Rent a car under 25?
 

I'm 23 and wanted to rent a car in Barcelona. Can anyone recommend a rental company that allows drivers under 25 (with atleast the low surcharges and reasonable prices)?

I'm also trying to figure out the best location (train station or city spot) to pickup/dropoff while getting out of barcelona with the least amount of time in traffic heading north.

I also have a friend in southern France I would like to visit for a day. Do car rental companies have rules about leaving the country?

Thanks in advance for the help! It is much appreciated.

I previously thought I knew a solution to this need, but see...

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34662775

Best wishes,

Rex

Try www.economycarrentals.com

Their minimum age is 21, with at least 2 years since passing the test.

None of the major rental car companies, or brokers like Auto Europe, will rent a car to anyone younger than 25 years of age and in possession of a major credit card. The risk are just too high.

You may be able to find someone locally, but beware.

Brokers like cardelmar.com do rent to younger drivers, but since you do not rent from the broker but via the broker, you will have to check each individual offer with regard to the actual rental car company's terms.

Most common or minimum restrictions are:
- minimum age 21, in possession of permit for at least one year
- you can only rent smaller sized cars
- you pay an extra daily fee

Do you have a job with a major corporation? If so, then I would look into whether any of your corporate rental agreements cover you for personal rentals (many do). Most will waive the minimum age, and some will cover all insurance.

I just checked with Auto Europe regarding the age requirements and Cowboy1968 is correct.

Some rental car companies have a minimum age restriction of 23, while Europcar's age is 21. There is a "young drivers" surcharge added on a per day basis ($18 to $23/day) with a maximum charge, in one case of $100.

A major credit card is required in order to rent the car.

My 21-year-old daughter just arranged for a rental through AutoEurope earlier this week. The AE rep she talked to told her that their various affiliates have different rules. I forget which company she ended up with, but she did successfully rent a car to drive in France.

Yes, there are some restrictions with regard to driving in certain countries (some rentals won't let you go to certain Eastern European countries, for example), but there's no problem with a rental in Spain going into France.

Ok thanks for all the help!