so who cares. That said, Auto Europe does have a chart with the various age restrictions, but I think it varies from rental agency to rental agency. And even though we used Auto Europe to broker the car, the actual rental may have been through Avis. Anyway, the chart is in the link below.

https://www.autoeurope.com/travel-ti...-requirements/

Surfergirl, thanks for the chart, very useful!

I researched age limits for my trip this fall. I was young enough to avoid problems. I did notice one company required oldest drivers to get a report from your car insurance company saying you had no accidents in the previou five (I think) years and a doctor's letter saying it was safe for you to drive.
As for fear of losing my drivers license, I assuaged my paranoia by getting a duplicate license from my state a month before leaving. Even if one were lost, I'd be good.

"justretired" Trip Reports; other writing on France
 

Hi, Ilysguesthouse. Most of my writing about travel is on Fodor's, in the Europe forum. I think you can search on my Trip Reports - let me know if you need me to include links. You might also like some additional writing from my blog:

The French: https://ljkrakauer.com/LJK/00s/thefrench.htm

Driving in France: https://ljkrakauer.com/LJK/00s/drivingfrance.htm

- Larry

It worked out for you, but for the benefit of others who might face the same scenario, any insurance policy will be null and void if the driver at the the time of the incident does not have proper documentation.