Under 25 Rental Car dilemma
 

My son is getting married and we are giving him a honeymoon in Maui as a gift. The car rental rates for under 25 are terribly expensive (he is 23). Anyone found a way around this?

Check with several different companies - not all have the "under 25" policy. Good luck!

Does anyone know which ones don't? I know Alamo has one.

The only way around it is if under 25's as a whole had a better driving record. I endured this bad rap and high rates for nine years until I turned 25, and I had no traffic violations or crashes. The insurance industry and rental companies profile you with almost no consideration of you as an individual driver....especially if you are male and under 25.

His company may have a coporate rate program with a car company.Many times a program like that will allow underage renters at no extra fee.

When I was under 25, I used my company's corporate rental rate and it worked just fine.

Enterprise or any of the local rental agencies, like Kihei, Aloha, Word of Mouth or Maui Car Rentals

Thrifty.com will rent to him but there is a $20 per day extra charge.

My 21 year old daughter has rented with Enterprise many times, no surcharge. Budget has a surcharge for 21-14 year olds on the mainland but I think they do not allow this age group to rent in Hawaii.

My son used Rent a Wreck on Kauai last summer when he was 21. They might have a franchise on Maui.

I think you are quite fortunate for the reason that, in the past, it has been policy that the big rental companies just would not rent to "under 25's"... now they need only pay an added rate.

If I were you, I would look into the high probability that they won't NEED to have the car 24/7 during their trip.

Maybe just a couple of days of a car rental will be enough. But is their lodging a million miles from civilization? ...rendering this inconvenient

I'm under 25 and have rented several cars. I rented from Dollar,Alamo, and Enterprise. In Hawaii last Jan. I rented from Alamo and got a REALLY good deal from Priceline.com. It had an option for under 25 and I got a rate that way 150 dollars less than it would have been.

Has anyone noticed that the OP said "son" and two posters who said their "daughter" or a female name in the screen name said they had no problems being charged higher rates? Hmmm

Travel52, call the rental companies back and ask for the exact same thing except that it is for your Daughter. let us know what the price difference is.

jorr - There could be something to that. My husband and I got married at 22. My car insurance rate dropped once we got married, but his didn't drop till he was 25. Perhaps car rental companies don't have a problem renting to married women under 25 as well?

I have also heard that some car companies, while not having a surcharge for ages 21-25, make younger renters buy the "optional" insurance - so when you find a company, I would read all the fine print about insurance.

My son and his wife honeymoooned in Hawaii - and she rented the car (and drove). They considered not having a car for the entire time. But they found having a car opened up much cheaper dining options.