If you are over the age of 75 or 80 and have looked at hiring a car then you may have come across the issue with car hire age limits which are enforced by some suppliers.Don’t be too concerned by this, it’s only a limited set of suppliers that enforce this rule so we will be able to find you an alternative rental company, as long as you are under the age of 99. On this page we discuss car hire age limits & everything you need to know.
Car Hire Age Restrictions In The UK & Worldwide
In the UK the age to rent a car varies wildly but typically starts at 21, however what most don’t know is that rental companies can also have an upper age limit and may not allow drivers over the age of 75 to hire a car.
As a senior driver you need to be aware that there are car rental age restrictions in the UK & most other countries, here is what you need to consider:
- You must be under the age of 99
- Need to have held your licence for over a year at a minimum
- Points or driving convictions will make hiring more complex as it will limit the car rental companies you can hire from
- Contact us directly to find out which suppliers allow senior car hire, some popular car hire companies have restrictions for over 70’s.
What is the maximum age for renting a car?
As previously mentioned, it would depend on what car rental supplier you are looking to hire from. The car rental age limit for seniors that you tend to see is 70 years of age. Some rental companies will charge you a fee for being a senior driver, however there are rental companies that don’t have as strict upper age restrictions, as an example Enterprise car hire upper age limit isn’t specified and they allow any age as long as you are 25+.
The maximum age for car rental companies is set by the insurance companies, but different rental companies use different insurance providers. You need to ensure that you read the full T&Cs of the rental before booking.
Car Hire For Over 70, 75 & 80s
When it comes to senior car hire many people get caught out by driver age restrictions as most suppliers do not offer car hire to the over 70s or charge an extra cost for the privilege of being more mature, which even the concept of this we find quite ridiculous, therefore we set out to do something about it and help our senior citizens get the car hire that they deserve.
A common question we get is “do you do car hire for over 80 year olds?”, the reason is many car hire companies tend not to offer senior car hire but in our experience, the older peer group are the safest and most responsible drivers out there, our senior citizens are a key part of the motoring industry and we felt it unfair to leave them unable to hire a car.
We have made an agreement with a number of rental suppliers to allow our older customers to continue hiring cars right up until their 99th birthday. These suppliers do still require certain criteria to be met similar to that of when you are hiring at any age which is why we ask you to contact us directly before making a booking, this way we can advise the best rental to meet your requirements and give you the best rental experience possible.
In summary each car rental company is different. Some car rental companies may start their daily senior driver surcharge for car hire over 75 years of age, others may start it from 80+ and some don’t have this policy at all. It’s our job to find you the best overall rental company that suits your requirement at the lowest price possible, taking into consideration their respective policies.
Upper Age Limits By Country
If you’re looking to hire anywhere in Europe then you could potentially run into car hire age limit restrictions. We can always find a supplier that has an upper age limit of 99, but we’ve pulled together a list of countries and some of the suppliers age restrictions to give you an idea of what to look out for:
- UK – Some suppliers will only allow you to hire between 25 to 75.
- France – The only supplier we found with an upper age limit of 75 was Interrent.
- Germany – There are a few suppliers in Germany that have an upper age limit of 80.
- Italy – There are quite a few suppliers that have upper age limits of 74 & 75.
- Ireland – There are quite a few suppliers that have an upper age limit of 75.
- Spain – Quite a few suppliers have upper age limits of 69 at the lowest but mostly 74, 75 & 80.
Popular Rental Company Age Limits
Just to provide you with an idea of what companies may have upper age limits we’ve pulled together some of the popular rental companies and there restrictions, but these can vary from location to location so please always make sure you check the terms & conditions!
| Rental Company | Upper Age Limit |
|---|---|
| Avis | 80 |
| Budget | 99 |
| Centauro | 74 |
| Easirent | 75 |
| Europcar | 70 |
| Firefly | 69 |
| Goldcar | 99 |
| Hertz | 79 |
| Interrent | 99 |
| Keddy | 70 |
| Record | 69 |
| Sixt | 99 |
| Thrifty | 79 |
Senior Car Hire Locations
Below is a table some of the areas in which we can supply senior car hire.
Australia
Austria
Barbados
Belgium
Bulgaria
Canada
Corsica
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominican Republic
Finland
France
Germany
Great Britain
Greece
Holland
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Latvia
Lithuania
Mexico
Morocco
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
Turkey
Uae
Uk
Usa
Can’t find the location you are looking for? Don’t worry, we can still try and help! Just get in touch with us directly by calling +44 0113 880 0748.
Submit your review | |
Several years ago I was having trouble hiring a car in Europe because of advancing years and was referred to Indigo and came across Cherie Carter who solved the problem in no time and with good humour, and always with an upgrade, such is their reputation.
This year for a major anniversary we are taking the tribe of 21 to southern Spain and, for reasons complicated, need six cars in Spain and across borders to France and Portugal. This might have proved a challenge for Cherie but easily overcome and my January has been brightened by emails from her at all times in the evening and weekends, making sure that our complex requirements were met, always with a highly droll sense of humour and cheerfulness. Amazing.
Would that the public services showed such efficiency and productivity.....
Having seen Indigo's advert car hire for seniors I decided to give then an email, they answered straight away within a few emails they had offered a car of my choice with a pick up within 5 mins of my hotel This was followed up with a phone call for my licence details. The call handlers were very polite and helpful.
I would highly recommend IND/Go for everyone but especially if you are a senior.
I read some reviews before choosing a car rental company.
Indigo stood out with recommendations from customers who had used Indigo several times and were happy to continue.
I’ve not been disappointed, the level of response and advice I have received is excellent.
Thankyou Cherie and Matt for your professionalism.
Prior to trip from Australia to UK, we had tried booking a car hire for a month online, only to find out that as senior citizens over 75 years a lot were unable to do so. We found Indigo Car Hire, who found us a hire company that would hire out to over 75s and at a good price. The staff , especially Jake and Matt kept us well informed about everything and assured us that the age problem was as no problem.
